Am I expecting too much from my lab puppy?

Stop using treats so much and start forcing him to listen. Only say the command once and if he does not obey then make him sit, come, etc. If you say it multiple times then he thinks he doesn’t have to listen to the first few.

Also, I’d look into running that much with a puppy.. I don’t think you’re supposed to run them like that when they’re still growing and developing especially if it’s on concrete.

4.5 month old lab is still kind of young. Be careful on how much pressure you put on the pup. Too much pressure early on can take the drive out of a dog.

Do you plan on retriever training the dog yourself or sending it to a pro?

I’m having a dog trained right now and my trainer told me not to worry to much about obedience as a young pup. He said just to get him fired up about chasing and retrieving bumpers and to make it fun. He will work out the obedience part when he gets the pup. Basically the only commands he knew were here and sit at 6 months old.

Yes

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Ok thanks guys. I plan to send him to be trained professionally.

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im told they are like kids when young and can be stubborn but as they get a few years old they mellow and will listen and do everything you tell them.

my BIL has a golden retriever that absolutely will not poop or pee unless you tell him to. i dog sat for him once and saw this first hand. he would run around the yard and come back and whimper until i told him to go poop, then i had to tell him to go pee after

it was the damnest thing i ever saw. the could go somewhere and be gone for hours and the dog would sit at the door and wait but never once peed or pooped in the house ever

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Old Character

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Got any tips besides consistency? I’ve worked with him every day since at least 12 weeks for 10-15 mins at a time. I feel consistent. I’ll back off the treats. When I don’t have treats, I force his arse to shite and lay down. Maybe I’m too much of a perfectionist. This is my first lab after having small wife/kids dogs my whole life.

Read this

Why teach bad habits that need to be fixed later?

There’s def two different schools of thought. Have Seen good dogs trained both ways, but for an animal that lives with you, travels with you and is more then just a hunting dog, I’ll take a mentally sound and easily handled dog all day everyday.

I field trialed labs for about 20 years but this info is worth what you paid for it.

First question - where did your training info come from? A book? Videos? The internet? Who is it?

First absolute statement - before you train the dog you have to train the trainer. Read that ten times if you didn't get it the first time.

Now my thoughts:

I wouldn't run him 3 miles. Dogs don't run like that unless there is a real reason to do so. His training running is more than enough. Do you swim him? OCD lesions are quite common in labs and other large dogs because they over exercised. Be quite cautious with that. Labs don't reach full skeletal growth until 9 months.

Hard headed labs are a part of life. You will have times in your lives when you have a test of wills. The last one will be right around two. Break up the training with some play at this age. You got to make it fun. Be patient but firm. Obedience will come with repetition and time. The stronger the bond between you grows the more he will want to please you.

Find a place to swim. Water helps cool him off and when they get hot they're like football players....they lose attention to detail, get sloppy, etc.

There are a number of good books out there. Richard Wolters Water Dog is a good one but the book I have given to friends the most is an old one, by D.L. Walters.

Training Retriever to Handle. Do yourself and your pup a favor and buy it and read it.

One last thing. The most important part of your body is your hand. Your hand brings love and gives direction. NEVER EVER EVER under any circumstances strike your dog in the head with your hand. In fact try not to ever strike your dog with your hand on his body.

Good luck. I would trade ten years of my life to have one more year with any of my three labs. All had totally different personalities and physical characteristics but when that tired dog lays down against you to sleep you know you've done right by him. I'm too old to do another so I am jealous!!

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caddysdad

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Thanks for the reply. The dog is a fein for water. He swims in the neighbors pool a lot and we have a small pool for him in the backyard.

And regarding the running. I’m not running a 6 min mile. Im slow and am made fun of for how slow I am. It’s a fast walk for him on grass for over a majority of the run. He wanders off to pee and sniff and runs to catch back up.

On my 5th lab and have never trained with treats. They want to please and be praised by you. I always tried to keep the lessons short, especially when it is hot.

I typically train early in the morning and late in the day. Also keep it fun with praise and rubs. Some days young dogs just don't want to work... accept it and try again later. Getting frustrated just adds to the problem. Take a breath it is basically still a puppy.

If you put the time in it is going to make a very good hunting companion. Don't worry about that.