^ I thought we were past this....

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"Companion dog usually describes a dog that does not work, providing only companionship as a pet, rather than usefulness by doing specific tasks. Many of the toy dog breeds are used only for the pleasure of their company, not as workers. Any dog can be a companion dog, and many working types such as retrievers are enjoyed primarily for their friendly nature as a family pet, as are mixed breed dogs. The American Kennel Club also offers a Companion dog title for judged dog obedience competitions." Wiki

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OP congratulations on your new companion and many years of happy life. Note you mentioned crates- excellent step in having a good buddy. HINT- we bought a crate size for or dog as an adult and following advice from some website we placed a movable partition inside. As the pup grew the partition expanded until she met the size specified by the crate mfg.

Little extra work but she entered a "Puppy Kindergarden" training class as soon as she could get in- avoided some of the frustrations.

Bibendum 86 said:

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Here's the result. I have bought my wife a purebred Labrador puppy who will join our home in six weeks at at the ripe age of eight weeks. We are now well advised as to how to train a puppy for basic skills -- don't poop in the house, don't gnaw on the piano, sleep in your crate and be wary of our geriatric rescue cats, because they will try and intimidate you with their poofy paws and loud hisses. There are a half dozen local kennels that can polish her manners for odd days after she's six months old.
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Bibendum: five years later, how has your lab's personality turned out compared to what you expected? We are now in the market for a family lab like you've described and would like a breeder rec.