Whether you’ve owned a Labrador retriever for a long time or you just got a new puppy, you’ve likely noticed a biting behavior. This is completely natural, as the Labrador breed has an instinct for hunting and retrieving, which means putting things in its mouth. However, just because the instinct is to put things in their mouth doesn’t mean proper Labrador training can’t be performed to handle it.
As a dog owner, knowing how to train a Labrador puppy is important as early as possible. Your dog needs to know what is acceptable to put in their mouth and what is off limits. Even if the biting is just playful as a puppy, you don’t want it to turn into more serious biting later on. Here are some tips for handling your Lab’s biting behavior.
Start Positive Training Early
With Labrador retriever puppy training, you can never start too early. As cute as it may be to see your puppy biting at your hand, this type of behavior should be stopped as quickly as possible. But instead of scolding your Lab, use positive training as much as you can. Use a sharp tone in your voice to tell the puppy to not bite, and then give them a toy they are allowed to chew on. This may not work immediately, but when you add in a quick tug at their collar along with it, you’ll startle them enough so they will eventually learn the biting action on your hand is unacceptable.
You never want to hurt your dog when going through Labrador retriever puppy training, but getting their attention is important. The quick tugging action is usually enough to do so, especially when it’s combined with a positive action like giving them a toy to chew on.
Understand The Cause of The Biting Behavior
There are many reasons why your Labrador could be biting all the time. They could have teeth coming in that are bothering them, they may be fearful or anxious about a certain situation or could be territorial or aggressive. Part of your Labrador training should be to identify what triggers the biting behavior and being persistent with your efforts of correcting it.
Be Persistent and Know When To Seek Help
It’s easy to just give up when your Labrador continues to bite and nothing seems to work. However, the more persistent you are, the better the chances are your dog will eventually learn what is acceptable and what isn’t. You may seek a professional dog trainer to help you as well. If your dog’s biting habits are commonly out of aggression, then a professional may need to step in to prevent someone from getting hurt.
It can be frustrating going through Labrador training to stop a biting behavior, but it’s well worth it in the end. Don’t give up and be as persistent as possible with your training. Labrador retrievers are a gentle dog breed when they are trained properly, so keep the end goal in mind and you’ll be rewarded with a friendly and loving pet.
