Labrador Puppies

Labrador puppies are wonderful, but they can be a handful. Especially in those early days. If you need help with your Lab puppy then you have come to the right place. From sleep to potty training, biting to crying, and a lot more besides.

Labrador puppies grow up fast, but when you are having trouble time can really slow down. They bring a lot of joy, but quite a few challenges too! This page is your doorway to the wealth of information on Labrador Puppies that you will find throughout this site.

Many of these articles are written by our founder Pippa Mattinson, best selling author of numerous dog books, and you can get Pippa’s brilliant email tips using the box below.

We’ll be looking at a huge range of topics including:

And you can use this page as a hub to return to whenever you need support

Advice on Your Lab Puppy

This complete guide to buying, raising and training a Labrador Retriever puppy will help you to choose and raise the perfect family pet. Here you can find out the best way to buy a puppy, how to feed and potty train your puppy and how to keep him healthy.

We answer your questions on growth, weight, biting, socialization and much more. And we also have a fantastic community and support network of Labrador puppy parents in our forum and on our Facebook page.

Here are some links that you are likely to need in the first few weeks with your new Labrador puppy.

Our puppy section is updated constantly. We are always at the forefront of any Labrador news and information. There is no more extensive Labrador resource anywhere on the internet. It’s all here, and if you scroll down, we’ll help you find what you need.

How to Buy a Labrador Retriever Puppy

Finding Labrador puppies might seem easy. But not every Labrador puppy for sale is a great potential pet. They also have a huge price range, from $500 to $1,500 dollars depending upon where you look. And cheaper puppies aren’t necessarily the bargain they seem.

If you haven’t found your Labrador Retriever puppies yet, we have some great resources to help you pick a the right dog. Don’t miss these important guides:

Not all Labrador puppies for sale are healthy, so its important that you know what you are looking for. There are lots more resources and information to help prospective puppy buyers in this section.

Getting Ready for your Puppy

Good preparation creates a smoother transition into dog ownership. Make sure you have a plan in mind for who is going to care for your pup during the day if you work full time. They won’t be able to be left for more than an hour or so at most for a few weeks, so planning ahead is a big deal.

Doing things like puppy proofing your house before your dog arrives, will make it easier during those first days together. Adding baby gates to the doorways, buying a puppy playpen and removing any access to small objects or cables will all help.

Feeding and Caring for your Labrador Puppies

Feeding your puppy a healthy diet is very important for his growth and health. We have lots of information on feeding and puppy growth in these two articles

Don’t miss our other many puppy care articles – you’ll find them here

How to Stop your Puppy Biting

Biting is one of the most challenging problems for many new puppy parents. But it needn’t spoil your enjoyment of Lab puppies. We have all the information you need to stop your puppy biting in no time at all. Don’t miss these in-depth guides:

Potty Training your Labrador Puppy

You’ll want to get potty training off to a great start. Here are some articles to help you make sure your puppy is clean and dry as quickly as possible.

That’s just to get you started! You’ll find much more information here

Labrador Puppies and Vaccination

You will probably want to make sure your puppy is protected against infectious diseases by having him vaccinated. In this section we answer all your puppy vaccination questions. Don’t miss:-

Socialisation and Raising Friendly Labrador Puppies

One of the great things about Labradors is their good nature. But did you know that even Labs need a little help in this direction? Puppies need to be socialised in order to grow up friendly and confident. Here is the information you need to get this important job done:

Life with New Labrador Puppies

Life with a small puppy isn’t always plain sailing! It can all be a bit overwhelming at times. Here are some articles to help you through the difficult days.

Information on Training your Labrador Puppies

You probably can’t wait to get started with training your puppy, and modern puppy training is great fun! Here are some key resources.

When you’ve read those two, head over to our Labrador Puppy Training Center for links to videos, articles, training guides, books and all the rest of the information you need.

Much More Puppy Information

For a complete guide to raising a healthy and happy puppy don’t miss The Happy Puppy Handbook.

This in-depth guide to the first few months of puppy parenthood covers every aspect of life with a small puppy. The book will help you prepare your home for the new arrival, and get your puppy off to a great start with potty training, socialisation and early obedience.

For more detailed support and access to our private student’s forum, you can also join Pippa’s Puppy Parenting course over at the Dogsnet Online Training School. Also – don’t forget to bookmark this page and come back to read through these fascinating sections.

And if you are in puppy shopping mode, don’t miss 10 things to buy for your new puppy! Alternatively, you can browse through our entire library of puppy articles.

We understand Labradors

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Pippa and her team bring you the best expert information and advice

We don’t just love labradors! We understand them too.
a guide to labrador puppies

The Labrador Site if brought to you by Pippa Mattinson, best selling author and founder of the Dogsnet Online Training Program.

Our objective is to help you to enjoy your puppy.  And your comments and suggestions are always welcome!

