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Curing the Aggression in Dogs

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Little Known Facts That Help To Stop Dog Aggression

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Finding an answer to stop dog aggression can be difficult for many dog owners. Although generally not a problem with Retrievers it is not uncommon that a dog becomes aggressive. If a dog is aggressive to you or anyone then it can either be because of its breed or upbringing. But most of the time dogs become aggressive because of a previous experience of getting abused or attacked by another dog.

You should not let your dog’s aggressiveness go unnoticed as it can lead to bigger problems such as attacking your kids or strangers. Find out the root of its aggression and address it properly.

Why is your dog aggressive?

Your dog’s aggression problem could very well start when he is only 6 weeks old and lasts until he is 14 weeks old. That is when he starts to learn how to socialize with other dogs or people and you need to start training him from that moment onwards.

So do not separate your puppy from the litter until he is at least 8 weeks old. Be very gentle with him and do not hit or shout at him until he is 10 weeks old. Giving him punishment at a young age might cause him to grow into a more aggressive dog.

Let him socialize with your family or friends and even with other friendly dogs until he is 14 weeks old to prevent any aggressive behavior.

While breed have been blamed for aggression in dogs, it does not mean it is a rule set in stone. Aggression can happen due to a number of reasons especially if your dog have not been spayed or neutered.

The environment is also another factor that can cause aggression in dogs. Whether it gets attacked by other dogs, does not socialize with other dogs at a young age or having a bad master, these experiences will cause him to grow aggressive over time.

Dominant dogs do not necessary mean an aggressive dog. An alpha dog would want to take control of his pack and that may include you and your family.

Aggression is just one of the ways to get what he wants. So you need to show your dominance when your dog is still a puppy so he does not grow up thinking he is the dominant dog.

How to fix the aggression?

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As your dog matures and reaches a point where he can breed, he will become more aggressive. To avoid that, you need to make sure that you have a placed yourself as the pack leader. Make it obvious that aggressive behavior will not be rewarded even if he is doing it because he is scared.

You can show your dominance by teaching him to respond to your commands, fix feeding times and walking period. Do not let your dog be in control of your household by letting him do as he pleases. He might start showing aggression towards others due to that kind of behavior in the house.

Some dogs are aggressive when they want to defend themselves. They might see strangers as threats. This is usually because the dog did not receive proper training about socializing.

You can attend a training session with your dog or visit a behaviorist so he can start getting used to socializing. In the meantime, you should keep the dog away from children just to be safe.

Aggression problems in dogs can be addressed no matter how old they are, although it should be identified and checked early before anyone gets hurt. Get professional help if your dog’s aggression is too much for you to handle.

How to Stop A Dog From Biting – Bad Behaviors in Dogs

Written by Tony · 15 Comments

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Learn How to Stop A Dog From Biting

It is not overly difficult to understand how to stop a dog from biting, especially if we start early enough in his development. The question that we, as dog owners, would ask at least once for every dog we own and it can be annoying when you are trying to figure out what is causing him to bite.

A young puppy that bites is very annoying but if you let them be, they will grow up to be a danger to your family and other people around you. You need take out that bad habit of biting as soon as possible.

Start while they are still puppies

The best time to start training your dog to stop biting is when he is still a puppy. A puppy whose age is 6 months or less is easy to be trained because they are still growing up and learning.

You might think that your puppy is just playing around or they need something to bite on because they are teething. But the reality is your puppy is actually learning how to become the alpha leader and he is using his teeth to show dominance. You need to start teaching them to stop biting right away while they are still easy to be trained out of any bad habits.

You can use plenty of ways to stop your puppy from developing a biting habit. You can mimic the mother and do a light nip on the neck when your puppy is biting or mimic his siblings and make a whining noise. You can also divert his attention to bite a toy instead of your hands. If none of these methods work then you might need to enrol your puppy to an obedience school or hire a professional.

