I have a year old Lab and he is real hard to train, Any Tips?

Question

My roomate spoiled him so the only thing he eats is weiners. He will not eat his dog food unless she puts gravy on it. Also, he will not go in the front yard. He won't even walk out of the front door. Help

Answer 1

labs are typically smart but headstrong! obviously you might want to sign up for an obedience class; find one that uses clicker training. for sweet dogs like labs (or any dog really!) it is the best way to train. what does your lab love? what kind of food/play/toys? ask him to do simple things before you give him these. also make sure anything you are currently giving the dog for free, you now ask for obedience for beforehand (sit, stay, down). Before you give him whatever he wants (his water bowl, dinner, clipping the leash on for a walk, letting him out into the backyard) make him do something for you. He'll learn that obedience to you is the only way to live, and being a lab he'll probably be more than happy to please you with his intelligence!

Answer 2

Labs are very smart but very stubborn. I had a yellow lab years ago and he would learn anything. The food thing is simple:
First no more weiners and gravy.
Second just don't feed him for 24 hours. That means no treats no nothing. This sounds cruel, but it will work.
Third after 24 hours feed him, but you want him to work for his food. You should make him sit and stay before you place the food down for him. Only allow him to eat when you say to eat. So after you set the food down he should still be sitting. Then you tell him go ahead or eat. This will establish some dominance.
You should feed your dog Nutro it is the best dog food. I haven't seen a dog turn it down yet.
If he refuses the food then just pick it up and try again the next day. He will not allow himself to starve. You just have to be more stubborn than him. Feed him everyday at the same time. He wont refuse the food for long.

Trying to get him out the front door:
After you have gotten him to eat his food you should coax him out the door with his favorite snack. You have to stay calm but assertive. No choke chains, pinch collars, no harness. Just find a grayhound collar. If you don't want to use a grayhound collar Use a collar that does not have a plastic clip. You need a metal belt buckle type fastener, so the collar does not break away. As you are coaxing him out of the door with his favorite treat, give him lots of praise. Gently tug on the leash. Don't drag him, because then he will just get more scared. Tug gently, praise, and treat. For every step he takes, praise and treat.
You have to form a bond with the dog so he will trust you and you also need to be the pack leader.
Watch to Dog Whisperer for more tips.

You should also get him to obedience class this helps with teaching you how to handle your dog and helps socialize the dog.

Never hit your dog. Always use positive reinforcement.

Answer 3

this may sound a bit mean but one way of breaking him from only eating weiners or dog food with gravy is to fill his bowl with only dry dog food and when he gets really hungry then he will eat...some still are hard headed because they were spoiled...but watch that he doesn't starve too much or he'll get sick....as for the door situation, well that may take some time but try using the praising method by, say if you're trying to let him out to do his business, give him a treat when he does and you can also show him how much fun he can have with you outdoors. praise him but don't spoil him!!!

good luck!!!

Answer 4

I have a 2 year old lab it eats attaboy and loves it Labs live for food and chasing balls like we IRISH live for beer and chasing skirts .... this lab is spoiled feed him/her a good dry dog food and consistently they never lack for hunger [ there are no anerexic Labrodor retreivers]
the dog is playing you for a fool ... Put the dog food out and leave it . It will eat it beleive me . Im assuming this is a city Lab
that gets no exercise other wise anything put in front of its face would dissapear .
Yore problem is youre wemen and too caring and nurturing to the point of creating an obnoxious little froo froo Anna Nicole type animal Dont tell me youre thinking about prozac therapy for the little poochie ? How about that l.A. diet ? Its a DOG FOR CHRISTS SAKE !!!

Answer 5

Hmm.....well first make sure with future dogs you may get not to let it get this bad.

1. If he refuses to eat anything less then perfect... I suggest leaving a bowl of normal food out 24/7 that way when hes hungry he will munch at it. Another thing (this may sound harsh) try and leave him a bowl of normal food out for 1 day and feed him nothing else. He should get hungry and eat it. (Trust me 1 day wont hurt him))

2. Put the dog on a leash and walk him outside. Coax him out with a treat and teach him its good to go outfront.

Answer 6

sorry to say this but teach lab to speak and room mate to bark all good.
now on a serious note Labs need a lot of work 1 master so tell roomy to stop feeding dog will take a lot of work to get dog into line so be prepared for a lot of work, as a puppy they love to be out side and explore so go for a lot of walks,,,, find new roomy at same time hahaha, Bribes I found work well also get in touch with the bind society they have some real good tips also dob obedience classes get new roomy... got the idea??

Answer 7

As a former trainer I have to say that it depends solely on you. You need plenty of time with the dog. For instance if your not home a lot he'll get lonely and act out at the first site of you. Most dogs have what we call "a puppy brain" till they are at least 3 years old. This means they don't start calming down and wanting to listen until then. Instead of hiring a trainer (which can be expensive) read plenty of book on training labs.

And just spend plenty of time with the dog, he'll start to listen if you be very strict with him. Let him know who is in charge. You don't have to hit him. Get a rolled news paper and when he does something bad hit it close by and say in a stern voice BAD or NO. The noise will startle him and soon he'll catch on. If you want to teach him tricks its all about getting something in return.
Say the command you want him to do and then show him by making him so it or demonstrating. Than give him a treat. Soon he'll catch on and you wont need treats. Like I said it all takes time. Good luck and if you need any more help let me know.

Answer 8

Since he is a lab, he is probably very food driven. Get some really good treats or use bits of cooked chicken to reward him when he does something correctly. It usually works best to focus on rewarding and praising dogs for what they do right rather than punishing them for something they do wrong. Once he figures out he gets yummy chicken for doing something correctly, it may be easier. Also, make sure you and everyone else in your household is consistent with the training, if you let him get away with not following rules once in a while, he will be harder to obedience train. Good luck!

Answer 9

I just finished training my 1 year old lab with a personal hired trainer. My dog is a million times better!! Two types of discipline we use is jerking the leash on a choke chain with a sharp snap and saying NO! 1 to 10 times. If the leash is not on we say bad dog in a sad tone until we put it on. The other is a shock collar but I'd recommend the choke chain first. The most important thing is after discpiline, make sure you praise them twice as much.
Ask some people around your area if they know of a dog trainer, I found mine from word of mouth from a coworker.

I also tried the Petco group training but that didn't work at all.

Answer 10

I have a lab and they will do anything for a healthy snack...! As far as the food issue. Leave the dog food w/o the gravy on the floor. And don't give him anything else to eat. Trust me when he gets hungry he will eat it.