Labrador Puppies
Lab puppies grow up fast! They bring a lot of joy, but quite a few challenges too. This page is your doorway to a vast library of information dedicated to helping you care for your Labrador puppy. You can use the links here to go quickly to the help you need, when you need it most.
Caring For Your New Labrador Puppy
Let’s start with some basic guides to puppy care. And help you with managing your puppy’s behavior.
getting started
It all starts here
your puppy guides
Puppy care basics
puppy behavior
Common problems
puppy GEAR
Things you might need
You can also search this site for the answers to your puppy questions
find more information about your puppy problem
Search For Puppy Answers
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?
Puppy Development And Growth
Puppy development is another area that can cause some worries. You may wonder if your puppy weighs enough, or too much. Or worry that they are not growing fast enough, or that they are much smaller than other puppies the same age. You’ll find information to help you in the articles below.
It’s fun to peek at what’s in store for you as your puppy grows and develops. But if you haven’t chosen your puppy yet, then you’ll need some information about planning, choosing and preparing for your new pup.
We’ll look at puppy planning before moving on to the puppy training and resources sections.
Need help planning your puppy?
Let’s get you started!
Not every Labrador puppy for sale is a great potential pet. Some will grow up to have health or temperament issues. And you need to know how to avoid these. Labrador puppies can be found in a huge range of prices, from $500 – $2500 and cheaper puppies aren’t necessarily a bargain. Check out How To Find A Good Breeder for more information
Preparing 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.
Doing things like puppy proofing your house before your dog arrives, will make the transition easier. Adding baby gates to the doorways, buying a puppy playpen, and removing any access to small objects or cables will all help.
Resources For Labrador Puppy Parents
You’ll find a fantastic community of Labrador puppy parents on our Labrador Facebook page. We also have a Facebook support group for dog parents with many Labrador members and other breeds and breed mixes too. It’s called Dogsnet Training & Support. You are very welcome to join.
Introducing
The Happy Puppy Handbook
a guide to the first few months
Puppy parents often ask me which book they need to help them raise a new puppy. I’m biased of course because I wrote The Happy Puppy Handbook. It’s a complete guide to a puppy’s first few months. And there are plenty of reviews to read before you make up your mind
VIEW ON AMAZON…(paid link)
(paid link)Once you puppy has settled in, you’ll want to start thinking about training.
Training Your Puppy
Modern puppy training is a lot of fun. We train puppies using games and lots of great rewards. Here are some key resources.
You’ll find information on obedience training in our main training section. And you can check out my online puppy courses over on the Dogsnet website.
Solving Puppy Problems
No-one gets through puppyhood without a few challenges! Here are some articles to help when you get stuck!
Hi..
I have recently gt a female lab which is over 4 months.. there is no growth n luks still lyk a 2 months old puppy.. as far as I knw da puppy is nt vaccinated.. is it because of dat.. der cud be some othr reasons.. please suggest..
Hi Pippa, My 5 month old puppy is on Hills Science and has had cake mix style poo for just over a week. We feed him 450 gms (3 cups) of food 3 times a day. He is correct weight and is happy in himself. Shall we start and feed him same amount twice a day? Do you think that will help firm up his stools?
Please help.
Ps I have your book and love it.
We have a yellow lab, almost 11 weeks old. We’re just getting to know him. We’ve noticed when outside he will begin chewing on leaves, twigs, etc, possibly swallowing some. Is this normal?
Hi Heather, yes your puppy’s behaviour is normal.
hi i hav a white lab 3 months old.bt it often tends to bite me.i sometimes try to beat him bt then he ecomes more violent and attackes me..how to get rid of this..
pls help me..
