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Thread: Disobedient Lab

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    Disobedient Lab

    Hello! Im Megan, and I'm new so bear with anything noob-like I say.

    I have one lab, and he is a bit of a spazz. He is 3 years old, and knows some basic commands (Sit, Lay Down) but he doesn't listen when we tell him to go, or anything like that. Its hard to explain, but I can answer any questions you need to know. I basically just need help teaching him to listen to us.

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    Senior Dog POPTOP's Avatar
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    Hello and Welcome!

    Three year old is an active age. Go back to the basics, basic training that is. Do a basic obedience class, it's great for refreshing commands and fun for both of you. Be sure to get in a positive reinforcement class. Also, you can do NILF - nothing in life in free. Want a treat, sit, dinner time, down, etc. In other words, he has to work for anything. Top that off with tons of exercise. I'm not quite sure what you mean by "tell him to go".

    Looking forward to pictures.

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    Quote Originally Posted by POPTOP View Post
    Hello and Welcome!

    Three year old is an active age. Go back to the basics, basic training that is. Do a basic obedience class, it's great for refreshing commands and fun for both of you. Be sure to get in a positive reinforcement class. Also, you can do NILF - nothing in life in free. Want a treat, sit, dinner time, down, etc. In other words, he has to work for anything. Top that off with tons of exercise. I'm not quite sure what you mean by "tell him to go".

    Looking forward to pictures.
    Thank you, I will have to talk to my mom about getting him into one of those. By telling him to go, I mean if we are eating dinner and he begs, etc.

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    Senior Dog Halcyon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TwizzFizz View Post
    Thank you, I will have to talk to my mom about getting him into one of those. By telling him to go, I mean if we are eating dinner and he begs, etc.
    Hello and welcome! I second what PopTop said. Back to basics with obedience and a couple serves of exercise a day. How much exercise is he getting at the moment?

    To help with the begging, you could teach him the "place" or "mat" command. Get something he can lie on like a bed and teach him to go and stay there on command. Use a treat and lure him onto it. Click and treat. Gradually, up the criteria to him going on it himself, lying down on it, lying and staying, etc. Eventually, you can add a command like, "go to mat."

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    Senior Dog Tanya's Avatar
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    welcome

    This doesn't sound like a "problem dog" but just a dog who hasn't had their training fully completed. You need to be consistant with the training and practice in all kinds of scenarios (if a dog sit when you ask indoors with no distractions, it is not at all the same thing as asking for a sit with another dog around, or outside, or when someone new is over - these are all new situations to the dog).

    Not sure what you mean by "tell him to go". did you create a clear command word and behaviour? Dog's don't speak english You need to be very very clear about what "go" (or whatever word used) means. It's like if you were in a new country with a different language and the family at the table just started repeating a strange word to you over and over, raising their voices. How are you to know what on earth they mean?

    Try something like "go to your bed". teach him what that means, step by step. then you can gently tell him to go to his bed during dinner.

  6. #6
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    Welcome to the forum. Instead of thinking about a disobedient lab, suggest changing the thinking about how to communicate with the dog. Remember that dog doesn't speak our language, but they *will* respond depending on how they were taught.

    About begging...well, that's because he is 'allowed' to be where the food is. Some of us don't even allow them in certain rooms or certain areas when we're doing something. Example, cooking. Some labs are large enough to be able to reach a hot pot on the stove. Good cooking attracts them by smell and if they were to bounce the pot while on the stove, imagine the damage to the food and to the lab. So think ahead...keep him out of the area using the method described in a previous post or simply leading him out of the kitchen to a particular spot. If you do that 30 times in a row, eventually the dog will learn to stay in the spot you put him in. (I did say 30 times.)

    As you can see, there is no magic fix. You need to get everybody on the same page, and use the same commands. Also need to be consistent. Someone can't allow him in the kitchen and feed scraps, while somebody else does not.

    Use your local library. There are many books for free with many different techniques. A clicker is described above, but there are many more techniques available. Some seemingly harsher than others. The more techniques you know, the quicker your training will go and it wont necessarily cost you money, except for gas or calories to get to the library. (and maybe some brain cells to read and try the information gathered from the books.)

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    Senior Dog POPTOP's Avatar
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    I understand what you mean by "go" now.

    We home senior labs and boy do they like our dinner time. I start out by putting on collar and leash and telling them to lay down next to me. We do allow them in the kitchen while we are eating but they may not beg, look, drool, stare, etc. Under the table is fine, beside me is fine, laying down. It takes a few days but they get the message loud and clear and if they backtrack, back with the leash. If you don't want him in the kitchen, teach that he cannot cross a certain line. Mom's cocker was not allowed in the kitchen during a meal; she would lay in the hall with her nose right on the line. What helps is absolutely no snacks from the table. If there is something they can have, it's after dinner, away from the table. You can teach a certain place for him to stay. He needs direction and can learn. Be persistent, consistent, and loving in your training. And yes, ours still need reminders now and then.

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    House Broken
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    Sounds as though a good training class is in order for the dog as well as the family. He needs to be taught what is expected and how to respond to specific cues. Smart dogs don't just happen, they are trained. Plus it is a wonderful bonding experience and I have made life long friends through training. Win, win situations.

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    practice practice practice

    a class with the two of you would help.

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    Puppy michael m's Avatar
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    Training, as mentioned above, is what is required for long term fix. Best advice is to keep the dog away from the area where you are eating. That said, one "trick" to immediately stop the behavior at the table is to put 5 to 7 pennies inside an empty Soda or Beer can and shake the can the moment the dog starts to beg or be a nuisance. This almost always stops any dog immediately. It creates a sharp noise that gets their attention, and you immediately follow it with the command you are going to use for stopping this behavior. I hope that this helps.
    Michael

 



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