A puppy that has grown used to biting, nipping and putting its dominance over your house, then in one year he will grow up into a teenage dog that likes to bite playfully. When that happens, you should stop having any physical games with him. That means no tug of war, wrestling or any games that shows dominance.

You should also limit his movement inside the house. Make borders around your house to cut down their movement to a specific area. You may even start crate training them or enrol them into an obedience training program.

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Training an older dog

It’s harder to teach old dog new tricks. It’s also hard to teach an older dog out of his bad habits.

If you have ignored this biting behaviour until they reach adulthood, then you would have a big problem at hand. You might think that your dog has started to rebel against you but in fact he is showing his dominance as the alpha leader.

It’s difficult to get your dog out of this behaviour when they are older, and your best bet is to get a professional for help.

The first warning sign is obvious when your dog start biting or nipping people at a year old. You need to find professional quick because you never know when your dog will attack to show dominance.

You need to start teaching your dog to stop biting at the earliest age possible. Most of the time, the situation of a biting dog could have been averted if they fix the problem while they are still puppies unless they have a mental problem or disease.

Clicker Dog Training With A Retriever

Written by Tony · 9 Comments

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Clicker Dog Training Is Good For Labs

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Go with a clicker dog training method if you want a method that will works on any kind of Retriever. It is quick to master and you can use it to teach your Retriever almost any kinds of tricks. The clicker training is also proven to be effective when it comes to teaching your Retriever simple commands.

Understanding the Method

You associate the sound of the clicker made with a command to tell your Retriever to do a trick. The sound of the clicker means he did something right and a treat is coming. The click works better than human voice because the Retriever can hear it from further without you having to raise your voice and the clicker produce a consistent sound.

You would need to let the Retriever know that the sound of a clicker is a reward signal for a good behaviour. Give him a treat every time you sound the clicker and repeat it a few times. You should avoid sounding the clicker if you do not want to reward him. You can easily get a clicker and dog treats at your local pet store.

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Retrievers can easily identify the consistent sound made by a clicker. Using words to tell them will not be as effective because we will be saying a lot of things to the Retriever and he cannot see a strong relationship between the words you use and why you use it.

Using the Clicker Method

There are just three steps in training your Retriever with the clicker method. First you need to teach him to do a trick like sitting down, playing dead, fetch or shake hands. After he performed the trick you wanted him to do, you sound the clicker and immediately give him a doggy treat.

You need to repeat this step a few times before your Retriever starts to understand the relationship between the clicker and the treats you are giving him.

The clicker will work in multiple occasions because the Retriever will remember it and respond immediately. It’s a lot more simple to do and your pal will pick it up faster than if you’re using words.

Switching to Spoken Commands

When you have properly trained the trick to your Retriever, you will not need to use the clicker anymore as the commands you use will be enough. Just remember repeat these important steps: always give your command first, then use the clicker and followed by a doggy treat. Your Retriever will see the relationship in those three.

After a while, you will not need to use the treat as a reward anymore. The trained Retriever will simply understand that performing that trick at your command will please you a lot and that is his reward.

By applying a clicker training to your Retriever, it makes your dog training much easier. The clicker is not limited to only teaching him to perform tricks as you can use it as a good behaviour enforcer. Your Retriever will also not forget the clicker dog training easily so you can use it again and again without have to train him to listen to the clicker.

How to Stop Dogs Chewing Everything In Your Home To Shreds

Written by Tony · 6 Comments

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Follow These Steps To Stop Dogs Chewing Behavior

Puppies will chew on things but you can stop dogs chewing with the proper training and prevention. Chewing is natural for them and you should understand that. They chew on things because they have nothing to do or due the fact their teeth is starting to grow. What you should do is actually telling the puppy to bite things you want them to chew and not on the carpet or furniture.

How to approach the chewing problem

Most people would have two extreme reactions to puppy chewing. Either they let the puppy chew on anything they want or they get angry and punish them which will lead them to develop bad behaviors. The stance you should take is the middle of both, do not chew on your furniture but they can chew other things. If you take these steps you will be well on your way to stop dogs chewing.

