How To Train Your Labrador Retriever

By David Burns

Owning a labrador retriever can be a joy because it is tough, versatile and people friendly. However, it is a powerful and determined dog, so to enjoy owning a labrador, you need to be in control at all times. This includes in your home, and when you are out and about in public places.

Using your labrador's natural instincts will make the task of training your dog much easier and your dog will learn obedience much more quickly.

the whole training process becomes less stressful for both you and your dog, resulting in excellent results.

This ebook is quite different to most of the dog training books or videos that you may encounter.

Firstly, it is a lot more comprehensive so that you are not left high and dry wondering what to do next, especially if something is not working out as you wanted it to do.

Secondly, this guide teaches you a "method" rather than how to train a dog to carry out basic individual obedience requirements. This means the dog will obey you in all situations, not just pre-rehearsed training type exercises

Thirdly, this training guide is based on the techniques related to the nature and instincts of the dog. These techniques are "dog friendly" and are the basis of the mysterious system known as "dog whispering" or "dog listening".

Actually, it is not all that mysterious, but simply utilizes nature and the dog's natural evolved instincts.

Why does this dog training method work?
Dogs evolved from wolves and much of their basic instincts survive in your own dog today. To communicate what you want your dog to do it is necessary to consider how your dog receives your instruction.

when a dog fails to respond and you find yourself getting agitated and shouting. your raised level of agitation is what a wolf might pick up on when the pack is faced with a threat. in other words, you stimulate your dog's fight or flight instincts , which is not what you want to do.

Instead learn to think like your dog does. strangely, there is not as much exchange of audio messaging as you might think. dogs pick up on subtle visual signals and emotions - have you ever noticed how a dog knows you are going to take it for a walk even before you get out of your chair.

easy steps to successful labrador retriever obedience:
This ebook is laid out in easy and logical steps. it starts with some simple dog psychology to help you understand how your dog thinks. It also includes details about how to solve many serious dog behaviour problems. there are illustrations to help you learn the special techniques and the many useful tips that will make your life as a dog owner much easier.

this book will teach you how to train your dog just like a modern professional trainer would do. you will learn a basic foundation method that will put you in the position of "pack leader" so that you can have your dog obey you in all types of situations. these methods will also help you to solve many individual troublesome problems that might be specific to your own dog.

this is the most comprehensive labrador retriever book you will find. it includes lots of tricks and tips and a step by step guide to take you through the whole training process even if you have never trained a dog before.

in addition to the training guide, currently, there is a really useful free bonus.

this bonus comprises of a combination of 2 free bonus books.

1) a guide to feeding, diet and welfare for your dog

2) how to groom and bath a dog

if you are serious about training and caring for your labrador retriever dog -
get control of your dog now and also learn how to care for your labrador retriever.

This information will never go out of date and will almost certainly save you money on the vet's bills you don't have to pay!

• Language: English
• Publisher: David Burns
• Release date: Jun 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311826473

David Burns

I decided to write about Wadhams Castle and the historical Knightly deeds of King Arthur and also acknowledging the philanthropist attributes of the Wadham family at the village of ilton, Somerset, England.What else?Simply, I wanted to put Wadhams Castle back on the map - it is a great place. The story of the Moated Stone started as notes about the village where I grew up. Then, when digging into the local history, these notes turned into a story; from the Romans through to King Arthur, the local Scout group and the 101st Airborne.

Book preview

How To Train Your Labrador Dog

By David Burns

Dedicated to my many faithful friends including:

Jack, Lady, Chow, Kim 1, Cindy, Candy, Elsa, Kim 2, Tessa,

Sally, Jet, Cassy, Trixi and Greta

With acknowledgments to Julia Morris and Teddy for their contribution

to the content of this book

Copyright David Burns 2013

Published by Needwood Publishing Services and Publishing at Smashwords

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold

or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person,

please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did

not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your

favourite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard

work of this author.

Contents

Introduction

The Labrador Retriever

About the Labrador Breed, Notes specific to training a Labrador Retriever Dog

The Background to Training Your Labrador Dog

Evolution Of The Dog, Dog Psychology, Your Dog is not Human,

Preparing Yourself to Train Your Dog, The 10 second rule

Your Duties, Communicating With Your Dog, You As The Pack Leader,

How to React With Your Dog, Avoiding Negative Reactions (Things you should not do)

Aids and Commands

Meal Times, House Training, Exercise, Handling and Good Manners, Tools, About Using The Tools, Basic Training Exercises, Using Commands,

Out and About, Meeting and Greeting, Off the Leash, Dogs n’ Kids, List of training Exercises

Real Life

Some Things That Might Spoil Your Day Including, Pulling on the leash, Aggression to other dogs, Barking, Chewing behaviour, Digging, Separation Anxiety

Any Other Business?

