Why is my Labrador disobedient?

If your Labrador is being disobedient you’re probably wondering why and what you can do about it. This post will give you a number of reasons why your Labrador might be disobedient and some things that you can do to stop it.

So, why is your Labrador disobedient?

There are a number of possible reasons that your Labrador might be disobedient. The most likely causes are that it is not getting enough exercise and that it needs to be trained more.

Other possible causes include boredom, fear, being slightly disobedient by nature, being in a new location, having a ruptured eardrum or because you have been rewarding the behavior.

And, what can you do to stop it?

To get your Labrador to stop being disobedient you’ll want to start by giving it lots of exercise since it can curb a lot of unwanted behaviors.

You’ll also need to spend more time training it starting with the basics such as “sit” and then building up to harder things like getting it to stay with people around. 

Before trying to get your Labrador to be more obedient it actually helps a lot to take the time to consider why it might not be behaving the way that you want it to.

Possible reasons for your Labrador’s disobedience

Below are a number of possible reasons why it has been being disobedient and what would make them more likely to be the main reason.

Lack of exercise

Labradors are meant to get exercise on a daily basis. When they do not get enough exercise it can cause them to behave abnormally and it might be why yours has been being disobedient. This would be more likely if it is more disobedient when it has not gotten any exercise.

Generally, it is recommended for them to get at least an hour of exercise per day as healthy adults.

Training

If you haven’t been giving your Labrador much direct training then it will mean that it will be less likely to listen to you when you tell it to do something.

The reason for its disobedience, in this case, isn’t because it is purposely going against your orders but because it doesn’t know what you want it to do.

That is why it’s important for you to take the time to directly train your Labrador to do the things that you want it to on a regular basis.

Boredom

Another possible cause of the disobedience could be that it is bored. If your Labrador isn’t currently getting much stimulation then it can cause it to become more hyperactive and harder to control.

To counter this it’s important to give it lots of attention and to give it lots of activities to keep it occupied.

Fear

Another cause of disobedience could be that it is fearful.

If you have punished it in the past for misbehaving then it will likely think that the punishment was for the last thing that it did which might not be what you actually punished it for.

For example, it could be that you punished your Labrador for running away but the last thing that it did was to come back to you and that it what it will think the punishment was for.

Nature

It could simply be that it’s in your Labrador’s nature to be a bit more on the disobedient side. This would be more likely if it has always behaved that way.

Despite that, even if that is the case with your Labrador, there are still things that you can do to get it to be better behaved. You can follow the tips in the section below to see what you can do.

Location

If you are able to get your Labrador to listen to you in one location but you can’t get it to do it in another then this is because Labradors, and other dogs, don’t usually carry over their training into new locations well.

To deal with this it will be necessary for you to go through the training process again in the new environment.

You’ll likely find that it will be much quicker the second time around.

You’ve been rewarding it

It could be the case that you have been inadvertently encouraging the behavior by giving it things that it wants when it is disobedient.

If you tend to give your Labrador things such as extra attention, toys or treats when it is disobedient then it will likely do it more in order to get more rewards.

Instead, it would help to reward it when it behaves that way you want it to and to avoid rewarding it when it does not.

Ruptured eardrum

It could be that your Labrador is unable to hear you due to a ruptured eardrum. If you think that this might be the case then your best option would be to take it to the vet.

Command nagging

One reason that your Labrador might be being disobedient is that you are command nagging. This is where you repeat a command multiple times after it didn’t listen the first time. Instead of repeating a command, go back a step and train it to listen to that command again.

How to stop your Labrador’s disobedience

Below are some options you have when getting your Labrador to listen to you more.

Give it training

The first option you have is to give it positive reinforcement training. This is where you encourage behaviors that you want to see by rewarding it when it displays them and avoid rewarding it when it does not.

It would be easiest to start out by training in an environment where there are fewer distractions so that it will focus on you more easily.

Watch the video below to see how:

Exercise

It would also help to make sure to give it exercise on a daily basis since it should make it easier to get it to keep its attention on you. Generally, it is recommended for them to get at least an hour of exercise per day as healthy adults.

Get help

If you are unable to get it to start being better behaved, consider getting help from a dog trainer or behaviorist. By doing so, you should be able to see why it is being naughty and how to train it effectively.

Don’t expect it to be quick

When training your Labrador, it is important to have patience. It is not likely that you will be able to get it to behave exactly the way you want it to with just one training session. But, if you train it consistently over the course of weeks and months, you can get much better results.