The Labrador Retriever is an extremely excitable dog, known for its propensity for swimming, pulling on leashes, and jumping on friends and family members to show its excitement. This kind of behavior is normal for many dogs, but for the Labrador Retriever–which usually weighs at least sixty pounds, and often much more–it can be a serious problem.

Rudeness is one worry, of course–no family member wants to be jumped on by a wet eighty-pound dog if they can help it–but over-excited and under-trained Labrador Retriever can also knock down and injure children or smaller adults, and it’s simply a hassle to deal with as a Lab owner.

So Labrador dog training should start as early as possible, about six months, Labs are fully-grown (physically, at least–mentally, Labs require about three years to fully develop), and training at this point becomes much more difficult simply due to the dog’s large size. So introducing simple commands (“come” and “heel” in particular) should be done before that six-month threshold in order to make later training much more manageable, and to discourage jumping and other rude behavior to some extent.

Two of the more important dog obedience training lessons to teach is the “come” command and dog leash training. With a large breed, especially one as excitable as a Labrador is vital to get these two lessons firmly imbedded before embarking on more complex dog obedience training.

Teaching your dog to come on command is of the more vital dog obedience lessons for him/her to learn. Begin by moving to a quiet room in your house where there are little to no distractions for your new pup. The first few times you say “come” your dog is likely to walk right to you. The first time they do not, slowly walk over and attach a dog training lead to the collar. Say the command again and gently tug on the leash pulling him/her toward you.

The first time your dog feels the tug and pull on the leash, they are likely to wiggle, scrum, cry and pull. This is normal so keep going. Repeat this lesson for no more than 15 to 20 minutes as any longer and dog will not learn a thing. Practice this dog obedience lesson every day until your dog fully understands the command. It is this dog obedience training technique that requires you to start early with larger breeds as waiting until six months old will be very difficult to control them on a dog training lead.

Consistency and positive rewards for good behavior (as opposed to negative punishments for bad behavior) are mainstays of any effective dog training, and both will work well with a Labrador training–with some reservations.

Although an individual trainer can be perfectly consistent with a Lab where rewarding good behavior and discouraging bad behavior are concerned, the Lab will form its behavior patterns based on its entire human “family”–meaning that if one human tolerates jumping while another human forbids it, the Lab will usually continue to jump due to the “mixed messages”. It’s important to make everyone in your family aware of what rules the Lab is to follow and to make sure that everyone enforces those rules.

Although Labs are very intelligent and can learn rules of behavior quickly, they can be just as quick to “unlearn” rules that don’t make sense to them. So be as consistent with the rules as possible.

Positive rewards for good behavior should also be verbal rewards or rewards of affection–soothing voices, petting, and other similar rewards–as opposed to food rewards. Labs have a tendency toward overeating, and offering food rewards for good behavior can contribute heavily to this problem if not moderated closely.

Some dog food brand names like Eukanuba® offer a brand especially formulated for Labrador Retriever’s and is specifically made to nourish the overall health, including healthy weight, mobility and immune system strength of Labrador Retrievers. This food naturally provides high levels of Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfate to support their joints. The food also contains antioxidants such as Vitamin E, to help support the immune systems when playing and working outdoors and L-Carnitine, a fat burner, to help maintain a healthy weight and lean body condition. Feeding Eukanuba® Labrador Retriever will help keep your dog as healthy, vibrant, and active as Labradors were bred to be.

If you do need to offer your Lab a special dog treat or other food-based reward for a particularly impressive feat of dog obedience, then make sure to adjust the Lab’s diet accordingly in order to maintain good health in the long term; far more important, one could argue, than good behavior. Following these dog obedience training tips will provide a well behaved dog able to interact safely and socially.