Labrador Dog Training: Does Nothing in Life is Free Work?

If you’re training a Labrador Retriever dog, you might be wondering how effective Nothing in Life is Free is as a dog training program. (NILIF is a program where your dog has to “earn” everything from each meal to your attention and affection. Your dog can earn things by sitting on command, or performing a dog trick as asked.)

In fact, the Nothing in Life is Free dog training program is extremely effective with Labradors because they’ve been breed to be both independent thinkers *and* people pleasers. So, when you challenge your dog to see you as the boss (because all good things come through you when the dog listens), your dog training sessions will go a lot more smoothly. And, because your dog wants to make you happy, he’s likely to pay extra close attention to the new rules and behave accordingly.

Strictly practiced, even going outside requires your dog to earn your permission–basically, your dog should be looking to you for approval at every step along the way. This kind of strict practice of Nothing in Life is Free dog training can be tricky with a Labrador. That’s because Labs tend to already be a little too owner-focused, and the last thing you want to do is exacerbate that. Instead, you want to increase dog obedience *while* increasing your dog’s ability to make smart independent decisions.

For instance, if the dog’s not allowed on the furniture, you want him to remember that rule whether or not you’re in the room. The only way to train your dog in a way that builds this decision-making ability is to be 100% consistent, all the time. That means all members of your family need to agree to and follow the same rules. Otherwise, even an effective dog training program like NILIF will effectively train a Labrador because your dog will be too confused to learn.

Have you used Nothing in Life is Free with a Labrador dog? Tell us about it.