re: Am I expecting too much from my lab puppy?

SO much bad advice posted here.

First off, NO running the dog at this age. Way too young. Let him play at his own pace, but no structured running until fully developed which is 1yr+

Training wise... when you say "with rewards", does he know the reward is there? Are you broadcasting that? Showing the treats? That's bribing, not rewarding. Stop the bribes immediately, keep the rewards. Trust me, there's a difference. While teaching a new behavior, the reward is often given every repetition. As soon as they understand the cue, you start to use a variable reinforcement. Sit, treat...sit, down, treat. Sit, good boy (no treat.) Variable reinforcement is VERY powerful, it's why gambling is so addictive.

There is no need to completely remove the rewards however. Do you work for no paycheck? You start asking more of the dog, longer attention spans, more behaviors before a reward, but keeping that chance of reward open will keep them working with excitement and motivation.

Watch some Michael Ellis videos on youtube. He trains with food rewards, shifting to toy rewards, will introduce pressure once the dog knows what is expected. His dogs work at very high levels with enthusiasm. I've followed his strategies with my latest pup with great results. She is 7m old now, working off leash around the neighborhood and in other public places...a happy dog that likes to work.