Golden Retriever Puppy Training

When we have a dog and do not train it, we are wasting all its natural learning potential. Some breeds are smarter and learn faster than others. However, they all need proper training to make their best version shine and make life at home enjoyable and trouble-free.

The golden retriever is an extremely docile, intelligent dog with an enviable character. It is an ideal breed if we have children at home because they are very peaceful, playful, and not aggressive, which makes them a very reliable pet.

As we mentioned before, even though they are highly intelligent, they need to be trained to establish proper behavior. However, it will not be a difficult task since they learn quickly.

If you plan to bring a golden retriever puppy home or if you already have one but don’t know how to train it, you are in the right place. Below we will explain several tips that will be very useful to make the whole training process easier and practical.

Golden Retriever Puppy Training

According to several dog training experts, a better training result can be achieved when starting at an early age, but this is not necessarily a limitation. In fact, excellent results can also be achieved when the dog is between six months and six years of age, but in these cases, we must be even more patient because the learning pace is a little slower.

A vital and fundamental factor is patience. Unfortunately, many people fail and desist from training their furry friends because they don’t see immediate results or in a short time and decide not to try anymore and the reality is that it is a process that requires patience and perseverance. Therefore, as experts recommend, it is better to start educating them when they are puppies.

For example, if we begin to train a golden retriever puppy between two and five months of age, we will be taking advantage of its maximum learning capacity. Besides, the pet itself will seek to continue learning new things.

When they are puppies they still do not produce certain hormones, and this helps the dog learn faster. This is because the deficit of hormones makes the puppy direct and focus all its attention on you, which will facilitate the training even if there are other people or other pets around.

Usually, golden retriever puppies will follow you wherever you move, and as their leader, they will take you as a reference. The puppy will behave and react as you do, both with other people and with other pets, so if we greet a friend happily, the dog will also do so, as well as if we are going to approach an animal, and we are nervous, our furry friend will also be nervous.

Awards, Rewards and Praise

You must have several prizes for your dog and give them to him once he listens to your orders. In this way, you will feel rewarded for the effort you are making and you will understand that you have done what your owner has asked you, and for that reason, you will be happy.

However, this type of food reward should be carried out only on special occasions and that what you give him to eat is something new for his palate. At the same time that you give him his reward, you must flatter him and show him affection.

Basic Commands

To start training him, you must know the commands you can teach your golden retriever, be it a puppy or an adult. These are six of the easiest commands to teach:

• Call him to you

An easy way to start teaching your Golden Retriever is to go to the place where you are. For him to come to you, the ideal thing is for you to stand some distance away and have a prize ready in your hand, then you should give yourself a couple of pats on your thighs leaning forward and looking at him, right then you should tell him “Come!” and the name of your dog. Your puppy will come to you to look for its prize and this way it will be able to understand the command “Come” every time you indicate it. It is very important to reward him every time he obeys you, by being constant with this, he will learn faster.

• Sit down

For this command to be carried out, your pet needs to be moved around a bit so that it can understand it. You must select a prize and carry it at shoulder height, then move your dog’s back down slightly until he can sit up. Once he is seated, congratulate him and give him his prize. Then repeat this action adding the command “Sit” while you feel it.

• Lie down

After getting your puppy to sit down, you can get him to lie down too. Once he is sitting up front, grab the reward with your hand and lower it to the floor. Your pet will start bending down to reach the reward, so place him on the floor and congratulate him as he eats it. Then repeat all these steps but now add the command aloud “Lie down” while you do it. You should repeat this exercise as many times as your furry friend needs it but be careful because you may tire him, and you must know when to stop.

• Follow

You should put him the leash on and have him go to your left side, both of you should be standing. Once you are walking have a reward in your right hand, you should make sure he sees it. Then tell him “Follow” or “Follow me” out loud, as many times as you need him to listen to your command. After he obeys, stop and give him affection and his treat.

• Standstill

Another order you can execute with your Golden is to stay still, as in the previous cases you must have a lot of patience at the beginning so that he listens to you when you tell him to. This is the order that dogs need the most time to learn, you might need to tie him up at the beginning. When he is lying down or sitting down, say “Quiet” and move away from a few steps while you look at him. Count to three and go back to where he is to reward and congratulate him.

• Bed

Finally, wherever you have your bed, put prizes in it. Take him to his bed and lay him down while you say “Bed” and there he will find his prize. In the same way that with the other orders with the repetition your lovely friend will associate the command and its action with the prize.

Final Tips

• It is advisable not to exceed the training time per lesson which is 10 minutes since dogs have a limited time of attention.
• You should not scold your puppy, this way, you will not get him to do anything. Just congratulate him when he listens to you so that he wants to continue with the activities.
• If he starts spinning or smelling the floor, he needs to go to the bathroom. It is necessary to take him out to relieve himself when he wakes up, after each meal, and before going to sleep. When he finishes, give him a reward and congratulate him, do not scold him if he does it inside the house, little by little he will learn where he has to go to do his necessities.