Jaspers Bloke

Just want to say what a truely helpful and inspiring comment.

All the training/psycho stuff in the world and you have explained what exactly it all comes down to.

Labs are known to be notoriously slow to mature, but be consistent, be in control and keep at it and it will all turn out right in the end.


Kate

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Just because I can't talk, doesn't mean you can't understand me

Mine's just passed his 1 year mark and yes, this is the point people give up on their dogs. Don't, it will pass. Use perseverance and patience and he'll come out of adolescence a happy dog. You're 17 so you probably know what I mean, how you behave for your parents.

The difference between you and a dog is the intelligence level. A dog isn't smart enough to be rebellious but sometimes it does seem like it. Remember that he's an animal, you're a human and you have different ways of having fun.

So first of all the jumping/biting. That's common play fighting for dogs but obviously not acceptable for humans. By shouting and pushing him, he sees you playing with him which he likes so carries on. Instead of reacting, stand tall (against a wall can help for stability) Keep your legs apart for balance and just look away keeping your arms out of reach (not above your head as they'll often try). He doesn't know that humans have a lower pain threshold so it's not a matter of disrespect, it's a matter of fun. It is tough, Shadow and I go through a similar routine when I go to bed, he usually beats me there and I need to push him off which he sees as playing, I see as being cold. A shout to a dog no matter what word sounds like a bark. (also why shouting when he's barking makes him worse rather than quiet. I wish my neighbour would learn this trick). If you're feeling brave, one thing I use to emphasise 'no' to biting is to hold his mouth shut, look him in the eye, give a stern (not loud) 'No' then walk away. This may cause bites so you choose whether or not to use it and face any consequences. All my past dogs have never bitten with this but I don't know yours.

Tricks and Treats. He learned to sit on command to get a reward. If you don't have a reward, what's the point?

The first thing is to change the focus. Get him to react to you a few times with a treat in front of his nose. ONLY release when he's completed it. Once you've reinforced it, hold the treat in the other hand but use the first hand (still with the scent) to direct his attention. Pretend you're holding a treat in that hand and he'll follow it a little. With work you'll be able to get him to respond to that hand because he knows you have a treat ready when he does. Do that for a few days. Once he's mastered the idea, keep the treat hidden, occasionally don't even give him the treat but reward with praise. If you're learning a new trick 'High five', 'lie down' etc. group them, he has to perform a few actions to get one treat. Eventually you can dispense with the treats for that action altogether. Keep varying the order of the tricks though or he'll start following the pattern before asked. This also creates a delay between following your command and receiving the treat (this is where the clicker can come in but I dispensed with mine as I didn't have enough hands). This delay is then useful for commanding at a distance, but don't try that yet until he's doing it close up.

Also watch out for distractions. Ideally new words should be learned in a low distraction environment like at home. Once he's mastered it, it almost feels like you're starting again out in the park but keep going. Put aside two blocks of 10 minutes every day to work on it. Past then he'll probably get bored. If he runs off and picks up a ball, use that instead of treats for a couple of goes.

Labradors are very people focussed, they love humans and are very playful. He'll follow you everywhere and want to join in everything you do. To remind him of who's in charge, make your decisions and stick to them. If you want to play, play. If you don't want to play, ignore the wet ball placed in your dinner and just don't play.

Mine's used to our routines now and knows when I'm working (or at least not playing), when we're eating etc. But he's becoming a bit of an escape artist. Yours will probably be doing that soon if not already. Remember again that dogs don't understand what a wall or fence is, it has no concept of rent, land ownership and next door's begonias. He's not escaping as such, just exploring his surroundings... think like a dog and you'll see he's not being disrespectful, just trying to have fun doing dog things. Some of which need to be reserved for dogs.

Where abouts are you based?

i agree

training should be regular and consistant and the same goes for rules. otherwise the dog gets confused and then does what he likes.

I think Rainy and Goodvic2 are both right - basic training is the basis for a well behaved dog, but dogs also need a structured environment to live and this is given through good, strong, and importantly consistent leadership.

I agree with both points of view, however I must say in this instance the OP has not indicated (in my opinion) a dominance issue and the consistent training will hopefully lead to the desired results.

Having said that, the OP should also consider if they are projecting to correct image to the dog including a suitable level of authority.

The End

SK climbs off fence and exits stage left

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Ian

Sylvestris Kennels - Pedigree Labrador Breeders
Inverurie, Aberdeenshire
www.sylvestriskennels.co.uk

Fantastic post and example. Blobs on their way.

I agree with you. This is the way I like to train:
Positive reinforcement (not just food literally whatever motivates the dog, toys, praise, being allowed to walk through a door, jump around in the grass etc...)
I also use withdrawal of attention/complete ignore any "silly"/desirable behaviour because our attention is one of the most valuable things to our dogs.
It's also all about our relationship with out dogs. Really spending time with them so that we understand what makes them tick, what they enjoy, what they're unsure about, any insecurities etc... Giving them plenty of exercise, mental stimulation and especially with working breeds like collies, labs etc giving them a job.
I have a very worky border collie, I work him in agility (just started competing) and lots of little HWTM tricks and moves (hoping to start freestyle classes soon too) and I can safely say that he is a much happier well stimulated dog with a "job" to do

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Just looked through the posts albeit quickly so sorry if its been mentioned before but what are you feeding him, he needs to be on an adult ,good quality, natural diet low protein i feed burns my youngest had been on this since she was 5 weeks and she has been the easiest of all mine, you have had some excellent advice on training but if fed a food with lots of additives and chemicals can make them hyper and less focused during training so do check the food content.

What an excellent point, why is it so easy to forget the most simple things?

I was told to keep mine on puppy food by PDSA's petcheck people until 18 months. Otherwise yes food quality is definitely important. The first bag of food I bought was a bit on the cheap side, he was hyper but I put that down to him. When I looked into the ingredients, I realised that all the pieces were shaped and coloured for human satisfaction and that it was mostly c**p! There doesn't appear to be the same regulation with pet food as with human food which probably explains the huge recall a few years ago.

Be careful with leftovers. Dogs are a great consumer of leftovers and if you're careful you can feed him only the best as a treat from his usual diet (not as a staple)

Mine have always been put on adult food at 6 months most commercial puppy food is much too high in protein for a dog older than 6 months.

We have had lots of labradors and they are well known for being crazy as pups! I dont think we had one thats wasnt a total fruit loop up until 2-3 years old where SOME of them calmed down some didnt. Basic training and patients is the best way forward. Lots of exercises, mental stimulation, and good diet will also help. Interesting thread, lots of good replies.