Training a dog??? And some general questions

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WheelingPiazza said:
The key to dog training is this.


The general rule of thumb for labs is this,

Chocolate, Hyper, happy, vocal
Black, Intense drive, stubborn, active
Yellow, Happy to sit around, Happy lay around..
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This is not true. All labs come from the same breed. Our boy's mom was a choco, had 4 siblings that are yellow, and 7 black siblings. His dad is black. They all have similar dispositions. They are all the same AKC breed and all of the same sire and bitch... that is the general rule of thumb for dogs.... look at the parents, and look at the breed.


To say that the gene that determines coloring in dogs affects personality is to also say that the gene that determines coloring in humans affects personality.

Simply not true.
 
You obviously dont train a group of 10 or so dogs do you. Even if the parents produce yellows, blacks and chocolates, thier dispotisions can be totally oppsite then what there parents are. Yes look at the parents by all means do your research on the history of the dogs, But from training group classes for the last 15 or so years you see a definate difference from color to color in labs. dont belive me? do a poll on any lab site and see what you get. I can bet 95% of the chocolate owners will say they are bouncy, and talkative, and the yellows will say they are very mellow. Hence Mellow Yellow.. Enviroment plays a part too..

May statments above were geared more towards the lab breed not a specific breeder. Also, why do you see more black and chocolate hunters then yellows. Not say that yellows are not good hunters too. Ive hunted behind a chocolate, Black and yellow, all very capable, all very good workers.

If your looking for energy, get a german short hair. Pointers have to much and some to spare.
 
I am not fond of Cockers either, though some friends whose opinions I respect, love them. We have a Springer Spaniel that is excellent as a family pet and camping companion. Most of our friends have labs and we wanted something different. Our Springer seems 3 times as smart as any lab, with the same excellent family oriented disposition. I have heard that Brittany Spaniels are similar in temperment and good dogs as well. We've never had chewing issues and had no problems with basic training either. The key is consistancy. The dog minds me far better than my wife, I think because I don't settle for "almost correct" behavior.
 
Cool.

Well, i will admit that one of the criteria when getting my yellow lab was to get the calmest one in the litter. So, when i went to pick him out, he was the one asleep in the corner while all the others were running around. He is also of english descent so he is more stocky and thick. I think they tend to be a little calmer than the wirey American breed.

Next and most important no matter what breed dog it is, time. You really need to spend as much time with him/her when it's a puppy as you possibly can. I was lucky enough to take him with me as a pup to work, close my office door and let him tool around in my office while i worked. Also, when i would have to go out in the field, he would come with me. When i would go to my mothers or most friends, he would come with me. Get them acustomed to people. Let as many people be around them as possible.

One last tip is not to beat the hell out of them! I have never hit my lab, but he knows who is the boss and he knows when he has done wrong just by my tone of voice or the look on my face. Use submission as punishment. If he/she pisses on the floor don't rub his nose in it, only grab them up while they are in the act while telling them that is BAD and then quickly run them outside and give them a treat when they finish outside.

So far it has worked for me. I get a ton of complements every day on how well behaved my dog is.
 
WheelingPiazza said:
You obviously dont train a group of 10 or so dogs do you. Even if the parents produce yellows, blacks and chocolates, thier dispotisions can be totally oppsite then what there parents are. Yes look at the parents by all means do your research on the history of the dogs, But from training group classes for the last 15 or so years you see a definate difference from color to color in labs. dont belive me? do a poll on any lab site and see what you get. I can bet 95% of the chocolate owners will say they are bouncy, and talkative, and the yellows will say they are very mellow. Hence Mellow Yellow.. Enviroment plays a part too..

May statments above were geared more towards the lab breed not a specific breeder. Also, why do you see more black and chocolate hunters then yellows. Not say that yellows are not good hunters too. Ive hunted behind a chocolate, Black and yellow, all very capable, all very good workers.

If your looking for energy, get a german short hair. Pointers have to much and some to spare.
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I could have sworn that the last competition i saw on ESPN of retrievers had a yellow lab as the defending working dog champion.
 
Zack1978 said:
So any feedback on a list of "good" breeds of dogs?

Zack
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Zack, i'm obviously bias, but in my opinion you can't go wrong with a good lab. They are just the greatest dogs, will and can do anything, love the outdoors, love to ride in cruisers, love to camp, fetch ball (caution, with most labs, especially mine, if you pick the ball up be prepared to play fetch for hours on end), they are great around family and kids and are just so darn obedient.
 
