hey guys, I got a lab mix at 8 weeks 2 months ago. My baby is now 4 months. Started training her pretty much right after I got her. But not in the same intensity. She can do: sit, lay down, spin, paw, high five, belly, rollover, touch. Out of the 8 I listed, she learned 6 of them, in literally 5 mins. Her brother and sister from the same litter are not anywhere smart as her. People think I am going a great job but I am not taking any credit, she is too receptive. It is not only the commands, she reads me so well and tries to manipulate me but becomes such an angel when my boyfriend is around cuz he is stricter with her. She won't get in his bed when he is around, the minute he leaves, she is in bed with me. Same when we have food around, she will not bother us much if he is around. It's like she gets my weaknesses. Also she hates to be petted (??) but when I am upset with her, she comes and lets me pet her even though I know she is dreading it, after being petted for a few mins and makes sure we good, she leaves and does her own thing. Mind you this dog hates being touched. Are all dogs pretty much like this or should I take her to a professional trainer?
Welcome to you and your pup. Here is a great place to start with puppy training https://www.thelabradorsite.com/the-three-rs-of-labrador-puppy-education/ .
You need this bumper sticker for your car(I've seen them) --- "MY LABRADOR IS SMARTER THAN YOUR HONOR STUDENT".
Most of those are easily taught. Send her off lead across your property and yell sit, roll over and you’ll quickly learn where you are at with her training.
Some dogs aren't very tactile. My black girl isn't. Every now and again she'll come for a cuddle and that's very special. To me, it sounds like she's doing what's called "appeasement" when she knows you're upset. She's trying to calm you down so the situation doesn't escalate. In general, we want to avoid seeing these behaviours in our dogs because it means we've upset or scared them, and that's not our job as owners. We need to be showing them how we want them to behave, not getting upset that they don't naturally know this. Lots of those images you see on the internet of "my dog looks guilty" are simply appeasement gestures, too. The dog knows that the owner is upset - they don't generally understand why - and they are trying to calm them down so that the situation doesn't get worse for them. What exactly is the problem you have? What don't you like about her behaviour and what would you like to see more of?
