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couple of thoughts -- the Cesar person described in this thread sounds dopey.

And I am sure the books recommended fit the bill. If you are interested here are a few opinions and tips I have developed:

It's important to remember why dogs can be our pets: because they are social animals that can be part of our (human) group. This means they prefer to be part of the family and keeping them segregated too much will lead to a problem dogs. Along these lines;

-remember that the dog's mother has already house broken the puppy and the puppy's first impulse is to not mess its own home / den. If you can get it outside often enough and give verbal/touch/food encouragement the chore of housebreaking will be much easier.

-socialize the pup to other dogs. If there is a dog park in the neighborhood take it there once every few weeks. At first it will hang around you, but the experience will make it less likely to be skittish around other dogs and humans it encounters when on home ground or on a lead. Also helps to burn off puppy energy.

-routine is very important. feeding and exercise. For a Lab mix swimming is a huge plus if possible. Running long distances with most breeds is just asking for expensive vet bills. Short bursts are best for Labs and most dogs.

-don't go cheap on the food. cheaper food has more filler which just means more dog crap. long term health is better too, avoidance of vet bills offsets food costs. Nyla bones or any kind of plastic chew toys are a nightmare waiting to happen. My dogs get one pig's ear a day. Good for teeth, for chewing, for establishing a routine. You might need to find something else for the first few months for a puppy. Dogs should be skinny, you need to be able to tell where their rib cage ends. This also lowers doctors bills and greatly extends life expectancy.

-keep a dog bed near where you are sleeping. use a t-shirt or something with your stink on it as part of the bed. otherwise you will have an extra 60 pounds in your bed.

-keep the dog's food dish clean. Dogs do have a remarkable ability to eat anything. But eventually all that saliva and food leads to bacteria, which will lead to puking. Human doesn't understand why dog is puking, downward spiral between dog and human. I prefer ceramic type bowls and just run them through the dishwasher every couple of days. same with the water dish. Same is also true for any measuring device or container that come in contact with the dog's food. It sounds basic, but lots of people don't think about it.

-a standard collar isn't the best thing to hook a lead to. It doesn't control the dog in a positive way and can also lead to damage over the long term. For bigger dogs I prefer the pincher type of collar as a training device. The metal choker is best left to pros.

-happily Lab mixes really don't need much grooming. One area where house dogs need some assistance is their nails. It's one of the few areas they feel any discomfort. House dogs don't have the opportunity to wear them down, so if you hear lots of clicking as the dog walks the nails are probably too long. The problem is that clipping the nails and cutting to the quick will cause anxiety and pain, too. So if necessary have them groomed or find a way to keep them worn down without clipping.

-keep some styptic powder available. When dogs are territorial they go for each others ears, bleeding ensues. Styptic powder is very useful.

gotta run, I'll add some other hints and actual training advice later. Personally I believe that training, as opposed to general behavior, does vary by breed. Labs are easy to train as you can work their natural instincts to hunt with men to your advantage.