Teaching Recall To Golden Retrievers
Golden Retrievers are renowned for being exuberant, confident, and very playful.
Ensuring a consistent recall is very important before letting the loose on the world!
Retrievers will happily approach new dogs and people, however this may get them into trouble as not everyone wants a hairy dog saying hello!
To start training recall it is a good idea to have a long line attached to their harness. If they decide something is more interesting than your recall cue then they cant run off!
We want to avoid them ignoring their recall cue wherever possible .
As this retriever was bred to cover a lot of distance, it is a good idea to train them to return to you with a whistle . A whistle will travel much further than your voice.
You can use a whistle to start training recall:
After a few weeks of indoor whistle use, your puppy will have learned the whistle can occur anywhere.
At this point, you can start increasing how distracting the environment is when you blow the whistle. The yard is a good next step as it is usually associated with free play time!
Add Distractions While Puppys In Crate
Now puppy can remain calmly in the crate with the door closed, you need to start adding distractions.
No puppy likes being confined when theres a commotion going on that they should be involved in, so you need to train them to be calm when distracted.
- As always, start slowly and build up the difficulty.
- Perhaps start with reading and rustling a newspaper whilst theyre in the crate.
- Move up to sorting out your DVD collection.
- Eat a meal and watch TV with them crated.
- Vacuum the carpets.
- Play catch with a friend.
Start with small distractions and build up to more noise and more motion slowly.
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:
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Potty Training A Golden Retriever Vs Other Dog Breeds
Golden Retrievers are smart cookies.
If theres one thing that animal behaviorists like to do above all else, its to evaluate just how smart different breeds of dog are .
Guess which breed regularly comes out as one of the cleverest dogs around? You guessed it everyones favorite family pet, the Golden Retriever.
Its not just their planet-sized brains that make them such star students. While most dogs like to please, Golden Retrievers take things even further.
They practically live for a kind word and a pat on the head from their owner: if doing A instead of B gets them a good word, you can bet theyll keep right on doing it.
And then, of course, theres their voracious appetites. If theres one thing that Golden Retrievers love almost as much as making their owners happy, its filling their bellies.
When youre desperate for a way to motivate them during training, whip out a tasty little treat, and youll soon have them eating out of the palm of your hand.
So, all good, right? Theyre smart, theyre eager to please, and theyre willing to do anything for a snack all of which spells good things for potty training.
But heres the rub. While a Golden Retriever has all the qualities youd expect from a star student, theyve got plenty of others that will push your patience to breaking point.
Until then, prepare for a wild ride. Mischievous, playful, and easily distracted, Golden Retriever pups are anything but easy.
Lastly, youve not alone. ..
Introducing A Crate To Your Dog
Youll need to first familiarize your pet with the crate so that your furry buddy does not hesitate to use it in the future. Keep the crate in a room where you and your family spend most of your time. For this purpose, the kitchen or the living room makes for a great place to hang out and chill with your loved ones.
Next, put a dog-friendly blanket inside the crate and encourage your dog to sit on this blanket. All this while, make sure that you talk to your pet in a nice, friendly tone. Dont be too pushy or angry if your golden retriever doesnt listen to you right away. Give it some time it will come around eventually.
A good way to ensure that your dog enters the crate is to place food treats inside it. If your pup refuses to go inside the crate, dont force him in. Instead, let him sniff around it and get familiar with it. Keep tossing the treats around until your dog finally enters the crate. If treats arent doing the trick, you can also toss your pets toy in the crate. Keep in mind that this step can take time, so you need to be patient.
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Crate Training Is The Best Puppy Potty Training Method
Potty training a puppy is one of the biggest concerns for new puppy owners. Golden Retrievers are bright, easily trained dogs and learn to use the outdoors for bathroom needs very quickly. Crate training is the fastest, most efficient way to housebreak a Golden Retriever puppy.
Puppies, by nature, will not defecate or urinate in their sleeping area. While there is a very rare pup that will defy this rule, nearly every dog will refrain from soiling their bedding area. Crate training is a tool to achieve a potty trained puppy and is based on the dog’s instinctive need to keep their bed area clean.
