Monday, March 26, 2012

Working Dogs: Labrador Retriever Training Tips To Consider

By Kate Truman


If a labrador intended to become a household pet needs regular labrador retriever training, no doubt the one chosen to become a working dog needs more. Dogs that are expected to do tasks like tracking and detection or assisting people with disabilities must go through specialized and more rigorous training in addition to mastering the basic obedience commands such as sit, stay and down as well as tricks like crawl, shake, wave, roll over and shake hands.

Labrador retrievers are widely utilized as working dogs because of their intelligence and good personality. But despite that fact, lab owners ought to understand that not all are fit for training intended for potential working dogs much more become one. Dogs that will be included in the training need to meet certain criteria like age bracket and should undergo blood work, X-ray and other physical evaluation to find out their physical and mental issue early on.

Whether you'd want your dog to aid those with disabilities or to help law enforcers through tracking and detection, socialization must be carried out appropriately. Getting them used to the presence of many people, other animals, places and situations as soon as possible is a very major factor for successful labrador retriever training. In addition, it helps in figuring out what specific line of work best suits your pet.

If observation shows that the dog is better off as guide dog or disabled-assistant, the next move is centered on training the pet to avoid distractions and enhancing the memory and concentration for longer periods of time. Guide dogs are expected to;

- protect the handler

- guide him/her when crossing the street

- avoid road danger such as holes and overhanging obstacles

- guide the handler to the elevator

- sit quietly when the handler is sitting down

thus it helps if your dog is well versed to such situations. Since it is very important for guide dogs to stay calm when doing tasks expected from them, it is therefore important to train them to disregard distractions and focus on the work ahead no matter what happens. If a labrador cannot continue with guide dog training for some reasons, more often, he ends up as household pet and could be trained to become therapy dog instead. Therapy dogs main task is to provide affection and comfort to people who are sick in hostipal wards, retirement homes, disaster areas as well as schools.

Today, many labrador retrievers have become part of law enforcement agencies. With proper labrador retriever training in addition to the dog's natural ability and characteristics, surely he can do several tasks to aid police and other law-enforcement personnel. Tasks of police dogs include;

- search and rescue dog (SAR)

- detection dog

- cadaver dog

Knowing tips about training isn't enough to ensure success. As owner, it is equally important to have a great deal of patience in order to withstand frustrations and many hours of training.




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