How should a labradoodle puppy be trained? With loads of patience! Training a Labradoodle can be tricky, but it’s not because of their intelligence or stubborn attitude. They are smart and they are eager to please. The real problem comes with trying to hold their attention. Training a Labradoodle is an exercise in patience more than anything else. That’s because Labradoodles are the classic “scatter brained” dog. They’re high energy, and they generally love everyone and everything. In short, they’re the classic goofball breed.
Labradoodle Personality – A Blessing and a Curse
Labradoodles have become an incredibly popular breed, and it’s easy to see why. They are friendly, outgoing, generally love everyone and everything, and they’re non-aggressive. They’re also hypoallergenic, which draws lots of people with dog allergies. This breed is a cross between a Labrador Retriever and a Poodle, which makes them incredibly intelligent and eager to please. That’s good for training. However, they also got the extremely high energy level of both breeds combined with the extreme goofiness that we all know in the Lab. That’s what can make it a bit tougher when training a Labradoodle.
How Should a Labradoodle Puppy Be Trained?
So. The first thing to remember about training a Labradoodle is that you’re going to need patience. Lots and lots and LOTS of patience. The thing is, your Labradoodle will generally pick up his training exceptionally quickly. But that’s only AFTER you get him to pay attention in the first place. Here are some keys to successfully training a Labradoodle and keeping your relationship intact.
- Patience – Training a Labradoodle requires and exceptionally deep well of patience to offset his goofy nature.
- Short Sessions – Because the Labradoodle has a high energy level and can be somewhat flighty, short training sessions are best. You always want training to be fun, and short sessions help keep it that way.
- Positive Reinforcement – Always use positive reinforcement when training a Labradoodle – or any dog, for that matter. Ignore mistakes and praise successes like crazy.
- Find Their Currency – If your Labradoodle has one particular thing that he’s just crazy over, use that as his currency when training. Labradoodles are super smart. Once yours figures out that he’ll get his favorite whatever, he’ll pay more attention.
- Repetition – Like I said, Labradoodles are smart. The repetition comes in here because your Labradoodle will most likely make you work to hold his attention. Combined with short sessions, this means you’ll need to do a lot of repetition.
Labradoodles are Geniuses. When You Finally Get Through to Them
Training a Labradoodle is absolutely an exercise in patience. BUT once you break through the goofball barrier, you’ll discover a breed that learns quickly and easily. This breed is highly intelligent and eager to please. Couple with their congenial personality, Labradoodles make some of the best family dogs around. So if you’re in the market for a Labradoodle, remember two things. Adoption is the best option AND have patience. That’s the biggest key of all to training a Labradoodle. Patience.
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