Many of us own Labrador Retrievers because they make great family pets. As such, you may feel you don’t need to teach your Lab many things, and that’s fine. Then there are owners who may compete with their Labs in agility, obedience, dock diving, etc., and teach them a lot – that’s great! Regardless of which category you fall into, there are a few behaviors all Labrador Retrievers should know for safety reasons. The following are 3 cues all Labs should know.
#1 – Leave It
Labs are thought of as “always hungry” and “aggressive chewers.” The answer is a solid Leave It cue. It can keep them from chewing your shoe or stealing your dinner. It can make walks more pleasant – you can ask him to leave the grass he has sniffed for the hundredth time or all the people he wants to greet. Most importantly, it can save your Lab’s life if he is about to eat something dangerous, including toxic human foods or something unsafe he comes upon during his walk.
#2 – Come
A solid recall is important for your Labrador if he is ever off leash in public areas (where it’s enclosed and allowed!), or even to avoid a headache in a big backyard. In addition, a solid recall can save the life of your Lab if she bolts out the door toward the street. It’s just a good basic cue for any dog to know.
#3 – Off
Second only to food, Labradors LOVE people! This makes them exuberant greeters that can benefit from an Off cue. Even if you don’t mind if your Lab jumps all over you, when greeting other people it’s important they can keep “four on the floor” if needed to avoid injuring or scaring strangers. Hard to believe, but there are some people out there that don’t like dogs and your happy Lab pushing them over will not help change their mind.
