This is a page I built with Shadows and Misty, a pair of black labs that were born Dec 26, 2000. These girls came from a line of large dogs, weighing around 100 lbs. For their age, they're huge. Misty is "my" dog, so she'll have a bit more imput into this site than Shadow. She's around more, and also more into computers. Shadows tends to prefer "playtoys" -- snowmobiles, ATVs, and things like that.
A bit of sibling rivalry exists between them, so on that note I will mention this: Misty is more laid-back, and has more extensive knowledge. Shadow is the alpha, but is much more stubborn. Misty is more muscular, Shadow is larger. They may be sisters, and both black, but to me they're not a thing alike.
Let me clear up one thing about Labs, before you more on. The only accepted colors are Yellow, Chocolate, and Black. Currently, there is no accepted coloration that could be called a "silver lab." Although in time, silvers may become accepted into the show-ting, just as chocolates were, for now they are regarded as incorrectly colored dogs, and should not command very high prices.
That doesn't mean they're fine pets, but I refer to them as "silver weimradors." I just consider them hybrid dogs, mixed breeds. Great animals, just not purebred labs.
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Training and Corrections: I've trained "my" dog Misty with positive reinforcement, but also the occasional swat on the rump when she really needs me to get her attention. Often I hold her scruff to assert myself if she's misbehaved. I don't squeeze or shake, I merely reaffirm that I am the dominant animal in the relationship. The scruff (loose skin behind the neck) is nature's way of providing a handle for the mother to carry her pups. Holding the scruff asserts dominance without instilling fear. To keep her from being hand shy, I often call her, then pet her neck, and touch her collar as I give her a treat.
Another form of correction I use (my prefered method) is ignoring her. It's very affective. If she doesn't listen to a command, then I do not pay attention to her for a 20 second count. If she continues to ignore me, then I ignore her for up to a full minute. If I give her a command, and she does not immediately respond, but sits patiently infront of me, I wait several seconds to see if she'll figure it out before repeating the command. Sometimes, just like a person, she has to remeber what action this word is associated with.
I dislike watching people repeating a command to a dog. It only trains them not to listen the first time.
Positive Reinforcement: this can be anything from a treat to throwing a ball to chase, to a simple ear-rub, always accompanied by the phrase "Good Girl." I vary the rewards, so she has come to realize that a variety of things mean she has done what I wanted her to do. She is not conditioned to listen only if food is involved. It's a very good motivator, probabably the primary one, it's not the only one. Sometimes she does not get a treat or reward, but she always hears the "good girl" phrase, and knows that means she has preformed correctly.
The only commands that I try to always use some sort of food-reward with are "Come" and "Hip." Those are, in my opinion, the two most vital commands. When she does come, I run my hand over her neck and collar as I give her the treat so she knows to let me touch her collar before she gets a reward. This saves her from pulling away, and running off again. It also teaches her not to be "collar shy" about me reaching towards her.
Obidience Training: Misty has had no sort of formal obidience training, though I would recommend it for a dog that seems terribly stubborn and reluctant to learn. I trained Misty in a variety of environments, inside, outside, alone or in a group, so she listens regardless of the situation. I support obidience training, but I don't believe all dogs need it to be taught to follow commands. It is as much the owner's behavior as the dog's.
Any dog I've worked with has never needed obidience work. However, some people want more from a dog than others. Misty's owners were looking for a companion animal who wouldn't need to know a lot. I just taught her because we both enjoyed it. It has been my expirence that the more a dog is trained, the easier it becomes for it to learn new things.
One of the first dogs I worked with was a half-blind, mostly deaf 9.5 year old Golden Retriever. I used hand-signals, since he couldn't hear at a distance, and proceded to train him with several field commands for fun. Since he was rather pudgy, and needed to lose a bit of weight, the reward I used? A tennis ball to chase, and ice-cubes for snackies.
Again, I do not discredit obidience training, I've just never needed it.
