This is your Labrador puppy care hub. A portal to all of the information you could ever need to properly care for your Labrador puppy. I will aid you in getting your home puppy ready, wade through the early months of questions and confusion, and give you simple instructions for the most important aspects of Lab puppy care. Diet, exercise, health checks and vaccinations will pretty quickly need established routines. Potty and crate training don’t need to cause a kerfuffle if you have the knowledge you need. Here’s everything you need to know how to take care of a Labrador puppy!
Contents
Find out everything you need to know about caring for your Labrador puppy. The Labrador Site is packed with knowledge and expert advice. So we’ve compiled these links to help new puppy parents jump quickly to the topic they need, right now!
Your questions answered
A new puppy is a time of great joy. It’s also a time of challenges, and questions! It can be difficult to know where to begin, but you’ll find the answers to many of your puppy questions below. We look at potty training, feeding, and biting. And we help you with puppy growth issues, crate training problems and upset tummies. We bring you information on diet, exercise, vaccinations, obedience and socialization too. It’s all here!
General Labrador Puppy Care
Bringing your puppy home is an amazing time, but it’s also full of questions and confusion. The Labrador puppy care guides below will help you to navigate the first few weeks with your puppy, get all the equipment you need and keep your mental health intact too!
- First days at home
- How to cope with a crying puppy
- When can I take my puppy out?
- Raising a puppy when you work full time
- How to beat the Labrador puppy blues
- Crates and Crate Training
- 10 things to buy for your new Labrador puppy
- Labrador puppy crates, gates, and playpens
Puppy Feeding, Growth Puppy Exercise, Food & Growth
Labrador Puppy Development Stages
- 6 week old puppy
- 8 week old puppy
- 9 week old puppy
- 12 week old puppy
- Puppy Development: Ages and Stages
- Stages in Puppy Training
Puppy Potty Training
- 15 potty training problems solved
- Help with potty training your puppy
- Crate training your puppy
- What to do when your puppy won’t pee outside
Labrador Puppy Behavior
- The importance of socializing your puppy
- Labrador puppies biting
- How to stop your puppy chewing
- Puppy aggression
Puppy Training
- How long does it take to train a puppy
- Puppy training methods
- Puppy training information and resources
You’ll find resource pages like this one throughout The Labrador Site. They help you find the information you need right now. You might also want to check out our sections on Labrador Puppy Training .
Do let us know what you would like to see added to the site. We are always happy to have your comments and suggestions.
When To Collect Your Puppy
We highly recommend that puppies are not removed from their breeder until they are 8 weeks old. There are lots of good reasons for this. It helps puppies develop good bite moderation skills before they are adopted into a family, ensures that they are ready to adapt quickly to their new life. And it helps to reduce the sad numbers of puppies bred for a quick profit.
Puppies sold under seven weeks old often have health problems and need special care, and extra veterinary attention. So it’s really important that puppies are left with their breeder until they are eight weeks old.
Check out the following articles for further information:
Your first puppy
Your first puppy is a huge adventure. You have so much fun ahead. It’s important to arm yourself with as much information as you possibly can and to raise your puppy to focus on you and pay attention to you. Labradors are generally very friendly dogs, but they can also be very distractible. So do start daily training games, using plenty of food.
About Pippa
The Labrador Site is brought to you by Pippa Mattinson.
Pippa is the best selling author of The Happy Puppy Handbook, the Labrador Handbook, Choosing The Perfect Puppy, and Total Recall.
She is also the founder of the Gundog Trust and creator of the Dogsnet Online Training Program.
You can get regular training tips from Pippa by email, using the box below
Hi Pippa,
At around what time or circumstance does a pupoy recongise that it’s nighttime and cab hold on longer in regarding to toileting?
Hi lucy,my name is stephen and i have one lab female.she just gave birth to 9 puppies but 7 of them died for some reason but two are left and they are three days old but one of them is having watteryoose motions.please guide me what should i do.
Hi Stephen, you need to speak to a vet asap, I hope your vet is able to save the last two puppies.
Hi we’re picking up our new lab next week, once she is 8weeks old. This site has given me a tone of usfull information
THANKYOU
God does a clicker reward that dog? Is it just as simple as they like the sound??
