Labradors have been Americas #1 most popular dog breed for 30 years and GSMD's have rose to #76 after just becoming recognized as a breed in 1995. Labs and GSMD's are highly intelligent, alert and loyal companions. It's not hard at all to train your puppy basic commands if you follow a simple approach.
1) Consistency - Consistency is key above all else. It is important to have the whole family on the same page when training a dog. "For example: You have a 6 month old puppy. The puppy is not allowed on the furniture. While the parents are away the kids play with the puppy on the couch. The parents come home and the puppy jumps on the couch. The puppy then gets in trouble and can't understand what it did wrong. It's not fair to the puppy to have double standards.
2) Simplicity- We've all heard the phrase "Rome wasn't built in a day" and the same applies to a well trained dog. Regardless of what your end goal is with your puppy, start with the basics. Sit, stay, and place training are all great things to start with. Don't try to teach all these things at once and do not move on to the next command until your pup has mastered the first one.
3) Positivity- Dogs can sense our emotions. When we get frustrated and escalate the training environment it can be stressful on a young puppy. Do your best to build on positivity. (For example: If you're place training your puppy don't command to have the puppy stay on its mat for 5 minutes on the first attempt. For one, a puppies attention span is an extremally short window and two, this will lead to frustration for both you and your puppy. Start with 5-10 seconds and always "celebrate" the little victories to keep your puppy excited about training.
4) Patience- Is the hardest part to master in dog training because it pertains directly to the human side of the equation. In our society we strive for immediate gratification; we hate waiting for things. To truly train your puppy, clear 20-30 minutes a day dedicated just to your puppy. No texting, phone calls, social media or television. All these distractions speed us up and take away from this valuable "training block". As your puppy matures you can schedule more of these "mini training blocks" in your day.
*We offer a breed specific program for training Labrador and GSMD puppies. Regardless if the* puppy was adopted from our kennel or not, we are always happy to help and promote the wellness of these two amazing animals.
Contact us using the contact us tab if interested.
"It's easier to train a puppy when it weighs 15lbs than when it weighs 65lbs and they grow fast so be diligent"
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