Don't Train Your Labrador to Do Tricks
When to Give the Puppy Obedience Classes a Miss
Television has brought us celebrity chefs, celebrity decorators and a new wave of celebrity dog trainers. In Britain, this craze started in the 1970s with the inimitable Barbara Woodhouse, who not only knocked the nation's pooches into line but turned a tweed skirt, jumper and a string of pearls into a sort of uniform for certain ladies over 50.
Her catchprase, "walkies" is still mimicked in plummy accents in living rooms up and down the land.
She knew what she was doing when it came to canines. She had a natural way with them and deserves to be remembered fondly in the annals of television history.
Cesar Milan and Victoria Stilwell
More recently we have The Dog Whisperer, Cesar Milan, and It's Me Or The Dog's Victoria Stilwell.
Like Barbara, both are gifted when it comes to dogs and it is truly inspiring to watch them work.
However, just like people, dogs have their own personalities, idiosyncrasies, likes and dislikes. Some are fussy eaters while some will eat whatever is put in front of them. Some dogs enjoy a fluffy bed, while others would prefer to lie flat out on a wooden floor.
Differences in Dogs
These differences make owning a dog a wonderful, surprising experience. And it could be argued that if you train the life out of them while they are still puppies, you run the risk of never seeing these quirky personality traits shine through.
This is particularly true of good natured dogs such as Labradors - Britain's favourite breed.
Of course, owners should take precautions to make sure their dog is not exhibiting any aggressive tendencies.
But on the whole, Labradors are friendly, loyal, intelligent and eager to please. They are also notoriously greedy and if there is any bad behaviour, this is often the root cause.
Marley and Me
Labradors will drag their owners off their feet in the park at the merest whiff of a picnic, and can demolish barbecue parties within minutes.
But perhaps that's why we love them. One thing's for sure, Marley and Me would not have been a bestseller and turned into a movie if the title characters hadn't been obedience class drop-outs.
Overdoing the Dog Training
One lab owner Graham, from Glasgow, said of his four-year-old dog: "He's too good. I think we overdid it with the training. When we come home he says hello then goes straight to his bed. He doesn't want to play with us."
Puppy Classes
Another owner, Anna, from Sunderland said: "I took my Labrador to puppy training when he was 14 weeks old and at the start they trainer paraded in her own dogs to show us what we had to look forward to. They were like robots. I took one look at my mischievous puppy's face and took him straight home."
How to Talk to a Dog
Anna has some embarrassing moments with her Labrador, now aged ten, but she doesn't regret not giving him formal training. "I just talk to him in a reasonable way and he knows what I'm saying. When I mean no I make my voice low, when I'm giving praise I go high. On the whole I find he's well behaved, but his personality still shines through."
She added: "And I've never taught him to do any tricks such as rolling over or shaking a paw. I think we both know it would be an insult to his intelligence. He gives me his paw when he wants to communicate something and he rolls on the grass because he likes it, not because I've said so. I know he's happy, and that's what owning a dog is all about."
Inky goes fishing
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