BREED GUIDE
YOUR LABRADOR PUPPY
Labradors are a family favourite with a gundog's brain, bred to work all day retrieving for hunters, and they're not always the easy family dog the books promise. They're people dogs with a busy mouth and a stomach that rules their heads, so food, chewing and greetings are the big ones to plan for early.
WHAT I'D START IN THE FIRST WEEKS
FOOD
USE THEIR LOVE OF FOOD
A Lab will work for food all day, which makes training easy if you plan for it. Weigh out the day's food, use some of it for training, and keep the bin and the worktop out of reach from the start.
THE MOUTH
SOMETHING TO CARRY
That retriever mouth needs something to do. Have chews and toys ready, teach a swap early, and when your puppy picks up a sock, swap it for a treat rather than chasing them round the kitchen.
HELLOS
FOUR PAWS ON THE FLOOR
Big, bouncy hellos are cute at ten weeks and not at thirty kilos. Give fuss only for four paws on the floor, drop treats on the floor, and get everyone in the house doing the same thing.
