Labrador Training: Building Your Lab Puppy’s Confidence

Besides labrador training, building your puppy’s confidence is also an important part of forming a well-rounded dog. This can be done by slowly exposing your puppy to different people, animals, and environments. Doing so will also help prevent your Lab from developing fears that keep him or her as well as you from fully enjoying alife.

There are a few things you can do during the first couple of months of your puppy’s life to build their confidence:

Expose your Labrador puppy to different people

One way you can help build your Lab puppy’s confidence is by exposing him or her to different people. They should feel comfortable around children, toddlers, babies, men, women, young adults, tall people, short people, etc. To make this happen, all you need to do is ask family or friends to spend some time interacting with your puppy.

Visit professionals in the veterinary/pet field

Taking your puppy for a visit to the groomer’s, veterinary office, and pet store is another great way to boost their confidence level and prevent him or her from becoming fearful when they have to return to these places in the future. If possible, have a professional greet and interact with your dog.

Schedule playtime with other pets

The best way to make sure your Labrador puppy remains confident around other pets into adulthood, is by scheduling playtime with cats, dogs, etc. You can ask neighbors, friends, family, or even post an ad at your local pet store about scheduling playtime with another dog or cat. Just remember to interview the person before playtime and ensure that the pet is friendly so that there won’t be any problems.

Welcome people into your home

One of the biggest problems dogs have is a fear of strangers. This can really affect your puppy’s confidence and prevent you from being able to enjoy going out with your dog. To avoid this issue, it’s imperative that you invite people into your home as often as possible, especially professionals such as the delivery or mail man. Each time they visit your home, have them give your dog a treat and ask if they can interact with them for a short time.

Practice leaving your puppy home alone

Labs that aren’t taught at an early age to be home alone often develop separation anxiety and additional problems that affect their confidence. For this reason, it’s important that you practice leaving your puppy alone for short periods so that he or she can grow to be a confident adult whether they’re alone or with company.

Travel with your puppy

Lastly, try traveling with your Labrador Retriever puppy so that he or she learns to be confident no matter where they’re at or what situation they’re in. Just remember to get your puppy fully vaccinated and talk to your vet about additional preventative medication that may be necessary before venturing into new environments.

There are literally hundreds of things you can do to build your Lab puppy’s confidence, but it’s important that you don’t go too fast. Otherwise, your puppy may develop anxiety. The best way to prevent this is by stopping what you’re doing and trying the activity at a later time when your dog is no longer stressed or fearful.

 The Labrador Retriever – eager to please, easy to handle

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