Tips on training Lab puppies.

[Jimr]

Hey guys i know there is quite a few out there that have labs, Just wondering what some of you's have had success with while training your pup's. From Housebreaking to obeying commands, . The issue iam having right now is .... i have a 7 week old lab , i bought him in Ontario a week ago and now have him back home here. But while in ontario with him for a week at my parents, he had no problem going outside to pee and do his thing whenever he was told too. BUT now that i have him home he refuses to do his thing outside, i can have him out there for 20 minutes and he just runs around eating stuff, being a puppy.. then after being back in the house for 2 minutes he pisssses wherever.

Any tips or tricks are greatly appreciated , thanks Guyshttp://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs145.snc3/17245_405136990214_674525214_10594492_3475519_n.jp g

[tomahawk]

Is crate/kennel training an option for you?

[Jimr]

Well the deal was when i talked my fiance' into letting me bring him home was that i bring him to work with me everyday in my truck, and he'll never be left home alone. as of right now he doesnt mind his crate when hes tired enough, otherwise it sounds like someones killing him!

[hotload]

Any internet readings about puppies state that no matter when the puppy pees in the house it is the owners fault. I just got a puppy as well and I sure as hell didn't want to hear that either. What has to be done here is the owner has to be very diligent watching the pup, get to know your particular puppy and all the different body signals. If it does happen in the house only let him know it when you have him dead to rights, other than actually catching them, just scoot them outside without any scolding and wipe up the mess and clean it properly. Labs aren't dumb, just takes time and patience. If you can't watch them, crate them. Crate them at night. People think crates are a little mean but dogs love their own sanctuary and when they get used to it the love it.. GOOD LUCK

[hotload]

Oh by the way, don't give in to the puppy whine, if you do , they gotcha, and they win, forever.

[BlacktailStalker]

Ideally put him in a crate and when you take him out immediately take him outside. When he finally pees, praise him every time. He'll get the point pretty quick. Then you can work on peeing on command (thats easy)
If he is peeing inside when you bring him in, next time you take him out, play with him enough to where you can take him in to his kennel and he's tired enough to sleep. Then do what I just said when he wakes up.
Make sure his crate isnt so big he can pee at one end and sleep at the other because they will do that. If you bought just one crate (for when he's older) put a box in it to use up the extra room.
Letting him wail in the kennel and you coming rescuing him is a whole different problem he'll learn to get away with real quick too lol

[madrona sh]

Blacktailstalkers right on the money with the puppy peeing problem.Stick with that he will learn in no time.Good luck and nice pup.

[srupp]

Hmm Dad raised dogs when I was really little...er young..so we learned puppy skills and drills..

as has been mentioned..block off his crate with "whatever" just so he cant mess where he doesnt lay..make the crate just big enough so he can sleep CRAMPED....

when ya take him outside.."lets go pee" keep it simple and exactly the same each time...lead him ortake him to where you want him to do his buisness..NO PLAYING ..'''go pee" give him 1 minute and if nothing..BACK INTO THE HOUSE AND INTO HIS KENNEL..

This is pee time not play time....give him some more time and out again unless he whines or whimpers to go pee..and back outside..1 minute..


once he ha done his buisness PRAISE HIM and give him a quick pet..NOT PLAY TIME YET..

back into the house and then PRAISE AND PET HIM...

I have had numerous dogs and ALL have been successfully trained to go potty in just ONE PLACE..not all over the yard..no land mines:mrgreen: and it can usuallyt be acomplished in 3-5 days...

2 other habits to get him used to

1) no whining or barking

2) no jumping up when meeting people

ALSO get used to touching him EVERYWHERE..him and you used to it..so vet exams are mucho easier..so is dealing with blocked anal glands ..pretty common with Labs...and doing his ears etc etc

cheers

Rupp not Pup :mrgreen:

[takla1]

Ive trained dogs for yrs,german sheps, and what i do with young pups raised indoors is get a set of brass bells and hang them from the door knob of the door leading outside where you want them to go to relieve themselves.watch the puppy on raising in the morning and when they are heading to pee somewhere take them to the door and shake the bells,imediately take them outside till they pee .do this continually for a few days and they will pick it up.later you will not have to watch them all the time,just listen for the bells!

