Training a Puppy

Getting a puppy for the family (yellow lab), what are the best resources for training? I heard about crate training.

 

I've never done it myself, but I have some friends who have the best trained dog (lab) I've ever seen and they did it with a shock collar.

 

Shock collar won't work on a pissing and crapping. Crate training. Use as small a crate as possible and increase over timel. Dog shouldn't crap or pee where it sleeps.

 

No no no! Unless you want to show off your cruel streak.
Training a puppy isn't difficult if you've got a yard. It's more tricky if you live in an apartment, but either way it takes time and discipline on behalf of the human to recognize the dog's habits and get them into a regular schedule.
Go to the Humane Society or Dog Whisperer site for examples.

 

Don't shock me, bro!

 

The dog seemed very happy and the owners are two of the nicest people around, so I can't imagine they tortured the dog. They said it took a week and he's been good to go ever since.

Doesn't go on the furniture, doesn't beg and walks to the door when he needs to go outside. That's damn impressive for a puppy.

I don't know if I could do it either, but seeing it firsthand was pretty impressive.

 

http://www.cesarmillaninc.com/

 

Shock collars are merely one method and, when used judiciously, are exceptional training tools. But they're not absolutely necessary and if you have any reservations about using one, don't.

The crate method is a good suggestion. Dogs are by nature den animals.

Contact your local pet store to inquire about obedience classes and sign up for one. Dogs also learn by seeing others. Be dilligent in attendance, firm with your commands and swift with appropriate punishment or praise.

Labs want to work for you and please their owner. When he/she starts chewing, be ready with rubber bones and outdoors attention. Chewing is natural during teething but sometimes is the result of boredom, too.

 

Labs go nicely with brown rice or bulgar wheat.

 

Chinese?

 

I like to hit 'em with a little lemon grass, kafir lime and hot chili paste. gives 'em a little Thai hit.

 

Changing crates can be expensive. You can start with a large one, one big enough for it when it is grown, but "make it smaller" for now by putting something like cinder blocks in there to block of access to the back part of the cage. The need to have just enough room to stand up and turn around when crate training. After they are fully trained, they can have access to the whole cage.

Be sure to take them out to potty very often. Pups have tiny little bladders and can't hold it for long. Punishing for potty accidents will confuse them. If they start to go inside, calmly say "no, outside" and take them outside, even if they have already finished doing the deed. If you punish them, they start to think going potty is bad all around.

Also, especially with puppies, they will usually need to go to the bathroom right after eating. This is the best way to start with the potty training. Every time you take them outside, say some kind of command like, "go potty," or "do your business," and they will start to associate it with going to the bathroom and will know what you want them to do.

Exercise, whether it be from walks on the leash or chasing a ball in the yard is very important. The more you exercise a puppy, the less trouble it will find to get into in the house, because it'll be too worn out to find too much trouble.

I'm currently training a puppy right now, and it can be a lot of work, but getting it done while they are puppies is much easier than having a full-grown, untrained dog. Although, I adopted my older dog when he was already a year or so old, and I think he was much easier, but he was already house trained.