Labrador Retriever Training: Advice When Training Your Working Dog
If a labrador intended to become a household pet needs regular labrador retriever training, for sure the one picked to become a working dog needs more. Dogs that are expected to do jobs such as tracking and detection or guiding people with disabilities have to undergo specialized and more rigorous training in addition to learning the basic obedience commands such as sit, stay and down as well as tricks like crawl, shake, wave, roll over and shake hands.
Labrador retrievers are frequently used as working dogs because of their intelligence and good personality. But despite that fact, lab owners ought to know that not all are fit for training meant for potential working dogs much more become one. Dogs that will be included in the training should meet certain criteria such as age bracket and must undergo blood work, X-ray and other physical diagnosis to determine their physical and mental issue early on.
Whether you'd want your pet to assist those with disabilities or to help law enforcers through tracking and detection, socialization should be done appropriately. Getting them accustomed to the presence of various people, other animals, places and situations as soon as possible is a very major factor for successful labrador retriever training. It also helps in determining what specific line of work is suitable for your dog.
If observation shows that the dog is better off as guide dog or disabled-assistant, the next step is focused on training the pet to avoid distractions and enhancing the memory and concentration for longer durations. Guide dogs are expected to;
- protect the handler
- guide him/her when crossing the street
- avoid road danger like holes and overhanging obstacles
- guide the handler to the elevator
- lie quietly when the handler is sitting down
thus it helps if your dog is well versed to such scenarios. Since it is very important for guide dogs to stay calm when doing the tasks expected from them, it is therefore important to train them to disregard distractions and concentrate on the work ahead no matter what happens. If a labrador cannot proceed with guide dog training for some reasons, more often, he ends up as household pet and could be trained to become therapy dog instead. Therapy dogs main task is to provide affection and comfort to people who are sick in hospitals, retirement homes, disaster areas as well as schools.
Nowadays, many labrador retrievers have become part of law enforcement agencies. With proper labrador retriever training in addition to the dog's natural capability and characteristics, surely he can do various tasks to aid police and other law-enforcement personnel. Tasks of police dogs include;
- search and rescue dog (SAR)
- detection dog
- cadaver dog
Knowing tips about training isn't enough to obtain desired result. As owner, it is equally important to have a great deal of patience in order to withstand frustrations and many hours of training.
About the Author
Kate Truman is a dog enthusiast who enjoys writing articles about dogs. Find out more about labrador retriever training at http://www.labradorretrieversavvy.com
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