I’m sure I’ll have questions once we get her home
My lab puppy is 3 months old now so can we give him milk and rice instead of dog food
Hi Ishann, I am afraid that Milk and rice are not appropriate foods for your puppy. Please find information on feeding your puppy the best diet here: https://www.thelabradorsite.com/feeding-your-labrador-puppy/
Hi…m Deepika from India.i had bought one month old lab bt now I knew this is not good bt I cnt give back and puppy has watery loose motions.pls give me right advice which help me to take care of puppy.thnx
Hi Deepika, If it is impossible for you to return your puppy to the breeder, then you need to take him to the vet. Best wishes, Lucy.
I have a 13 week old female lab we got her a week ago. Her stool was normal. We gave her IAMS for maybe 6 feedings then got the food her previous owner was given her, Victor hi pro plus. Since her first feeding with Victor she has had loose stool. What can we do? Should we switch back to IAMS?
Often when puppies and dogs have their food changed it can cause loose stool, but this normally resolves itself fairly quickly. If it does not you should see your vet. However, it’s important to pick a food and stick with it because frequent changes can cause tummy troubles for the puppies. Good luck!
Hi! Our lab puppy is 9 weeks old and she is shedding a lot of hair at her back. Kindly advise what is the reason is? We gave her a Forza ds vitamins every day?
Hi.
My 2 month old female lab is having loose motions
She ate a little amount of butter. I am very worried.
Please give me some suggestions.
Hi Aman, If you are worried then take her to your local veterinarian to be checked over. Best wishes, Lucy.
Hi pippa! My lab is 9 weeks old..he is passing watery stool and not eating well,sometimes we need to do force feed.we just came out in 2 days admission at animal clinic..antibiotic was given to consumed for 7 days…im giving him dextrose ao he wont dehydrated…im so worrid pls. Help me..this is the first time i took care of lab. 5th day of passing loose stool..pls.. help me..thanks..this is Daisy
Sorry to hear your puppy is sick Daisy, the best way to help is to follow your vet’s instructions. I hope he gets better soon.
Hi! My labradog puppy is one month old. As she is suffering from gastric problems from today onwards, as we took her to the hospital and treatment is going on. Injections are going on. And twice we have to take her to hospital. Can you pl. give more suggestions to take care of the puppy and the food to give her.
Hi Jyoti, You need to return your puppy to her mother, she is far too young to have been taken away from her. You can find out more here: https://www.thelabradorsite.com/too-young-to-leave-mum/
My lab is shy
hii. i am sathya. I like to buy a labrador dog and my parents were told ok but my father will get angry when the dog is barking. my father did not like dog barking. My question is HOW TO KEEP THE DOG CALM WHEN THERE IS A GUEST OR IN HOME
Hi Pippa!! This is some great work you have been doing here..and it has been really helpful..I have a question. I am from India and I got a male Black lab on the 1st of Jan 2016. Life’s been great since. However when he was younger (at around 2-3 months), his ears lay flat over his head, like the classic lab look..however a few days ago, may be a week his ears have started growing funny, the internet and other sites describe it as a “rose ear” or even “flying nun ears”..everything else about him is Labrador like, its just his ears. Is it normal for labs to have such ears? I got him from a breeder with no paper work…It doesn’t bother me much, I just wanna know..can you please help me out? He is 4 months old now.
Comment:Hi … I have a female labrador pup who is 8 weeks old.. It has a tendency to jump on me with an open mouth and also chases my 16 year old kid brother who is quite afraid… Will he grow up to bite us ????
Hey Satyam!! That is quite normal, she probably wants to play with you. Labs her age have a lot of energy that needs to be channelized, I learnt that from this site. And yeah ask your brother to stay calm when she tries doing that and secondly when she jumps up do not show any affection to her, like patting her head or praise her..if all else fails this behavior will hopefully subside at 6-7 months of age. I have a male lab who does the same, I followed some advice and its slowly subsiding and yeah labs her age are bitey 😀
so my brother bought a lab and he want me to take care of it cos he’s on his work (police) and i live in an apartment (bed spacer), we are a total of 5 people there, is it okay if thats the case? and i still have to fetch the dog. and i am a college student, can i get him out every afternoon? i’m really nervous about this. it cant be left at home cos no ones gonna take care of it.
How will I take care of my lab puppy he is just 32 days 🙁
O
Please take your Labrador puppy back to the breeder immediately, he is far too young to be apart from his mother and littermates. You can find more information here: https://www.thelabradorsite.com/too-young-to-leave-mum/
Hello. Is it ok to pick a labrador pup 4 weeks after birth?
