Puppy Training!!!!

[BorderColliez]

The neighbor has his 4 month old black lab pup locked up in the house from 7:00 am to around 7:30 pm, and said he would let me walk the pup while he was at work if I wanted...OF COURSE I DO!!!!! Well, tips for training a 40 pound 4 month old lab pup?? And training him to not pull on the lead, not to "play bite" because when he gets older those play bites could turn into real bites, and to be a submissive, controlled pup that grows up to be a loyal, obedient (90 pound lol) lab??

Thanks :D

Any training tips would be great. I have been watching Cesar Millan's shows and am thinking about using some of his methods, but not many of them because it specifically says not to use any of the tecnuiqes he uses on the show..

[coco-bean]

well i have 3 of them and honestly they are really no different to train than any other dog.
When he pulls on the lead turn and go in the opposite direction if he pulls that way...turn around again and walk the opposite way! After awhile the pup will soon learn to watch you and not pull!
not to bite well...im sure many people have many different techniques...i for one, grab the snout firmly and so no bite. if they bite while you are playing with them immediately stop playing and so on. Grabbing the snout with a firm no bite seems to work the best for me!
Most labs will automatically grow up to be loyal...there's not much to that, they love everyone! lol
BUT he'll prolly be loyal to you since you will be there training and praising ect.! Im sure he'll be loyal to his owner too if he does these things as well!
to be submissive...well roll them over on their back and make them relax...you are the boss, they learn pretty fast!
Most labs in a good family environment wont grow up to control their owners, it's a partnership...thats how i see it at least!
Just be firm, patient and praise alot! They learn quick! and believe me they really arent that different from any other pup! Good luck! have fun, labs are great!!

[Giselle]

Sorry, I have to be a voice of dissent here, Coco-bean :) From my personal experience, grabbing the snout of a nippy dog doesn't help much. First, it's hard to grab for a mouth that's trying to nip you. Second, puppies squirm, and it's hard to hold onto the snout. Lastly, puppies take it as a play signal. If anything, it increases the nipping. The method I use is this: If the puppy is nipping me, I fold my arms and walk into a different room. Walk back towards the puppy and find a better activity to do. If he's feeling nippy, give him a plush toy. Also, I can't with good conscience agree with alpha rolls (rolling the puppy on its back to gain dominance). Again, in my experience, it doesn't work well and it's stressful for both parties. If the owner wants the dog to be submissive, you're going to have to train the owner to do NILIF (nothing in life is free).

BorderColliez, I urge you not to follow Millan's techniques. He deals with problematic dogs who are usually at the end of their line. They often have severe behavioral and emotional issues, and that's not what this puppy has =) Your puppy is a more or less blank slate and you do not need to resort to physical dominance or punishment. In this case, positive reinforcement is your friend! Just treat for good behaviors, ignore bad behaviors, and have fun. You sound like you have BCs so I'm sure you have a good idea of what and how to train. Just keep it short, fun, and simple, and that small pup will grow to be a well-behaved gentleman.

Also, ETA: Is this the black lab you're going to show?

[BorderColliez]

Sorry, I have to be a voice of dissent here, Coco-bean :) From my personal experience, grabbing the snout of a nippy dog doesn't help much. First, it's hard to grab for a mouth that's trying to nip you. Second, puppies squirm, and it's hard to hold onto the snout. Lastly, puppies take it as a play signal. If anything, it increases the nipping. The method I use is this: If the puppy is nipping me, I fold my arms and walk into a different room. Walk back towards the puppy and find a better activity to do. If he's feeling nippy, give him a plush toy. Also, I can't with good conscience agree with alpha rolls (rolling the puppy on its back to gain dominance). Again, in my experience, it doesn't work well and it's stressful for both parties. If the owner wants the dog to be submissive, you're going to have to train the owner to do NILIF (nothing in life is free).

BorderColliez, I urge you not to follow Millan's techniques. He deals with problematic dogs who are usually at the end of their line. They often have severe behavioral and emotional issues, and that's not what this puppy has =) Your puppy is a more or less blank slate and you do not need to resort to physical dominance or punishment. In this case, positive reinforcement is your friend! Just treat for good behaviors, ignore bad behaviors, and have fun. You sound like you have BCs so I'm sure you have a good idea of what and how to train. Just keep it short, fun, and simple, and that small pup will grow to be a well-behaved gentleman.

Also, ETA: Is this the black lab you're going to show?
No, this is a different black lab. I may or may not show the other one, I am not quite sure just yet. Still thinking about it because the other labbie is such a hyper girl!!! Typical lab ;)

P.S. I dont have BCs but plan on having one in the near future :)

[coco-bean]

Sorry, I have to be a voice of dissent here, Coco-bean :) From my personal experience, grabbing the snout of a nippy dog doesn't help much. First, it's hard to grab for a mouth that's trying to nip you. Second, puppies squirm, and it's hard to hold onto the snout. Lastly, puppies take it as a play signal. If anything, it increases the nipping. The method I use is this: If the puppy is nipping me, I fold my arms and walk into a different room. Walk back towards the puppy and find a better activity to do. If he's feeling nippy, give him a plush toy. Also, I can't with good conscience agree with alpha rolls (rolling the puppy on its back to gain dominance). Again, in my experience, it doesn't work well and it's stressful for both parties. If the owner wants the dog to be submissive, you're going to have to train the owner to do NILIF (nothing in life is free).

BorderColliez, I urge you not to follow Millan's techniques. He deals with problematic dogs who are usually at the end of their line. They often have severe behavioral and emotional issues, and that's not what this puppy has =) Your puppy is a more or less blank slate and you do not need to resort to physical dominance or punishment. In this case, positive reinforcement is your friend! Just treat for good behaviors, ignore bad behaviors, and have fun. You sound like you have BCs so I'm sure you have a good idea of what and how to train. Just keep it short, fun, and simple, and that small pup will grow to be a well-behaved gentleman.

Also, ETA: Is this the black lab you're going to show?

Well it's a 4 month old so holding a squirming pup isnt that hard at all...a 6 or 7 week old squirms! grabbing the snout and holding firmly never seemed to give the play signal with any of my pups nor the dogs at petco who nip at me while their in the tub! sure they are much bigger at petco so they have the ability to rip their snout outa my hand with not much power but it works for me, and she asked an opinion.
I have labs...so i gave it! :D
JMO though ;)