Labrador Training for Your Working Pet
Labradors are among the more well-known type of retrievers, if not the one most heard about. These dogs were developed with retrieving during waterfowl hunts in mind. Up to now, labs still love water and continue to be natural swimmers even without Labrador training.
Labradors make affectionate and loving pets, and are excellent workers too. Two lab lines are being developed in the United States, the field line and the show ring line, with emphasis on conformation and temperament for the last one. Actually, most labs have come to do well in both conformation and temperament through the years.
The field line is meant for hunting ability and field work. The two lines differ mainly because field dogs display the most drive and energy, while the show line is just a tad behind this.
Currently, labradors are known for their skill at hunting and retrieving after the kill. Anybody observing them in activities that compose Labrador training sees that their inbred hunting and retrieving instincts intertwine with their intelligence. Their positive temperament keeps any of their impatience and displeasure in check. No wonder these dogs make great pets; when a random group of labs were given the American Temperament Test, more than 91% of the Labs passed.
Labs not only earn recognition due to their work skills on the field, but also due to their ethical approach towards work and brains. Therefore nobody is bound to forget anytime soon the stories of labs who have saved their owners from various scenarios of life-threatening circumstances.
The versatility of labs (which still grows with training Labradors) make them highly favored assistance dogs, like sight dogs, hearing dogs, or a service dog for disabled people. Some labs can also be psychiatric service dogs! These last type serve their humans by reminding them it is time to take medication, or by acting as a brace when their humans feel dizzy.
Over the years, labradors have come to be known as effective visiting therapy dogs for the elderly residents of nursing and retirement homes. It has actually been shown that patients benefit a lot when they receive loving attention and affection from the dogs. To be good therapy dogs, any will need to be gentle, full of affection and allow cuddling and petting from a variety of people of different ages and sizes. The lab is among the most fitted for these requirements. In fact, close to sixty- to seventy percent of all guide dogs in the United States are labs, who have come to take a role that used to belong to German Shepherds.