Asking questions

Please check our extensive library, using the menu at the top of the page, and don’t forget to join the forum where  you can get help and support from lots of other new puppy owners.

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572 COMMENTS

  1. My son has a 3 month old black lab and is having a hard time potty training him, he goes in the house alot and i am
    getting tired of it. I am his71 yr old mother and the dog bites quickly and draws blood on me all the time and thats
    do to me being on blood thinners. I am getting scared of him and do not want to be but do not like the looks of my
    arms from him biting me all the time. I also have 2 little teddy bear dogs and the do not want any thing to do with
    the pup because he goes after their tails or will constantly jump o them and goes for their ears. Can you help us.

  2. Hello I have a 8 week old female white lab and this is our first night. We are crate training her and she howled for a bit. But she calmed down and is sleeping well. I’m worried with her not in our room she will develop anxiety? But as a mother of 3 young children it’s hard for me knowing she is in the living room by herself and we are upstairs. Should we bring her up here for the first 3-5 days? Or if she sleeps through this first night ok without long periods of crying we should continue the crate in another room? Help!

  3. I have a 12 week old pup chocolate lab he’s learned to

    Sit
    Stay
    laydown
    come
    in just 1 week

    Bribery works wonders with his puppy mix

  4. I have a 6 month old lab who is super smart but she jumps on everybody that walks in the door (she weighs 50 lbs) and if I try to get her in the kennel or calm her down it seems to get worse. She doesn’t jump on me because I told her NO JUMP from the start, but with other people she just goes wild and hears nothing. HELP!!!!

    • When they jump, say nothing but just turn your back to them. They will begin to realise that the behaviour isn’t being reinforced. Once they stop the jump them praise but if they get excited and jump again turn your back again

  7. Looking for a white female english lab. i had a white german sheperd and black doberman. My husband always wanted a labrador so it would be a nice surprise for him. As you can see, we love big dogs.
    Both my dogs lived a good and long life. Its been 20 years since.

  8. hello i have a 12 week black lab male, he does great on listening sit, stay, come , ect but he has these tantrums where he lunges snarls an bites really hard on my ankle or arms. bopping his nose and spanking him only make him more upset, hes great in every other area, im just so worried that he will be an agressive dog, HELP!

  10. Got a male lab pup 40 yrs ago, he waited by the door to go outside and potty and just stared at me if I was slow, a genius dog,natural duck and bird dog, he would carry fishing poles and small tackle boxes.The best dog ever!!!Named Cole, a twist of words for black as coal:)))

  12. Hi this is Ben fistner ! I have a chocolate lab who keeps jumping on visitors do you guys have any idea how to stop him form jumping we tried turning away from him we tried pushing him down when he jumps up! He is 9 years old have any ideas? Please reply

    • I have found with my labrador puppies that bringing your knee up as they jump deters the jump, doesn’t hurt them and it is easy to ask your visitors to also be prepared. I have had 4 labrador puppies and was told this tactic by the breeder in Pembrokeshire UK with my first chocolate lab in 1973. It was useful advice! Good luck!

    • My two labs are quickly calmed when I give my visitor a treat for each. When they see their favorite treat come from the hand of someone welcomed inside the home, they’re much more relaxed.

  14. Labs are great dogs! One thing to remember is that raising lab pups is kind of like raising young boys. They both will go through a phase where their mission in life is to destroy your stuff. Bear with it, use common sense, and it’ll be worth it in the end.

  15. Just wanted to say thank you for this site. We have a 13 week old golden retriever puppy and I have picked up fantastic advice here about biting, destruction, and over-exuberance that seems to be part and parcel of raising a young pup. A few days in and we are already seeing some behavioural changes – in Mabel and in ourselves – and I certainly feel calmer and not quite so desperate (I have had furniture and my clothes shredded and she has drawn blood). It is getting easier to calm her down. I’m sure that it will be a case of two steps forward one step back, but confident that we will get there. Both her parents were beautiful, calm dogs so sure that she will be too. Well done and thanks.

  16. Hello, we have an 11 week old black lab. I thought I prepared for everything but I’ve learned there is no preparing fully. She refuses to be potty trained even though we follow this site for training. She hates walks, and being on the leash or being outside. She will just sit and not move on the leash at all. She will even get taken out for 20-30 minute walks and then immediately come inside and go to the bathroom. She will bark non stop if left in the crate. She is good with sleeping through the night though. Also the biting and aggression seeming behavior. She buts hard and lunges at everyone and will not stop no matter what toy or treat you have. I’m not sure what the issue is, it feels like this puppy hates everything a puppy would like and she just won’t follow any training we’ve kept up with. I’m very concerned she will never learn and I don’t want that for her. Please help!

