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Introduction to Basic Training

All training of your dog starts with basic obedience and all advanced training will build upon that basic foundation. It is very important to establish these basics so that you know in any event, you can stop your dog, have them drop or leave something they should not have, or simply come when called. Ideally, your pup should be about 7-8 weeks old and becoming adjusted socially (happy with surroundings and routine).

Many trainers advocate the use of a clicker, that is a small widget that when pressed gives off a loud clicking noise. At Alderwood we don't use a clicker, but prefer voice and hand signals to communicate with your pooch.

Those voice commands are all important. It is not so much what you say but how you say it. The consistent voice command ex: always say "sit", instead of sometimes saying "sit down" or "please sit" and the voice inflection you use should always be in the imperative, that is, always with authority..... not necessarily loud, but always with authority, a command.

Our personal commitment to ourselves to train the pup is important. It will take about 10 minutes per day for at least 6 days a week and will take about 4 weeks. The goal should be to have your pup performing basic obedience skills, reasonably well, by their 12 week birthday. During this time significant bonding will occur between you and your pup and your pup will be learning necessary social skills. Their confidence will grow in themselves and in you. You can introduce them to car rides, other dogs, other people, the vet's office, the bank, a nursing home, etc. Expose them to different circumstances in different ways. We advise against dog parks or places where there are big crowds or lots of noise and confusion.

REWARD ORIENTED TRAINING

Good dog, Bad dog

In the "good ole days", training usually started about six months of age when a had developed physically enough to take the "rigors" of training. Punishment for doing wrong and praise for getting it right were the norm.... things have changed quite a bit in the last twenty years.

Current philosophy of training is fun for the dog and trainer, are generally effective for all personalities, based upon communication, they rooted in mutual trust and respect. However, there are times when a firm reprimand is in order, we do not advocate discipline in an effort to hurt the dog, we do advocate a sharp slap, such that the dog knows he has been disciplined, at times when it can be delivered immediately at the point of the fault.

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The way to a Lab's head is through his stomach, at least in the early training stages of any new routine. Treats should be small, as you will use  a lot of them, and don't have to be special. A pocket full of your dry kibble will usually do the trick. Especially good to have during those times of "stretching socialism", just keep pumping little treats into your pup and they won't be concerned so much with what is going on around them.

For each positive action to one of your commands, a reward is given. In the beginning, this can be a treat, slowly the treats can be phased out and verbal affirmation like "Good Dog" or "Atta Boy" may be substituted with lots of ear rubbing and belly rubs. Again, the tone of your voice, reflecting excitement and pleasure at getting it right, means much more to your pup than what you say.

Keep Their Attention

Usually a training session should not last more than 10 minutes. Your pup's attention span will start to waver as you approach 10 minutes and an inattentive pup is simply not learning. Sometimes it's good to review what they have already learned for about 5 minutes and work on something new or something yet unlearned for 5 minutes. End the session with a few minutes of fun.... tossing a tennis ball or a game of chase or maybe tug of war, just so they have happy thoughts about the time they spent with you.

Consistency

Patience and consistency are key! If you are teaching "stay" and the pup moves, bring them back to where they were, no reward, and try again. Soon that little light will go off in their head that let's them know what you want and then it becomes automatic. Your Lab wants to please you, your job is to let them know what you want and what you expect.

If punishment is administered it must be accomplished with about 1/2 second...... after that your dog does not know what he getting punished for. You can see that it is difficult to use punishment as correction, most of the time it will only bring confusion. There are times when it is appropriate, but we will cover that later.