Walking Your Labrador Retreiver The Right Way

The Correct Method Of Walking Your Labrador
By Lea Mullins

Walking your Labrador can be one of the best bonding experiences that you can have with them. You will be amazed at how these dogs can be easily trained to walk obediently with you. Not being able to start early can make the training a little more challenging, and not teaching them at all can be quite dangerous. Here are some handy tips that you can use to make sure that you can properly walk with your Labrador:

• Let him wear a collar. When dogs wear collars for the first time, they normally squirm and whine, evidently wanting to remove it. If you are planning to walk with your Labrador on a leash, it is better for him to get used to it a few days before your planned walk. Anticipate that he is going to try to take it off, so do not try to help him or succumb to it so that he stops wrestling with the collar. Taking it off would mean that squirming and whining would be a great idea to make him have what he wants, and that is not what we are trying to teach him. Once he gets used to having a collar, you can remove it.

• Walk around at home. A Labrador is generally energetic, but before you begin walking outside, it would be best for you to start walking around the house first. It may seem strange to do this while in the house, but what we want to happen is for your Labrador to familiarize himself with the collar and with walking beside you. In this way, you will also be able to see initially what behaviors they are most likely to display once you get outside.

• Don’t move! If he tries to move ahead when walking, stop and do not walk. One of the most common mistakes that Labrador owners do is call them back or give them a treat as a bribe. The best way for him to understand is if you do not do anything and just resume until he is able to follow.

• Walk in the opposite direction. Aside from not moving, you can also try to quickly move the other way if they are not being obedient. This will attract the Labrador’s attention, and understand that whenever he tries to do something else, he is pulled in a different route.

• Bring treats. Labrador puppies may feel uncomfortable when they first start walking, so we want to be able to have some treats to reward them. You know that dogs always love a good treat, so let him know that you have a lot and he will most likely obey your commands. Ideally, dogs should be just by your side. Let him get used to this position by setting the treat just beside your foot.

Try to break it up into shorter sessions so he won’t get bored easily, and make sure that you are able to reward him for his obedience. Teaching dogs the correct way of walking entails a lot of patience from you, but once they are able to pick up, you will surely look forward to your morning walks with your Labrador!