When it comes to what to do with a young Labrador puppy, when to begin training one, and what can be achieved, people frequently receive conflicting advice.
Many reputable working dog trainers and authors of books advise delaying beginning training until the dog is 6 months old. The general recommendation is to “let them be a puppy” and avoid beginning training too early.
However, a lot of reputable trainers and books advise beginning your Labrador’s training as soon as you bring them home at the age of just 8 weeks.
This significant difference naturally raises questions like: Should I begin training my Labrador puppy right away?, What can a Labrador learn at such a young age?, and Is my Labrador puppy too young to train?
Key Milestones: 8 Weeks
Lab puppies can safely leave their mothers and litters at eight weeks old and join your family. Be ready for these initial significant milestones when bringing a Retriever into your pack, beginning the moment your new puppy enters your home.
Families with Labs should prepare their homes for their new dog’s arrival by puppy-proofing them, much like we do when we prepare our homes for the arrival of a new baby.
For the first year, chewing is a constant worry, according to Barkley. She advises stocking up on chew toys instead of other household items your puppy might decide to chew on as a healthy alternative. She advises hiding out of sight anything you don’t want your dogs to chew on.
Learning about foods and plants that are poisonous to labs is also important, she continued. “Some indoor plants need to be removed from the puppy’s area.” ”.
“Socialization is number one,” says Straub Benedict. “Labradors are people dogs. Get a cat instead of a dog if you don’t want to spend much time with it. ”.
If there are other dogs in the home, Barkley advises introducing new Labs to them gradually. (See our article on how to bring a puppy into a house with an older dog. ).
Make sure the senior dog understands they are the alpha dog, was her advice. She says, “Feed them first, then the puppy, ideally in a crate.” “Watch the two to make sure they aren’t acting too wild and that the older one is treating the puppy with respect.” ”.
Barkley and Straub Benedict both advise establishing good grooming habits early on.
The nails of lab puppies should be kept short (see our article on safely trimming your dog’s nails). In addition, according to Barkley, now is a good time to check and clean your dog’s ears and brush its teeth. She advises incorporating this weekly routine of teeth brushing, ear cleaning, and nail trimming.
She continues, “Labs are simple to groom and should only require bathing about once a month.”
Your Lab will require some assistance to become house-trained. The good news is that Retrievers make for great students.
“Labs love to please and are quick learners,” says Barkley. “As soon as they are in their new homes, they can begin learning the fundamentals of obedience and show tricks. ”.
She advises taking puppies outside as soon as they wake up and then again every half hour to train them to use the restroom, rewarding them with treats to keep them motivated. Both breeders advise against engaging in strenuous activities at this time, such as jogging or more difficult levels of obedience training.
Straub Benedict says, “I like to let a puppy be a puppy for the first six months, then we start basic training.”
However, this is a good time to start teaching entertaining games like fetch and short-leash walking.
Puppies enjoy taking walks, but they get tired easily and may stop where you are in search of a ride home, according to Barkley. She advises against taking puppies to dog parks at this time and suggests five minutes of exercise per month.
Key Milestone: 3–6 Months
There will be a lot of learning and development during these early months.
Starting around three months old, Straub Benedict begins teaching her Labradors to swim. They must be taught how to swim before being dropped into a pool without being shown a safe way out, she says. (See our guide to teaching a dog to swim. ).
While your dog may be able to walk around your house with ease both inside and outside, Barkley advises against letting your puppy use the stairs until they are at least four months old.
You can continue the fundamental training you’ve already started for your pet after the first round of puppy vaccinations at around four months. For the safety of your puppy, Barkley advises making sure any puppy obedience school or program you choose mandates that all enrolled dogs have their vaccinations as well.
She says a puppy class can be helpful for socializing and teaching manners. “I advise going to a class in advance to see how it is set up and secure.” ”.
Around four to five months, the puppy teeth in your Lab should become loose and fall out.
If a baby tooth is not being pushed out by the adult teeth as it should be, Barkley advises checking the mouth during this period to identify a problem. “Rarely, a baby tooth might need to be pulled. I have wiggled a few free too. ”.
Leash walks should be brief up until six months; after that, they can gradually get longer, but running and jogging should still be avoided.
How to Train a 2-Month-Old Labrador Puppy
As previously stated, eight weeks of age is the ideal time to begin training your Labrador puppy. You cannot take your position of authority over the puppy for granted at this time because he is still adjusting to your presence in his life.
Additionally, because the puppy can only make the clearest connections between a command, a response, and a consequence, it is critical to modify your training approach accordingly.
Wait until your 2-month-old Labrador puppy is doing something correctly before giving him a stimulus that he can naturally associate with the desired behavior. For instance, you can begin clapping if the dog is approaching you.
Once he understands the connection between clapping and running toward you, you can clap and he will do so. But at this point, you can’t expect the latter to occur. Consider the following for the time being, and set separate anchors for each.
