Crate Training Golden Retriever Puppy

How Your Golden Retriever Will Benefit From The Training

The list of benefits from this particular training method is long, but Ill sum it up as succinctly as possible here. The most notable benefit is you have an opportunity to transform your goldie into that well-behaved, friendly dog everyone wishes was theirs.

Here are some of the other benefits the training is guaranteed to offer you:

• Help stop unwanted behavior and make your goldie behave well in public
• Change your retrievers mindset and make them want to make you happy as service dogs would
• Make your dog listen and respond without treats
• Help your golden retriever maintain calmness and behave well in spaces filled with distractions
• Make your dog solely rely on you at all times for directions

All the values you desire to see in your dog, from obedience and calmness to impulse control, will be easier to achieve with the help of this training.

Adult Golden Retriever Training

At about 2.5 – 3 years old, Golden Retriever dogs become adults, or as adult as they get! Things should start to settle, and if you spent the first three years socializing and training your dog, you will now enjoy a social, playful yet obedient canine. If you adopted an older Golden Retriever dog that already has some pesky habits, the following links will help you solve most o them:

Keep Others From Bothering Your Puppy

Do you have more than one dog, other pets such as cats or children in your home?

Make sure that they know to leave your dog alone when he has his crate quiet time. It is important that other dogs dont run by and try to make your puppy play through the bars or otherwise disrupt his sleeping. Your puppy will be very tempted to stop resting and try to join the play.

It needs to be clear to all members of the household that a dog in his crate is to be left alone.Put the crate in a quiet part of the house to make this easier.

Dogs often start to really appreciate the crate as a place that they know they can go to if they need some alone time. You can leave the door open if your dog is not in it, and it may well be that over time he will seek out his crate to nap or just wind down if he is over-stimulated.

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First Get Puppy Used To The Crate

Because your puppy getting scared of the crate is the worst thing that could possibly happen, the first thing you want to do is just to get your puppy used to it being there, the sight of it, perhaps even wander in and out of it of their own accord, without you doing any formal training or trying to get them inside.

Initially, have the crate set up and fix the door so it will always stay open or remove it if you can. If it shuts on your puppy, they may panic and you do not want this.

If youve followed my advice from earlier articles, your crate is set up in a busy area of the house where you spend lots of time.

So place a few treats near to, around, and just inside the crate, then bring your puppy near to it with you, place him on the floor and then just relax. Watch TV, or do the crossword. Do not make a fuss of the crate.

Let your puppy investigate it all by themselves as they go around eating the treats. They will eventually pop their head just inside to eat the treats there. When they do, pop a few more just inside for them to eat.

After a few minutes, move away with your puppy and do something else. When theyre not looking, add a few more treats close to and just inside the crate, then go back to it and let your puppy investigate.

Again, if they pop their head inside to eat the treats, toss a few more just inside.

Never force them in, just hope that they do. This isnt training yet and were not concerned if they go in or not, it would just be a bonus.

Feed Your Golden Retriever In The Crate

Once your Golden Retriever willingly goes into their crate and is comfortable with it, begin placing their meals at the back of the crate. If they are still apprehensive, placing their bowls at the entrance to the crate is fine. Their crate should always be a positive experience. Once they are used to having their meals in the crate, you can begin shutting the door behind them until they are done eating. Each time they eat, increase the time they are in the crate until they are able to stay in the enclosed crate for ten minutes comfortably.

Begin crating for longer periods of time Once your Golden Retriever is enjoying their crate while theyre eating, you can train them to enter the crate on command . Use a treat and positive reinforcement to get them to enter the crate, close the door, and leave the room for 10 minutes or so. When you come back, calmly let them out of the crate, and give them low energy, positive reinforcement. Gradually increase the time you leave the room.

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Potty Breaks In Specific Areas

Youll probably finds the job to be a whole lot easier if you can get your dog to go in the same place every time. To give you an idea of where to choose for your puppy to take potty breaks, I recommend you look for a spot that is away from doors, windows, pathways, and play areas.

