Hi - I'm not going to give you horror stories but some ideas that may help.
 
Most of these things everyone should do with every puppy they bring home
regardless of whether or not they have other animals.
 
It is never to early to start "training" a puppy.  You should check with
your vet on age and shot series and at the same time call around to dog
training clubs etc.  and get enrolled in puppy classes.  Check out
several - they are not all created equal - look for one that is clean,
well controlled with a high number of instructors per puppy ratio and most
importantly - uses positive rewards for training motivation.  J&P (jerk
and pull) is going out of style as positive rewards creates a better bond
and gets results.  They will want to know where your puppy is in its
vaccination series.
 
OK - the biggest problems with puppies is in terms of danger to the ferrets
is (1) lack of body coordination and (2) Mouthiness.  This is why I
actually prefer people with an existing ferret household get an adult dog
but hey lets work with what you've got.
 
You might want to invest in a couple of books - or check out some websites
- there are lots but you'll have to search and sift - try obediance
training dog for search.
 
Mouthiness.  Teach a good "leave it" command.  Take a tiny tiny bit of hot
dog or something really yummy/smelly (tiny bits for a puppy) hold it in
your closed fist and present to the dog saying Leave it.  The puppy will
try to lick and mouth your hand.  At some point she will stop and look and
just look at your hand when she's not getting the treat.  IMMEDIATELY give
the puppy the treat with lots of praise.  Actually you back this up - as
soon as she looks like she is THINKING about stopping mouthing because
she's puzzled get ready because at first she'll only stop for a millisecond
before she tries mouthing again.  You have to be good at reading your dog.
The number one hardest thing in dog training is TIMING.  Especially with
puppies who's mind is flitting all over the place at warp speed.  They need
to associate what they did with the reward.  By the time they've actually
done something their mind is already moving on to the next thing they are
going to do.
 
The second biggest thing is of course consistency (just like with kids
and everything else but with dogs lack of consistency is really really
confusing).  Keep your training sessions short - no longer than 5 minutes
for a puppy but several times throughout the day.
 
Body coordination - a tough one.  Mostly I think I'd make sure the puppy
gets plenty of play time outside with you that includes both mental and
physical stimulation.  The combination is really important - dogs like
having something to do that pleases you and it really helps create a
stronger bond.  Combine games and romping with training.  A well exercised
puppy is more likely to be able to think because its mind is not all wacked
out from lack of exercise.  Dogs really really need exercise to be mentally
health as well as physically fit.  It is also less likely to be bouncing
off walls inside and inadvertantly injure a ferret.  You really need to
commit to this as the dog hits 3 or 4 months especially.  I'm not saying
over do it, at 8 weeks they still need to sleep a lot but get ready!:)
There are a few other things to help the puppy know where its feet are.
 
These exercises are used in competitive agility and obediance training.
If you have an old ladder you can put it down flat in your yard and walk
the puppy through it.  The puppy won't like stepping on the rungs and will
learn where its placing its feet.  Simple, effective and important.  A
variation of this is to take 4" lengths of 1/2" PVC pipe (cheap at a
Builders Square or Lowe's and easily cut with a hack saw) and put these in
the grass at varying intervals and slants - walk the puppy through these.
Again the PVC rolls and they don't like stepping on it.  As you progress
you can trot the dog through them and make changes to the intervals.  When
the puppy starts not stepping on the rungs - praise and treat!  Watching
out where its feet are is a GOOD THING!
 
Last is just the importance of a well trained dog that wants to please goes
a long way in general ferret/dog interaction.  Whatever the situation that
crops up - if your dog is well trained and eager to please and you tell it
no to some situation with the ferrets - your ferrets and dog will have
happier healthier longer lives together.  Keep training fun and upbeat and
do a little every day - you'll both enjoy it.
 
Last point - this is where I get a little ugly.  I do hope you are buying
your puppy from a responsible breeder.  A responsible breeder is a someone
who knows their breed standard and breeds to better that particular breed
of dog.  I.e. they show and know their dog has something to offer the breed
gene pool.  They also do health checks before breeding.  I.e.  have hip
checks, eye checks and anything else that may currently be an ongoing
problem in that particular breed.  I'm not a lab person but I know that at
least OFA for hips would be a minimum.  They should be members of the
National Lab Club (whatever its name actually is).  20 million dogs and
cats get put down each year at shelters.  Approximately 1/3 are purebred
dogs.  No one should be breeding unless they seriously know what they're
doing and have a good reason to breed a particular litter.  End of speech.
 
One last thing - if as I hope you are buying from a responsible breeder
you should know whether you've got a dog bred for Field or Bench (this is
touchy in the dog world so be careful if asking).  Field bred dogs have a
tendency to be way higher on the energy scale.  Many Bench or conformation
show breeders also field trial but their dogs may be more suitable for pets
in terms of energy level.  Unless you have lots and lots of time to do long
hikes and somewhere to off lead romps everyday I wouldn't recommend a dog
bred for Field.
 
Good luck,
Mary, Booker and the fuzzbutts too
P.S.  There are several Lab lists - go to Lab web sites and looks for
links.
[Posted in FML issue 2679]