No Robert, it isn’t. Eight weeks is the right age for a puppy to leave the breeder.
Absolutely not. Under no circumstances should you ever take a puppy from the mother at than age. Run, don’t walk, away from anybody who’d even suggest this. It’s actually illegal to sell puppies under 6 weeks of age in most civilized places. If somebody is offering puppies at four weeks, they shouldn’t be trusted with OWNING a dog, let alone breeding any.
An OK breeder will sell puppies at 8 weeks, but many reputable breeders wait until 10 weeks.
what if mother of lab pups died right after birth of babies?
My 40 days male labra having loose motion…please help
Hi Prashant, Your puppy has been taken from his mother and littermates too soon. Please return him to the breeder if possible, and read this article for further information: https://www.thelabradorsite.com/too-young-to-leave-mum/
Pippa i am Rohit i bought a labrador pup which is 2 months old i have thaught it to answer to my call and play fetch please give me some advice
Here you go Rohit, these are the articles you need
https://www.thelabradorsite.com/train-a-puppy-or-dog-to-come/
https://www.thelabradorsite.com/how-do-i-teach-my-labrador-to-fetch/
Good luck with your puppy
I have a 40 days male lab,he sleeps alot and often howls whenever i take him to the terrace is it because he is not habitual to that place or there is some other reason to it.?
Hi Pippa I want to buy a Labrador puppy but my family is not agree with me. Please tell me what should I do. My father say that there are lots of problems having a dog and it’s vaccination. Please tell me what should I do.
Having a dog is a big responsibility Manish, so it is natural for your father to be concerned. Have a look at this article https://www.thelabradorsite.com/6-things-to-consider-before-buying-a-labrador/
Depends on your age, activity level, and how much money your family can afford to spend on a dog, really. Labradors are active pups, and it’s understandable for your family to be hesitant to want to raise one! You’ll need to be ready for a dog with rigorous exercise requirements; not just a few frisbee tosses a day. If you’re not an active family who’s prepared to take on the economic and moral responsibility of a dog, you should recognize this and wait. It might be hard if you want a puppy, but it’s for the dogs wellbeing. A good Labrador puppy can also cost upwards of 900 dollars if you’re getting one from a breeder, and finding a good breeder is an even more complicated endeavor. However, there’s usually many great rescue puppies available, and older dogs if you want a lower energy level! Regular vet visits are also expensive, and just fixing a lab can cost up to a hundred dollars. (and yes, this is an absolutely unavoidable requirement. If you cannot or will not fix your dog, you should not own a dog.)
My name is Mohit and I was looking to buy a Labrador puppy in tis winter season. Is it dangerous to buy a puppy during wonters?
And what all should I keep in mind to cope winters for puppy?
Hello Pippa,
I have a labrador puppy
11days
Yesterday was her first day and in the evening she drank some milk and slept a lot
At night she woke up and started crying so i took her in my lap and waited till the time she slept
This happened around 5-6 times
In between i fed her some warm milk as it is cold here
Then i wrapped her in a light blanket and she slept.
Every time she woke up i got her in my lap.
And every time she woke she got here bladder empty (she did some urine)
So what should i do to stop her crying
And when should i give her a warm bath?
She is 11 days old but not too clean
The place where she was earlier they didn’t kept her too clean.
Hi Jasmine, 11 days old is far too young for your puppy to have left her mother. Please return her to the breeder immediately, she must be kept with her mother until 8 weeks of age. Please read this article for more information: https://www.thelabradorsite.com/too-young-to-leave-mum/
I found a hybreed lab puppy of about 10-15 days old on street.How should i take care of it . can u please tell me . it is shivering due to low tempretur of atmosphere so i have kept it in a box with some cloths
i recommend you take the puppy to a animal shelter and ask them if they can do something.
Hey there ,befor 3 days i bought a lab… puppy,which is 40 days old n now his hairs r almost falling down,only some are left in his body …what 2 do…?
Any medicine…plz reply
Its urgent
my 2 month and 7 days old labrador puppy is not eating anything today . we feed him 4 times with milk and roti. he ate some soil from the plant pots and vomitted in the morning. What should we do?
Take your puppy to the vet Vivek, I hope he is ok.
mi puppy(LAB) is 3 1/2 years old, it some times eat flesh of cow ,so i want to know is there any problem to his health by eating it. mi puppy looks a little thin so what would be the best food for him to become fat and healthy
My lab dog of two months old looks too thin; we’re afraid to give her much; just tell me how much should we feed her at once and how many times a day?