[Dirty]

I found when my dog was a pup that she would do the same thing. Take her outside and it took forever to take a piss or shit. If I slipped up and was like screw it and didn't take her outside, she knew when I was asleep. She would do something.

My dog was also a whiner. She was the runt, I don't know if this compounds the problem. The only way I found to get her to stop barking was to bring her crate in my bedroom.

I also noticed that, you can determine when your puppy uses the washroom. It is easy. They piss and shit every 30 minutes. If they aren't sleeping they are pissing and shitting. I just got in a routine to let her out every 30 minutes.

Be prepared for many sleepless nights. . . .

[pnbrock]

our pup was house broke in a week like said bathroom every 30 min also pay attention to eating and water you can just about time 20 min to next bathroom break.good luck just a bit ahead of you 5mon yellow lab just now learning what is his and what is ours.on last baby tooth so the dreaded chewing almost over yaaaaaah

[Jimr]

Awesome , thanks for all the good information guys. I didnt know there was a seperate thread for this sorry bout that ., I ve been doing the taking him outside thing and waiting, But he will sit for a minute then start going after anything (leaves etc), after having a smoke and waiting (that long) he still wont go but he'll cry at the door to get IN. first step in the house and he lets er go!...what a piss off!... ill keep working it tho. i tried even soaking up the piss i read on the net that if you soak it up and take it outside he will smell it out there etc, THIS method worked today with the shhiting he did it in the house, so it was put outside in the corner of the yard, he found it and did his business right beside it... the peeing has yet to work.
AND when in the crate HE HOWLS!, its like an ear piercing howling, ..and he will not stop for anything , not a toy, pigsear, etc..
am i just supposed to ignore him long enough? i can imagine alot of headaches will come from this....

[Jimr]

DONT KNOW , if it matters but i forgot to mention , He is not PUREBRED LAB. his mother was 3/4 lab-1/4 collie. Looked lab though, and dad was purebred black lab.

maybe that helps or not .

[Angus]

Jim, that's some pretty good advice you've been getting. Stick with the crate no matter how much the pup whines. As someone else mentioned, to help you sleep at night (for a couple of hours anyway) bring the crate into your bedroom and have it beside the bed. That way the pup can hear you, he doesn't feel all alone, and you can also put your fingers through the wire grate to calm the pup.

Here's a link to a "Letter from Your Pup" that my breeder provided when I got my pup. It helped me understanding a little better:

http://www.nesslakeretrievers.com/html/A_Letter_from_your_puppy.htm

Keep up the good work and soon enough you'll be through the house-training phase, and onto chewing

[Jimr]

Hey angus, thanks for that.
all very good points people. :) Ive been working on the crate and he seems to already be a very smart Pup. already at 7.5 weeks old he sits on demand, lays down and will even crawl when asked too with hand demands. so i know he will be a good learner. Maybe doesnt sound believeable but i was shocked that he picked up , sit , lay down so fast. gives me good hope!!!

i started with the crate tho. its just the size for him now so no messing in there.. he wont go in byhimself, so i place a treat in the back , he will go in for it , then i say SIT. he will sit in that spot. i close the front and hes fine, after about 3 minutes of staying there the whining starts, So i said "NO NOISE" and he stops,. for about 30 seconds, in that 30 seconds i give him a small treat and say goodboy. thru the cage, . hes quiet again for about 5 mins, then (repeat the above.) when whining he doesnt get let out. when he stops for atleast 30 seconds of crying i then open the cage, pick him up and outside. he will play for a few min and not pee.... even so much as lay down and sleep outside.???? then its back in the house.....3 feet in he pees!!!!


but we'll learn together, little steps at a time .:mrgreen:

any tips on how to make him pee in a spot?,,.sprays?, etc?