WheelingPiazza said:
Also, why do you see more black and chocolate hunters then yellows.
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Why do you see less blonde haired presidents than brown hair? Is it because people with brown hair have better leadership skills?

The gene that causes labs to be yellow is recessive, just like the gene that causes humans to be blonde is recessive. Color alone will not, can not and does not affect temperment.


It could be that in your area the breeders have the colors associated with english or american variations. It has been argued that these variations will affect temperment, and a fair amount of english labs are yellow, perhaps that is the pattern that you see? But, color alone will not affect temperment.
 
concretejungle said:
I could have sworn that the last competition i saw on ESPN of retrievers had a yellow lab as the defending working dog champion.
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2004 a yellow took bronze, and died of a tumor the next year I think. 2005 was a black lab named dasy for the super reteriver series.

Not sure about working dog champion. But if you read, I did say yellows are good hunters too. Nothing wrong with any of the labs as stated above. I just stated what i have seen in my years of training group classes.
 
WheelingPiazza said:
2004 a yellow took bronze, and died of a tumor the next year I think. 2005 was a black lab named dasy for the super reteriver series.

Not sure about working dog champion. But if you read, I did say yellows are good hunters too. Nothing wrong with any of the labs as stated above. I just stated what i have seen in my years of training group classes.
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right on, wasn't trying to argue.

I think it's awesome seeing a yellow lab running through the tall yellow reeds when duck hunting. Just looks so natural.
 
Ok. I coined the phrase mellow yellow lab too.. Its not just my area, I deal with trainners out side of california too. They will say the same thing.

Heres a disclaimer which will stop all the banter.

The words I have spoken are from my observations from the last 15 years in the industry, Take every thing you read and hear with a grain of salt. Do your research, Talk to as many people as you can that own a certain type of dog your interested in and talk to the local trainers and shelters in your area, Typically they are a wealth of information and are willing to bend your ear if you let them. Go to as many dog shows and look at different breeders too.

The one common fact that you can produce from this thread is,

Patience, Consistancy, excersie, Socialize and practice with no matter what breed you get will produce a nice well rounded dog.
 
concretejungle said:
if you pick the ball up be prepared to play fetch for hours on end)
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And if there are no balls, logs, rotten apples [covered in drool... yum yum], sticks, an occasional rock, snowballs. We never gave our girl a chance to fetch a ball, just a frisbee. So we have our boy chasing ground balls, our girl leaping for frisbees, and if you time it just right, you can get some awesome collisions between the two.

Anyhoo,
Zack I definately recommend a lab also, or a lab cross. There are some free lab border collie pups here that could be awesome dogs.

Definately agree with Wheeling about the short hair. I knew this one that had so much energy he would jump up onto a 6 foot wood fence and hang there [like a cat on screen door] watching the neighbors. He even could jump up and climb over.
 
WheelingPiazza said:
If your looking for energy, get a german short hair. Pointers have to much and some to spare.
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no arguement there..:cheers: But a good run and my gsp is out like a light although some days after a good workout you'd never known she even went out as she's still ready to go. She loves to please and work. Love my GSP
 
see if i can't dig up another pic. . . .
Christmas trip 047 (Small).webp
IMG_0120 (Small).webp
dogs swimming 002 (Small).webp
 
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PHBeerman said:
Yep. I learned early on that toys distract pups from the furniture. Invest in a couple of Kongs. They are the best chew toy on the market.
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I've got some Kongs I'll mail you for free.

Our Great Dane loves to have things to chew, but she only likes the cheap things that last her only 5 minutes.

We have gone out on limbs and bought more expensive things like the full-sized Kongs, the "Tire Biter" things, etc etc. Each of those toys are close to the $20 range as you might know.

It's the damndest thing I ever saw. If it cost more than a couple of bucks, the dog will have NOTHING to do with it. As far as the Kongs, we'll fill it with peanut butter, she'll use her long-assed tongue to get it all out in about 2 minutes, and then leave it where it lays for weeks on end.

Bully Sticks keep her occupied and out of trouble when we aren't at home, and they cost about $12 and last about 5 days. That's the best we can do.

So yeah, free Kongs for whoever asks.

Fred
 
sisukid1975 said:
It's the damndest thing I ever saw. If it cost more than a couple of bucks, the dog will have NOTHING to do with it.
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Same with mine. He likes plastic take-out bowls, old cardboard tubes, empty ribbon reels etc.

It think it has to do with the odd shape and they keep sliding around on the floor.
 
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