The first few nights that your puppy is away from his litter mates can be really
hard for him if you don’t follow these easy steps:

Never let him out of your site unless you put him in his crate.
Your puppy will usually want to go potty after going for a walk, after eating,
drinking and playing so watch him closely.
You have to see him make a mistake in order to correct the behavior, so be ready
for him to potty on the floor. Take him out to give him the opportunity to potty
every two to three hours.  If you see him whine and walk in circles or walk backwards
or walk to the door, he needs to go potty. Don’t scold him when he goes potty, just say in
a very loud voice “NO POTTY IN THE HOUSE” “NO” and then carry him outside to go potty or finish going potty. He may be too scared to at this point but wait as long as you can and give him time, talk to him nicely while outside, praise him “good outside potty” then both of you go back in and clean the floor. Repeat every time he has an accident.
Do not let your puppy have any food or water after 5 pm. Your puppy will not
want to pee in his crate unless it is too big, so block off most of the area with a
piece of wood or get one that has dividers or use a kitten crate in the
beginning. He will have an accident or two, but should be fine in a few days.
In the crate put the blanket that has the litter or mother’s scent on it, an old towel and that’s it. No food, water or chewy treats, he may have a quiet toy at night and a squeaky toy
during the day.
At night time, the best way to train your puppy is to use the small kitten crate and
put it on top of his new big crate so that as you lay in your bed, you should be
able to reach your hand out, touch the metal door and reassure him that
you are right there and he is not alone. One good trick is if on the first day or two you are
having trouble with him crying in his crate; start to leave the house for different
time intervals as to confuse him to how long you will be away. Leave and go
grocery shopping; soon he will be used to his little space and actually enjoy the
space. As soon as you get home you will need to wait each time a little longer
before you open it up, but then you need to pick him up and carry him outside to
go potty where you want him to go. If you leave him outside on his own for a
while, make sure there are no ledges that he could fall off or any other hazards.
The dog crate is a good place for your puppy to rest and sleep. A wire mesh or
fiberglass crate helps your family by keeping your puppy confined and safe while
the family is busy or when the puppy is left alone. Your puppy needs to feel he is
part of the family pack so you need be able to move the crate from room to room
if possible in the beginning; using the kitten crate always keep it up high so he can
make easy eye contact and he can see you making dinner or whatever.
Crates also provide a haven for the puppy when it is tired or wants the security of being
out from underfoot.

Safety Begins at Home

It is said that most accidents occur in the home. That is true for pets as well. With their innate curiosity, desire to test everything for edibility and super sense of smell, dogs fall prey to household accidents every day. They snarl up snail bait, gnaw on electrical cords, get caught in drapery cords, drink out of the toilet, and eat socks, dishtowels and underwear; the list goes on.
Puppy proof your home before you bring him home, but it is never too late to start. Try getting down on your knees and see what your dog would see from down there, a dog’s eye view.
Place trash up high or behind a latched cabinet. Put child locks on cabinets containing food, medicines and toxic cleansers or poisons. You can find unpalatable sprays at your local pet store to spray on legs of dining room chairs etc. Put up baby gates to block access to rooms you do not want them to enter. Place magazines, books, your child’s homework, and treasured breakables out of reach.

When you are not able to supervise your puppy, she needs to be in her crate. You may also put her on a leash and walk around the house doing your chores. Don’t lock your pup away in a room where she cannot see you, unless you are leaving the house on errands; your pup needs to know that she is a member of your new family “Pack” she is a “pack” animal, she needs to be a pack member.

Other Hazardous Items

What else might your dog get into? Think about it, batteries, candy; chocolate is poisonous to dogs, cat litter boxes, tobacco products ( including nicotine gum and patches), cleaning supplies, coins, dental floss, diaper pails, dirty laundry, jewelry, medicine bottles, mothballs, paper clips, pens and pen caps, water bottle caps, rodent poison, rubber bands, sewing kits, staples, thumbtacks, toilet bowl cleaners; the leave in the bowl type are poisonous if in jested (blue stuff), toys; legos, trash containers, yarn, string, and ribbon. Be careful of what you clean your floors with, if the puppy then walks on the wet floor and then licks her paws she may become ill.

Hazardous foods

Below is a list of food that dogs should not eat.  Never assume that because something is okay for us to eat or drink, it must be okay for your dog as well.
Alcoholic beverages            Macadamia nuts        
Avocado                              Moldy or spoiled foods                      FEED YOUR DOG a good
Coffee                                  Onions and onion powder              dry high quality puppy kibble 

grapes                                  Fatty foods                          

raisins                                  Sal, Tea and yeast dough

General Care
Always supervise children when playing with the puppy; this is a newborn and should be treated as such Keep the puppy away from stairs, tops of tables and any other place where he may fall; the couch and the bed! Injuries from these accidents may not seem serious now, but may induce hip dysplasia later in life.
If the puppy will be living outside, make sure other animals, such as coyotes, cannot enter the property. Crating your pup outside is a great way to keep him safe when you cannot watch him, inside or outside the home. Our dogs love their crates as a wolf would a cave.
Keep your puppy in a controlled environment such as your house and backyard until he is at least 4 months old; at least until his full set of puppy vaccinations have been given.
Contact with other HEALTHY dogs is very important for socialization but you must be sure they are healthy and up to date on their vaccines.  While your puppy is up to date on his vaccines, they are only 90% effective. Parvovirus can live in dirt up to 7 years, so know the area you are allowing your puppy to play at. Diseases and viruses  can be caught by your pup from other’s feces.
Allow your puppy to run.  It has been suggested by the OFA that some forms of dysphasic hips are caused from lack of exercise.  On the other hand, do not start a distance running program for your new puppy until he is at least 6 months of age and only moderately as he or she is still developing.  Too much running may cause joint problems in a developing pup; also do not allow him to jump in and out of the back of a truck or SUV until he is at least over 6 months old.
Your puppy will chew.  Go around your home and check for poisons and objects which when chewed may break off into choking size pieces; i.e. plastic water bottle caps etc… purchase a variety of toys and bones (compressed hide bones) and introduce alternately.

 COMMON POISONS AND CONTAMINANTS

 If ingested:
Raisins and grapes, Dryer sheets, Alcohol – beer, wine etc. Squirrel or golfer poison
, Slug and snail bait
, Strychnine rat poison
, Illegal and RX drugs
, Aspirin and other painkillers
, Sedatives and antidepressants
, Warfarin rat poison
, Lead (batteries, etc.)
 Antifreeze
, Acid
, Dishwasher Granules
, Paint remover or thinner
, Kerosene or gasoline, 
Drain, toilet or oven cleaner
, Chlorine bleach
, Laundry detergents
, Wood preservatives
, Polishes.

 If in contact with the coat:
Paint
, Tar
, Petroleum products
, Motor oil

 Labrador Retrievers, especially when young, are inveterate chewers.  Keep all household, garden and swimming pool chemicals stored safely out of reach.  Never give your dog empty containers as a toy or it will regard all similar objects as play items – with potentially tragic results.