3. Come
This is another trick that can protect your dog from danger. If you see your dog running away from you, it’s important to be able to retrieve them with a single command. When you call your dog, always meet them with praise. If you call your dog just to punish them, they will no longer associate it with reward and may be hesitant to come to you in the future.
When starting out, keep you dog on a leash and have them sit and stay. Walk to the end of your leash and call them to come. Your voice should be inviting and positive. If your dog does not come to you, gently tug on the leash to prompt them. Once they come to you, have them sit at your feet and reward them. The goal is to get them to be good enough at this command that they’d be willing to give up chasing a squirrel to come to you.
4. Fetch
This trick isn’t as necessary as the others, but it’s a good one for your dog to learn. This trick will facilitate play that can help include others in the fun. Your Labradoodle will think this is a fun job, and it will give you two something to do together. It can also be useful for you, depending on what items you have them fetch. For this trick, start with a ball or chew toy. Throw the ball and get them to retrieve it. If they drop the toy at your feet, reward them. Then, they get the added reward of having you throw the toy again.
One you master fetch with toys, you can move on to household objects. You’ll have to teach them the names of these objects, but they’ll already know the fetch command. You can have them fetch their leash, and reward them with a walk. If they get really good at it, you could potentially have them fetch the remote for you!
Dog training takes a lot of practice. If you dog doesn’t get it right away, that’s okay. With enough work, your Labradoodle will be able to understand lots of commands. Always remember to make training positive and never get angry or punish your dog. Use treats and praise as positive motivation. With the right attitude, training can be lots of fun for both you and your Labradoodle.
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