[Angus]

The only thing I could suggest would be to remove all toys etc. from outside before going out so he knows its not play time. Especially during the night when you let him out of the crate and take him outside. As soon as he finished his business, pick him up and place back in crate; don't play with him. Make it very clear to him that the night time trips outside are not for play.

Take him to a certain spot of the yard (fence, bushes) and wait him out. The when he does go pee, act like you won the lottery and praise him like crazy. I cheated and used treats when training my pup, so every time I said, "Go hurry up", and he peed, he'd get a treat.

As for getting three feet inside the house and peeing, maybe try and fake him out, make it look like you're going in the house but turn right back around and go to that spot in the yard.

If you have dedicated areas in the yard for play and a spearate area for peeing, he may get the idea .

Good luck.

[Jimr]

OK WELL SO FAR SO GOOD... weve been working on this all day with my day off...Goes from crate to outside, then i get him excited and he found a spot he likes to pee.... also got him doin his thing outside very good now. just hafta get him to not do it inside when i dont see him do it . but all in time.:)
thanks for the tips guys n gals.

[dutchie]

I crate my dog every night, and when I got him alot of people said "you need to give him more room" because it was cramped for him. The rule I used was before he goes into the crate he goes pee, and as soon as he get out he goes pee. A dog will never mess in thier "den".

My pup is 10 months old and still has the same routine.

I do not let him in the back door if he whines, i do not let him out of the crate if he is whining. When he was a puppy and would not stop whining, i would leash him, bring him into the back yard(no matter if it was pouring or freezing cold) stay out there until he pee'd or poop'd and then back inside straight to the kennel. (after 15 mins if he did nothing I would bring him in to the kennel.)

I never once got mad at him for peeing in the house because it is not thier fault it is the owners fault.

if a dog learns to whine/bark to get anything then they will keep on doing it. I want food, to go pee, to play, to get a duck, to chase a ball, to eat your food, etc... it is a never ending cycle and then it is tough because breaking the problem is tougher then training them first. Give the dog an inch it will take a mile, and go for the second mile as well.

the same thing applies with commands. if you tell the dog to come, be prepared to do somthing if the dog does not comply. If you say come..... dog COME, COME, COME..... you are training the dog not to listen, that is why 20foot check cords are so useful while training.
If you take somthing from the dog, replace it with somthing. I use a toy... it takes the dogs mond off what you just took and resets it into what you just gave him.

I have never trained with treats either because they dog will learn to only respond if there is a treat involved.

And the last piece of advice, never train when you are in a bad mood, when the dog responds the way you want, praise the dog with extra excitment. Make a fool of yourself because they will get super excited too and want to make you happy again.

dutchie

[dutchie]

I lied... I did use a treat to lure my dog into peeing.

[pnbrock]

stick with the crate our dog was so annoying at first going in with what i thought would be never ending barking ,however now we just have to say crate and off he goes.

[Jimr]

Thanks for all the advice again guys, Hes already (since this morning) better at doing his business Outside. no problems now. . Very quick as long as he keeps it up tommorow and so on. ill be very pleased. with the howling and barking in the crate i say "NO NOISE" loudly and it usually works , sometimes just for about a minute tho. what techniques do you guys use to "Quiet," your dog down in the crate. ????

[takla1]

buy a shock collar if you want to fix any unwanted behavior.do not make a scene when useing it on the dog.When barking unwantedly shock once untill quiet,repeat if necessary but most dogs learn quickly!

[Lots'oLabs]

buy a shock collar if you want to fix any unwanted behavior.do not make a scene when useing it on the dog.When barking unwantedly shock once untill quiet,repeat if necessary but most dogs learn quickly!

Hopefully this isn't something anyone would ever do.
If you want to train with an e-collar the dog will 1st need to be collar conditioned so he/she is aware of why they are receiving a correction and also need to understand what the expected behavior should be.
JimR, and everyone, if you plan to use an e-collar make sure you know what your'e doing, or enlist the help of a friend or pro who knows what they are doing.
An e-collar is a good solid training tool but you have to know how to use it!
I've seen many wrecked dogs because of slap happy button pushers.

