Are Curly-Coated Retrievers Easy to Train?

When you buy a puppy, there is a lot of training to do so that your puppy can grow up well behaved and with good manners.

There are many kinds of training from the simple “sit” and “stay” commands to being trained to help their owner around the house. 

Are Curly-Coated Retrievers Easy to Train? 

If you were planning on buying a curly-coated retriever, it is good news that they are pretty easy to train. Whether you get them when they are a puppy or adopt an older dog, this breed of dog is easy to train and can learn many commands. 

Why are Curly-Coated Retrievers Easy to Train?

Many personality traits make it easier for a breed to be trained.

Easily trainable breeds are receptive, intelligent, and eager to please. 

Being eager to please encourages dogs to want to impress their owners by doing what makes them happy, which in this case is learning commands through training. 

Curly-coated retrievers are extremely loyal to their owners, always giving a lot of love. This breed is eager to please, wanting to show their owners that they can do the task that they have been assigned to do. If the owner is present through training, curly-coated retrievers will learn commands even faster to impress their owners.

Another reason why curly-coated retrievers are easy to train is that they are very intelligent. 

However, sometimes they are intelligent to a fault and can be quite stubborn, wanting to do their own thing.

This can be remedied by having their owner present so the eagerness to please can come in handy. 

You can also train them yourself, for more simple commands, as long as you are resolute in what you say. 

Curly-coated retrievers are very receptive to what their owners do and say, making it easy to train them even without professional help.

What Kinds of Training Should Curly-Coated Retrievers Have?

Some breeds of dogs need specific types of training that help them achieve their best abilities. 

While all dogs should receive basic training including the basic commands, curly-coated retrievers can receive other forms specific to their needs.

Socialization

Socialization training is very beneficial to curly-coated retrievers. Naturally, this breed is very cautious, especially around new people or other animals. 

They are reserved and might even hide around their owner. 

Through socialization, curly-coated retrievers can get used to being around new people and animals and become more social themselves. 

This would reduce any anxiety they would normally get, making travel and going out easier. 

Hunting and Retrieving

Curly-coated retrievers can also have their hunting and retrieving abilities trained. 

This breed of dog is known as a hunting dog, their first use being retrieving waterfowl in England during the 1860s. 

If you want your curly-coated retriever to be a hunting companion, you can get them trained to have hunting and retrieving commands learned.

This would make it a lot easier to work with your dog instead of having them hunt to their own accord. 

Agility

There is also agility training, which would help your very active curly-coated retriever.

These dogs love to go running around through all sorts of terrains, and agility training can help them do this easier. 

Agility training can also help with preventing any injuries that could happen on rough terrains like how athletes train to prevent injury.

Leadership

With their intelligence and hunting qualities, curly-coated retrievers make good leaders. 

Preparing them to be confident and have leadership skills includes leadership training.

This form of training can also help with some of the stubbornness that this breed naturally has. 

When Should You Start Training Your Curly-Coated Retriever?

When it comes to training, the earlier to better. 

If you get your curly-coated retriever as a puppy, training should start around 6-8 weeks, which is pretty much right away.

Basic training should most definitely start when they are 2-4 months old. 

You can start socialization training when they are 4 months old, which is usually when they become more established in their new home. 

Any other kind of training, including the more advanced training, should wait until they are around 6 months.

Many kinds of training can be continued until they are an adult.

Socialization is one of these kinds as it is always important to keep socializing your dog. 

Training should always be done in steps. 

Make sure that your curly-coated retriever has the basics down before moving on to anything more advanced. 

Slowly working up with their training makes sure that they have each step of their training mastered and promotes quality learning.

What Training Can You Do Yourself Vs. a Professional?

Basic training can be done in the comfort of your home.

In basic training, you are focused on teaching your dog basic skills like potty training and obedience. 

With obedience, it is important to focus it on just you and your dog, that way your dog doesn’t get confused with who they should be obeying. 

When it comes to more advanced training, it is never a bad idea to go to a professional. 

They have a lot of experience with all types of training and can work through any rough patches with your curly-coated retriever’s learning. 

If you want to do more types of training at home, there are many instructional videos online that can help you step by step. 

While it may not be perfect, especially if you don’t have a lot of training experience, showing that you are sound in your decision will get your dog trained.

Socialization is a form of training that always should be done by a professional as your dog needs to get used to being around other people.  

What Are Training Tools That You Should Have When Training?

With training your dog, there are some basic tools that you should have on you. The most obvious one is treats.

Using treats as encouragement and as an incentive will practice wanted behaviors in your dog. 

Giving your curly-coated retriever a treat when they complete the task you want them to will encourage them to do it on command. 

Toys are also another good tool for training. Not only will it make training more fun for the dog, but toys can be used to direct certain commands. 

For example, you can have your curly-coated retriever follow a squeaky toy or a tug-of-war rope and learn tricks like rolling over or laying down. 

A clicker (a device that makes a clicking sound when you press a button) can also be used to train through certain commands. 

When your dog does a command correctly, you can use a clicker to acknowledge their achievement and follow with a treat. 

You should never have any training tools that inflict harsh punishment on to your dog.

Shock collars or anything that causes pain will not give you the desired training outcome.

The best way to train your dog is through rewarding wanted behavior so that it continues to show that behavior even when there isn’t an incentive. 

Different Methods of Training

While rewarding wanted behavior is a great method to train your curly-coated retrievers.

Some other methods that can work very well. 

Modeling and mirroring behavior is great for the retriever that loves to follow its owner.

This method is super easy too. 

All you have to do is demonstrate the behavior that you want your dog to do. 

For example, if you want your dog to lay down on command, you show them by laying down yourself. 

Clicker training, often paired with rewards, are another great method. 

This is the method if your dog likes to follow a more structured environment or if they respond very well to certain sounds. 

Finally, there’s also relationship training. This method is great for learning new behaviors or changing current behaviors.

Here, the training is based on having a “best friend” kind of relationship with your dog to have a strong bond and established trust.

You learn what the dog responds best to and notice any behavioral cues they give through their body language. 

Final Thoughts

Curly-coated retrievers are extremely intelligent dogs that can learn new behaviors or change current behaviors easily. 

They are always looking for mental stimulation, so training can be a great way to work their brain while establishing a stronger bond. 

This breed of dog should start their training right away. 

When they are 6-8 weeks, or when you first get your puppy, is the best time to start with the basics. 

Always continue to work up to the more advanced training so that your curly-coated retriever can have each step established before moving on. 

There are many different kinds of training to put your curly-coated retriever through that gives them a very special set of skills. From agility to socialization, each form of training helps give your dog the proper tools to move through the world. 

Never use harsh training methods with your curly-coated retriever. They will not learn from it, and you won’t have a good bond with your dog. Having a strong and healthy bond makes your and your dog’s life so much better.