No, you can't expect him to go out in the backyard by himself and play. I have three, and if I step inside while they are outside, they all stand at the back door and stare at me until I come back out. About the best you can get for him entertaining himself is chewing on a bone, or maybe playing with a Kong or interactive toy, but that is probably not going to last too long. Labs want to interact with their people or with other dogs, they won't really just play by themselves.