Diet, Travelling with Your Dog, Onwards and Upwards

Conclusion

Appendix

A crash course in dog training

Your Bonus Number 1

Your bonus Number 2

Introduction

Author and Friends

Why bother to train your dog? It takes a lot of time and patience to achieve a good result, could you not spend this time more profitably? Well if you have a dog or intend to get one, then you probably already know the answer.

Owning a dog can be a most rewarding and enjoyable way to spend time. If you do not understand this you probably should not become a dog owner.

Once you assume ownership of a dog and all the responsibilities and costs that go with it you need also to consider the following point. - If you are going to put time and effort into owning a dog it makes sense to have a dog which is controllable and a pleasure to be with. An uncontrollable animal which causes you grief and worry will not require any less input and may end up costing you more.

Over many years I have owned various breeds of dog. Some of these dogs were rescue dogs and a few of them brought with them all sorts of behavioural problems.

No two dogs, owners or situations are the same but the basic nature of the dog is always there

When I originally started training dogs I used the then traditional methods with military type commands and lots of work on the leash (a choke chain and short leash). There were regular training sessions outdoors most days. This training consisted of many set exercises which were repeated until the dog performed them to my satisfaction. The training tended to finish when we went back indoors.

More recently I have become acquainted with dog psychology which is based on the evolution of the dog and it’s inherited wolf characteristics. I have studied the techniques of some of the best and most successful trainers who use this psychological approach. As a result I have changed my own training methods drastically. The new methods are based on a softer approach with much more positive encouragement and rewards for the dog.

There is no shouting (well! Except when one forgets the rules) and the complete adoption of the leader of the pack role. - And you know what? It really does work. It has turned out to be a great improvement on the old traditional ways of training dogs.

This latest book is based on these successful dog friendly methods and teaches you how to approach the training of your own dog. You will be learning many of the secrets used by talented dog whisperers (also called dog listeners). At first you may consider the first part of the book to be too much about evolution and theory but stick with it because you will be amazed how much this background information will help you to train your dog. A qualified and successful professional trainer would understand all this background stuff. It might not necessarily be taught to you as the pupil, but this background philosophy would filter through in the instructions. Learning how to train your dog without the experience and knowledge of a good trainer can be a difficult, however, it will be much more simple if you have learned how your dog actually thinks.

The book is divided into four main sections. The first part is about the specific breed of dog. The second part is background training information. The third part is about hands on training and the fourth part is about practicalities – what happens in real life.

The rest of the book is about training aids and commands and about handling your dog in real life where things do not always go according to the rules.

In the Appendix I have included a small crash course for those of you who need to get control of your dog quickly. You should use this as a temporary measure because long-term success with your dog really does require, at least a minimum knowledge of all the information given in this book. Hopefully you will catch up as soon as you can spare the time.

As you assume the role of Pack Leader and gradually train your dog to become compliant you may wonder if when you eventually complete the training schedule and have an obedient dog is it going to stay that way? - Well the answer is yes and no.

Yes your dog will have learned how to accept it's place in your pack and it will continue to be obedient and behave as you have now trained it to be. However, you cannot leave it at that. You will have to maintain your role as pack leader 24/7 you will also have to control your dog in the way that we will show you in this book.

You will be relieved to know that you should not have to repeat the detailed basic training because once your dog understands what you want it to do it will retain that knowledge and as long as you are consistent in the way you give commands and administer your rules your dog will be well behaved.

It is the principle of the spinning wheel. It may take some effort to get it up to speed but once that is achieved it takes only a little effort to keep it going. There is another thing you will have to get used to and that is you will find much of this book is about training yourself rather than your dog. Remembering the correct command at the exact moment when you need to use it. This can be a tough discipline until you have practised it a little.

It is important that you are not be overwhelmed by all the information here. If possible start with the first exercise and work your way through the manual step by step. This is because each step increases the dog’s obedience and your own confidence until you arrive at the result you require. Of course for some of you there will be an urgent problem to solve and you may choose to tackle that first but you must then go to the first exercise and work through all the training if you want to make permanent changes to your dog’s behaviour.

If you follow the guidance given here you should end up with a better behaved and a happier dog. You should also have some fun along the way.