An appropriately sized crate serves as the puppy’s bed, and the dog is placed in the crate when the rest of the family cannot supervise it. The puppy will not soil the crate as long as certain rules are followed . When the puppy is taken outside after each period in the crate, he will go to the bathroom in the appropriate location. After a short period of time, the dog learns that the house is not a bathroom and that the backyard is the appropriate location to do his business!
Puppies should be placed in their crates at night for the first year: after that period of time, accidents are extremely unlikely. Most dogs will potty train in a very short period of time and become reliably housebroken after a month of crate training.
Other Benefits Of Crate Training Dogs
There are many benefits for crate training a young Golden Retriever puppy. Using a crate will cut puppy potty training time in half. In addition, using a crate when the dog is not immediately supervised will prevent the puppy from eating or chewing on anything dangerous.
Valuable household furniture and children’s toys will be spared from the dog’s incessant need to chew! The dog will learn which toys are “his” faster because he will associate them with his crate. Crates can also be used in the car, keeping the dog safe during road trips. Driving is much safer when a curious puppy is kept from jumping on the driver’s lap!
This article is accurate and true to the best of the authors knowledge. It is not meant to substitute for diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, prescription, or formal and individualized advice from a veterinary medical professional. Animals exhibiting signs and symptoms of distress should be seen by a veterinarian immediately.
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Get Them To Love The Crate
This step is the fun step.
To get your puppy to love the crate, theyll need to associate it with things like food, games, and toys.
Here are some tips:
- Feed meals in the crate
- Play games with and in the crate
- Give them toys in the crate
As youre getting your puppy to go in and out of the crate, make sure to give them a consistent cue like, crate that lets them know to go in there.
Check out the video below for a fun crate training game to help your puppy learn to love their crate.
The Best Age To Start Potty Training
You can start potty training your pup as soon as you get them home at 8 weeks. Even though they can be a little manic at this age, there are numerous benefits to starting training early.
For a start, their habits wont be hard-wired, so you wont have to waste time untraining them.
Secondly, their brains are like sponges at this age, ready and willing to soak up any piece of information you give them.
But while early training can help minimize any messy accidents around the house, there are a few things to bear in mind
Until your pup has received its full set of vaccinations, youll need to avoid any public places frequented by other dogs or wildlife.
Youll also need to remember that your pup is exactly that a pup. And that has consequences on just how long you can expect them to hold their bladders.
At 8 weeks, most pups will struggle to get past two hours without needing a bathroom break.
At 12 weeks, that increases to around three hours. By the time theyre 16 weeks old, theyll usually be able to hold it for 4 hours.
These guidelines arent going to apply to all puppies some might show amazing bladder control at just a couple of months old others will struggle to exercise control until theyre at least 6 months old.
But regardless of their age and regardless of how old they are when you start training them, accidents are par for the course.
Obviously, the more times you can catch one before it happens, the better just dont get discouraged if you miss a few.
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What Should I Do During The Night When I Am Training My Golden Retriever Puppy To Go Potty
What you should do at night when you are potty training your Golden Retriever puppy to put them in a crate or section off an area using a play yard or something else.
Do expect that you will be waking up periodically throughout the night to take them out to the bathroom and expect accidents. Nighttime potty training is the last step they succeed at, just like with human babies. Going to the bathroom every half hour or hour will not work for a pet parent or puppy unless no one wants to sleep.
Dont be surprised or upset by accidents because there will be many, most at night, some during the day. It is all a part of the normal process of potty training a Golden Retriever puppy.
Use The Crate To Give Your Dog His Meals
Once your dog is familiar with the crate, start feeding him his everyday meals in the crate. First, begin by placing his meals somewhere in the far corner of the crate. If your pet is hesitant to approach his food at this far corner, keep the meal near the door or somewhere nearby so that he can easily go inside without being worried or scared.
Once your puppy is comfortable enough to go inside the crate and eat his food in there, practice closing the door behind him. Every time your dog enters the crate, close the door as he gets busy with his meal. Just as he finishes the food, open the door right away. Whenever you feed him next, keep the door locked for a few extra minutes. Continue doing so until your pet learns to stay in the pen for at least 10 minutes.
