Bonding must precede the first puppy retrieve.

To succeed in awakening your puppy's "natural retrieving instinct," you must first realize that your puppy has no "natural retrieving instinct"! Don't fret; neither does anyone else's puppy. No puppy has ever had or ever will have an instinct to provide this unselfish service to mankind. Happily, however, well-bred retriever puppies do have another totally self-serving instinct, which trainers sublimate into what we euphemistically call "natural retrieving."

In the wild, carnivores instinctively consume their kills in one of two ways. The larger beasts, like lions and bears, "dine in," that is, they chow down right where the prey animal falls. Smaller animals, like canines, "carry out," that is, they tote fallen prey back to their lairs, where they can eat it safely.

Of course, domesticated dogs don't need this carrying-to-the-lair instinct, because their owners feed them regularly. Consequently, the people who developed most non-sporting breeds didn't concern themselves with preserving this instinct. However, those brilliant and benevolent souls who developed our retriever breeds cultivated it and transformed it into a "simulated retrieving instinct."

Clearly, to effect this transformation in your puppy, you must understand precisely what you're dealing with, namely, an instinct to carry prey to the lair, not an instinct to retrieve to a person. To induce your puppy to bring his "prey" to you, you must lay the proper groundwork, and then follow the proper procedure. Even if your puppy has been retrieving to the breeder, play it safe and start from scratch when you bring him home.

Groundwork
Don't try to get him to retrieve right away. Give him time to become familiar with his new surroundings, to bond with you and to establish his lair on your premises. For bonding, you should spend copious daily time with him. Play with him; teach him his name; teach him to wear a strap collar with a lead attached; take him for walks and rides in the car; in short, become his best buddy.

Being a pack animal, your puppy needs to understand his place in the pecking order. Simply put: If you don't become his pack leader, he'll become yours! The canine mind can't understand equality. To become the pack leader, you needn't be harsh with your puppy, just firm, fair and consistent.

You must establish behavioral boundaries for him, like not jumping up on you, not chewing your hands or pant cuffs, not getting on your bed and so forth. Then, you must enforce those boundaries consistently and with whatever level of gentleness or severity your puppy's individual temperament requires. "No" must always mean "No," and never anything less than "No."

While adjusting to his new home environment, your puppy will establish a lair, a place of retreat, peace and quiet. If he lives outdoors, it'll be his doghouse. If he lives indoors, it'll normally be where he sleeps. He'll carry his treasures and ill-gotten gains to his lair.