OK folks its time for you to learn how to get control of your dog

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Dog Whisperer - The meaning of the term

I have tried to find an exact definition and origin of this term but there are several variations the following is based on the definition given in Wikipedia.

A horse whisperer is a horse trainer or breaker who adopts a sympathetic view of the motives, needs, and desires of the horse, based on the natural evolution of the horse and modern equine psychology. The term goes back to the early nineteenth century when Daniel Sullivan made a name for himself in England by rehabilitating horses that had become vicious and intractable due to abuse or accidental trauma. Sullivan kept his methods secret, but people who managed to observe him noticed that he would stand face to face with the troubled horse and often spoke very softly to them. They seemed to think that he must be saying something to the horse in a way the horse could understand and accept because the horses were quickly gentled by his mysterious techniques.

The method is fairly faithfully represented in the novel and motion picture The Horse Whisperer (1998) directed by and starring Robert Redford based on the 1995 novel by Nicholas Evans. Redford plays the title role, a talented trainer with a remarkable gift for taming and controlling horses. The film with the title, The Horse Whisperer, made the term known to a much wider public.

The basic technique of the horse whisperer which is working with the nature of the horse was also used in the world of dogs – obviously using the natural evolved nature of the dog, hence the term dog whisperer. More recently the term Dog Listener has become used as an alternative but the basic technique of studying the natural behaviour of a dog and working with it is always the same.

THE LABRADOR RETRIEVER BREED

The Labrador Is Usually Coloured Black Yellow or Chocolate

Background and History

Labradors have their origin in north America, in particular Canada. They belonged to an ill defined group of dogs used by hunters and fishermen. These dogs were used in retrieving fallen prey, both on land and in water where they were able catch fish escaping from nets and lines. The larger dogs in this group were of the Newfoundland type and the smaller dogs were not a breed as such but became known as St Johns dogs (They were named the St. John's dog, after the capital city of Newfoundland). Most dogs in this group were able to work well in watery and very cold conditions.

In the early 19th century many of the smaller dogs were transported to England by the crews of ships sailing between Labrador and England. These dogs soon found favour with hunters, farmers and the rural population in general. It was inevitable that such a tough and versatile dog would soon come to the notice of breeders who then worked to improve the breed, especially as a retriever. To do this it is believed that the dogs were cross bred with other popular retrieving dogs such as Flat-coated retrievers, Spaniels and Setters.

Back in North America the breed almost became extinct by the 1880s, but in England the breed continued to develop especially as it found favour with sports men and many English aristocrats..

An example of this is as follows: In the 1820s the Earl of Malmsbury developed an interest in the dogs and arranged for a selection of them to be brought to the England where he devoted a large proportion of his time to breeding and establishing a Labrador population. He also gifted many dogs to friends, one of whom was the Duke of Buccleuch in Scotland also a breeder of Labradors. The Duke of Buccleuch, in turn, did much to improve the breed and as a result, many pedigree Labrador Retrievers in the UK, especially Chocolate Labradors, can claim to be descendants of a dog named Buccleuch Avon, which was a dog owned by the Duke of Buccleuch in Scotland in the late 19th century.

In 1903 the Kennel Club of the UK recognized the Labrador Retriever as a distinct breed In 1917 the The American Kennel Club also recognised the breed. Ironically in the 1920s and 1930s, British Labradors were exported to the U.S. to consolidate the breed in North America.

The eventual outcome of all this breed development in the UK is the breed we know today as the Labrador Retriever, Labrador or just Lab, with which we are all familiar.

Breed Personality

The Labrador has a quiet calm temperament, however, it is outgoing and very eager to please This dog is one of the best breeds to train because it is intelligent, alert and adaptable.

The Labrador has retained the retrieving abilities, toughness, water tolerance and high energy level which characterised the original St John's dogs However, the breed has developed an adaptability to work with humans.

This makes it one of the best dogs for specialist training such as a guide dog for the blind, a service dog for the disabled, hunting and tracking for police work, use in military operations, drug detection, explosives detection, search and rescue.

It's calm and adaptable temperament make it an excellent choice for a therapy dog, that is, a dog providing therapeutic visits to nursing homes and care homes, hospitals, hospices and schools.

Then, of course, the Labrador is the ideal dog to fill the role of a much loved family pet.

Labradors are excellent family dogs, however, you must remember they have a real need for exercise and training. Labradors are working dogs and will soon get bored if not occupied for long periods.

