Training Labrador Retrievers

I know it happened this way for me– we saw the sign for free puppies, told ourselves that “we were just stopping in to look”, pulled in to find several gorgeous three-month-old bundles of joy, listened to the tragic tale of the shelter in Tennessee that couldn’t afford to keep the puppies and had given them only a day to live before they would be euthanized, and the kind stranger who took all eight puppies to a training facility in northern Illinois (the very facility where we now stood) and hoped to find homes for all of them before the training facility too had to refuse them as well…

I’m sure you know where this story is headed. How could we not take one of the poor little things? Thankfully, we already had a dog at that time. We knew the house-training drill well enough and already owned the essentials that were necessary to make the transition from a one-dog to a two-dog house. But for someone going from a dog-free to a dog-filled house, it’s important to keep in mind the objects you’ll need to make the transition a success.

Collars: You’ll need to make sure you have a sturdy one, and you’ll probably want to have an extra on hand as well. I’ve been in situations where the dog’s collar has mysteriously disappeared just in time for me to take them to the vet or out on a walk– and thankfully I had a spare lying around. (Mind you, this doesn’t happen often, but it’s good to be prepared.)

Gates: During house-training, it makes it MUCH easier to monitor your Lab puppy if you can confine him/her to one room of the house. This works especially well when that one room is the kitchen or the laundry room, assuring that any accidents will only end up on a more mess-resistant floor than the nice carpet in the living room. Baby gates that you can find in thrift stores work wonderfully for this– or even a large box or a sturdy piece of cardboard will do the trick as well. (But pay attention to your puppy’s size– it is a most frustrating feeling when you find your “gate” destroyed or simply hopped over and your puppy nowhere to be seen.)

Car restraints: During the puppy stage of dog ownership, you’ll most likely be making several trips to the vet office in a relatively short time frame. Some sort of car restraint can take a huge load off your mind. Whether it be a spiffy, state-of-the-art dog carseat or simply a blanket in the back seat with some sort of barrier dividing that area off from the rest of the car, some preparation in this area will definitely pay for itself in dividends.

Toys: Yes, you should have a few toys available. These can be handy when you need to leave your dog in his/her crate for an extended period of time (which will happen a lot when you’re first starting with house training). I’m sure you’ve felt the same paranoid sense of overwhelm when you’ve entered a pet store toy aisle that I have on so many occasions, so let me simplify things to try and spare you that misery: Get a kong (any of the classic, round, rubber, hole-in-the-middle types will do), and some sort of projectile (tennis ball, frisbee, short rope, etc.) In my opinion, everything else is overkill.

CRATE: This is probably the most important piece of equipment you can own if you have a dog. You can read more about crate training in this article, or if you prefer, this one. I won’t get into the details here– only that the crate is an object that makes a HUGE impact on your dog’s training and even mental health. It’s very important that you implement one.

If you own these things, your life will be much easier once a new puppy steps into your life. Now, the next step is learning how to use them properly…

Until next time,

-Lauren

P.S.– This instantly-accessible dog training video is FREE, and it WORKS. Check it out. (The headline is a bit dramatic, though– just thought I’d warn you)