Originally Posted by
Labradorks
My dog wants to please me and I have taught him how to do that. Just like kids, they need to learn what you want. Sometimes something else, another driver, will encourage them to make a mistake. For a dog, that can be another dog, person, food, ball, bird, etc. For a kid, that could be another kid, food, fun, etc. For dogs it's not always a conscious decision, but a reaction. Same goes for kids. For example, a puppy is born biting, using their mouth to play and explore and it's hard for them to keep their teeth off of people because it's in their brain, hardwired, to do so. Kids use their hands for the same reasons, and you have to teach them not to touch things in a store, but sometimes they do it out of natural inclination. So, you have to teach the child to think first. Same goes with the puppy. Especially when there is not an immediate, direct and consistent cause and effect; for example, touching a hot burner.
Labs are one of the most naturally biddable breeds you can get and if bred correctly, there is a natural willingness to please. They were bred to work closely with humans. They are also extremely forgiving. You can train them using a variety of methods and they will find a way to please you and/or to not cause you to be unhappy with or disappointed with them. The world really is your oyster when you have a Lab in regards of what you can do and how. That is why they do so well in nearly if not all sports as well as SAR, TSA, guide dogs, etc.; often despite us and not because of us. I have seen Labs who are relatively well trained despite being trained by a young child, an inexperienced adult, an adult with very little in the way of developed motor skills due to a disability and in that vein, I even know a woman who competes and does well with her Lab in Rally from a motorized wheelchair.
Because they are all over the place when it comes to temperament, there are some Labs who are bred to care too much and some that are born with a ton of drive. Some dogs are bred without regard to temperament and some are bred for a certain sport where a ton of drive is preferred. There are pros and cons to each, but the proper temperament for a Lab is somewhere in the middle. Often, people don't realize that the puppy they choose is going to be a product of the breeding or they don't know that there are different temperaments within the breed, and they end up with a dog whose temperament does not suit them. They are also intelligent dogs, problem solvers and dogs that are bred to work, so if the owner is not putting their dog's brains to use, they'll figure out other ways to do it themselves. They are working dogs, after all, and working dogs need to work.