Lab training

[Mickbear76]

I have a 5 month old female lab and I am having a hard getting her to come when I call her name.  Also, I would like to have her trained for hunting.....I have never trained a dog and would have no clue where to start.  I know there are some other posts about places to have your dog trained, but has anybody had any recent good/bad experiences with any places??  Thanks for any advice or info.

[Mayfly]

Wish I could help you but I never have used a trainer. I will offer this though....

I'm sure your dog likes treats right??

Get a treat and show her you have it. Make her sit and stay....do not even think about giving her the treat until she can sit and stay. When she does stay walk 10 feet away and kneel down to her level and tell her to come. When she does reward her with a ton of praise and give her the treat. I would phase the treat out as your excitment should be enough of a reward for her. Continue and move at her pace. This is how I trained Luci to come. Within a couple weeks I would have her sit in the back yard while I walked around to the front and then called her. I was no longer giving her treats but I would reward her and then follow that reward of attention and excitement with fun time.

We started slow in the living roon and moved up from there. In the house is where I taught her to fetch as well. Just sitting around watching tv throwing a ball 10 feet and using the commands and then adding in sit and stay etc....

Just something to try.

[schwinger]

Good advice mayfly.

I sent my dog away for training and can offer some advice on a place to take you dog if you decide to.

http://www.highflynkennels.com/

This is where mine was trained. I don't have a bad thing to say about the place. The main training was a couple years ago but I sent my dog along  to North Dakota with the trainer just before hunting season last year as well for a refresher for 2 weeks. My dog and I have always had a good experience with Greg.

[Buster]

Give "come" command and start walking away from her. Typically young dogs will naturally follow you. also put dog on training lead, give command and if she doesn't come give tug on lead and actually pull her to you if need be.

I myself am still trying to reinforce same command. Buster is good in the yard, not so much in other settings. 

[Grute Man]

I took my dogs to Total Recal for Dogs (or TR for Dogs) in Hugo/Forest Lake.  They did a great job.  I just went for basic obediance.  The first thing I did was get a "prong collar."  Once we had that on them, they would behave and learn like a champ.  My golden retriever was way out of control and once I had that on her, that was it; she behaved and learned what we wanted her to learn.  Then they emphasized the dog learning Come as the most important; to get them away from danger if need be...Then it was sit, and sit-stay, and heal...  It was all positive reinforcement.  If the dog messed up, you just start over or give em a squirt of lemon juice in the mouth; that was as harsh as the punishments got.  I'd go once a week and work with the dog each night between visits.

Here's on idea if you don't want to travel farther than your back yard.  AT TR, they did have us do the run away thing after saying COME like Buster said.  If that doesn't work, tie a long rope to the dogs prong collar.  Tell the dog to "COME" and if they don't "want' to, just pull em in (not hard or painfully) and give em a treat so that next time, they'll want to.  For "STAY", take that rope around a tree and don't let the dog move until you say "COME"

At first keep all command/words spoken to the dog to a minimum so they can learn those few real well.  As time goes on, they'll be able to pick those few out.  I don't dare say "Go for a walk" unless all of my dogs are outside or I'll be bum rushed by a pack of mutts. 

[mrs icebanger]

puppys learn from schedules and repeativeness.....you do things over and over....i have a 4 month old and she learns fairly quickly...but i do things many many many times ...and no treat unless she does what i want her to do....what worked for me as far as coming when she is called....get another person and you each call her back and forth... praising HUGE when she gets to you...use a hallway or somewhere where there isnt a lot of distractions.  hope this helps

[icebanger]

mrs is right she has done a great job jetta knows  hand signals...just keep on with the training it will pay off in the end