A specific word spoken in a particular tone and clapping or whistling can all serve as effective anchors. You should refrain from using too similar anchors for the time being. For a mature Labrador, “Sit” and “Run” may sound different, but to a young puppy, both words may be considered “mouth sounds.” ” That’s why the above anchor suggestions are distinct.
Early on in your dog’s training, you must establish yourself as his leader. This helps to reduce a lot of resistance as you teach your dog to comprehend and comply with more challenging commands. Therefore, getting your Labrador to follow you should be the first step. As you may know, wolves—which are descendants of dogs—follow the pack leader, who is typically a parent.
Of course, you have to give a 2-month-old Labrador puppy a reward for following you around when you’re training him. Although you can delay gratification for a longer period of time with older dogs, you will need to initially praise, cuddle, or give the puppy training treats.
The first week of your puppy’s training would be the ideal time to avoid abrupt turns. You must create a positive reinforcement loop and allow your dog to connect following you with rewarding experiences.
You can start making abrupt turns once your puppy seems motivated to follow you for the reward and begin training him to do so even when the directions change.
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Even though labradors tend to be more sociable, if they aren’t exposed to enough people or situations when they are young, they may develop unusual levels of introversion. At a young age, you should take your puppy outside to maximize his opportunity for socialization.
One approach is to go visit friends and family. You can also take him to a dog park if you see one. Keep in mind that your pet is still learning how to walk alongside you and follow directions. You cannot expect him to cover long distances. Unfortunately, a lot of pet owners allow the physical limitations of their dogs to manifest as social limitations!
While Labrador puppies aren’t more likely to become agoraphobic, they occasionally do grow unhealthy attachments to their homes. The best way to prevent this is to take them sufficiently far from the house and make sure they enjoy being outside. You should do this as frequently as you can, preferably daily, it is important to note.
Ideally, you should begin potty training your Lab puppy as soon as you bring him home. Start by demonstrating to your dog where you want him to relieve himself, perhaps in a designated area of your garden or yard.
Make the area you want your dog to use the restroom stand out from the rest of your yard so he will become familiar with it. Setting up a small perimeter and scattering some bark chips is a smart idea.
The next step is to create a schedule for potty breaks, such as once in the morning, after meals and playtimes, or hourly for young puppies.
Many owners use dog crates to help with house training. There is a lot more information available in my step-by-step guide to training a Labrador puppy in a crate.
If you follow my blog, you know I am against punishment-oriented training. If you train your dog young enough to avoid harsh bites, you will not need punishment-driven discipline strategies. In any case, using physical force or yelling at your pup will only instill fear and distrust and can cause aggression in your dog.
For more information on this subject, see also my article How to Discipline a Labrador.
If your Labrador puppy bites with enough force during training, you can put him in a timeout, but he won’t likely understand what he did wrong. Instead, you can wait until your Labrador bites during a positive activity and then stop it. It will anchor the consequence better.
For instance, you could withhold the second treat from your Labrador puppy until he learns to take it from your hand gently if you’re giving him a treat and he grabs the first one violently. But in contrast, there isn’t much you can do in terms of effective punishment if he bites you while you’re reading your book.
You can act upset to show how your dog’s behavior has affected you. To accomplish this, yell out in a loud voice, such as “OUCH!” and then distract the dog from biting by giving him a chew toy. Use positive reinforcement to reinforce the learned behavior by rewarding it with a treat. Your Labrador will quickly understand that being well-behaved results in nice things.
Puppies must continue the excellent work their mother and siblings have taught them in order to learn their bite inhibition (soft-mouth). Don’t worry; Labradors pick up on this skill pretty quickly because they were bred to retrieve downed game birds for their hunter without hurting them.
Puppy Biting? Learn Bite Inhibition Training! – Here is a great video about puppy biting and biting inhibition!
When teaching your dog to be patient, you must use your best judgment. Typically, by the tenth week, your Labrador will be old enough to learn self-control.
In my beginner’s guide, I go into great detail about how to train an 8 Week Old Labrador Puppy.
FAQ
Are Lab puppies easy to train?
Labs are simple to train because they have a natural work ethic and intelligent temperament. They make excellent pets because they are amiable and less aggressive than other dog breeds. The best example of a “man’s best friend” is a labrador retriever. ”.
What is the best age to start training a Lab puppy?
What Age to Start Training Labrador Puppy. Puppy training should begin as soon as possible, ideally at 8 weeks old. You might regret waiting until your dog is older, like 6 months old. The first six months of a dog’s life are when they learn the most, according to Robert Milner of Duckhill Kennels.
How long does it take to puppy train a Lab?
The majority of labs require four to eight weeks of training before they are fully prepared. If you are training the Lab or any other puppy for the first time, you might find that it takes a little longer, but you might also find that they pick it up a little bit easier.
At what age does a Lab puppy calm down?
Labs don’t begin “settling” until they are between the ages of two and four. However, in general, you can anticipate to see mental maturation occurring between the ages of two and four. There are some labradors who are quiet and sedate from early puppyhood on, and there are a few others who are bouncing puppymaniacs until well into old age.