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Steps to take to stop the chewing problem

There are a few ways to fix this chewing problem. Scolding and hitting your puppy is not one of them. You should never let out your anger on your puppy. They will never know why you hit them and what did they do to deserve it. Why not try the following instead:

Changing target: If you see your puppy chewing on the wrong things, you can replace it with a chewing toy and give him praise when he starts chewing on the toy. This will tell the puppy that the toy is the right thing to chew.

Don’t let them be bored: Give your puppy something to occupy themselves other than chewing. Puppy chew when they are bored even if they are way pass the teething phase. Go outside and take them for a walk or play catch with them. Then at home, give them a toy that will keep them occupied for hours.

Using Crates: Crate training helps in keeping the chewing problem in check. When the puppy is confined inside the crate, he cannot go anywhere and chew on things. Alternatively, you can keep your puppy in a room to limit their movement and things they can chew on.

Using Aversion Sprays: If your puppy finds the things he chews taste bad, he will stop chewing on them. You can use spray your furniture with Cayenne Pepper or Bitter Apple and your puppy will learn that your furniture are not suitable for chewing.

Again I emphasize that chewing is a normal thing to do for a puppy but they should never use your furniture or fingers as chew toys. You need to change their chewing preferences if you experiencing that.

Consistent Actions

You should also be consistent with your actions to stop your puppy from chewing things. Do not give them old slippers or shoe to chew on and expect them not to chew on your brand new shoe. Do not give your puppy stuffed toys like teddy bears and let them differentiate which stuffed toys are for them to chew on. As long as you put down some rules about chewing, your dog will learn about it quick enough and the stop dogs chewing issue will no longer be a problem in your house.

How to Stop Puppies From Biting

Written by Tony · 8 Comments

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Everyone loves having a cute puppy in the house but no one likes the biting attitude that comes with it, therefore it’s imperative to learn how to stop puppies from biting. I bet most of you do not know that the constant biting can lead to your puppy growing up to become an aggressive and dominant dog.

Another interesting fact is that most puppies actually stop their biting habits when they are a few weeks old. This is because they are surrounded by their siblings and biting one means they will get a bite back. Unfortunately most people would just bring home a puppy when they are younger than 8 weeks old.

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When Your Puppy Is Still Young

If you have a puppy that is younger than 8 weeks old and always love to bite your hands or feet, then you need to teach your puppy some quick lessons to stop him from biting.

The most important rule is to not hit your puppy in retaliation to his biting. Your puppy start to think that the hitting is for real and you are not playing around with him. He will start to develop fear and anxieties of you and will become more aggressive later on.

While there are temporary measures to stop him from biting, you need to solve the root of this biting problem. You need to encourage good behavior and discourage any negative ones. Do not play games with him that will nurture his biting behavior like chasing games, tug of war or wrestling.

Be consistent when you are training your puppy. Do not be soft to him and let him do as he pleases if you want him to get rid of the biting habit. Remember you are doing it with your puppy’s best interest in mind.

Training Your Puppy

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Enrolling your puppy in an obedience class is the best way to start training him. There will be trainers where they are trained to mimic a mother. So when your puppy starts to bite, the trainer will act like the mom and tell him not to do it. Your puppy can also socialize with other puppies and not be aggressive with other dogs they meet later in life.

You can also redirect his biting behavior from your finger to something safe like a toy bone. If he starts to bite, say in a commanding voice “NO” and pass him the toy bone instead. He will then learn that he should bite the toy bone and not your fingers.

You can also mimic his siblings by letting out a small, high pitched shriek when your puppy bites you. That is what they do when they got bitten. You want to tell him that he is hurting you and he shouldn’t be doing that.

If you are successful, your puppy should grow out of his biting habit by the time he is 10 weeks old. The faster he learns, the less aggressive he will be and the less problem you will face later on when he is older. So you see that the solution to how to stop puppies from biting, in essence, is not too difficult.