Chanda I have answered your question in your other post. Please do not beat your puppy! Pippa
Hi Pippa,
My 9 week old chocolate labrador is sleeping through the night without whining or needing to go out for a wee. The first couple of nights he needed it but last night was quiet between 10.00pm and 06.30. I have followed your recommendations thus far on everything – crates, water, feeding, attention – and was just wondering if I should stop moaning and enjoy it! He’s full of life otherwise and eating and drinking well, so I was only wondering if there might be something I was missing in him sleeping through the night? Many thanks for all your help thus far and congratulations on a wonderful website.
Jack
Hi Jack, it sounds like you are doing just fine 🙂 Drop into the forum and chat to the other puppy owners. It can be very reassuring to talk to others in the same boat. Pippa
my 15 days labra wont drink milk what to do plz do reply
15 days?? Your labrador needs to be with its mother. Please return it as soon as possible. Puppies are ready to leave home at 8 weeks.
Please help. My lab is four and a half months and weighs 7kg. Is there something wrong ?
Dee
Hi,
when i adopted my lab he was 1.5 months(45days) old puppy and weight was around 3kg after more one month when he was2.5 month old weight was 6 KG, now he is 3.5 month old before 2 week his weight was around 9 KG, is it normal or should i feed him more , i feed him thrice a day,he looks little thin, and these days he starts bite me while playing, and he dont bark at stranger, how can i train him to bark?
Hi Pippa,
Thnaks a lot for your reply, i really learned many useful things with this article and it really help us to understand the dogs and their needs too, thank you, All the best.
hi pippa
my male lab pup is 52days old.his weight is just 2.9 kg 🙁 ..
i feed him pedigree dissolving with warm water four times a day.i also add calcium and boosting syrup with food twice a day.he dont have worm as well.but comparing him with other lab of his age..my pup is too skinny.what should i do for his health? really worried
sir,i have a lab of age 3 months,she is too much playful and really very skiny,her bones are easily visible,but d beacon is she is growing in size now as i m giving her good quality foods,but hardly getting any fat on her body,can you please help me with the information that how can I make my puppy a bit fleshy and fat.
thank you for reading,will be waiting for your response to come 🙂
I am planning to buy a puppy. But after reading somewhat on this site, I am into a dilemma.
1)Should I buy a puppy or a grown dog because I have college daily and I go remain outside of house for 5 to 7 hours?
2)Should I consider buying a dog or not because I live in a 2BHK flat?
she chews every thing even my toe what should i do and can i give her supplement food she is 2 month old
hii
I had purchased lab 30 days puupy
after using de worming medicine for the puppy got very weak .
its active ness was not found .
Hi Pippa
Recently one of may neighbour’s lab passed away. She had 2 kids aged 2 weeks. Can they survive without their mother? I plan to adopt one of hem . Whats your advice?
Hi, the pups will survive with good care and hand-feeding. Their temperament will be influenced by the lack of maternal interaction. An experienced breeder will know how to compensate as best she can.
For your own dog, I would advise you to spend a lot of time looking for the very best puppy you can find, as it is going to be with you for a long time, and not to be influenced by the proximity, convenience or how much you want to help out your neighbour. Good luck. Pippa
Hi my Lab puppy is 8 weeks old and i want to know how much food do i need to keep and how many times
Hi, check out the ‘caring for your puppy’ section in the puppies menu above.
Just joined your site Pippa….we are just waiting for our little bundle of joy a yellow lab.we get him on Nov.24…..we are in Canada……just loving this sit!!Thks.J
Thanks Jeannine – do consider joining the forum, great support for puppy owners. 🙂 . Pippa
hi, I have yellow lab with 1 year and 2 month we gave him training classes but still he is crazy and everytime we are near he bites us everywhere and we have problems with our neighbors too, cause he jumps them and they are afraid of him. How can we make him calm? thank you
hey pippa…
my lab puppy who is 4 months old,he is bitting alot. offcourse he is active but sometimes he is more active and bits hard…….can u plz suggest me asolution for that ……….!
Hi pippa….
