You may be looking for some good tips for training a Labrador puppy, if you the proud owner of one of these bundles of joy into your life. Or perhaps you already own a Labrador.  You will be doing yourself and your puppy a favour by teaching him or her the correct way to behave from the start

Do you know how to go about training your new puppy? It's a great idea to arm yourself with some information before you start, so that you get the absolute maximum benefits out of your training program, and thus fast track your results for a well behaved dog.

What sort of training program will you choose? Who will train the puppy? To train a Labrador puppy will require persistence, patience and perseverance. It doesn't happen over night, but once your new puppy has learnt the lessons you want him or her to learn, your life together will one of many happy moments.

A few tips for training your new puppy:

1. Be kind and gentle.
Your puppy is a baby, who doesn't know right from wrong. It's up to you to show him or her the correct way to behave. Smacking your pup, will only have adverse effects. It will make your puppy rebel. Positive reinforcement is the only method you should engage in. Praise your puppy when he/she does the right thing.

2. Make the lessons short.
Your puppy will have a very short attention span at first, and introducing new things to will tire him/her quickly. Make the lesson no longer than say 5 minutes, 3 or 4 times per day. This is quite enough for your pup to get the hang of the new behavior - especially when you reward him/her with a treat for doing the right thing. Do not give a treat, if you don't get the correct response.

3. Spend time with your puppy.
You and your family are your puppies new "pack". Dogs are pack animals and are not happy being left alone. If left alone Labradors can bore easily and become quite destructive. Plenty of chewing toys are a great idea for those first teeth, and as he/she gets older, lots of bones will keep your Lab amused.

As cute as Labrador puppies are they can be disobedient, unresponsive, boisterous and just generally difficult to manage if they are not taught the right ways to behave.