5 month old lab training

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Kovan
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5 month old lab training

Post by Kovan » Thu Aug 30, 2018 8:52 am

I am new lab owner and new dog owner.

my problems are
my lab do follow commands but he often gets distracted or he sometimes he wonders off to other things. the days I train to retrieve, he retrieves and some days he doesn't. like hes not interest in fetching.
when I tell him to sit and stay, he sit and as I walk away to a my spot he tends to lay down and will not come to me. even when I tell him "here" then there are times he does do good following those commands.
letting him off the leash, he runs off and will not come back to me when I call for him or tell him here or when I use the whistle. this usually happened during retrieving.

is this something normal for a five month dog? what am I doing wrong? I mean I don't train him no more then 20 minutes a day which I've been doing everyday. it is just frustrating when there are some days he does good and some days he doesn't do good.
Is there any tips to help me to be more consistent? like a guide or am I just too anxious to have him to follow my order perfectly.

duckn66
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Re: 5 month old lab training

Post by duckn66 » Fri Sep 07, 2018 10:26 pm

You may want to concentrate on obedience. Heel sit here. And have a helper throw marks for you but make sure you only do a couple. You can’t make retrieving a chore for him. Remember he will be cutting teeth about this time also so retrieving can sometimes be not what he wants to do.

Keep your training balanced with obedience and just a few retrieves. Maybe 3 times a week for retrieving. Give him day off and keep sessions of obedience around 10 minutes. Biggest thing to remember is this isn’t a race. Every dog develops at their own pace. Concentrate this year on training instead of hunting him.

And lastly get a good program to follow.

Trekmoor
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Re: 5 month old lab training

Post by Trekmoor » Sat Sep 08, 2018 5:00 am

I agree with the previous post, he may be teething . I am in this phase at present when training a GSP pup belonging to my daughter. He is fine when I throw a soft feeling dummy (bumper) for him but isn't so keen on firm canvas dummies. Try using an old , cloth stuffed sock or a rolled up and tied piece of cloth.

I also wonder if your pup is becoming a bit bored with your training routine ? Maybe a bit less strict obedience and a lot more fun play would see him change his attitude ?


Bill T.
The older I get, the better I was !

Timewise65
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Re: 5 month old lab training

Post by Timewise65 » Sat Sep 08, 2018 8:33 am

I have been training and hunting with Golden Retrievers for over 25 years now, not to mention the Lab's my two adult son's have had. I always work in conjunction with a pro trainer for guidance on how the dog is progressing and to do the Force Fetch routine when the dog is ready for that.

A 5 month old retriever is generally a bit young to work on anything but basic obedience. Your dogs lack of focus is perfectly normal for a young dog. Keep your training sessions short and no more that two per day. Give the dog plenty of time with you playing and exploring his world. You will have plenty of time to train him as he matures. If you are serious about training the pup to a fully trained Gun Dog, you will need to have some type of 'Program to follow'. Many are out there, but the one I have used for the last few years is noted below, SMARTWORKS!

I have also included two DVD that deal with early training for a Retriever, together they will give you everything you need to know about training right now and going forward until 6-8 months of age. At that point the dog should be ready for the SMARTWORKS. Just remember that even at 8 months or even 12 months, if the dog loses interest in training, it can be an indication that it is not yet mature enough for that training. That's were having a local pro who can quickly evaluate the dog and help keep you on the correct path. All dogs are different and it take years to learn how to read the dog when training. Have fun and good luck!


Retriever Training DVD’s
Sound Beginnings, Retriever Training with Jackie Mertens
Training a Retriever Puppy with Bill Hillmann

Retriever Training Program
SMARTWORKS For Retrievers, Volume 1, Basics and Transition

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Kovan
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Re: 5 month old lab training

Post by Kovan » Sun Sep 09, 2018 8:10 am

Thank you you guys for the advice. Much is appreciated. I did have a feeling that i am maybe over doing it, i mean i keep his training short (10 minuets max). I guess i am just to eager to have him hunting. I will go back and do more basic obedience training and shorten out his fetching to keep him interested. This is my first time training a dog and as i train my lab i am also learning as he learn my commands. These past two months of training i learn a lot from him also. I always feel that if he isn’t doing something right then it is on my side that is not implementing it right to him.

Again thanks for the advice and the suggestions. I will definitely look into the programs.

fishvik
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Re: 5 month old lab training

Post by fishvik » Sun Sep 09, 2018 10:38 am

He's a 5 mos old Lab., that is the equivalent of a kindergartener with ADHD. Don't tolerate misbehavior but make everything a game and praise and reward everything you want him to do. They catch on quick and they learn what you want, but Labs act like kids until they mature at about 2-3 yo and they test you for a while.

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Kovan
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Re: 5 month old lab training

Post by Kovan » Tue Sep 11, 2018 3:08 pm

fishvik wrote:He's a 5 mos old Lab., that is the equivalent of a kindergartener with ADHD. Don't tolerate misbehavior but make everything a game and praise and reward everything you want him to do. They catch on quick and they learn what you want, but Labs act like kids until they mature at about 2-3 yo and they test you for a while.

Yes i do see some results in my pup. I will keep that in mind so hes doing good not to bad at times hes read my body language a lot more then my verbal commands. Dont know if thats a good thing.

fishvik
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Re: 5 month old lab training

Post by fishvik » Tue Sep 11, 2018 3:22 pm

Kovan wrote:
fishvik wrote:He's a 5 mos old Lab., that is the equivalent of a kindergartener with ADHD. Don't tolerate misbehavior but make everything a game and praise and reward everything you want him to do. They catch on quick and they learn what you want, but Labs act like kids until they mature at about 2-3 yo and they test you for a while.

Yes i do see some results in my pup. I will keep that in mind so hes doing good not to bad at times hes read my body language a lot more then my verbal commands. Dont know if thats a good thing.
That is a good thing. That means he's in touch with you without you being verbal. That will be big advantage in a duck blind. The trick now is you being able to read his body language.

Timewise65
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Re: 5 month old lab training

Post by Timewise65 » Wed Sep 12, 2018 8:04 am

Kovan wrote: Again thanks for the advice and the suggestions. I will definitely look into the programs.
If you have not already, check eBay and other sites, frequently you can get these programs used for a lot less money.

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RoostersMom
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Re: 5 month old lab training

Post by RoostersMom » Wed Sep 12, 2018 9:58 am

Also, never give a command you cannot enforce. If that means you have to keep a checkcord on the dog for when you want him to "come," then that's what you need to do. You need to be able to enforce IMMEDIATELY, any command you give. If you say "here" or "come" while he's not paying attention and you have no way to "reel him in" with a checkcord, then you have just given a command that he can choose to ignore. Never do that. Don't put him in a situation where he can ignore a command.

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