I have a 45 days old male lab. Vet suggest me feed him carelac, so I follow her instruction. Last 2 days I saw my puppy become thin and rough skin. What to do for Intel’s health? My name is Gopal from india.
Thank you.
Hi Gopal, I answered your question where you first posted it, on this page Pippa
Hi Pippa,
Need your best advise. I have adopted an 8weeks old black lab (her name is Sheba) from a litter of seven from an irresponsible dog owner in Manila, Philippines. All pups were under nourish, underweight and under height. Sheba weigh about 1.5 kl on her 8 weeks which is way beyond the average scale at her age.. i already went to the Vet and i was advise that i should feed her every 4 hours and give her more than what she could eat in each feeding. I’m worried about her well being and if i will be able to help her gain its loss weight and height. I bought her eukanuba dog food which is one of the best quality dog food here in Phils. Do you have any suggestions on how to take care of her to regain the nourishment that was taken out from her since birth.. Really need your help… God Bless and all the best to you!
Kind Regards,
Sherwin
Hi Sherwin, my suggestion would be to follow your vet’s advice. He knows what is available locally, and has examined your puppy. Good luck with her, I hope she thrives with your good care and attention. Best wishes, Pippa
Hi! I’m getting a female labrador. But I don’t to know how to bring her by train or by flight please help!!!!!
Thankyou
Hi Pippa,
My Lab..HUGO is one and a half yr old. From the past 4 months he is scratching severly and when taken to vet ..she said he has infection and prescribed Tab clavet 500mg, TabRantac D, Tab pet peo. For local application she gave me sebolylic and pet derm twice a week, pet derm spray turbenatile twice a day.
There were no changes in his scratching and he got boils all over his body….specially on the stomach, we could see big round patches.
When we took him again to vet she changed the medicine to Tab Moxpet 1000 mg, tab rantac D, tab Atarax 10 mg she also gave us some medicated shampoo to bathe him.
The problem has still not got solved. I have shown him to three different vet but everyone gives different answers.
Kindly suggest me a proper medication and the remedy for the same. He has boils randumly errupting in his body, he keeps scratching and biting his body. When the boil drys the hair on that part falls off like a chunk making him bald on that part. He eats well, is very playful, all his activities are very normal.
I am very worried with this infection …Please help me…
I thank u so much for this forum where i could share my problem
Lata
Hi Lata
I am so sorry to hear of your troubles. Unfortunately I am not a vet and we do not offer veterinary advice on this website. Your best bet is probably to chose the vet you feel most confident in, and let them decide the appropriate treatment. Best wishes. Pippa
Hi Pippa
We have a 9week old black lab Stanley we have had him just under a week. He hasnt been out in the garden since we got him and is very nervous outside the comfort of our home, he just cries in the car.
Today my mums dog (a chug) came round (she has had all her vaccinations) they had a very playful afternoon, as stan loves to play he was just normal playful self.
however stan has now got a bout of diarrhoea, he has had his dinner this evening and went to the toilet 1 1/2hrs after, it was very loose almost watery. He has been drinking lots of water since without prompt, so I feel comfortable he is keeping himself hydrated, could it be the fact he is over excited by today? Or would you advise to go to the vet immediately? As he has mixed with another dog before his 10week vaccination
Many thanks
Jodie
Hi Jodie, upset tummies are very common in small puppies and most experts agree that it is fine for a puppy to meet vaccinated family pets. Have a look at these When to call your vet guidelines. If in doubt, with a young puppy, always phone the vet and ask for his advice. Hope your puppy is better soon. Pippa
Thanks Pippa he was fine by the morning I think it was sheer over excitement lol
Hi Pippa,
My Lab..HUGO is one and a half yr old. From the past 4 months he is scratching severly and when taken to vet ..she said he has infection and prescribed Tab clavet 500mg, TabRantac D, Tab pet peo. For local application she gave me sebolylic and pet derm twice a week, pet derm spray turbenatile twice a day.
