1. “Be still”: This can also be called “freeze.” This is very helpful when you are trying to clean the dog’s ears, or when the vet is examining the dog. What happens is that the dog sits stock-still, and is not allowed to move its head.

Start by holding the dog’s head still with your hand under its chin, then say the command. Should the dog move, give your usual verbal correction (like “oh” or “ah”). Wait until the dog is still again, then praise and give a reward.

This trick also comes in handy if the dog’s ears are being cleaned, or its being given eye drops, or its teeth is being checked, etc.

2. “Kiss”: What happens here is that the dog presses its nose or muzzle against your lips or cheek. If you have seen a seal give a trainer a kiss, then this is an approximation.

To train a dog to do this, give the “kiss” command and press a piece of cookie between your lips. Then allow the dog to get close to take the cookie from your lips.

3. “Back Up,” “Come forward”: Make an alley with chairs and a wall to start. The dog will also need to be on a leash. The dog needs to face you, and as you approach it, say “back, back, back” and it is suppose to step backwards. If it does go backwards, give praise and reward. When you say “come forward”, you need to pull the dog towards you, and give praise and reward if it does so accordingly.

4. “Oh no”: After mastering this labrador retriever training technique, the dog will be able to cover its eyes with its paw when the command is given. A trainer came up with the solution of applying scotch paper on the dog’s snout. As the dog tries to brush off the tape and makes contact with it with a paw, say “oh no”.

Some Labrador Retriever owners talk about discouraging their dogs from playing tug games at home. This is understandable, since tug games seem to indeed heighten the excitement of dogs. Furthermore, a simply tug of war game almost always leads to the dog wanting to play more of it, pulling and biting your shirt, mouthing your household items and provoking you to run and tug at it, etc.

First of all, a little background on goldie tugging. The golden retriever is a mouthy by nature, and if its mouthiness is left unchecked, the dog’s crazy antics will continue and may even get reinforced. Add to this the energies of the growing adolescent dog, and there you have the basic recipe of the typical dog addicted to tugging.

On the other hand, tug of war games are considered by some veteran owners to be good for the dog. So in general, if you have a tugging problem at home, the trick is to know how to do tug games the right way. How? Check out the labrador retriever training tips below.

1. First of all, it is important that the puppy know how to stop tugging when you show that it is time to stop. With a pup, tugging only needs to be played bit by bit, a minute or less. An overdose of tugging may result to an excited and agitated dog that will want to use its ferocious shark teeth instead.

2. At their age, it is quite normal for puppies to want to hold practically everything inside their mouths and to tug. But ignore all suggestions of play if it is not time yet, or if you do not initiate it yourself (otherwise the dog will think anytime it wants is a good time). Tugging also ought to be limited to only one object, e.g. the tug rope. As a result, never also use the tug rope for any other activity.

3. Do you have a way of calming the dog down when play time is over? This is an important labrador retriever training step, no matter what game is being played.

4. Of course, there is always one drastic measure for some cases. Teach the dog how to “leave it”. If it refuses, use a squirt bottle to spray some water on the dog.

It seems that owning a Labrador Retriever is not complete without successfully managing the all-consuming challenge of a pulling dog! Everybody can identify with the lab owner who is at his or her wit’s ends what to do with the dog that goes bonkers when nearing the beach, the pet store, or seeing other dogs, squirrels, cats, etc. Indeed, the phrase “pulling my arm out of its sockets” may have a great deal of truth after all, if the one pulling is a very active adolescent dog.

To resolve this labrador retriever training issue, many a trainer will usually say that the prong needs to be known as a tool, and not the cure-all that gets things solved by itself. The prong seem to be a special last-resort, but it will still need to be accompanied by teaching the dog what it ought instead to focus on doing.

Then owners naturally need to keep in mind that the owner must never give in to the dog’s pulling, and must always take control of the walk.

For trainers, the goal is to pre-empt the dog from getting distracted by keeping the dog’s focus on you, and preventing it from happening in the first place. Some owners say that pulling is an adolescent thing, but why wait that it resolves itself when actually this can be a chance for basic obedience training if done right?

When you sight an animal or place that may just drive your dog into pulling, start talking to your dog and give bits of treats to retain the dog’s attention. Check also how good your dog is when it comes to obedience sans giving in to distractions. In other words, keep the dog’s obedience in tip top shape.

To be more detailed with the tips, if you are still training your dog to pull, you need to put distance between you and the other dog, asking your dog to sit. Keep the dog glued to you by talking to it, allowing it to absorb what’s going around it, but wanting them to observe you more. In order to do this, treat the dog in moments you see it observing you. In case the dog moves, say “no” and give a leash tug as a correction.

In the long run, your labrador retriever training goal is of course to get the dog to focus on you when a distraction passes by. This technique, by the way, may also help a lot when working to resolve aggression too.

Again, when it comes to this type of labrador retriever training, talking and obedience classes are the best “tools” to dealing with a pulling dog, together with working on obedience at home.

Among the most important commands that owner and dog need to review time and again is “come.” Few and far in between are the labrador retriever owners that were spared of the day when their lab just gave them a blank look as an answer to a clear and firm “Come,” and kept on walking the other way.

But out of justice to the breed, it is possible also that they are growing into their individualistic, passing phase. But nothing beats being on top of the situation of course! Owners that want to deal with a lack of a sense of recall can try leashing the dog on a 50 foot rope, giving the dog the chance to roam. If you want to teach the dog to come, call for it, and give a few tugs to “reel” it in if it does not. Nevertheless, have treats and a reward at ready when the dog gets to you.

The next labrador retriever training tip is less physical than the first, and only a whistle is needed as an upfront and no-fancy frills way to instilling recall in a dog. In this tip, an “error” to work on is the cheapening of verbal recall, since it cannot be helped that it is used too much, and not enforced well and also inconsistently used, too.

To teach a dog to respond, a dog will often just need to hear a whistle blast, then a treat. A labrador retriever will usually need only two or three repetitions of these to let the lesson sink in. Keep the dog coming to you by making random, unpredictable and mixing up the rewards and treats you give, i.e. a favorite treat now, a belly rub next time, a kibble after this, etc.

Another labrador retriever training tip to try out is to have the dog stay some good distance between you and the another person. You and Person B will take turns calling the dog and giving it treats each time it comes to you. This way the dog links the recall command with pleasant and good stuff.

And before we end, try playing hide and seek with the dog when you are in some park or garden stroll. At times, the dog’s single-minded exploring and trail-blazing will end if you hide and call from behind a tree. Watch it zoom back to you!