Stop Barking Dogs Behavior Forever

Written by Tony · 7 Comments

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The Solution to Stop Barking Dogs Behavior

There are a lot of ways to tackle the barking problem and stop barking dogs behavior that you face with your new friend. Even after years of domestication and breeding, barking is one of the natural instincts that your dog has. The only breed that does not bark is the Basenji dogs.

But before you ask train to stop barking, you need to differentiate the different barks your dog perform and which one you can curb.

Why Dogs Barks In The First Place

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Dogs communicate by barking. They bark to express their emotion and what they are thinking to you. Here are some examples why your dog would start barking.

Barking because of territory
Barking because of scared or surprised
Wanting attention barks
Barks to greet
Barking because of frustration
Compulsive barking
Barking because of injury

Barking, to them, is as common as us talking to each other so you just cannot stop the barking. There are ways to change stop barking dogs behavior.

How to Get Your Dog to Stop Barking

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If your dog does not want to stop barking, you need to find out if the barking is necessary. 90% of the time it is not and should be controlled. If you want to control the barking, look at these questions first:

When the barking occurs?
What is he barking at?
Does your dog bark because of something?

If your dog is barking because he is protective of his territory or is surprised by something, you must not yell at him to stop barking. Using negative reinforcement against territorial barking can cause him to show more aggression.

To counter this, you need to make your dog feel that he does not have to defend any territory. You need to be the alpha leader and show your dog that it is your responsibility to defend your territory.

Another method is to hide anything that your dog might perceive as threat to his territory. Cover your windows and get opaque fences to limit your dog’s sight. You can also make sure he stays in a room without any windows.

Control Anxiety Barking

The situation is worse if your dog barks because he has anxiety issues. It is because he is calling out to you and will not stop until you come back. This happens because you encouraged this behaviour before. You would come home and start lavishing your affection to him.

However, you should actually ignore your dog for 10-15 minutes when you return home so they would learn not to expect attention as soon as you return home.

The final step to stop your dog from barking is to know tell him when he can bark and when to stop. You need to teach him a command to tell your dog to stop barking when it is not needed. After that, when he does not stop barking when you tell him to, you will know he has something important to tell you.

Your dog does not have to be hated by your community for his barking. Teach him to control it early on and you would have a peace of mind knowing that you have cured stop barking dogs behavior and your dog is not disturbing anyone unnecessarily.

Knowing More About Schutzhund Dog Training

Written by Tony · 8 Comments

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Understanding Schutzhund Dog Training

The Schutzhund training program for dogs is a test that was developed in Germany to test to see if the German Shepherd dogs are fit to be police dogs. This program allowed trainers to look past the appearance when deciding on which dog is suitable to be recruited. Now even though other breeds of dog can join the program, very little dogs are able to pass it.

Breaking down the Schutzhund Dog Training

The Schutzhund dog training is a very intensive program that has gone through years of evolution. While it is considered less abusive, the program is still very strict so each dog will be evaluated properly. Previously, the Schutzhund dog training program was only taught through courses and manuals but now there are video guides to help you with prepare your dog with the training.

What the training does is that it will test your dog and see if it has the potential behaviour for police work such as retrieving, tracking, protection and sniffing. The training program can start as soon as your puppy reaches 4 weeks old and continues until your dog would be ready for the job. This process takes as long as needed until the desired result is achieved.

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What Schutzhund Really Does?

The Schutzhund dog training touches on a lot of aspects. What do you learn from the obedience videos or training program depends on what you subscribe to. Here is a breakdown of the Schutzhund dog training:

Clicker Training: While not everyone will follow that program, it is still a good method to train dogs suitable for the Schutzhund program. You need to start the clicker program with your puppy being as young as 10 weeks old.

Obedience: This will be the first obstacles your dog will face. There are as many as 11 commands of obedience that they will teach and your dog need to master it all to complete it.

