How Long Does It Take to Potty Train a Labrador Retriever?
Many pet owners know that they will need to do a lot of training to make sure that their dog is going to behave and become a valuable member of their family.
But when it comes to a Lab, you have a large dog who is ready to take on the world with all of their energy.
One question that a lot of pet owners are going to ask when they have a Labrador Retriever is how long it takes to potty train this type of dog.
How Long Does It Take to Potty Train a Labrador Retriever?
It takes between four to eight weeks to potty train a Lab puppy. If you’ve never potty trained a dog before, it will probably take you and your Lab puppy longer than if you’d done it before. While each Lab is an individual, longer than 8 weeks generally indicates that something is wrong with the training process.
Potty training can be an important part of getting the dog to get to the right behavior along the way.
Let’s take a look at some of the things that a pet owner needs to know when it comes to potty training their Labrador Retriever.
Potty training is never a fun topic for pet owners to work through.
They have to spend a lot of time working with the dog and making sure that they learn the proper timing to go outside and not make a mess in the house.
Once you get started with all of the work that it takes to potty train your dog, you may wonder how long all of this is going to take.
Keep in mind during this process that every puppy is going to be different.
There are some Labs that are going to be able to learn quickly and it will only take a few weeks in order to get them potty trained.
But there are also some that will take a little bit longer to finish and that is fine.
Do not get frustrated if it takes longer than you think.
For most Labs, you will find that they need four to eight weeks of training until they are completely done.
If this is your first time training the Lab or any other puppy, you may find that it takes a little longer, but you may also find that they catch on a little bit easier to do as well.
Are Labrador Retrievers Easy to Potty Train?
You may wonder whether a Labrador Retriever is going to be a good dog to potty train and if it is easy to work with them or not.
You will be happy to know that this dog is a smart one, one who is easy to train when it comes time to teach them anything, whether it is potty training or something else along the way.
This dog breed is going to be very smart and they like to please their owners.
This is going to make them a good dog to train.
Since they are easy to train, they will be easy to potty train as well.
However, the pet owner needs to be able to spend the time necessary to train the lab to make this work.
When Should I Start Potty Training My Labrador Retriever?
Many pet owners wonder when they should start to potty train their Labs.
House training is something that you are able to start working on early with all dogs.
Some breeders will start to work on this training before you even get the dog, but you can also do this when you get the dog home as well.
This means that you can start working with potty training your dog sometime between seven to nine weeks of age.
This may seem young, but you do not need to go hardcore with all of this.
When they are little, start with some basic command words that will help them get familiar with the house routine and even your voice.
Show them the different areas of your house they can be in and close off the parts of the home where you do not want the dog to be in to help with some of this.
There are a number of times when you can train your Labrador Retriever.
Some of these include:
- After they are done taking a nap
- After they are done eating or drinking, usually about 20 to 30 minutes after these times.
- After they have spent some time playing with you.
- If you notice that they go around in circles or they are sniffing the ground like they are looking for something.
- When they seem like they are really excited.
You will get better at recognizing some of the cues that come with your Lab and you can learn what signs the dog gives when they need to go out to the bathroom.
You can then use these to your advantage in order to help train the dog on how to go outside, rather than in the house.
Tips for Potty Training Your Labrador Retriever
Potty training a dog for the first time can be hard. There are a lot of parts that need to come together and some dogs tend to take a little longer.
The owner also needs to be dedicated to the work and not give up until it is all done.
Having the right tips in place will make a difference in how well you are able to train your Labrador Retriever and get them to listen to you.
To start, choose an area in the home that is the bathroom for the dog.
Pick one that is easy to clean and where the smells that will come from there will not upset everyone else in the home.
If you have a yard, use that, but you can also consider puppy pads in case the dog is not able to go outside because you are not at home.
Teaching them how to go outside in the yard when they need to go to the bathroom is one of the best ways to help train them.
Be consistent when it comes to training your puppy.
You will need to have a command that you use with the dog when it is time for them to go potty.
You can keep it simple by saying something like “go potty” when you take the dog outside.
You may have to carry them a few times when you first take them out so they get adjusted to the idea.
Set them down and then use the command until they get used to it.
Once the puppy does go to the bathroom outside, you will need to give them a lot of praise and attention.
This will help them know that they did something that pleases you, something that you are happy with the work that they did.
Be over the top when it comes to your puppy and the praise that they get when they go outside.
This will encourage them to go outside again and not go inside if they have to use the bathroom.
The more consistent that you are with this, the easier it is for the dog to learn the right behavior.
If the dog does go to the bathroom inside, do not yell or punish them.
This can make the dog aggressive and is not going to stop them from going inside.
If you catch them in the act of doing it, then you can stop them and take them outside to finish.
Give them praise when they are done.
If they are already done, take them outside, while being quiet, and then clean it all up.
It can be frustrating when they have an accident and you have to clean them up, but if you give them too much attention for this bad behavior, it is going to make them think that they are doing something good, and the situation will just get worse.
Your Lab will get used to the idea of going outside, though some are going to be a little slower with picking up this skill, and before long, you will have a Lab who listens and is potty trained to go outside.
Potty Training a Labrador Retriever
You will find that the Labrador Retriever is a good dog to bring to your home.
This is a really good dog breed in terms of smarts, attachment, and eager to please their owners.
All of these come together to make it easier to potty train your Labrador retriever in no time.
With a bit of time and patience, you will be able to potty train your Labrador Retriever and make them valuable members of your family.
