What are the great benefits of using Clicker Training to train your Labrador retriever?

There are many Labrador owners and trainers I know who claim to use Clicker Training to train their dogs with half baked knowledge of what Clicker Training is all about. Since they have a skewed knowledge about this powerful training method they are unable reap the actual rewards of Clicker training.

What is clicker training anyway? It is a powerful, revolutionary, highly effective and humane way to train animals using positive reinforcement – i.e. clicking and rewarding the desired behaviors and ignoring the undesired ones. This can be the shortest definition of Clicker Training that I can give. If you want a more detailed description you can check out – Karen Pryor’s (who showed the awesomeness of clicker training method to the world and made it a popular dog training method) article –– What is Clicker Training? or one of my posts – Positive Reinforcement Training to tackle all dog behavior problems. Or you can watch this informative video !

6 critical requirements that you must know before bringing home a Labrador retriever puppy

If you are planning to bring home a Labrador retriever pup then there are few critical requirements that you must know in order to keep your dog mentally and physically healthy through out it’s life. Keeping a Labrador retriever as a pet is a serious affair. It is a 24/7 responsibility on you and your family members to take good care of the dog. So please ensure that you can meet these following essential requirements of your Lab before it comes home.

Space – Do you have enough space in your house/apartment to keep a large breed like Lab? Because Labs are highly energetic and athletic dogs and need enough space to move around despite regular exercises and walks. I would not recommend this breed for people staying in small apartments where there is hardly any space for the humans to stay. This breed is best suited for homes with a backyard, if possible with a small pool, because Labs instinctively love water and are excellent swimmers.  It would be heaven if you can give your Lab some space with a bed or a rug that it can call its own – to play with its favorite toys, sleep and take rest.

The 5 Critical Aspects about Clicker Training That You Must Know While Training Your Labrador retriever

Clicker training is proven to be the most effective and easy method for training Labrador retrievers and other dogs. But for it to be as effective as you want, you must execute the training steps as correctly as possible in each session. Just clicking and rewarding your dog randomly is not clicker training. It is also not a magic formula that will transform your Lab into a super-dog overnight. It is nothing but a mechanical skill that you need to perfect - through regular practice. So in order to get excellent results with Clicker Training, you must be consistent, highly patient and above all, ready to work really hard - with your dog!

If you are new to Clicker Training then you can check out this informative article by Karen Pryor or you can check out my post – What is positive reinforcement training?

Did you know that your Labrador will learn to do every trick and technique voluntarily through Clicker Training?

If you are already using clicker training to train your Labrador retriever, you will definitely know how remarkable and effective it is. Right? But if you haven’t started with it yet, you will be amazed to hear that your dog will voluntarily do any behavior or trick for you without even touching the dog. Does it sound too good to be true? But yes it is unbelievably true! Clicker training is highly effective - than other training methods - because the animal's behavior is being reinforced in a positive manner with precise timing and accuracy. It's like taking a snap-shot of the behavior as and when it is offered.

The Awesome Powers Of Clicker Training That Every Labrador Retriever Owner Must Know

I am sure you would like your Labrador pup to grow up to be a good companion and a well behaved dog rather than a menace to you and your neighborhood. Then there is no better way to train your dog than Clicker Training. Clicker Training uses only positive reinforcement – i.e. rewarding and reinforcing only the desired behaviors. Clicker training has been in use since many decades and was used to train killer whales, dolphins horses and other animals. But it was only in last few years that clicker training in dogs became immensely popular, as it was proven to be the most effective and humane way to train dogs. 

5 Important Facts About Clicker Training For Labrador Retriever Owners And Trainers.

I would like to quickly share some basic and critical facts about Labradors that you would like to know before I get into the Clicker Training facts.

Labrador retriever dogs are not just cute and cuddly but extremely powerful. They are very strong, athletic and energetic dogs and require a lot of physical exercise, regularly. So it’s highly recommended that your Labrador retriever is properly trained right from a young age or else the cute and cuddly Labby would one day grow to be a powerful and unmanageable beast. For example if your dog is not properly leash trained from an early age, it will be almost impossible to walk him unless you have superhuman strengths. Walking your dog will become a scary and embarrassing task rather than an enjoyable experience – which it should be.

Does your Labrador retriever work for you to get praised?

There is a widespread misconception amongst Labrador retriever owners that their dogs are doing a trick/technique to make them happy and to get praises from them, which makes them believe that they have at last established their alpha dog status (or pack leader status or dominance) over their dogs. They even take pride in that and rave about it, being unaware about the fact that ‘dominance theory’ has been debunked and proved baseless by science, long ago.Unfortunately, if you are one of those dog owners, then it's time to get things right and shed those misconceptions behind, right away !