Training your 14-week-old Labrador puppy?

If you have a 14-week-old Lab puppy, you probably have your hands full. They are growing quickly, both in size and knowledge, but they are also still a bit like toddlers, always getting into something. Here is the training for your 14-week-old Labrador puppy.  

Training and socialization for 14-week-old Labrador puppy

Here are the things we worked on this week while training our pups.

Working on control

As the pups mature, we need to work on more control. The pups must learn to control themselves in different situations. We started working on this when we added SIT before feeding and SIT before getting a lead on to go outside. We continue to work on these control situations, but we are now adding more opportunities to exhibit control. When we release the pups from their crates, we open the door and command KENNEL to keep them inside the crate until we say OKAY to release them. This is challenging for puppies their age, they want to bolt out of the crate, but they must exhibit control and wait for the release command.

Obedience training your 14-week-old puppy

We continue to work on obedience training using a chain collar and heeling stick. Our pus are learning to walk at our side, but it is far from perfect. They are also sitting on command, with occasional reminders from the heeling stick.

I continue to work on strengthening their SIT. I can currently walk away from the pups, 2-3 steps, and they will remain seated. But they make lots of mistakes. I move my body while I stand a couple feet from them, and command SIT at the same time. It is very hard for puppies to understand that they must remain seated and still when someone else is moving. But it will all come. It just takes a lot of repetition and enforcement. I will slowly extend the distance between the pups and myself.

A stronger SIT will also take some maturity. As the pups get older, the obedience will get easier for them to understand and to complete the necessary commands. But I will also make the training more difficult by adding distractions.

Training your 14-week-old puppy to COME or HERE

We continue to work on the HERE command and getting a consistent response. It is not easy, and I did resort to treat training as I bid time to teach with the electronic collar. The treat training has helped a lot but has also resulted in some bad behaviors. The pus are now jumping on me more because they anticipate a treat from my pocket. I have been firm and consistent in correcting the jumping, but it is most definitely a result of the treat training.

In addition, the pups now think they should get a treat for doing things they have been doing for weeks without a treat. I will continue with the treats for the HERE command for the next few weeks, and then I will start weaning them off them.

Introducing your Labrador puppy to hunting elements

Our pups are almost done introduction to hunting elements except for gunfire. Gunfire must be done slowly, with the noise getting incrementally closer to the pups over time. We have already started this introduction, but it will be several months or more before we move the gunfire right next to them.  

Introducing your puppy decoys in water

Swimming is something most Lab puppies love to do, so this week we added water marks with decoys in the water. We give the pups time to check out the decoys with no correction and when they finally pick up the bumper, we praise them with a Good Dog. A few marks through decoys will be enough to teach the pups that the decoys are not the thing they should be retrieving.

Introduction to HOLD

I talked in-depth last week on starting prep work for the HOLD command. I will continue this training for the pups for the next couple weeks and then will stop since they will be teething, and I do not want to cause her any pain while doing this training. I don’t do the HOLD prep work every day, just occasionally, maybe once every two or three days I will grab a hold of their lower jaw and hold until they stop squirming. As soon as they stop squirming, I say GOOD DOG and release them.

Increased distance for assistant marks

Assistant marks are vital for teaching these pups to mark (watch where the bird fell so they can run to the correct area). We make sure the pups get marks every day, but we limit the number of marks they get to three. The reason we do this is because with young pups you want to build their retrieving desire. Desire is built not by giving your puppy unlimited retrieves. It is built by limiting the number of retrieves the puppy gets at any one time.

My husband likes to compare it to a Thanksgiving dinner. If you sit down and eat a huge plate full of food, you are not going to be hungry a few hours later. But if you only get a little piece of turkey for your meal and then are told that is all there is, you will be very hungry the next time you are offered food.

If you have a dog struggling with retrieving desire, you want to limit the retrieves. Sometimes to only one per day, or one every other day. Our pups are not struggling with desire at all, so we stick to three retrieves per day.  

Final thoughts on training for your 14-week-old Labrador puppy

Your puppy is probably advancing well in training at this point. You should see some marked improvement in her obedience and behavior. If you don’t, you need to step up your game. Set some reasonable boundaries and enforce them. Work on obedience on a regular basis, even if only for 5 minutes a day. If you do, you will see your dog grow in leaps and bounds.

If you are struggling or need additional help with your new puppy, you can email me (ottertailkennels@gmail.com). I would be happy to discuss your goals for your retriever and tell you about the programs I offer.

Until next time, happy retrieving.

Training your 14-week-old Labrador puppy?