Puppy Particulars
First Days Home
From the time that you take your puppy home and for a few days, be prepared for him/her to be a little unsettled. They are leaving their littermates and known surroundings and will be a little whiny. Give them their space the first couple of days to become accustomed to their new home. He/she probably will not eat much the first few feedings, but don’t worry. Their appetite will come back. Our suggestion for the first couple of nights is to have a big box or crate for them to sleep in and place it beside your bed. If they begin to whine during the night, you can put your hand or fingers down with your puppy so they know you are there. A great tool to use is a simple fan. Being in a new home is stressful and stress can cause the puppy to overheat. The fan on the crate will keep the puppy cool. They will want to curl up and go to sleep. Once they are comfortable, you can try moving the crate or box to where you want them to sleep.
Poop Scoop
Puppies, just like people, have good and bad bacteria living in their bodies. Between 0 – 12 weeks, puppies are susceptible to the bad bacteria. Once they reach about 12 weeks old, their bodies have formed immunities that can overcome the bad bugs. During stress, the bad bacteria can “act up” and cause puppies to have diarrhea. If your puppy develops this in the first couple of days after coming home, try not to be too alarmed. If your puppy has runny stools, but is acting normal, the diarrhea should clear up within 24 hours. If, however, the diarrhea lasts longer and/or you notice your puppy acting listless and not wanting to play, they may need to be seen by your veterinarian.
Puppy Food
We have always fed both our adults and puppies IAMS dry dog food. For our adults, they eat the Large Breed Adult (green bag with light blue label). Our puppies eat Large Breed Puppy (yellow bag with light blue label). The best thing is to follow the label on the bag as to how much to feed your puppy. We have been feeding the puppies twice a day. We suggest feeding your puppy twice a day until they are about 6 months old. You can continue to feed them twice a day after that, but you may also begin feeding them once a day. If you decide to use a different dog food, gradually switch foods to avoid stomach upset. Please consult your veterinarian for any change in food. Treats: The majority of dog treats are marketed with the owner in mind, not the dog. The best treats for your Lab are bland, bland, bland! We suggest Milkbone or Petsmarts brand dog treats. Also, treats are not a meal, but a treat, so keep the treats to small portions. We use the small treat, not the large treats for our dogs.
Eating Habits
Labrador Retrievers are notorious for overeating! You can overfeed them and they will still act like they are starving every time you put food in front of them. Measure their food so that you know how much you are feeding him/her. In the beginning, they will need some practice to learn to eat by themselves. They have been used to eating right alongside their littermates. Place a bowl of food down for them, give them about 5 or 10 minutes to eat and then pick up the bowl, whether they have finished or not.
DO NOT feed them anything else until it is time to feed them again. It is very important to maintain a strict diet, so don’t let your puppy feed on demand. An overweight Lab is an unhealthy one. Maintain a healthy weight for your dog by feeding them correctly and giving them lots of exercise!
Potty Training
The main thing to remember about potty training your puppy is consistency! In the beginning, take him/her out frequently; every couple of hours. After they eat, after a nap, after an active play time. Take them to the place you would like them to potty and slowly walk around until they go. Then praise them! Please do not rub their nose in any accident they may have or swat them with a newspaper, etc. Praise works so much better. If your puppy has an accident in the house, pick up the poop with a paper towel and take it and the puppy outside to where you want them to "go". Place the poop in that location and set the puppy down. They will eventually get the idea and learn to let you know when they need to go outside.
Training
Although Labs are the most perfect family dog in America (in our opinion), puppies DO NOT come to you “perfect”. Puppies are not mind readers and need to be taught what you want from them. Just remember “ – A happy dog is a well-trained dog – “. Luckily your puppy will be easy to train. They love to be praised, so be sure to praise him/her a lot when they do the right thing. Just like potty training, be consistent and persistent. If you haven’t trained a puppy before, there are many good places, such as PetsMart or your local training center. They have a very basic program to teach your puppy to sit, stay, walk on a leash, “leave it” and similar commands. The class helps you train the right way and will be the building blocks for you to train your dogs many other things. If a class is not your thing, there are many videos and books at your local bookstore.
Crate Training
Crate training is also very important. Having a crate is not a punishment, but a place your puppy can call its own. Puppies should sleep at night in the crate. When your puppy is in the house, keep the crate open and put water inside. You can also feed the puppy in the crate as well. When you need to leave the puppy alone in the house, use the crate. For positive reinforcement, give the puppy a treat when you need to leave them alone. When you return, praise your puppy and offer another treat. When your puppy is older, you may choose to leave them alone in the house, but they will always be crate trained when needed.
Toys
Toys are a big part of any puppy’s and grown dog’s life! Since Labs are naturally “mouthy”, which means they like to have things in their mouth, toys that they can pick up in their mouth work very well. Labs are also notorious for demolishing toys in minutes! The best types of toys that we’ve found are the hard plastic ball with a soft plastic ball inside. They can bat it around and also carry it around. Another highly recommended toy is the “Nylabone” chew bone. The ones we use are black and are a hard rubber. You dog can chew on them for hours without damaging the integrity of the toy! A suggested place you can purchase reasonably priced toys and other items is through the internet at