Hi, my name is Elizabeth. I want to get the opinion of Labrador owners on whether or not they believe that Labradors are easy to train? I've owned one dog previously- a female Aussie who was sweet, easy to train and eager to please. She was, in my opinion, one of the most well-behaved dogs ever! My next dog I need to be easy to train and not constantly trying to find loopholes and test my authority, and I've heard from some dog owners and behaviorists that Labradors are one such biddable breed. My cousin that I hang out with a few times a week has two Labs and I just love them. After my dog died, I got a cat. I've lived with cats all my life, but actually owning a cat of my own was way more than I bargained for. He is a little stinker! He's a troublemaker, a food addict at large, and stubborn. He seems to be more difficult to deal with than the average house cat. Interestingly, getting my cat when I did actually gave me a better idea of what characteristics to look for in my next dog. I developed a new appreciation for trainability. There are many characteristics in dogs that don't matter much to me, like size, hair length, or color, but I've found that a dog's willingness to mind makes a huge difference in whether I'm able to live with such an animal! I love my hard-headed cat and will never give up on him, but I do not want to have a battle of wills with my next dog. I have enough of that to deal with in my cat. So, what do you think of your Labrador? Is he/she easy to train? Is he/she naughty despite training and exercise? Are you a first-time Lab owner? What do you think of your experience? I'd love to know your thoughts and advice!
I find labradors very easy to train but as a dog trainer, I get of lot of labs in with terrible manners. They are an easy dog to train, but they do not come pre programmed. I think the main mistake people make is letting a cute puppy get away with behaviours (such as nipping, jumping up, barging through doors, pulling on the lead) which are not at all cute when the puppy gets bigger. Stretch their brains rather than their legs and always focus on what you want them to do, rather than what you don't want them to do.
My lab is the most sweet, gentle, well behaved family pet you could wish for. However, we put the work in. Obedience classes for over a year, lots of consistent, patient training and exercise. She is just now easy peasy. I see and hear about lots of labs who have all sorts of behavioural issues, but they are not naughty, they are not trained. Folk expect an intelligent breed like a lab to know what to do, but that has to be proofed and reinforced. As @5labs says, they dont come pre programmed, you have to work at it. Good luck .
I am a first time Lab owner and from my experience so far they are great dogs. Training is very important to me, mainly because I know I couldn't physically control a large full grown dog and so need him to be well mannered. Buster is 6 months old now and has always been very receptive to training. He responds really well - but I have put in a lot time, training every day, several times a day and the key is to be consistent.
