Hi David. Thank you for your lovely feedback – I’ve passed it on to Pippa 🙂
It sounds like it’s very early days for you and Shadow, and you’ve made great progress already. Do pop over and see us at thelabradorsite.com if you’d like more advice on the potty training, and do take a look at Pippa’s guide to teaching Fetch, coming out next month!

Six weeks ago, I rescued my Lab, Shadow then 6-7 mo. Older than I preferred.

This is my first Lab and he’s quite an unexpected handful! I had installed a dog access door for my now passed 105lb Aussie mix, Max to come and go as he pleased. Max was a most remarkable dog in every respect.

HELP! – Potty Train:
Before I got him, Shadow was sheltered in some sort of indoor/outdoor pen and preferred to relieve himself in the indoor part, a characteristic he maintains to this day. I have 160A, so there’s plenty of room to roam; however, Shadow does not like being alone especially outside the house. We try to anticipate an event and take him outside. Sometimes, after coming back in with no success, he reverts. I can’t break him of this habit!

HELP! – Fetch:
When we first played Fetch (in the house) he’d get the toy and return and place the toy in hand my at the command “Hand”. We started playing outside. After Fetching, he steadfastly refuses to relinquish the toy. He sits 5-6ft away challenging me to take it. I tried using two toys. Now, he’s figured this trick out and doesn’t return any toys! I messed up! He’s revealed that he knows what he must do but is just stubborn or confused.

SOME PROGRESS – Sit, Stand, Lie Down, and Stay:
He responds hesitantly to commands and on his own terms. He sometimes needs verbal encouragement. To my surprise, “Stay” is most successful.

GOOD PROGRESS – Walks:
We go for walks without a leash and he usually stays within 6ft by my side. I let him wander to explore, and he comes back when called. It’s not perfect but getting better. Urban strolls are a different animal and short! He’s surrounded with new sensations, and he’s frightened! It must be like a human’s first ride on a roller coaster. I keep him in a harness with a short leash.

HOPES:
My Aussie, Max, my first dog was extremely susceptive to command training. He loved playing Fetch. Unfortunately, he suffered coloboma, but I wanted to continue to play Fetch even when he went blind. “All Creatures” is one of my all-time favorite TV series, and having observed shepherds responding to whistle commands, I figure I could do likewise with English for short range communication. Max was a natural. As an example: in 2011(12?) a wild fire came through and burned about 22000A including 100A or so of my trees. The ground was a mess with fallen trees and partly burned branches. After the fire, I was standing in the road talking to my neighbor, when I noticed Max about 100 ft away, almost blind by now, trying to navigate through some incinerated residue. I called: “Max, Stop”; “Backup” (He walks backwards); “Stop”; “Go Left”; and off he went. He understood more than mere commands though, he could interpret sentences in context.

In the brief time that I’ve had Shadow and seen his response to utterances (in context), I suspect that Shadow may have abilities similar to Max. I must try to understand Shadow better. He’s just so active and easily distracted.

I’ve found your website most helpful in understanding Labs, and I’m a better person for it!

David Morach
Montana, USA

Hi Nancy – I think you’ll find this article of Pippa’s useful – I do hope it helps. Sammie

Hi Dan, I’m sorry for your loss. This article is a good place to begin when you start looking for your next puppy. Good luck with your search. Pippa

Thanks a million,
Dan Holladay

How do you stop the dog from growling for food while people are eating dinner.

And what kind of command should I use.

Just finished re-reading “Happy Puppy”. Although we’ve had labs since my days in college back in the late 60’s, and have trained some to be therapy/touch dogs assisting me with my Make A Wish visits, we lost the last of our most recent pair about a year ago. Having been almost 20 years since we last had a lab pup, I needed to go back to school. I have a couple of quick questions for you.

The first of our next duo arrived in California last Saturday (3/14/2020). He’s a fox red who will be ready for us to bring home the week of May 10. Here’s the issue: We live in St. Louis. That’s about 31 hours by car or 4 hours by direct nonstop (Southwest) flight. I’m familiar with the various transitional stages for a young pup, particularly a Lab. Weeks 8-10 is a fear/avoidance stage and I’m concerned about introducing a highly stressful situation. In the age of coronavirus, flying may not be an option anyway. If it is, would you recommend the 4 hours flight in a soft carrier under the seat (and the 2 hours waiting at the airport prior) to a multi day drive from CA to St Louis? Does the introduction of so may new locations along the way cause confusion and stress?

Any thoughts?

Phil