There were no changes in his scratching and he got boils all over his body….specially on the stomach, we could see big round patches.
When we took him again to vet she changed the medicine to Tab Moxpet 1000 mg, tab rantac D, tab Atarax 10 mg she also gave us some medicated shampoo to bathe him.
The problem has still not got solved. I have shown him to three different vet but everyone gives different answers.
Kindly suggest me a proper medication and the remedy for the same. He has boils randumly errupting in his body, he keeps scratching and biting his body. When the boil drys the hair on that part falls off like a chunk making him bald on that part. He eats well, is very playful, all his activities are very normal.
I am very worried with this infection …Please help me…
I thank u so much for this forum where i could share my problem
Lata
Is this possible that my 3 month labrador weight 6 kilo and he is pure?
hello pippa i have a 4 mnths old female labrador ,all is going well but my vet has warned me that my floor surface which is of victrified tiles will result up in crippled legs of my dog he has prescribed calcium and told me to keep her on anti skit surface although i am taking precautions but i still found that when i take her for a walk her left back leg seems to be slipping even on the mortar road ,
from your such a long expereience would you please help me out to ensure that my dogs leg could be prevented from getting crippled?
Hi there, I think your best chance of a healthy dog will lie in following your vet’s advice. Keep him up to date with progress and let him know if you have any concerns. Good luck with your puppy . Pippa
thanx for your advice pippa but i just want to know from you that will crippled legs would result in any problem in future for my dog?
Hi,
I have male Lab of 19month he is vegitrian & very much active but the problem is his weight is 43kg and most of the VET say it is over weight. We just feeb chapati milk and he like to eat raw vegetables like potato, peas and other stuffs like that. So my question is.
1. Is he Over Weight?
2. If yes how do i make hime lose weight.
He is sweetheart of the family if he is hungry and asking for food no one can be strick to him so he gets what he want.
If we take him for exercise he gets exhausted very quickly but he never gives up so he keeps on runnning but once we are back he sleep whole night without even going for pee.
So please suggest some thing.
Here you go Rohan Fat Labrador Pippa
Sir,
I have a black labrador of 6 months.
How to i make him brave???
He is always in fear on road.
Hi Anki, there is information here for you. Pippa
Hi Pippa, our 9 week old puppy Jotta (referred to above) is quite astute he knows when I am not pleased with his behaviour as I stop and fold my arms and look away, he does not like this action and comes back at me with a loud bark and appears to have his teeth bared (not a friendly look) he then lays down. Would I interpret this as an aggressive action from him? If so how should I modify his behaviour. (no one is cruel or aggressive to him), Regards Ros.
Hi Ros, your nine week old puppy is not being aggressive, he is just trying to get your attention. Ignore any barking and make sure you don’t reward him for doing it. Pippa
hello i have bklack lab puppy approx 55 days, what shold i give him in food and how many times milk a day. now he goes pooty(toilet) 4-5 times. i feed him 5 times a day 3 times only milk 1 time milk with pedagree stage 1 and 1 tme chappati( wheat flor roti) with milk. is it sefficent for him in a day
Hi Amit, there is information on feeding your puppy in the ‘caring for your puppy’ section, in the Puppies menu at the top of this page. Pippa
my lab is two year old we adopted him from a family a year back who was moving abroad. he is been a trained dog knows basic commands like sit lie down no etc, has not been not neutralised.
recently changes in his behavior
-he barks on other dogs and becomes aggressive
-he does not want to stay alone in the nght when we put his bed next to the stairs .cries howls scrtches the door till we let him in the bedroom.neighbours complain.
