Training Golden Retriever Puppies
Training golden retriever puppies is a necessity from the time they arrive in your home. At the same time, golden retrievers’ puppies are bred for their need to please their human owners and for intelligence. As a result, they are easier to train than many other breeds. For any type of training, use only positive methods (praise with simple upbeat tone of voice, food rewards, toys). You can choose the method of reward based on what you discover motivates your puppy.
For house training, make sure to take your puppy out right after eating every time. Eating triggers a natural reflex to defecate, and dogs instinctively try to find a spot away from where they sleep or spend most of their time, such as a farther spot in your back yard. If you don’t have a yard, daily walks will be essential, along with responsible owner behavior (picking up the doggie poo and disposing of it properly).
Some people like to use crates for house training. Golden retrievers are natural den animals — they like small, enclosed spaces where they can feel safe. You can leave the crate open during the day and let them get used to it without feeling forced into a cage. If you need to do so, you can arrange a regular schedule so that the dog is enclosed in the crate at night and learns to wake you up to go out when it has to urinate. The puppy will try not to pee or poop right where it sleeps. As a result, crate training can help speed along learning to go outdoors in appropriate places.
Obviously having a doggie door available to your puppy will help a lot, as you can quickly teach him to go through the door with praise and a little bit of food reward held on the other side with the flap held up until he learns to push it open with his nose.
Most dog trainers feel that you need to socialize your dog to make sure he can learn to play well with others. So, expect to take him to a dog park or group dog training group in your area, once he has had the shots he needs for protection of his health and the health of the other dogs around him. Check with your vet if you need a good recommendation for a trainer.
Golden retriever puppies are mouthy, so it is important, especially around young children, to teach your puppy not to bite in play. Just as his mother would do, you have to be consistent and firm without hurting him if he crosses the line and chews on fingers or hands or starts playing too rough. Again, the way to shape the behavior you want is to pet him and praise him and reward him with food whenever he behaves the way you want and to withdraw your attention and not give food or toys right after he does something “bad”.
Remember that any puppy forgets what it did a few seconds or minutes ago, so scolding him for an accident in the house or a chewed up book that you find after the damage has already been done will only confuse him and may make him less willing to come to you when called. So, only when you catch him in the act can you scold him or replace an inappropriate object in his mouth with an appropriate doggie toy. Make sure to have enough chewable puppy toys that are safe such as Nylabones or tough soft toys so that he has ways to express his puppy energy and tension by putting the right kinds of things in his mouth.
Training golden retriever puppies does involve the puppy, but it is mostly a matter of training the owner to shape the behaviors she wants to see in her dog as he grows up.
