Black Labrador - puppy training question.?

Question

how do you get your 4 month old Labrador Retriever to retrieve!? haha i've been trying aimlessly and i want to hear answers that have worked. thanks

Answer 1

I've found that if you teach a dog to retrieve by starting with the basics it can work really well. First, you need to teach your dog to hold objects in his mouth. This is best done with a toy or lightweight dumbbell that you can buy at pet stores. You need to get your dog to hold the toy in his mouth and say "Take it" or "fetch". Once he has gotten where he will take the toy without you putting it in his mouth by yourself you can go to stage 2. This is where you put the same toy a few feet away and say the command you want him to fetch to. He should go and pick it up in his mouth. Go take it from him and praise the dog. Once he has got this down increase the distance of the object to fetch. Soon he should figure out how to fetch many different items and bring them back to you. This works really well for perfessional retrieving as well. I hope that helps!

Answer 2

You need to make the game more fun and more rewarding. Start with just getting the dog reved up and excited to chase a toy a very short distance.  Reward with lots of excitement, praise and treats for chasing the toy and nabbing it.  Once they have this down, start to shape the behavior by only rewarding when they start to carry it back to you.  You have to be exciting and maybe run yell and run the other direction to get them to come and chase you down, but if they bring the toy with - JACKPOT rewards all around!  Eventually you can increase the distance and only reward when the toy is brought back to you.  Any less and and you stop playing and go do something else - but don't move to this step too quickly.  The dog will try to see if you will retrieve also, so be careful not to engage in this behavior, once he understands the game.  

Answer 3

My two cents:

I think that you should teach the "come" command before you teach your Labrador to retrieve.  Since your Labrador is still a puppy, your "come" command labrador puppy training will be a lot easier.  That way, you can use the come command in combination with the retrieving for your Labrador to see what you're trying to teach him.

Answer 4

ok first off when training your pup its good to let them know who's in charge

start with something simple like the command "come" and "stay"

have one of his/her's favorite treats in one hand and if he/she starts jumping all over you loudly say the word "stay" and don't give it to him/her until they calm down and stay put.

After your pet has learned when to stay, now its time to teach him/her when to come. So after you say stay, slowly back up then excitedly say "come boy/girl"

so start with that and if you need anymore help, just let me know.

Answer 5

I have an 8 month old puppy. Find the toy he LOVES... cover it peanut butter... and roll it around farther and farther until he starts fetching. When he gets old enough... like maybe 9-12 months... Then get him a duck toy thing, and fetch out in the fields or parks around your house.