If your golden retriever starts to moan or cry when hes in the crate, its likely that you have increased his time duration inside the crate too quickly for his liking. If this has happened, then reduce your pups time in the crate. Start over and gradually increase the time that your pup spends in the crate. If your pet does the same again , do not open the door for it. If you do so, your pup will think that whining is the only way to escape the crate, and so he will always cry when hes in the crate.
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Loud And Incessant Barking
We do not recommend using bark collars. A dog barks for specific reasons that come naturally for a canine. It is unfair to punish them for an instinct to protect, defend, or inform.
A better way to combat loud, incessant barking, is to be a bit like a detective and track what/when/why your dog barks. Does your dog only bark when the neighbor dog approaches your property line? If so, your dog is likely frightened or feeling defensive. Before you can tackle a change in behavior, you must first understand why the behavior is occurring.
How To Potty Train A Golden Retriever Puppy
Potty training a Golden Retriever puppy has certain advantages over training other breeds and certain disadvantages.
Yes, theyre bright, and yes, theyre eager to please. But unless you can get them to focus on you rather than whatever else is happening around them, youre going to experience challenges
. But not impossible ones.
To get your potty training experience off to a flying start, take some time out to watch this Potty Training Made Easy Course.
If youve ever wondered what the ideal potty training journey looks like, this is where youll get to see it in action and learn exactly how to emulate it.
Once youve finished watching the video, complement what youve learned with some of these tried and tested strategies.
Create a Routine
You cant necessarily set your watch by your pups bladder, but you can get a pretty accurate idea of the time.
Essentially, puppies are creatures of habit and will always need a bathroom break after theyve had a drink, eaten a meal, played, or had a nap.
If you want to make life a little easier on yourself , it pays to get into a set routine.
Obviously, you cant account for everything. But if you can create a schedule based around their regular activities and then time their bathroom breaks accordingly, youll catch more accidents than you miss.
Set aside specific times for naps, food, and play, then be sure to pay a visit to the yard after each activity.
Consider Crate Training
Practice Positive Reinforcement
Patience is Key
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Reward Your Golden Retriever For Good Behavior
Its very simple. Reward behavior that you want your dog to learn. For example, if your Golden Retriever poops outside or in the designated potty spot, praise him/her and offer a reward . On the other hand, dont reward for behavior that is not satisfactoryfor example, wetting the carpet. The key is to remain consistent.
This video explains more about good behavior reward training.
Recall How To Teach Our Golden Retriever Puppy To Come Back When Called
Your puppy already knows their name at this point, so this should be a walk in the park. But if it isnt, remember that its alright.
Safety first should always be words you live by when youre doing anything with your puppy but in this case, you should keep them in mind even more.
How to do it
TIPS
- You dont need to reach out or grab your puppy when they come to you just yet youre just teaching your puppy to hang out near you where all the good stuff happens like treats dropping on the floor.
- Do these exercises before meal times so your puppy is more motivated.
- Practice this 5 times a day and in 3 different places in your house and garden to get them used to coming to you in all settings.
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Times And Ways That You Should Not Use A Crate
There are a small number of dogs that suffer true anxiety and panic when placed in a crate. Under no circumstances should these dogs be cratedever!
The signs you need to look out for are:
- Any damage to the crate that show signs of attempting to escape.
- Wetness or damp either on their body or the floor of the crate thats caused by excessive salivation.
- Urinating or defecating in the crate.
- Damage to any items outside of the crate your dogs been able to reach while inside.
- The crate has moved at all while your dog is inside
These symptoms are usually a sign of an issue known as separation anxiety, and a training class might help improve their behavior.
For a discussion of this, its symptoms and what to do if you suspect your dog suffers from it, please see the following article: From The ASPCA
You also shouldnt crate at the following times or for the following reasons:
- Never for longer than your dog can hold their bladder.
- Never if your dog has sickness or diarrhea.
- Never when the weather is extremely hot.
- Never for any time longer than 5 hours.
- Not any time your vet prohibits it for medical reasons.
- Never as a way to punish your dog or for punishment. Use obedience training to correct bad behavior instead.
- Never just to get them out of the way or because you cant be bothered to deal with them.
- Not if theyve been crated too often, missing out on crucial exercise, companionship and life in general.