New puppy: need tips and advice

[juniebo]

Can anyone point me in the right direction on how to train a puppy, have a 8 week old Lab, dont know where to start. Any tips you might have, or books, videos, ect. you might recommend to get started.

[CaptainDave]

Throw him in the backyard. There's a lot less to worry about that way.

[Bill]

Crate train to housebreak.

"Mother Knows Best" by Dr. Lee Benjamin for all the rest. Great book on training a dog. It worked with raising 2 kids as well, but my wife would skin me alive if I ever said it. It comes down to in a loving manner, assuming the alpha relationship with them. Everything else flows naturally downhill after that.

[Pistol]

Oooo how cute. Get ready for an onslaught of advice. To broad of a question. The biggest thing- make sure he has plenty of toys to chew on. Labs are very mouthy for the first year or two. When my dog was a pup, she had between 12 and 15 toys to chew on. If she ever started toward something that she was not supposed to chew on, we would tap her snout tell her no, and then hand her something she could chew on. If she did not want that, gave her something else. She did not ruin any socks/shoes/furniture with her teeth and she might chew on one toy for half a minute and pick something else.
They are smart, don't think they aren't.
Have fun and play with him everyday, even when you don't want to.

[casper]

Watch Marley and Me!

[Lokmdwn]

Best advice right now is to start the crate training now. This will save you a lot of chewed up items in the future and the dog will go there on his own in a very short while. Stay on top of taking the pup outside every 2 hours or so for potty breaks. Good luck, Labs are not dogs that you just leave alone. They need to be around people. Great dogs, just High maintenance for the first few years. Worth it though!!

[RLoving1]

The crate training is best idea ever come along,that and repeat commands when dealing with them.And lots of time and love,kids and dogs can't ever get enough!

[bowhntrmatt]

If you plan to raise him to bird hunt, I recommend the book Gun Dog by Richard Wolters.

[Bill]

BTW, that's a really nice looking pup. My plan of record right now is to hunt the waterfowl season closer with my son, tow his camper back to his house he's renting in college from the refuge on Saturday, party-hardy with him in his college town on Saturday night , and then bring Savage, the driven patriot his duck killin' machine home with me on Sunday. The following w/e is the juniors hunt and I'm planning to take a 14 year old from my archery club out hunting (his Dad is long gone from the family, the pos) and then breed Sav with another friend's great duck hunting female black lab. I may have pictures like that in the last spring, too.

[RAMBO]

Install doggie door. Show it to him, most labs/dogs do not want to crap in their sleeping area, I.E> utility room. The lab will self train to go outside. Spend as much time as you can with lab in special places, back porch, deck area. They will remember and go to that area for attention. When it is 3-4 months old and retreiving toys etc. take it to the front yard and show it the newspaper. Do this about 3 times and that dog will get the paper for you every morning or evening.
Good luck and give it love; it will give it back a hundred fold.

[Eldog]

Sweet Pup!!!!

[slicktricker]

Great looking pup. Crate training is a must and you can teach that easy when it's that age. I would make sure to introduce it to all kinds of noise and keep it fun what ever you do.

[juniebo]

Thanks everyone, any tips on crate training?

[BIGSAM]

Get the book water dog.

[LWR2]

BIGSAM hit it on the head. That book will help you throughout the process.

Thanks,
LWR2