The Most Humane Way To Train Your Labrador Retriever

Labrador retrievers have won the hearts of millions of dog lovers around the world by its gentle nature and extremely cute looks. Labradors Retrievers have become immensely popular as the most preferred family dog in the world for it’s unique ability to adjust with children and other pets in the family. Labs are highly intelligent, trainable and have an unending source of energy in them. Because of these qualities Labradors are the most preferred breed by the police and military for bomb detection, rescue operations and other high profile operations. Labs are also highly popular as guide/service dogs for the blind and the disabled.

Labradors are extremely strong dogs and should be trained at an early age. An untrained lab is not only unmanageable but also a menace for you and to the society. This is from my personal experience. I made a mistake of not training my lab early – due to ignorance – and I had to pay the price for it. So I don’t want that to happen with other Lab owners. So it is vital to start training your Labrador retriever early - when it is 10 to 12 weeks old.

 

What kind of training is the best for training Labrador Retrievers?

 

Clicker Training(or Positive Reinforcement training) is the most efficient and humane way to train your dog, be it a Labrador, Great Dane or a tiny Chihuahua. Clicker Training is so efficient that you can easily train a little hen or a giant killer whale using this method. 

But, there are many trainers and dog owners around the globe who are still stuck at the debunked ‘Dominance Theory’ and ‘Pack Leader or Alpha Dog’ training concept. That theory has been proven to be baseless and is considered to be inhumane and unhealthy for the animal. Though this training method yields results, it creates underlying mental and physical problems and spoils the healthy relationship between you(or the trainer) and the dog.

Please check out this link to know more about why Dominance Theory is baseless.

 

Clicker Training and it’s benefits

 

Clicker Training method uses a clicker – which is a small box like device that produces a loud and distinct ‘clicking sound’ when pressed and most importantly some yummy treats – like sausages or meat balls. In this training method the trainer would click a desired behavior offered by the dog and reinforces it immediately by offering it a treat. This is just the opposite to the aversive method training ( or negative reinforcement) where the animal is forced to demonstrate a desired behavior or avoid a behavior. That’s why it is also known as positive reinforcement training.

Watch this short video on clicker training your labrador pup

Clicking is like taking a quick snapshot of a desired behavior offered by the dog; hence, the timing of the ‘click’ is very important, otherwise you will end up reinforcing a wrong behavior. Clicking sound acts as the ‘bridging signal’ that bridges the gap between the behavior and treat, and tells the dog that a treat is on it’s way, so after several repetitive sessions, the dog would easily offer the behavior more often just to earn the treat. Then you can start associating the behavior with a cue (eg. Sit, stay or fetch).

The initial phases of the training should have plenty of yummy treats to keep the dog motivated. In course of time you can wean him off the treats completely but it should be done gradually otherwise the dog would lose interest in training.

Since clicker training doesn’t force the dog into anything, it is highly efficient, safer and quicker than the negative reinforcement method (or aversive methods). It also develops a strong and healthy relationship between the dog and the handler.

Clicker training can be used to teach new techniques to the dog as well as for correcting behavioral problems.