It also needs to be a place thats easy to clean, get to and away from the center of a room . Just make sure that you dont forget to clean it up, as theres nothing worse than leftovers getting leftover!

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Puppy Lies In Crate For Extended Time

• Have your puppy lie in the crate and slowly increase the time they must stay laying down before you click and treat.
• Increase from 1 second to 1 minute in 5-second increments .
• After every successful down in the crate, click and treat inside the crate, then release them and allow them to come completely out of the crate before asking them back inside and down again.
• When increasing the time, make sure you mix it up with both hard and easy repetitions.
• Ask for 10 seconds, then 20, then 40, then go back to an easy 5 before asking for 15 again.
• Mix it up but with a general flow toward longer times.

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How Do You Train A Dog Thats Already Trained

The saying you cant teach an old dog new tricks’ sounds like a perfect answer to this question, but its not.

Even if your dog is old or already used to commands such as sit, down, wait, come, drop it, etc., you can still retrain them to follow new commands and break bad habits as long as the dog is able-bodied and in good health. Still, keep in mind the training may be challenging for them, since you are teaching them to stop old habits and adopt new and better ones.

Also, it is important to keep in mind that this might take a longer time, as opposed to training a dog for the first time. But the bottom line is its doable!

What Size Crate Does A Golden Retriever Need

Tom Thorpe Buying Guides

Golden Retrievers are considered a medium-sized dog breed. If ever you are wondering what size crate does a golden retriever needs, the short answer is 42 inches. but is it really what golden retrievers need? Actually, even if I gave the exact measurement, it is more complicated than you think. The is just the safest possible answer. Obviously, you will need a crate size that is appropriate to your dogs size.

That said, if you are on a hunt of finding the right crate and ideal size for your golden retriever, I have something for you to offer. This article will examine what sized crate does a golden retriever need that has an adequate size and also reviews some of the best crates for your furry friend.

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How To Potty Train An 8 Week Old Golden Retriever

Your Golden Retriever will definitely leave those little packages around the house if you dont teach him where to potty, and they are not a pleasant sight or smell!

To potty train an 8-week old Golden Retriever, create a separate area where you want your puppy to go, establish a routine, start with hourly potty breaks. Supervise your puppy at all times, learn to spot the signs, and never punish him after an accident. Give lots of reward and praise when he goes.

When housetraining your Golden Retriever, there are certain things that you shouldnt do. Watch this cool video from celebrity dog trainer Zak George on the most common house training mistakes made by dog owners:

Crate Training A Puppy Is It Cruel

It it not inherently wrong to crate a dog for his or her own safety.

However you should always watch out that the crate doesnt become an easy solution for any behavioral problem. Young dogs need exercise, training and socialization.

Having a dog in a crate 16 hours per day is definitely not ideal and should be avoided. The same goes for using the crate as a punishment.

But as long as you are smart and gentle about the training process, start with short periods and dont leave the dog in the crate for a too long amount of time, there is nothing wrong at all about using a crate.

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Convince Your Dog That The Crate Means Only Good Things

If your dog or puppy has never seen a crate and you ask them to go in, or worse try to force them, it will very likely not end well. This unfamiliar box can be scary! The ultimate goal is for them to use it voluntarily.

So the first task you have on the journey to crate training your puppy or dog is to form in their mind an association between the crate and all the things that they enjoy in life, so they see the crate as a good thing.

Achieve this and youve won half the battle. Fail at this and you could saddle yourself with a dog who hates the crate, refuses to use it and maybe even fears it which can be a very hard thing to undo.

So how do you go about achieving this?

Technique 1: Magically Appearing Toys And Treats

Set up the crate before you bring your dog home or if you have an existing pet, assemble the crate without them seeing so it just magically appears.

Heres how to do it:

Now that theyre inside, remember:

In training, dont make a fuss of the crate, dont even look at it, act like its the most normal thing in the world and nothing to worry or barely worth even thinking about.

So what should you do?

How To Crate Train A Puppy: A Step

I know: It can feel mean and sad to leave your new puppy in a crate when youre running to the store. But really, youre doing it for the greater good!

