Labrador Retriever Dogs Blog

If you have a labrador retriever puppy then you have probably thought once or twice about how to get them trained properly. It didn't take us long to look into training classes. But finding the perfect trainer is a lot like asking what is the best dog food on the market, who makes the best car or who what is the most effective diet pill. It's one of those questions that you are going to have a hard time to find the answer to. There are many sources for dog training such as chat forums, ebooks, your phone book and from recomendations from friends and family.

You should be doing lots of research when finding a good trainer. We went with a person that specialized in labrador retrievers. He owned two of the best behaved dogs I have ever seen in my life. He also let me watch a couple of classes and gave me references to check up on.

Don't jump at the first trainer you find, do a little digging and ask other dog friends if they would go with that person.

I can't believe how many things that I have read over the years that peoples labrador retrievers have taken and chewed apart.  There have been countless stories about shoes, socks, remote controls and even taking lingerie and destroying it. Tonight we had company over with a small child. They just set their bag of toys and stuffed animals on the floor.

Knowing what was going to happen next I picked up the bag and moved it to another room and closed the door. No harm, no foul. By taking those items and moving them away I saved a situation from happening. If you don't give him a chance to steal something, there will be nothing there to steal.

It's something I see all of the time. People looking to find a dog trainer or training for their dog. When it comes to getting job training or going back to school they will go to great lengths looking for the right place. They look online at places like a directory of online and campus courses or call educational institutions in their area. When it comes to do training many people will jump in without doing any research.

If you want to find a good dog trainer do some digging. Go online and ask others on online dog related forums and communities. Look at Kennel Club websites for references or recomendations of good dog trainers. You can also leaf through the phone book and talk to trainers before you sign up. Find one that specials in your breed of dog and you will have your best luck.

Just a reminder to all that Christmas is right around the corner and if you think that shoes and socks are a targe for labs you might want to be careful with you toys and presents. If you are a first time labrador retriever puppy owner there no bigger smorgasbord for them.

Just think of all of the wrapping paper, bows, ribbons and toys laying around on the ground. So before you get your ipods swallowed there are some things you should take care of.

You shouldn't leave your puppy unattended around the tree and toys. There are just too many things for them to get into. Save yourself some grief and make sure you keep you eye on them. You wouldn't want to get anything destroyed but those monster teeth and you don't want them to get sick by swallowing something that will cause internal stress.

Make sure you have all of your valuable toys and gifts up off of low lying tables so your pupper can't get at them. If they can't get at them, they can't destroy them and everyone is happy.

Do the same with foods and treats. A lot of people have chocolate treats out this time of year and that last thing you want to do is have your puppy or dog gobble down a tray full. Just make sure they are out of reach.

If you have a smaller puppy remember they can get tuckered out easy with all of the kideos running around. Keep your eye on them and make sure they get some rest by having their crate put somewhere quiet where they can get away. Hey, I like to hide out from the inlaws and your dog is probably no different.

From time to time I still see people complaining about their labrador retrievers or their pets ruining their furniture. I never have much to say but think about it, is it the pets fault or your fault? If you are going to give your dog access to your furniture then you are going to have it covered in dog hair. It’s a simple as that. If you have gone out and bought some fancy Moroccan furniture and then you let your dog all over it then who is to blame? You are.

We were the same way for awhile. We would leave our dog alone in the living room while we went out and then he would be all over the couch. Well we were to blame because we didn’t properly train him to stay off of the furniture or we did nothing to stop him because we left him with full access to the couch.

If you want to save your Moroccan furniture then I would suggest that when you go out you leave your dog in another room in the house or block off the room with the furniture that you want to save. If you can’t do that then you can put down an old blanket over the furniture while you are out. Or you can look into training your dog not to get on the couch which is always easier said then done.

The main reason I started the labrador retriever forums and the labrador retriever blog is because I needed help in training my labrador retriever puppy. He was a wild one when we first brought him home. He was chewing everything he could get his teeth on and was basically tearing up our house. My wife was commenting the other day how crazy it was and how much hard work it was to get through it.

What changed things around was the fact that we hired professional dog training services. We tried different ones, a private consultation in our homes and actual private lessons over a four month period. This was the best thing that we ever did and they lesson in obedience training completely turned our dog into a well behaved household pet. It is the first thing that I recommend to people that are having training and behavioral issues with their pets.

Searching on the internet you can find many dog training websites that can offer such services such as Expert Dog Training Inc. They offer complete San Diego dog obedience training for your pet. If you are experiencing the same thing that I described above they can help you. They offer one on one private consultation with you and your dog so that the both of you get the training that you need.  They also offer professional pet sitting and dog walking. Their website has all of the information you need to get proffesional help for you and your dog.

If you have a labrador retriever or any dog and do not know who to train them like we did then getting professional dog training and obedience help is a must. Trust me; your quality of life for both you and your pet will dramatically increase. Start living better.

I probably couldn't even being to count how many times I have been asked about labrador retriever puppies chewing something expensive on their owners and what they can do to train their puppies not to do it. You have to accept the fact that labrador retrievers are chewers and some are more aggressive than others. Unless you are content buying shoes on a weekly basis or buying discount furniture on a regular basis you have to change your lifestyle as much as you have to train that labrador retriever.

If you don’t want your things chewed then don’t leave them out so they can be chewed. Labrador retrievers are curious and they are chewers. It didn’t take us long to learn that we have to have a hallway door put up so we could block off our shoes. We had to start closing bedroom doors and bathrooms doors or our toilet paper was going to be ravished everyday that we left him unsupervised. Don’t leave that remote control on a low lying table or your labrador is going to get it. Put things out of harms way and they will be safe. You wouldn’t leave cupboard doors open for a toddler to get into so don’t leave doors open for your puppy.

Of course at some point your labrador retriever is going to benefit from good sound training. Until that time train yourself to be a better puppy owner and don’t give them a chance to get into trouble.

I was in my workshop area the other day playing around with some of my air tools when in comes Cooper all hell bent for leather. Even at the ripe old age of seven he still acts like an idiot when he hasn't had his exercise. At this point you can either turn your back on your labrador retriever when they are acting like this and put up with his mischievous behaviour or you can do the right thing. The right thing is giving your labrador retriever the exercise they are craving. Take them for a walk, play fetch out in the backyard or take them for a swim. Anything to burn off that extra energy. Trust me, your dog isn't being bad he just wants to play and the sooner you get him that exercise the better off everyone will be. Remember, a good labrador retriever is a tired labrador retriever.

When you get home from taking your labrador retriever for a walk do you feel that you need to get some massage therapy because your dog has pulled on the leash the whole time? When we first started taking Cooper for walks he would pull on his leash constantly and as he grew those walks were becoming physically demanding. Here are a couple of things that should help you to get your labrador retriever to stop pulling on the leash. One, shorten the leash up. If you give them too much leash then they have that much more "rope" to pull. When we walk I keep him at my left side and barely give him enough leash to leave the sidewalk. I just choke it up in my hands. Secondly, when we come to corners I make him heel and sit before we cross the street. By doing this everytime then he become familiar with the commands and if something does happen where he wants to take off I give him the heel and sit and he knows what I am talking about it. And when he does pull even a little bit hard I make him heel and sit. Finally, we always carry some baby carrots in the pocket and he knows they are there. You know how much your labrador retriever loves their food. When we walk we knows I have food and he kind of stays close by. Those are just a couple of tips to use if you labrador retriever is constantly pulling on their leash. Try them, they helped us quite a bit.