– he has started urinating at midight . we take him for walsk in morning evening and twice in the night still he wakes me up again at 4 am .
very tired of cleaning up and unable to sleep.my son does not allows me to give him for adoption.husband is not very fond and is traveling so all responsibilty fall on me
how much pedigree can i feed to my 10 week old lab
Hi, check out this article, best wishes, Pippa
Hi, your dogs need to see a vet urgently. I hope they are ok. Pippa
Hello.. I have a 9 year old black lab, we feed him twice a day ( early morning and evening).Recently he has started following us all around the house in the afternoon wanting something to eat. Should we change his feeding to thrice a day ?
Hi Pippa,
I love the website and have read and learned a lot about Labrador puppies from it.
We have recently purchased a dear black lab 8 week old named Jotta. He has been with us two weeks and is doing brilliantly. He seems to be a big puppy, large paws and generally big but not fat. He is sleeping through the night, quasi house trained (two – four accidents a day max), is learning not to bite hard (according to your instructions). I have never had a puppy but have always had older rejected dogs which are not trained. SO I am determined to train Jotta.
We live in a unique situation being a children’s centre in Mozambique. There are 250 children living in close proximity around us. Jotta will be firstly be living with my husband and I, we have no children in our immediate house, but he will be playing with 7 teenage children and one 2 year old untrained neutered yappy maltese/poodle-all who live connected to our house and frequently enter the house. The maltese dog is not happy with the appearance of Jotta but we are taking that slowly, Jotta assumes a submissive/frightened position but is getting sick of the yapping, and has now goen at the maltese twice, we limit the visit to an absolute maximum of 5 minutes, usually 3 – 4 minutes.
Unfortunately he had a traumatic experience on his first separation as he was left in a bathroom on his own for 1 & ½ hours and was beside himself when my husband got back to him. Now he will not stay in his enclosure without getting distressed I am regularly using the method you suggest for crate training but he is very slow to shw any improvement. Managing between 10 seconds and 2 minutes without getting distressed. Sometimes its ahrd to find enough seconds to reappear to praise him before he is off again.
He is doing brilliantly with recall even with 30 toddlers calling him he came to me (for kibble of course).
In two weeks we will be away for 3 weeks, Jotta can spend most of his time in with the teenagers but they tend to excite him and inadvertantly will feed him scraps. He can be in our home some of the day.
When Jotta is 5 months old he will transition to my daughters house who will be living next door and is closely connected to our house. She, her husband and their children aged 3 & 6 will be the main careers for Jotta but he will be free to come between the two houses. You can see he needs to be flexible. Right now he is totally easy with all his new situations, new people and lots of children however he has a few challenges in his life I feel unequipped to deal with these are;
• The older maltese dog.
• The transition to my daughter house.
• How to manage our three weeks away
• What to do when he messes (mostly under my bed at night), he is not up to being in the enclosure at night.
Lots of questions hopefully you can help with some answers.
Regards Ros.
Dear Ros,
I am so glad you are enjoying the website, I am sure your puppy will thrive with your commitment to his welfare. There is quite a lot going on in your post 🙂 and it really deserves a little more time and attention than I have right now.
I will try to get back to you later in the week, but could I suggest in the meantime that you join the forum and copy this post up there? It is a very friendly place where you will get lots of support and good advice from all the other puppy owners.
Pippa
Hi pippa i have a 3 and a half months old female labra and i have noticed that her tail is bigger than the pups of her age and breed? is that a sign of impurity in breed?
A genuine pedigree Labrador that has been bred from generations of dogs with poor conformation may look very little like a Labrador, and a very nice looking Labrador that looks genuine, may actually be a cross-breed.
I’m afraid that no-one can say with any certainty, whether or not your puppy is a genuine Labrador on the basis of your description of some part of his anatomy.
Pippa
Hi pippa i have a 3 and a half months old female labra and i have noticed that her tail is bigger than the pups of her age and breed?
Hi Adhiraj, what is your question? Pippa
Hi, my lab is 2 years 5months , what is the ideal weight for this age?
hi my lab pup which is 3 months old is on a professional food available in india, do i need to give him some extra calcium and multi vitiams and in what quantity.
