Training Labrador Retrievers

Barking is a perfectly natural canine behavior. Birds sing; frogs croak; and a dog barks, whines and howls. If you have a dog, you better expect some barking, whining or howling. It is unrealistic and unfair to think you can train your dog to stop barking altogether. However, you, your neighbors and your Labrador will all be much happier if the barking is under control.

Labs are social animals. They need friends and companionship. Understanding them and training them will help this process emmensely.

To fix the dog barking problem, first you need to discover why labs bark: While we can never know for sure, here are some probable reasons:

# Bored. If your lab is seeking attention, he might see barking as the best way to get it. After all, if he barks loudly, he can get you to check on him, can’t he?

# Afraid. Thunderstorms, loudly tooting horns, and firecrackers may be making your dog bark out of fear. If repeatedly frightened, they may even bark even in the absence of sound because they have come to associate certain things with a thing that they find frightening.

# Territorial. Labradors bark to warn strangers and intruders off their territory.

# Injured, hungry, thirsty, hot, or cold. If your dog could talk, he would tell you what he needs, of course. But he can’t so he goes for the next best thing to talking - barking. If these reasons are making your dog bark, you can easily fix barking dog problems with water, a tasty snack, medicine, or a warm blanket.

Use Diversionary Tactics

Get a tin can, fill it with pennies, and snap the lid back on top. When it shakes it makes a noise that many dog owners find attracts their dog’s attention to the can and away from whatever their barking at. If you have hard floors, you might just drop the can on the floor.

Squirt guns and spray bottles also work well as a diversionary technique to stop a barking Labrador. Your dog barks, you squirt him/her. She forgets the kid on the bike outside and looks for the source of the water.

Use and elaborate on these techniques and you’ll finally have the peace you’re looking for.

Make your Labrador comfortable and control their barking problem. And if you happen to be bored right now, check out some more tips on training your dogs here.