A litter of two-week-old Labrador Retriever puppies learn how to walk and use their voices. At Training Canines, the puppy training process begins at 10 days of age. As soon as the pups are able to hear (ears open at 21 days), they begin working on motor skills and object recognition. Puppies are like sponges, absorbing information at a staggering rate, between day 1 and week 16.