I know that, and eventually, your dog will know that, too.

Crate training is one of the most beneficial things you can do to help a puppys early development, and is just as useful for an adult dog too.

In this article you will learn exactly how to crate train a puppy or dog, no matter their age or level of previous training.

You should read the whole guide before starting, to gain a complete understanding of the process, including the tips and troubleshooting at the end so you can find the speediest success.

• 17 References And Further Information

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Why Crate Training Is Important For Your Golden Retriever

Crate training for Golden retriever puppies is very important. A crate is like a personal space for your dog. When you are not at home, your dog will rest in the crate. This is a home within a home. Sometimes dogs too want to spend time all by themselves. They can sit, relax and play with toys in their crate.

• Crates are important for behavioral learning. It helps your Golden Retriever to learn how to behave.Whenever your dog misbehaves, give him a command to go to the crate. Just like you tell your child to go to the room after he shows bad behavior. This tells the dog that you are not happy with what he has done.
• If your dog is your travel buddy too, crates are the safest way to transport your dog from one place to another. This is an ideal pet carrier for a Golden Retriever puppy that will save you from a lot of trouble.
• Crates ensure safety both for the dog and its surroundings. Your dog wont be able to touch, eat or break things around him. He will be safe in his space too. You dont need to worry about where he is and doing what?.
• Dogs are easier to handle when they are in crates. In a crate, they will be comfortable with their things and the owners scent. When your puppy is not at home, it might get stressed out. A crate helps him to control the uneasy feeling of being outside his personal space.

Back From Crate & Wait

• Have puppy lay in the crate, close and latch the door, take a step backwards and wait a time before you click, return, open the door, treat and release.
• Try to increase the time you wait from 1 sec to 1 minute in 5-second increments until your puppy consistently remains calmly laying in the crate with the door closed and you a step back for 1 minute.

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How Do I Start

Of course, the first place to start is to get a good crate. Check out our post Best Crates for a Golden Retriever.

Make sure the size of the crate is comparable to the dog. It is fine to get a larger crate if the dog will grow into it. Use a partition board to keep the crate smaller until the pup grows. Make sure the animal has enough room to lie down, turn around, and stand up comfortably.

Place the crate by the door for an easy out for restroom or in the main living area. Your pup will want to stay close to you. Our crate sits in our living room so that Rafa can go into it when he wants but can still be with us. We used to put him in bed at 10:00 pm, but he now puts himself to bed when hes ready, usually any time between 9:30 and 10:15.

Once you bring the puppy home, you should put him inside the house and allow him to start searching for the crate. Introduce him to the crate and let him explore around it. He may go in or just sniff around it at first.

Leave the door to the crate open, and the golden puppy should start to wander in and out of it. You can also put a toy or dog treat inside the crate to give your puppy extra incentive to enter. Once he goes inside. praise him and let him know that he is doing the right thing.

Begin by placing the pup in the crate for 20 minutes at a time. If he starts to whine, you should ignore it. Its hard to do, but its important.Placing a cover over top of the cage also helps as it makes the crate cozier.

Metal Heavy Duty Dog Crates

Best match: destructive doggos

For all the doggy parents dealing with destructive dogs, I sympathize with you and hereby offer you a solution! These crates are intended for the heavy chewers, diggers, and talented escape artists. Huskies, we are looking at you

Heavy duty dog crates can be expensive, and they arent the most beautiful, but they are certainly worth it if your dog has these naughty habits. By buying one that cant be destroyed, youll be saving yourself a lot of money and stress!

Some of these models are also approved for airline travel, so you dont have to worry about your dog getting up to no good while youre in the air. Plus, if she already uses this crate at home, she will be accustomed to it and more relaxed while traveling.

Pros of Heavy Duty Crates:

• Very durable can contain most destructive or escape artist-type dogs
• Some are approved for airline travel if your dog is already used to the crate that will make travel easier

Cons of Heavy Duty Crates:

• Expensive
• Not the most attractive but your dog will sure look tough in front of her friends!

> > For our pick of the best heavy-duty dog crates, please click here.

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