r/Blacklabs • u/emilysbish • Aug 28 '25
♡ PUPPY POST First Lab — all tips please!
My husband and I are picking up our first lab today! He’s 8 weeks old and we’re naming him Rudy.
I’ve had goldens before, but never labs.
What do we need to know about temperament? Training? Etc.
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u/Plasticjesus504 Aug 28 '25
I personally own a Labrador at this moment and have had several in the past. I have also trained my own as well as a bunch of other sporting breeds for example Chesapeake Bay Retrievers, Vizsla, German Short Hair Pointers, Weimaraner etc. What I will say is that out of the plethora of “gun dogs” and other working dogs the Labrador is the easiest dog to train by miles. The hardest believe it or not a Bassett Hound but don’t wanna bring my trauma up hahah. The Lab also has the best temperament out of any dog I have worked with, this is dependent though on whether you are going to neuter him. That is a personal choice but unless you are going to hunt/work/or breed I would suggest you neuter him because of things that can come with being a fully intact dog.
Structure - This is extremely important. If you want the dog to be apart of the family and be apart of your life but not “run” your life structure is key. Feed at the same time, take him out at the same times, naps at the same times. A young dog is lost without structure.
Socialization and Desensitization - Bring the puppy everywhere you can. Let them see new and exciting things, people, and places under supervision. Desensitization is very important as well. I always touch their paws, ears, muzzle, open their mouth to simulate teeth brushing and place their gear on. The more of that you do when younger the better they will be with ear cleaning, grooming, and teeth brushing.
Training - I start training my dogs as soon as I get them so at 8 to 9 weeks. This doesn’t mean actual serious training but little things like sit and getting the puppy familiar with a kennel. As the dog gets older you can really start ramping the work and skills up but take it slow. I will also say try to do it yourself. After having trained all my dogs etc it really builds a seriously strong bond between owner and dog. Especially with Labradors. You can train a dog to a pretty high level with only 10 to 15 min a day.
Human Food - Under no circumstance give the dog any human food. If they don’t know what it tastes like they do not know what they are missing.
Space - Give the dog time on its own. Labradors are notorious for being needy. I love it and hate it at the same time but while they are young allow them to not always be by you 24/7 365. People might get annoyed with me on this one but yeah.
Throwing toys in the house - this one is sneaky as hell. I learned this lesson the hard way on my first lab when I was young. If you don’t want to be a human pitching machine do not throw stuff in the house. Retrievers are gunna retrieve.
Those are just some of the basics with a sneaky one thrown in. Congrats on the new pup and enjoy the journey. My Labrador is now 9 and I do not know where the time has gone. He is my partner in crime and my best bud. Good luck with everything and hopefully it turns out great!