Labrador Retriever Training Syracuse NY

The Labrador Retriever is many things to many people — companion, helper, surrogate child, service dog or detection dog — but first and foremost, the Labrador Retriever is a retriever. A retriever adaptive enough to morph into these other roles, but still a hunting retriever to the bone. Hunting, swimming and fetching are in its genes.

The Lab is the product of generations of stringent selection for a dog so motivated to retrieve, it would plunge into icy water, swim against strong currents, locate fallen waterfowl, and lug a heavy bird back to the hunter, even if the bird was still protesting. To do this takes courage, strength, endurance, determination and some ability to ignore pain. It takes a dog with a robust physique capable of swimming strongly even while carrying a heavy load in its mouth.

Just as these pressures shaped the Lab’s physique, so did they shape its psyche. Marking the fall (noting the position) of a downed bird, searching for it against all odds, and retrieving it under any circumstances, takes a dog with determination. This determination in the field can translate into stubbornness in the home when a Lab refuses to take “no” for an answer. Labs tend to act in certain ways, ways that are good for hunting dogs but not always good for people who don’t understand the Lab’s true psyche.