    • May be a smell left where she has pottied inside. I suggest you keep a soiled pad (urine) for her next potty excursion, place it in the yard. She will use it either before or after the walk.

  17. Hello. Found your website and I now spend every night pouring through the puppy pages.
    Its so helpful, thankyou so much. Norman is a lab and 6 weeks old so I have 2 weeks to study and puppy proof and get prepared before he comes home..
    I have a crate downstairs which is going to be his bed for a little while especially during the day, but for the first few nights I will have him upstairs with me as your website suggests. Will it confuse him to have 2 different beds?

    Also, as he’s a puppy im guessing he will sleep a lot. so when is bed time? When he’s asleep shall I carry him upstairs and place him in his second bed? shall I show him around my bedroom first?
    Following this is also the potty training at night time. Im very prepared to get up often and take him downstairs and outside but it is VERY cold and DARK where I live. could I use the front door (but inside) for puppy toilet pad during the nights or will this confuse him and hinder the toilet training?

  20. Hi everyone, I have a 6 month old fox red who has been very good up until recently. We have exercised him mentally and physically the recommended amount t by our veterinarian, regular and frequent training, and feed him a good diet. Recently he has decided that when off lead he will recall but you CAN NOT put his lead back on. He also now cowers at home when we place it on him. There have been no situations that we can possibly think of where anything negative has happened with the lead/harness. We use positive reinforcement, never shout, don’t hit or push him or drag on lead etc. What can we do? Up until now he was perfect off lead and socialising with dogs well but we don’t want to let him off lead until we figure out the fear of the lead.

    Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

  21. My 5 old month Labrador doesn’t bite the raw chicken legs when I feed her she eats the whole thing …any suggestion on raw bones , raw chicken feeding ?

    • Raw chicken bones are safe for dogs to eat. They will not splinter like a cooked chicken bone. Large dogs would eat a whole chicken raw-bones and all without worry.

  22. We have a 11 week old yellow lab – he was doing great at night time in crate, now all he does is cry constantly at night. No sleep for any of us. Any suggestions on how to correct this?

  23. Hi. We have a Labrador puppy – 12 weeks old. We are feeding him Royal Canin Maxi Mother & Puppy until now. Should I shift to Royal Canin Junior Labrador or Royal Canin Maxi Junior? Is there a difference? Please help. Thanks so much

  24. My puppy lab is 12 Weeks old and has been throwing up for the last our. Still playing and we did give h some water but did not feed again. Should we be overly concerned. Nose is cold not warm at all. He is relaxing sleeping now

  25. My yellow lab has very chronic ear issues when she shakes her head she actually whines trying to find a home remedy that works have tried quite a few and difference. Need help!

    • My lab gets that with his ears if swimming a lot. Swimmers ear. Mix in a small bottle 50% rubbing alcohol and 50% hydrogen peroxide. Fill in small needless synringe ands spray a little into each ear and gently wipe out with a cotton ball. A friend used this solution on himself when he swam in high school. May have s bit of an ear infection. If continues take to
      Him to a vet.

  26. I have a question, I have a blond lab puppy she is 6 months. The lady I got her from told me the mom of the puppy did not have papers , but the dad did. My puppy has a pink nose, so my husband tells me she is not full blooded lab. Can a lab have a pink nose?????

  28. I just lost my female bullmasfit. I am looking for another dog. my three choices are1 akita,yellow lab. I need a dog for protectin. a lot of these big dogs cost to much. I am wiling topay 800 dollars arethere any big dogs in that range. I would like to buy very soon

    • I got my Labrador puppy by looking for a family that was looking to rehome the puppie. So you can probably take Craigslist or some other sites like that for a family that’s basically looking to rehome their own puppies and you can get them at a lower price than looking out for a breeder

  29. We just picked up a Black Lab puppy yesterday, she was born May 4th, so she is 9 weeks old. I was wondering whether we could bathe her yet and if there is a certain shampoo recommended. Or wether there it is not advised to do so yet. Any other tips and clues you would like to add would be helpful too as this is our first lab puppy weve had. Thank you.

  30. My lab is 2.5 yrs old just hand puppies on mother’s day there 2.5 weeks old when do I intro deuce them to puppy food and what kind should it be the can or dry

  31. Can anyone advise a dog novice. We have a 12 month old (last week) fox red labrador. We need to know if he is now officially classed as an adult dog and how we should go about feeding him. He is currently on 1 X Nutriment 1400gm chubb (raw food diet) a day but we are unsure whether to cut it down now or not. He was neutered about 5 weeks ago, so this may make a difference. Any help would be gratefully appreciated, Lorraine and Mark

    • He may look like an adult but they will continue to develop for at least another year and being a lab he will probably act like a pup til 4 or 5 years old. You can probably cut feedings to 2 a day and gradually introduce an adult food. Better 2 meals a day than 1 big one once a day.

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