Home and Family Author: Bill Hartzer

So, you are the proud owner of a new Lab puppy! You bring her home and then as you sit watching her play it dawns on you . . . Hey, I don't know much about training Lab puppies, Yikes! Yes, yikes is right because the Labrador Retriever is a big, muscular and energetic dog when fully grown (around 7-8 months). If you wait til then you are going to have a battle of the muscles---yours and hers---and the wits.

Do It NOW

Lab puppy training must be started very early because it is easier for you and for your beloved new friend. It will be more fun and less stress to get a jump on it NOW. I am the proud owner of Lab puppies in Texas and I know what I am talking about. If you fully understand this breed of dog you know how intelligent they are. After all, these are the dogs that are trained for rescue missions, assisting the handicapped and guiding the blind. Labrador puppies are smart from the start. As you work with them you can see the wheels going around in their heads. You can see their sensitive eyes wanting to please you so much. They just need skilled and patient guidance.

Trust & Friendship

Now most of us haven't been trained in training Lab puppies. We can train a whole team of co-workers or employees, train our children into wonderful, productive adults. But this little bouncing bundle of energy is a different story! It takes real skill to master Lab puppy training. OK, you think all you need is a rolled up newspaper (smacked soundly on his rump after he has chewed up your favorite tennies) and a very loud voice (to shout, "Bad dog!" ) To this I say a very stern, "Wrong". This is not how you build trust and friendship with your new Lab puppy. You want him to obey you (for both of your benefit) not fear you.

Your best bet with Lab puppies, unless you are a dog trainer, is to take them to dog training classes. There are also wonderful dog training videos available that will help keep you consistent in your Lab puppy training.

This dog is one bundle of smartness as well as love. My Lab puppies in Texas delight to learn---seems they are born for it. Lab puppies get bored---and into trouble---when they are not exercised regularly. Part of training Lab puppies is giving them LOTS of physical activity every day. I always say, "An exercised dog is a happy dog". Lab puppies love to run on the beach, in open fields or large back yards. If the Winter is freezing where you live these dogs can even be trained to walk/run on treadmills. You will find that the more active your dog is the less discipline you will have to give her for the rowdiness in the house and the tearing up of anything not 8 feet high.

Another saying I have is, "it's not as much about training Lab puppies as it is training the owners. I wish you all the best with your wonderful canine friend, from me & my well trained Lab puppies in Texas!

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