There is often confusion as to which color of a Labrador is calmer than others. People will frequently search this query, as they are certain that a particular color, whether that be yellow, brown or a black Labrador has a better temperament that’s based specifically on the color of their coat. But this isn’t true. A lab’s temperament has nothing to do with their color.
Labradors, regardless of what color coat they have, are known to be sweet-natured and very calm. But if a lab acts up, this can be the result of being under-exercised or they have been incorrectly trained. To help with this temperament, it’s vital that you follow the best training and exercise practices for their breed and age.
Whether you have just got a Labrador puppy, or you’re thinking of getting a lab pup and becoming puppy owners in the near future, it’s essential that you’re aware of the correct dog training methods.
Top Tip: Although a young puppy can pick up certain commands when they are around 2 months of age, the best training window either professionally or at home is between 8 and 16 weeks after they are born.
Training Your Labrador
A lab puppy is full of energy and excitement – like any young puppy would be. Similarly to a Labrador retriever, they are highly intelligent, very easy to train and eager to please their owners. The Labradors we choose to retain for breeding are specifically chosen according to how responsive they are. In other words, how smart they are and how well they would respond to training.
Like any dog, if you train them early, they are more likely to appear to have a calm temperament. This isn’t to say that an adult dog can’t be calm and relaxed, however. With the appropriate training, they can also be well-mannered and very affectionate pets. There is a difference between an obedient dog and an even tempered dog.
For a puppy, however, it is important that training begin straight away. The myth of waiting until a dog is older to train them is plain and simple, a myth.
So what training commands should you focus on?
Sit and Stay
When you want your pup to sit and stay in the same position, you will first have to teach them the sit command. Once they have mastered that you can then move on to teaching them to stay. If you see a Lab puppy who has been taught to sit and stay, you might think they are calm when it is that they really are listening to your wishes.
Try to start the sit and stay process in a distraction-free environment
When they are a puppy, chances are that they will get very distracted by the environment around them. To help them to concentrate better, try and choose a familiar spot within your home that’s away from other people, pets, food and toys.
They need to have their full attention on you in order to learn correctly. Once they have mastered this in a quiet location, you can try and practice it in a busier environment.
Mental Stimulation
When your pup seems to have a lot of energy, consider using puzzle toys to help stimulate them mentally. Labradors, as mentioned above, are very intelligent and they require a lot of mental stimulation.
This site has different types of puzzle that they can spend some time doing. This will help them to calm down and relax at the end of or in the middle of the day.
Crate Training
Some dog owners opt for their dog to sleep in a crate rather than a bed – this is done as a way to give their dog their own special place away from others – resulting in them feeling more secure and safe.
Effective crate training is very beneficial for both you as an owner and the pup themselves. You can start this process, but introducing them to the crate and making it a very welcoming place for them. As they get to know the crate for themselves, they will become more familiar with it and recognize it as a place that they can relax.
Many people recommend putting a few treats inside the treat after you’ve introduced your pup to the crate several times. They can then, on their own accord, explore the crate and enjoy the treats – without you making a fuss of it.
When the pup starts to go into there regularly, reward them and say ‘good boy’ or ‘good girl’. They will then associate the crate with a happy experience.
If you’re unsure as to where to start with crate training, you could always consider puppy classes or puppy training for your lab. Either way, after your dog has been in the crate for a while you should expect that they will need to expend some energy. This is where one of the calm myths could come into play.
For example, if you had a neighbor who had a black lab, and they always crated it during the day or even left it in the home because they had to work, and upon coming home they let the lab out for a run in the back yard. You would experience a Labrador burning off a ton of energy. If you saw this each and every day you might begin to think that black Labs have too much energy or are hyper when it is just the particular case that you saw.
Genetics
Imagine another aspect of this. For example, say you see a hunting show on TV and the hunter’s favorite color of Labrador is a black Lab. He breeds black labs and prefers them because against a golden back drop of a corn field, he can see his black lab better and help guide him to the goose he has just shot down.
Now this hunter not only produces a hunting show for TV but he also acts as a guide for others who pay him to take them out goose hunting. His dogs are working almost every day retrieving geese. Could you imagine the work involved on the part of the dog? It would be very demanding to say the least. So, in this case this particular hunter breeds black dogs who have a high drive. Every litter he will choose a puppy who has the highest drive to mate in the future which will result in a bloodline that has dogs with high drive. Otherwise known as hyper.
So you can see that in this case one who sees 4 or 5 of his dogs might make an incorrect conclusion that black Labs are hyper. Especially if they have never seen another black lab to compare.
Final Thoughts
So we have looked at a few myths of color and behavior in Labrador retrievers. We have seen that the thoughts of one color being stereotyped as being hyper or calmer are simply not true. We have also seen that correct training, exercise and selective breeding practices have everything to do with the characteristics of the dog you experience. Just like with human babies, a puppy not properly trained could result in a very different dog than one who is well trained and mannered.
