Using Labrador Retriever Training to Resolve Excited Pulling While Walking
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.
