What You Should Be Doing With Your Labrador Pup

by Brooke Sunderland

Perhaps you’ve watched The Dog Whisperer and thought I’ll never have those kinds of problems with my Labrador puppy! Unless you are very familiar with Labrador puppy care, you could easily become Cesar Millan’s next client. Labradors are high-energy dogs when they are young. With their intelligence and energy combine, you have a recipe for general canine mayhem. Keep an eye on their diet so they don’t get hyperactive.

Labrador puppies cannot be successfully trained unless they have regular exercise. They need at least two walks of a half hour a day until they are adults and can be taken down to one walk a day (depending on the individual). They also need social interaction with their people, proper chew toys and structure in their day and night.

It’s never too early to begin training. Keep training sessions short (only a few minutes long), do several every day and end a session with a lot of praise. Keep your Lab pup’s attention on you by randomly treating or praising whenever the puppy looks at your face. Never hit your puppy (and you will be tempted). Growling or speaking harshly makes the puppy know he or she has made you upset. By observing your Labrador puppy closely, you will begin to know when they are thinking of doing something you don’t want to do.

Hopefully, you will have done a lot of research on Labrador puppy care before you bring a Lab puppy home. You will then have some idea of just what you are getting yourself in for. Labradors were bred to be working dogs and to think for themselves at times. They need to be active and find constructive things to do or they will make up a job to do – which may agree with you or not.

Raising a Labrador pup is hard work – almost as hard as raising a kid. But the more you put into your puppy’s training and care, the more you will get in return. Raising a puppy will then not become a chore, as it will become fun and automatic.

It is exciting to help raise a loving, intelligent animal and being able to communicate with him or her. You are also legally responsible for your Lab’s behavior.

You can never learn too much Labrador puppy care. Never be afraid to ask questions from your Lab’s breeder, from any other dog owners, professional dog trainers or your vet. You can also get very useful information from most all-breed dog training books, which are often geared for Labrador personalities.

You can’t raise your Labrador puppy well if your puppy ignores you. He certainly will once his sexual hormones kick in at about seven months of age. Get him neutered or her spayed. Not only will you have a more relaxed pet that looks to people as the leaders, but they will be healthier by not wandering or getting cancers of the reproductive organs. Never be afraid to get help from a dog training book or professional trainer.

About the Author: About the author: Brooke Sunderland is a passionate lover of the Labrador and owns a popular website that can show you how to have a happy, healthy and well behaved Labrador. Among other topics at this website, you can also learn all about Labrador Pups plus a whole lot more.