Tracking: The Schutzhund dog training will teach your dog to track things such as people, drugs or bombs. This is where the obedience training of “targeting” and “pointing objects” will be used. You will have to train your dog to know the scents of the targets they are supposed to track and keep tracking until you’ve called it off.

Protection: Your dog will also be taught so they know how to protect people. They will be taught how to listen to commands that tells them to recognize threats and take it down if needed. Your dog will also be taught to defend automatically without having to say any commands to him.

The whole purpose of the Schutzhund dog training is to train your dog so he has the skills to finish given tasks with speed and efficiency. Most of the time, only 1 out of 5 dogs will pass the official Schutzhund dog training program but you can still use it as part of your obedience training at home.

When picking out which Schutzhund dog training to use with your dog, remember to read up what each variations offer, what their success rates are and what are the main philosophies for doing these programs.

Curing Separation Anxiety In Dogs

Written by Tony · 5 Comments

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Ways To Cure Separation Anxiety In Dogs

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Separation anxiety in dogs is not an uncommon problem. Most of us would face problems when we try to leave house and leaving the dog behind. Your dog might just start barking when you leave the house and that is all. A worse case of dog separation anxiety might cause your dog to take on a destructive behavior and mess up your house or barking non-stop for hours.

The Sources of Separation Anxiety in Dogs

Dogs, like lions or elephants, are pack animals. They are very attached to you, their master, and will become very agitated when you leave the house. Most of the time they feel that way because they have grown used to you giving affection when you want to leave the house.

There is no direct cause as to why they should become agitated even though they do not like it when they are left alone.

He becomes agitated because of the attention you give before you leave the house and after you come back. If you to do this every morning before you go work, then you would reinforce this behavior and the dog loses control of his feelings when you are gone.

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Reducing Separation Anxiety in Dogs

Here is a few easy ways to help reduce the anxiety level when you need to leave your dog alone:

Add variation to your routine: Do not always follow the same routine when leaving. Some dogs know the sound of alarm means you need to leave the house and they will start to act strangely. You can counter this by changing when your alarm goes off, wake up early, get dressed a little later and wait a while to leave the house after you grabbed the keys.

Don’t encourage it: If you have to hug your dog before your leave and after you come back, then you are on encouraging his behavior. So stop giving attention to him every time you leave and come back so you can reduce your dog’s separation anxiety. Do not give him any attention when you leave the house and ignore his whining. Also ignore him for the first 10-15 minutes after you have come back home.

Train him to endure more: Some dogs will whine the moment the door closes. To counter this, you should start leaving the house for short periods of time. Just go out for a few seconds and then come back home. Do this a few more times but with longer period each time. You want to show him that you will be back so he can endure his anxiety. Again, you do not want to encourage him by showing too much affection before you leave and after you return.

These solutions are actually very kind

You might feel that all these solution is cruel to your dog but it is actually helping him to become more relaxed when you are gone and also to tell him that you will be back soon. So this is actually good for their mental and physical well-being.

Do not let your dog to suffer from anxiety problems, even if you think the problem is very small. Separation anxiety in dogs is very curable.

Retriever Obedience Training

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For many, the first and most important thing you want to do with a new puppy put them in Retriever obedience training. That training will teach them how to behave in certain situations that they will almost certainly encounter at some point in their lives. Some owners either can not afford obedience training or decide they’d rather do it themselves. So, here is a brief overview of what you can gain from training to help you determine if your Retriever would benefit from it.

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Benefits of Retriever Obedience training

To begin with, Retrievers in obedience training quickly learn to respond to specific, well-spoken commands. This also means you will learn to give these commands. Many people neglect their end of the transaction in the Retriever ownership. They feel the burden is with their Retriever, not themselves. You must think of Retriever training as a two way street and it will be much more effective. Here are some examples.

Leadership – In obedience training you will learn to assert your dominance over your retriever to show them that you are responsible at all times and that they should listen to you. If these behaviors are repeated in your home, the dog will have a much easier time following your lead. Alpha leadership is the cornerstone of all good training.

