Tips for Caring for Your Pets during the Summer Months

Training That Your Labrador Retriever Puppy Will Love

by Kirk Hernandez

Your labrador retriever wants to impress you. But a lot of times, a puppy doesn't know what's expected of them. You'll want your puppy to be properly socialized, to respond to commands such as "stay" and "come," and you'll want your dog to break certain habits such as chasing squirrels. 

Socialize Your Puppy

The great thing about labrador retrievers is that they are friendly and easy to train. They also have protective instincts and are ideal for households with children. However, to preserve this friendly demeanor, you will need to make sure that the social interactions that your puppy has with friends and family members are always positive. Therefore, it's important to teach your children to play gently with your labrador puppy.

Enroll in an Obedience Program

Labrador retrievers love to learn and teaching tricks is a great way for your dog to avoid becoming bored. For this reason, it's a good idea to enroll your puppy in an obedience program. Obedience classes will teach your dog important commands that will keep your dog safe. For example, if your dog gets excited and wants to interact with a stranger while on a walk, it's important to have control over your dog by issuing commands.

Teach Your Puppy Tricks

You can also teach your dog several tricks that are very useful. As the name implies, labrador retrievers are great at fetching objects and you can train your dog to grab the newspaper. It's also helpful to teach commands such as "fetch" to make it easier to play with your dog. Playtime is important so your dog remains healthy and doesn't become bored.

Practice Walking on a Leash

It's also important to train your dog early on how to walk on a leash. This breed can be very strong and you won't want your dog to pull the leash. This will keep both you and your dog safe. Avoid using a choke collar, which can hurt your dog, and instead teach your dog to cooperate when you're going for a walk.

Use Positive Reinforcement and Don't Use Too Many Treats

Most dogs respond the best to positive reinforcement. Many dog owners feed their dog treats whenever they perform a trick. However, it's a good idea to use other forms of positive reinforcement such as praise and petting your dog. Labrador retrievers can easily become overweight and you will always want to give them the smallest treats possible and reward them in other ways.

To learn more about labrador retriever puppies, contact a retriever breeder in your area.

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