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Labradors and Golden Retriever


lee-kinsman
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Excellent videos and some lovely looking dogs .

Can I ask why its your preference to start formal training so young , when many advise leaving it until they are older ?

 

I have a Lab pup and he is about 5 months now but I was planning on doing little with him until the spring.

 

What ever your reasons it seems to be working just fine !

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Ey up Fenboy,

I think the best way to train a dog is through having a good relationship with the dog (not suggesting people who wait don't). What I mean is I find that training only strengthens our relationship providing I don't try and expect to much from them. I try and make training a natural progression so that each lesson runs seamlessly to the next so that the dog doesn't even notice that it is being impressed upon. With dogs less than 12months old I rarely train for longer than 5 mins and if what I'm trying to teach feels like hardowrk on the introduction, I'll bin the idea and wait a couple of weeks and then try and re-introduce it. For example, Heel work with retrievers, for me a dog has to be ready for heel work and signs that I look for are not pulling on the lead, not becoming easily distracted, not wanting to run around like silly idiots, paying attention on me, staying close looking for the retrieve things like that.

 

You'll notice that both pups jump up and the Goldie is slowly getting the message not too. Now of course it's not good for a full grown lab to bound up to youyr chest with a retrieve but that is a lesson for another time, particularly with Ronnie since I want him to feel confident in his approach. To try and teach a pup not to jump up at this stage will spoil our relationship and probably cause delivery issues which are far harder to correct than a dog that simply jumps up.

Hope that makes sense.

What do you do with them until they are 10-12months old.

 

Lee


They're coming on fab, Lee :)

Thanks BB :)

Edited by lee-kinsman
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Ey up Fenboy,

I think the best way to train a dog is through having a good relationship with the dog (not suggesting people who wait don't). What I mean is I find that training only strengthens our relationship providing I don't try and expect to much from them. I try and make training a natural progression so that each lesson runs seamlessly to the next so that the dog doesn't even notice that it is being impressed upon. With dogs less than 12months old I rarely train for longer than 5 mins and if what I'm trying to teach feels like hardowrk on the introduction, I'll bin the idea and wait a couple of weeks and then try and re-introduce it. For example, Heel work with retrievers, for me a dog has to be ready for heel work and signs that I look for are not pulling on the lead, not becoming easily distracted, not wanting to run around like silly idiots, paying attention on me, staying close looking for the retrieve things like that.

 

You'll notice that both pups jump up and the Goldie is slowly getting the message not too. Now of course it's not good for a full grown lab to bound up to youyr chest with a retrieve but that is a lesson for another time, particularly with Ronnie since I want him to feel confident in his approach. To try and teach a pup not to jump up at this stage will spoil our relationship and probably cause delivery issues which are far harder to correct than a dog that simply jumps up.

Hope that makes sense.

What do you do with them until they are 10-12months old.

 

Lee

Thanks BB :)

 

Thanks for the explanation.

My older lab I did start on when he was fairly young but his immaturity coupled with some mistakes from myself ( my first Lab ) made it a struggle to be honest ,mainly due to a lack of connection between the dog and myself .

 

Though he could do anything asked perfectly well when he was in the mood there was never any consistency , I have ended up having to get some help from a more experienced trainer as I was becoming too frustrated , he is now doing very well indeed I am pleased to say.

 

My intention with the young pup given the connection issues I have had with the other was really to let him be a puppy and work on his desire to be with and please me.

He has had very few play retrieves , but I will call him when he has something praise him and then just give him the ball or whatever back , I will also drop things just into cover for him to collect .

 

Now he will come to me when I call him I have just started to introduce the whistle on the recall and sit .

 

Seems to be going well so far but its all very informal but already it seems he has more of a interest in me and my actions than my other dog did.

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Ey up Haydon.

I waited two years to get him, had other opportunities for one but wanted one with the right breeding. Came from a lady called Margaret Allen in Dorset. Originally he was going to someone else but the couple got some tragic news the week before they collected him so I got the opportunity.

If you get the right one they can hold there own against any lab.

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