Basic commands – Retriever obedience training will give you the basic commands like sit, stay, heel, speak, and quiet – the basics that will make your Retriever more respondent when it really matters. These four behaviors will be the basis for everything you need to teach them more tricks later.

No Biting and Barking – Two of the biggest problems that a retriever may have been biting and barking. Different levels of Retriever obedience training can address these specific behaviors and ensure that your retriever is not acting out of line. Biting in particular should be treated at a young age.

Walking – Tired of your Retriever drag you down the street? In a good training class, you’ll learn how your Retriever movements, keeping them from running around out of your control and ideally get them to sit and heel when needed at the corners and other dogs walking in the vicinity.

Retriever obedience training is important in many ways because it underpins all the questions that may arise in the home. If your Retriever is one year old or simply does not behave well, consider a class to help you get started.

Carry it forward at Home

Obviously, Retriever obedience training is only the beginning. Your Retriever can learn a few basic tricks in class, but if you can not carry forward what you have learned at home, good luck to maintain this control. You should be consistent, show the dog that you’re responsible at all times and make sure everyone in the household can also follow along with what you have learned in training your retriever.

Remember that your dog will do only what they are taught to do. You need to be consistent, soothing and effective in maintaining the commands you give. The second you start waffling or forget to confirm your commands, your retriever begin to return to the original behavior that you’ve worked so hard to train them out. Retriever obedience training is relatively easy to accomplish.

Crate Training Dogs – How to Crate Train Your Lab

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The Facts on Crate Training Dogs – Highlighting Labs

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Want to know more about crate training dogs and specifically your lab? You’re not alone. Every year, millions of dog owners around the country learn to keep their dogs in a crate or separate room when they leave the house, so that they can reduce anxiety, destructive behavior and barking. There is also a very useful tool when trying to house breaking a new puppy and can make life much easier if your dog insists on sleeping in bed or on the couch.

The Value of a Crate To Your Lab

Whether you’re learning crate training dogs for specifically how to crate train your lab or simply to determine whether it is safe for your dog, know that most dogs love their crates. In the wild, your Lab will seek out a small, safe space to dig into that will keep them warm and safe. A box performs this wonderful, giving them a safe place that is their own. Dogs large open spaces often have difficulty differentiating their ‘home’, and will grow like trying to monitor and patrol the entire area.

How to Train Your Crate A Lab

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Ideally, you reverse train your dog as a puppy. A full-grown dog that has never been in a box will have it harder to adapt to small space and may grow anxious. A puppy will also be a bit upset, but adjusts much faster, and if the puppy is never possible to sleep in your bed with you, it will probably not something to be angry about.

It is best to place the boxes in the family room where a lot of people will be. In the night, set the crate in the bedroom to give them a secure presence in the vicinity. Eventually, after a month or so you should be able to leave them in one place, but now to be close to keep them calm and safe.

When you put the puppy in the crate, make sure he has a clean, comfortable place to sleep, a source of water, and a toy to play with. The crate should be large enough for him to sleep in. If he can walk around in it, he can make a mess of it. As long as the dog can turn around in the box, it is comfortable for them and not inhumane.

When in the early stages of training your lab in the crate, make sure not to pull the dog from the crate when he is upset. This will only teach your puppy that if he makes a fuss, you give him attention. Make sure to only take the puppy from the crate when he quieted down for at least 5 minutes. Then greet him with a lot of attention and maybe a treat to reinforce that he did it right.

Initially, try to leave your puppy in the crate for short periods of time – an hour or two at a time. As he gets older, increase the time to match a full night’s sleep or a day on the job.

If you learn how to properly crate train your lab, you will be able to ensure your dog is never too loud, destructive, or anxious when you leave. A puppy adapts faster too, which is much less stressful for everyone in the house. In the end you will see that crate training dogs is not a monumental task but quite achievable with a little effort.