Feeding advice is here Suraj https://www.thelabradorsite.com/feeding-your-labrador-puppy/
hi pippa! i have a 36 days old lab.and she get loose motion.i felling very nervous.what am i doing now?
Hey Pippa i have 3 months old white lab puppy and suddenly he has started loosing a lot of hairs
What could be the reason behind it and what should i do?
Hi Pippa! We are picking up our Chocolate Lab pup later today and your website has been a great preparation for us. Thank you – Heather (Kansas, USA)
Glad to be of help Heather, and good luck with your pup! 🙂
I just got a 1.5 month puppy.
Whats the first thing i should do?
i hve 2 mnth lab…wl u please tl me that hw cn i feed my lab in hw many times???
Here you go: https://www.thelabradorsite.com/feeding-your-labrador-puppy/ Another way to find the articles you need is to put a few keywords into the search box at the top of the right hand sidebar 🙂
hi pippa.MY puppy is 7 weeks old . IS it ok to feed her pedigree puppy food.She i very active. She plays a lot but I want
to make her FAT
Reply soon
hi pippa,
i have a 1yr lab. she keeps barking . is there any nice solution for that
Hie pippa I want to knw that can bought a puppy which is of 1 month old..bcoz m in hurry to buy it …can suggest me what to do..
Hello their my family and I are about to get our first black lab puppy I was hoping for some advice on what type of grooming equipment would be best for our nee arrival such as what type.of brush, shampoo and that had a look at some website but I’m getting all confused please help. X
These are products we like lucy Grooming
Hi pippa,
I have bought labrador puppy of 35 days and gave gift to my friend. Then Gone to vet to show her. But he said that it is only 2.3 Kgs. I have got a worry on it. pls tel me how much weight the puppy should be in 35 – 40 days. But when she awake she is very active, playing, walking very nicely.
Hello mam,
Mam i got a 2 months old lab and my problem is that it comes to me in friendly way but then pulls my trousers and even bite my lightly.Please Help!
This is the page you need 🙂 https://www.thelabradorsite.com/labrador-puppies-biting/
My pup’s ears smells what should I do??
Hi Pippa,
I have a 10 week lab that is adjusting pretty well to being crate trained and only a few accidents have occurred. However, he whines and cries even when i get go to bathroom? I believe he is having anxiety of being alone. Is there something i should do different or will this just get better with time? THANKS!
Hi
I want to know regarding caste of lab my lab is 1 yr old it shed lots of hair now a days n her hair r rough not as silkyy as it should have plz guide me
Do u have some book for subscription for care of lab
My uncle female Labrador given puppys 10 days back when to bring my home???
I have two months old male labrador puppy,he is vomitting nd having loose motion,I cant understand the reason behind it,please help me out.
We are planning to bring home a Labrador, what should be it’s min and max age to be considered.
There’s a 3 months old puppy at my friends house, can I consider bringing it home ??
Also what points to consider for a right Labrador ?
Thanks in advance.
Sagar
hi, i have adopt 40 Days old lab male puppy, whose mother had died after birth. I never seen his mother before earliear. My question is that how i can identity that my puppy belongs to labra breeds. Secondly what food i can give him. Plz suggest me as soon as possible.
My lab puppy is about 5 weeks old and has recently recovered from diarrhoea. In the past two days he has become extremely dull and drowsy. He eats with a good appetite but sleeps the rest of the day. Even in the little while that he’s awake he keeps whining and looks very dull. According to the vet he’s perfectly fine but is there anything I should be looking into? Thanks.
My puppy loves to be in wet place . Is it harmful for her
Hi pippa . I have 40 days old puppy.she tear our clothes by her teeth and likee to eat wall plaster and plant soil .pl suggest me how can i stop her . She just understand sit down and as we r vegetarian pl suggest me food for her. How to make her understand everything ? Becaz i have 2 small kids . Pl help
Hi Pippa, my 9 week old puppy seems to be warmer than his usual temperature. I try to make some research and found out the symptoms of dog fever, it said that puppy will lost its appetite but mine isn’t, he still eat a lot and drink a lot, he didn’t vomit neither nor have diarrhea. The only thing I’ve notice that he sleeps more than usual. What should i do?