Edie MacKenzie

Edie MacKenzie is a published author, traveler, dog lover, and tortoise enthusiast. Passionate about what she does, her books provide peopel a firm grounding in the dog breed and their unique characteristics with a nice touch of humor.

Introducing Training To The Young Labrador Retriever

January 26, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

You can begin some elementary retrieving exercises at eight weeks or so, and your Labrador Retriever will most likely love the game and look forward to it each day. To teach the basic mechanics of the fetch (run out, pick up the object, return the object to the master, and release), begin by placing the puppy on a 10-foot lead.

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Take a favorite toy or a ball large enough not to be swallowed, dangle it in front and above the dog’s head to gain its attention, and toss it 5 to 6 feet in front of you. Precede your command with your dog’s name. For example, say, “Jake, fetch!” As he races for the toy, follow behind your Labrador Retriever.

Make sure the lead stays loose and does not snap shut and frighten or hurt him (and perhaps permanently sour him on retrieving).

If he picks up the toy, praise him encouragingly. Should he merely eye or paw the toy, make him pick it up by shaking it in front of him, repeating “Jake, fetch!” Once he has grasped the toy, walk backwards to your beginning spot. Coax him to follow you by motioning him toward you using your hands and fingers.

When he arrives back, get the toy from his mouth by commanding “Out!” and gently pulling it loose. Now is the time to give him a lot of praise and affection – not during the exercise, although encouragement can be helpful.

At such a young age, the emphasis in this and all types of exercise is on fun, not on performance. Improvement in response should naturally come with familiarity. As the puppy masters the game, vary it. Keep your Labrador Retriever guessing.

Try to remain in position and not move out toward the toy. Later, you can attach a longer lead and extend the distance of your throw, or throw the toy sideways. Any Labrador retriever worth its name will take easily and eagerly to this game.

It is recommended that you play with the Labrador Retriever puppy often and consciously make an effort to get down to its level. Standing upright, humans can be quite an imposing sight for a puppy. Sitting or lying on the floor, they are no longer towers but friendly companions. Giving a puppy some eye-to-eye attention will go a long way in cementing the human-dog bond.

Because a Labrador retriever make good swimmers as adults, some misinformed people think this gives them the liberty to dunk young puppies into any available pool of water. A Labrador Retriever is a natural swimmer, but the dog needs to learn the fundamentals before being expected to feel at ease in the water.

When a Labrador Retriever puppy’s first exposure to the water is being thrown or forced in, the shock may make it dislike and fear the water throughout life. Many potential field dogs have been ruined by improper or overzealous training.

The first introduction to the water can begin while a puppy is quite young (three months is a good age). A puppy should be able to master the mechanics very quickly, especially if “shown
the ropes” by some older dogs. The owner should always be nearby, should trouble arise. It often helps the dog feel at ease if the owner wades into the water with it on the first dip.

Ponds or lakes, with their easy entries, are best for training water dogs. The slick tiles and steep sides of a pool are often unmanageable for the dog, and many drownings have occurred when an exhausted dog was unable to climb out of the water. Similarly, a young Labrador Retriever puppy is not strong enough to manage a rough ocean surf, but should be encouraged to play along the shoreline in a sheltered area of shallow water.

Filed Under: Puppy Training Tagged With: Affection, Dog Head, Encouragement, Exercise, Exercises, Familiarity, Fetch, Free Dog Training, Free Video, Hands And Fingers, Labrador Retriever, Lead, Love Game, Masters, Mechanics, Performance Improvement, Puppy, Training Video

Dog Care Tips With How to Start Dog Potty Training

April 26, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

Successful dog training is not just teaching your dog a couple of tricks because how good it will be if your dog knew how to sit and jump but does not have the proper potty training?

Dog potty training is not really hard, as it seems, you just need to create communication between your dog and you. The best dog potty training should include safe confinement, proper training, good timing and encouragement.

Safe confinement:

New dogs that are just starting to learn the basic of potty training should be put in a safe confinement. Safe confinement like crates or cages is recommended for this dog training. Crates or cages can give the dogs the right idea about potty discipline. The size of the crate or cages should not be large, because large sizes will encourage the dog to eliminate on any part of the crates or cage. To be more effective, don’t put any newspaper, box or blankets inside the crates or cage to avoid your dog from chewing it

Proper Training:

One effective way to train them is by using a leash. Since they are coming from crates or cage, they will be playful and distracted when you let them out so it is recommended that you use a leash.

Leash is an effective tool to get back their attention to their potty training. You can use the leash to also make directions where your dogs will eliminate. But remember that you should always supervise your dog when on a leash. Using a leash will be more effective with proper use of words in dog potty training. Words like “outside” or “let’s go pee” will show your dogs that the right place to eliminate is outside the house and not inside the cage or the house. Aside from the word outside or let’s go pee, you can create your own “command name” that will signal to your dog that it is time for eliminating or urinating outside.Whatever the “command name” that you will use, you have to be consistent in using it in training your dog to let your dog get used to it.

Good Timing:

Good timing is also important in dog potty training.

You can reward your dogs to stay outside the crates after they had properly eliminated outside. This practice will let them know that the good behavior of eliminating outside is rewarded properly.

But letting them out of crates should be supervised for you to see if the dogs will still do unnecessary elimination. The right amount of time inside crates or cage depends on month’s age of puppy.

For two months old = two hours of stay in crates without potty break

For three months old = three hours of stay in crates without potty break

For four months old = four hours of stay in crates without potty break

After teaching them the potty break, let them out immediately. Don’t extend the hours of stay in crates or cage.

Praise:

Like in any good behavior, you have to give praises to your dogs when the dog had successfully followed your commands. Praise is very important in dog training, as this will encourage them to be disciplined in their potty training.

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Article Source: ArticleSpan

Filed Under: Dog Health Tagged With: Blankets, Communication, Confinement, Directions, Discipline, Dog Cages, Dog Care, Dog Crates, Dogs, Encouragement, Pee, Potty Training, Sit, Successful Dog Training, Tool, Train, Training Dog, Training Your Dog

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