What diet should i gave to my lab puppy age-4 months
Hello! We are in the process of adopting a 9 month old lab from friends. However, the lab is very scared of new people but completely awesome and tame with them. They never took her out of the house other than for her vet trips and such. When I met her she barked and growled but once she warmed up to me she licked me and sat on me and let me do whatever I wanted play wise with her. I’m afraid to take her around new people and to the dog park because of how shy she is. Is this behaviour normal and how can we get it to go away? Thanks!
Thanks so much!
hi i am nitesh i have a lab puppy of 4 month the problem is it eats its own loo in our absence please suggest me how to stop this act
Hi , I bought a labrador pup of 35 days 3 days ago. He was very active ,healthy and playful on the first day when i brought him to my house.
Unfortunately I fed him 6 times a day on 2nd day with ” Royal Canine Starter ” with 2 1/2 spoon with luke warm water.He ate all.
on next day the pup tried to vomit but it didn’t. And he didn’t eat anything. Later on the day he became very lethargic, so i took him to a vet. The vet gave him an injection and a mouth spray and an alkalizer. After returning home the pup vomited and gave out yellow liquid only, because of injection.
In evening again I took him to the vet, the vet again gave him the injection and this time he also gave my pup glucose through his right paw. After returning home the pup played alot and as very active. But again around 9 pm he vomited and gave out same yellow liquid and became very lethargic again.
In night he pooped once with semi solid stool, like solid stool in liquid stool, both were mixed. The next morning he did the same thing. I gave him wheat cerelac with a little bit of sugar, he ate two spoons of cerelac and I also gave him two glucose biscuits mixed in water, he also ate it.
Now he has not gave out yellow liquid from his mouth from past 12 hours. In morning he played a little and now he is sleeping.I want to ask you is this situation lethal to my labrador pup. And what should I give him to eat so that he should be back in his healthy state.
Hi Vivek, the best person to advice you on caring for your sick puppy, is your vet. I hope your puppy is better soon. Pippa
Hi there
We recently picked up our new lab puppy when she was old enough to leave her mum. Since she came home she has been eating great, and toileting super (she’s getting to know to go outside now). She plays alot with me as I stay with her during the day but in her routine she sleeps alot. When we went to see her at different stages as a puppy, she was always the smallest one and wasn’t really involved by the other pups. Would this affect her ability to play and sleep as she may have been ‘bullied out’ by the other pups who may have pushed her out and she hasn’t pushed her way back in. She seems quite shy for a puppy.
Thanks
hi pippa i am having a 3 month old labra female an i want to know that what amount of calcium should i give him and what other vitamins should i give her
Hi
Our black lab puppy Shadow is now 13 weeks old. He is really enjoying his walks and is already walking off the lead in the park when there are no distractions and comes easily when called . However he is refusing to walk home , when we get near the house he sits or lies down and refuses to move! If there are two of us we can play the recall game and reward him with treats but this cant be done when you are walking alone. I dont want to carry him back as he is going to get big. What can I do. Will feeding him when he gets home help?
Hi Linda, yes, you can overcome this with lots of tasty rewards, make arriving home a very happy experience. Don’t forget a small pup doesn’t need much exercise.
Pippa
My 9 month male Labrador has hair losing, and some incests on his body..what i do..
Hi Sanju, you need to take your dog to your vet.
Pippa
i have 3 7 month old Labs, i have a serious problem with training them. this is my second experience with dogs. they weren’t raised with leashes, so putting them on a leash causes them to react aggressively or like a wild beast, secondly, i dislike it when they jump all over me, when i coming home from work or church, messing up my clothes with mud. how do solve those two issues among others.
Thanks a lot Pippa your article was quite informative
Hi I’m getting a male Labrador tomorrow. He is 8 weeks old. Can you suggest an ideal weight and diet? Currently the breeder is feeding him Pedigree. Also, shall I buy one puppy or two? Thanks