I posted a response to a question but the website replaced some of my words with others (i.e. “old” became “ancient”, “consistent” became “rectification” etc) so I reposted my ACTUAL words here and linked to this post. Odd but frighteningly true, haha.
http://labradortrainingtips.net/1524/how-do-you-train-a-black-labbull-mix.html
How do you train a black lab/bull mix?
Monday, April 18th, 2011 at 7:18 pm
Wе recently gοt thе cutest black lab/bull mix, very friendly bυt hasnt hаd a lick οf training…Shе doesnt even know hοw tο technically “gο οn a walk”. Shе isnt house kaput аnd barely knows simple commands. shes subdue a puppy bυt i wanna gеt hеr ѕοmе training bυt i dont know hοw tο gеt thru tο hеr. Please hеlр!
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<snip snarky responses>
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Ok, now for some actually HELPful feedback…
Generally speaking, a gentle home leads to a gentle dog. I’ve rescued a black lab/bull terrier mix and he’s about 3 years old now. He’s never had any problems socializing with other dogs, even when occasionally aggressively pursued at the local dog park. He loves to meet new people and the folks at the kennel and vet adore his personality.
Very smart. Very cuddly. And still very very very energetic, especially around new people. That’s his drawback, his energy level. When we’re on a leash walk and he sees someone, he wants to play, so he starts lunging on his collar and resisting commands. Some folks take this as a sign of aggression or “territorialness” so they react in like form – backing off and in some cases running off. This starts him barking which really makes things worse. At the dog run I never have this problem since he can’t lunge on a leash (dogs run free in the fenced park) and when he gets to a person he simply sniffs and waits to be petted, then runs of to play with the other dogs.
So yours will probably have the same issues. Pups are generally all over the place, literally as well as in their head, so some firm correction (not beating, but firm as in consistent) is needed. When pup starts to yank on a leash, stop moving until the yanking stops. If pup stops to sniff, don’t stop, but keep walking at a steady pace. Pup will follow eventually, even if he or she’s being dragged away from the interesting smell 🙂 Don’t yank or yell and eventually pup will get the message that walking alongside you will keep things moving – and interesting.
Calm, quiet consistency will yield the best results in pup training, especially for the lab/bull terrier mix. These pups love to dig so don’t leave pup alone in the back yard for very long or you’ll be out cruising the streets, looking for the rascal who dug under the fence.
Shouting at any pup won’t work in the long run. You’ll end up with a neurotic, skittish adult dog who will be dangerous or an apathetic dog who won’t care to listen eventually.
Chewing will be a problem for any pup but for these with the jaws of iron it can make for a wreck of your home. Mine used to gnaw very quietly on the wooden kitchen table legs and would rip dirty socks to shreds. I started giving him cow thigh bone legs from the local grocery and the last one’s lasted him about a year. Don’t give this breed any of those rawhide things – they’ll literally eat them in about a day, then will have the most horrible gut problems afterwards. Meaning stinky messes in the living room, haha.
Crate training for sleeping at night is very good – the pup will bark and whine but again use calm, quiet consistency here. When it’s time for bed, just pop him in it and let him cry. Actually crates are good – they sleep better knowing they are in a ‘den’ and you sleep better knowing pup isn’t sneaking about chewing on things while you’re unconscious. Mine stopped needing a crate after about 1 year of living with me – by then he was fully housebroken.
Don’t play ‘tug’ or ‘pull’ games with this mix, or any game that would encourage dominance, like ‘play fighting’ or ‘wrestling’. These dogs are just too strong to play with like this; you’ll get hurt, and the dog will start to pick up on attitudes you’ll have trouble removing. I say this from experience. The folks who used to have my dog played this way and it took me almost two years to get him re-trained to stop.
The biggest issue you’ll have, assuming you’ve raising pup in a kind, quiet and consistent environment, is the high energy level which will be a problem during leash walking. Just be patient and eventually pup will be walking along with you like a show dog.
🙂
Pics of my pup, taken about a year ago: http://www.flickr.com/photos/focalpunkt/sets/72157624542589645/
Also a ton of good stuff here: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=dog+whisperer&aq=f