[Jimr]

Ya the e-collar isnt an option , It isnt needed for this basic stuff, i would maybe consider using one later on in his life when hes to learn some more advanced stuff but i dont think he'll ever need one.

[srupp]

Hmmm good going..your not training a dog..YOUR being trained to be CONSISTENT..thats the secret..
and instead of many words just say "NAAAAW" simple and something he can understand...your the ALPHA dog :mrgreen:(unless your married..OOOPS)

Second secret is IF YOU CANT BE WITH HIM..CRATE HIM...SO HE DOESNT HAVE ACCIDENTs ..he may be trying to let you know he needs to pee but only if your with him..dont let him get any bad habits.. bad habits are much harder to correct than training..

If you spend 5 days dealing with this most all dogs will have learned potty skills..our dogs have a " pee run" along side the house...we have almost never had a pee or poops on the lawn..the dog goes outside does her buisness and is inside in under 2 minutes ..every time..

good luck..and be consistent to help your dog be successful in her learning...


cheers
Steven

[Jimr]

Here He is at Only 7 weeks old. Lovin the snow...:)http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs190.snc3/19779_264297216348_508891348_4400292_4272533_n.jpg

[dakotawinters]

why would anyone shock a 7 week old puppy..... are you insane? It would be like hitting a 7 month old baby..... they wont understand a thing....

[Jimr]

My thoughts exactlly ^ ^ i have alot of patience with him , i ofcourse want a good dog out of him and want him to obey me, But also to be a best friend. that comes first above any higher up abilities.

[trigger78]

the biggest thing i have found with my lab is they think with there stomach so i take him out side tell him to pee when he does i say good pee and give him a treat but not a treat evry time now he goes on command pee and pooh.

[Kasomor]

Newspaper as a Training Tool


"A rolled up newspaper can be an effective training tool when used properly.

For instance, use the rolled up newspaper if your dog chews up something inappropriate or has a housebreaking accident.

Bring the dog over to the destroyed object (or mess), then take the rolled up newspaper...and hit yourself over the head as you repeat the phrase,

I FORGOT TO WATCH MY DOG, I FORGOT TO WATCH MY DOG!"

takla1....place an e-collar around your neck, turn transmitter up to high, press the continuous button while repeating the same phrase.............

[takla1]

kasomor,I suppose i will have to take your recomendation if I develope a bad barking habit,or start to kill my nabours chickens,or if my predator ,prey instincts start to come to the surface again and i start biting kids around our block.lol.E -collars were developed for a reason,im not advocating there use on puppys by no means.They can be used on older dogs with BAD habits.They work well and i have used them.Time and time again i tell people who ask to take1 yr off work when you buy a pup and work your dog thru obiediance training a few hrs per day and after a yrs time you will have a obediant ,well trained dog,property protection and guard training will take longer with the right prospect.there are many books available to help people with training dogs,i would recomend william koehler author,but there are numerous others

[Lots'oLabs]

An excellent book I would reccomend for training is "Retriever Training for the Duck Hunter" by Robert Milner. Safari Press copyright 1985
It addresses retriever breed choice, basic puppy work, obedience, conditioning, basic casting e-training and hunting.

[Johnny G1]

First off it's a Lab, second I don't think it should be away from it's mom @ that age????? Just my thought's

[Kasomor]

kasomor,I suppose i will have to take your recomendation if I develope a bad barking habit,or start to kill my nabours chickens,or if my predator ,prey instincts start to come to the surface again and i start biting kids around our block.lol.E -collars were developed for a reason,im not advocating there use on puppys by no means.They can be used on older dogs with BAD habits.They work well and i have used them.Time and time again i tell people who ask to take1 yr off work when you buy a pup and work your dog thru obiediance training a few hrs per day and after a yrs time you will have a obediant ,well trained dog,property protection and guard training will take longer with the right prospect.there are many books available to help people with training dogs,i would recomend william koehler author,but there are numerous others

Good grief!! The thread is about a SEVEN WEEK OLD PUPPY. If your not advocating e-collar use on a puppy then state that in your original post.

Kasomor