And to add, you need to be consistant, I seriously would go back to stage one, I am expecting like most labs he is driven by food which makes training very easy, he will now be passing through the teenageer stage, which can be a bit of a bummer, firm but kind and by this time next year the reward should be a well trained dog to be proud of.

I have just started with a ball with Oscar and am using it just for recall as it seems to cut through the distractions in the park.

First step is to make the squeaky ball fun, get 2 and then throw one, then when he gets it squeak the other. Just have fun and then encorporate the ball into training as a reward. You may even be able to use it to distract this unwanted behaviour.

Be warned though he it may just be too exciting for him and could escalate the behaviour so just have fun with it at first and see how it goes.

I have no idea about clicker training but it just sounds like it might be good in your circumstance. If you do a seperate thread i am sure there are a few peeps on here who use it and can advise you.

I really do recommend you re visit your trainer or find another class You really are at the peak of his terrible teens so he needs firmer management than when he was a puppy.

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LOL. We seem to be saying the same things here

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He sounds exactly like my 1 year old lab.
However, it's constant constant training and stimulation every single day. And even after all that he still has a lot of energy.
He does jump up and nip us, a lot of the time out of excitement when we've been playing with him and also does it in the garden, but he doesn't do it as much as he used to, so we're getting there.
At this point, we stop all play and put him in time out, behind a baby gate in the kitchen.

Also lead walking, he pulls, I use a gentle leader, which is also a head collar, but I am putting in the effort to train him to heel, getting him back by my side, as a head collar shouldn't be used as a quick fix.

But yes, he is still a puppy, I've met labs that are two years old and they are still very excitable.
Don't give up on him, I would also advise training classes, I hopefully will be taking my Lab to classes very soon.

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The point of clicker training is first to teach that dog that click = treat will follow -you have to 'load' the clicker first - i.e click, then treat immediately (with something tasty, not just dry food! Liver cake, etc) lots of times until the dog hears the click and is expecting the treat... once he knows this, you can use the 'click' to mark the behaviour you want to reinforce (whatever that is, although it's best initially to click on one thing). For example, if you want your dog to not jump up when someone comes to the door, you use the clicker to reinforce a behaviour that you want to replace it with (sitting calmly, or lying on his bed).

The trick is in the timing, the click has to come at exactly the right moment or you could inadvertantly reward the wrong behaviour. An example - I was trying to teach my dog to stand on command, and unfortunately as I clicked him for standing, he barked at the same instant -it took him a frustrating amount of trial and error before he realised it wasn't the barking I wanted!

A clicker is a powerful tool in the right hands - I recommend you find a clicker class or read up on it (there are a few clicker training websites) if it's something that appeals to you.

The other thing is that the reward doesn't have to be a treat, with clicker training - it could be as suggested, a ball or toy, if that is more motivating for your dog

Sophie
x

We have a clicker, which we try to use but it is very often the case that he still does not obey.
What should we do about the clicker? If he does not obey, should we keep giving the command, or wait until he obeys? As I'm sure you can imagine, having a big family it is very hectic and we don't have all day to wait around for him to obey, especially because he just finds interest in everything and forgets about the command

well if you dont have the time to train or "wait around" you shouldnt have gt the pup!(not being nasty just stating obvious) still...u have gotta take time out every day be firm you will get there seems to me he doesnt have a domenant ruler and therefor he thinks hes dominant! u need to put him in his place so u are "alpha dog" what you say goes...as for sitting, lying down, stop jumping etc be firm only treat when he does good! you wil get there take your time and take time out for the trainin one on one only x

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What you have done is the classic mistake of confusing reward with bribery.

The reward should depend on the cue being obeyed, rather than the action being reliant on a treat being in sight.
Training isn't something you can do on and off - especially when you're trying to teach something new. Even commands a dog "knows" need to be practised, even when they've been generalised and proofed in loads of different locations/places/circumstances.


No, they won't work because these sorts of rank reduction things mean nothing to the dog. You need to teach him what you DO want him to do, rather than concentrating on what you DON'T.

Do a search on here for bite inhibition/jumping up and/or Google for training articles. Shouting won't work because again, it teaches the dog nothing - other than that when he jumps up all excited, YOU get all excited too; which will make the problem worse.


There is no need to "get rid of him" if you are serious about wanting to learn how to train him. There is LOADS on the net about how to teach him to behave in the way you want him to - there is also loads about clicker training.

Firstly, dog's don't do respect. They don't know what respect is.

I think you really need to go right back to the beginning with house training (so outside every 20 minutes).

Does he have plenty of toys? Do you change them around often (so if he has lots of toys, only give gim 2 or 3 of them at a time and then the following day give him 2 or 3 different toys so he doesnt get bored of them)

Training needs to be consistent. 5 or so minute sessions 2 or 3 times a day but only do one behaviour at a time (so concentrate on SIT during one session etc)

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Some very good advice on here, I'll just add a couple of thoughts as I was scrolling through.

You shouldn't repeat commands, if the dog understands what is expected of it, then it should react to the first command. Repeating commands only teaches a dog how long it can ignore you for. The one caveat with this, is that the dog does actually have to know what the command means. The majority of people with a recall don't actually have a dog that responds to 'come', 'here' or whatever, they have a dog that responds to the word and some physical indication from you - beckoning, holding arms out etc. A useful way to find out if a dog knows a command is to stand with your back to it, arms by sides, and give the verbal/whistle command.

Shouting at a big boisterous Labrador won't make one iota of a difference, particularly if you do it constantly, the dog just becomes used to that level of noise. You could be shouting 'pink fluffy bunnies' for all the dog knows, it won't understand. I do use a growly voice with mine as a reminder when I know they are sticking the proverbial finger up at me, and it works, because the rest of the time I have a calm and quiet voice with them. If mine weren't sure of a command, then raising the volume won't help them to understand it, repeating the training will, and they do like to get it right.

One final bit of advice is that if your dog won't work for anything but food, you've possibly not been shown how to use play reward correctly. As I've said above, dogs love getting it right, my two (Labrador bitches) rarely get a food reward for anything training related, it's the actual 'doing' they enjoy.

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Id say find a decent trainer, one that trains labs. It may cost a litle more but having one that understands and has worked with the breed will benefit endlessly - just to point the training is 75% about you and the rest about your dog, so dont think simply because youve attended lessons your dog knows what its doing (dont take that the wrong way ). If you can find one that doesnt use treats this will help you to realise when your dog is doing what its asked and why - what your doing to make it do what its doing (wanting it to do or not). It really only sounds like pup problems, I dont train every day and my boys cool though if he does start doing his own thing I just go back to regular heelwork and mix in so more difficult commands to keep him keen.