If you intend for your labrador puppy to be all or part house dog, I highly recommend crate training. This is a simple procedure when started as a puppy. You simply keep your puppy in a crate or kennel whenever he is inside the house and not being played with, trained or otherwise paid attention to. The crate becomes his bed, his home, his safe place. This can be very useful if he is inside while you are gone for a period of hours. No chewed up table legs, holes dug in carpet or garbage pails, wastebaskets or toiletpaper rolls flung about the residence! It is also very helpful if you intend to travel with your lab. The crate goes in the van, puppy goes in crate, and because it is his home, he is happy. And when you get to Grandma's house and Grandma wishes to keep the items on her coffee table from being swatted about the room by a wagging tail, he has his safe place to keep him out of trouble!

You are going to need a LARGE crate for your lab to be comfortable. For females, a crate about 40" deep, 30" high and 27" wide will be about right. For males, a crate about 48" deep, 35" high and 32" wide is about right. I know most of the literature suggests smaller sizes for labs, but I tend to breed larger dogs, and these sizes are about right.

There are many styles of crates and kennels. Most will work just fine, but I personally prefer the Vari-Kennel. This crate is a solid crate with ventilation grates that will feel more like a "den" to your dog, and may result in a more secure feeling.

The totally open wire crates don't give your dog a feeling of cozy home. In nature, canines will actually dig a cave for a den, and I think the solid wall crates are most likely to give your puppy the secure "den" feeling. Most of them are acceptable to the airlines if you must fly with your lab. Most of the big box pet stores will carry these sizes or can order them for you. If you prefer the convenience of ordering and delivery, the Petco.com site has these crates here.