Labradors are usually good with other dogs, other pets, and children but you need to train them so as to channel their natural exuberance

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Classroom Therapy

A Therapy Dog Visiting A Care Come For Elderly Residents

Military Duties

Physical Characteristics

Although the Labrador can now be found world wide, the greatest densities are found in the US, the UK and Australia where they are currently one of the most popular breeds.

There is a little national divergence of characteristics . The UK breed is more heavily built and more stocky than the US version which tends to be taller

In general the following characteristics apply to all Labradors:

Weight:

Male Dogs 60 to 75 pounds (27 to 34 kg)

Female Dogs 55 to 70 pounds (25 to 32 kg)

Some males can grow to 100 pounds (45 kg) or more, however, sometimes this can be due to overfeeding.

Height:

Males 22 to 24 inches (56 to 61cm)

Females 21 to 23 inches (53 to 58 cm)

Build

Sturdy, muscular, slightly elongated, with a light but solid bone structure

Coat:

The double coat is smooth and does not have any waves. Coat colours come in solid black, yellow or chocolate. The short, hard coat is easy to care for and water-resistant

Colours

There are three main colours for the Labrador. The first colour is golden (yellow). Some people think there is also a white coated Labrador but this is really a very pale version of a golden coat. The next colour is brown or chocolate. The third colour is black.

Head:

A strong broad head in proportion to its body, with the forehead a little convex. The nose is thick, black on black and yellow dogs and brown on chocolate dogs. The nose colour often fades and is not considered a fault

Teeth:

A very strong scissors bite with 500 to 900 pounds concentrated at the point of a tooth

Eyes:

Almond-shaped, never protruding, Eye colour should be brown in yellow and black dogs and hazel or brown in chocolate dogs. (sometimes blue as puppies). The eyes convey a lively, intelligent expression.

Ears:

Wide at the base, tapering to a rounded point, the ears are soft, floppy and turned forward

Tail:

The tail is thick at the base, gradually tapering towards the tip. It is completely covered with short hair, without feathering. It reaches almost to its hocks and hangs down when the dog is at rest

Legs:

Front legs and shoulders are muscular, its thighs thick and sturdy

Paws:

Round with very hard soles and webbed toes which aid the dog in swimming.

Typical Life span:

Usually, Labradors will live to between 10 to 12 years of age, however, a dog might well to as old as 14 years. It will depend on their environment, and how well you care for them.

Exercise Requirements

As a large working dog a Labrador needs at least 45 minutes each day of moderate exercise but will tolerate much more than this if time and facilities are available.

Intelligence

Labrador retrievers are widely acknowledged as intelligent dogs. However, many individuals believe that black Labradors, as opposed to their yellow and chocolate counterparts, are the smartest within the breed.

Temperament

The Labrador has the reputation of being one of the most best natured breed of dog. Labradors are very outgoing, eager to please, and very friendly towards people and other animals.

Obedience training

is vital because this breed has an excess of energy and exuberance and as a working dog, the Labrador needs to be actively engaged both physically and mentally.

Health

Labrador Retrievers are generally healthy, and will usually stay that way if they get plenty Only a few dogs will be affected but it's important to be aware of them if you're considering this breed especially as some are hereditary and carefully selecting a breed line (and reputable breeder) can help you to avoid problems later on.

Hip Dysplasia:

Irresponsible breeding has led to some health problems. The most prevalent of these is Hip dysplasia a heritable condition in which the thigh-bone doesn't fit snugly into the hip joint. Some dogs show pain and lameness on one or both rear legs, but you may not notice any signs of discomfort in a dog with hip dysplasia. As the dog ages, arthritis can develop. X-ray screening for hip dysplasia is done by the Orthopaedic Foundation for Animals or the University of Pennsylvania Hip Improvement Program. Dogs with hip dysplasia should not be bred. If you're buying a puppy, ask the breeder for proof that the parents have been tested for hip dysplasia and are free of problems.

Elbow Dysplasia:

This is a heritable condition common to large-breed dogs. It's thought to be caused by different growth rates of the three bones that make up the dog's elbow, causing joint laxity. This can lead to painful lameness. Your vet may recommend surgery to correct the problem or medication to control the pain.

Osteochondrosis Dissecans (OCD):

This orthopaedic condition, caused by improper growth of cartilage in the joints, usually occurs in the elbows, but it has been seen in the shoulders as well. It causes a painful stiffening of the joint, to the point that the dog is unable to bend his elbow. It can be detected in dogs as early as four to nine months of age. Overfeeding of growth formula puppy foods or high-protein foods may contribute to its development.

Cataracts:

As in humans,