Pros Of Crate Training
- Crate training utilizes your puppys wild genetics to not eliminate where he sleeps. Using this ingrained instinct to your favor, you dont have to reinvent the wheel.
- Crate training gives you a break. You dont have to watch your puppy when he is in the crate. So go take that bubble bath without fear of an accident!
- The crate has the added benefit of keeping your puppy from other trouble when youre unable to watch them, such as eating your houseplants.
- Crate training means no indoor messes to clean up, and no indoor potty smells to trigger repeat performances after being attracted by the scent.
When Is A Puppy Potty Trained
As I mentioned earlier, I think this is a somewhat subjective question.
Why is it a subjective question? Because we often dont know exactly when our puppy is 100% potty trained.
Her are a few questions you might ask yourself when deciding if your puppy is potty trained:
- Is she potty trained when she knows to go to the door and wait for your to let her out? What if she has an accident waiting for you to get to the door?
- Is she potty trained after she learns to ring the bells on the door to let you know she needs to go out?
- Is she potty trained if she hasnt had an accident for two weeks then all of a sudden one day she has an accident?
- Is she potty trained if she does not have accidents 80%, 90%, or 100% of the time?
The thing is youll probably start to notice your puppy understands shes supposed to go potty outside very early, probably within the first week or so.
However, her understanding shes supposed to potty outside and getting her out to her potty spot is your responsibility.
My definition of a potty trained puppy is:
- I can give my puppy freedom around the house without worrying about potty accidents.
- My puppy will go to the back door when she has to potty and wait for me to let her out.
Now this definition does not eliminate all potty accidents. The only potty accidents that happen are because I didnt get to the back door in time to let my puppy outside to her potty spot.
Getting Started With Potty
You are probably wondering by now just how long this entire process will take. While there is no definitive answer, how diligent you are in following all of the aforementioned steps will go a long way towards determining how long it will take before your golden retriever is potty-trained.
Since every puppy is slightly different, the general guideline is that it will take as little as two weeks to as many as several months before the potty-training process is complete. As you begin the process, you will want to make sure you have the following items purchased, unwrapped, and ready to use.
The key is to do everything you can to deny your golden retriever any opportunity to relieve themselves inside the house. If you can do that consistently within the first few weeks, then you will find that potty-training is a thing of the past before you know it.
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How To House Train A Golden Retriever Puppy
The first concern of every new dog owner is how to potty train their puppy.
While every puppy can be house trained, in my experience, Golden Retrievers have been especially easy to train because they are intelligent dogs that love to please.
Today Im going to share just how easy this can be if you follow a few simple guidelines laid out in this post.
Were going to go through all types of training, such as when to start, how to train and how to deal with a dog that proves to be difficult to train.
I also own a Golden retriever and before understanding a few important fundamentals, training did prove to be more difficult than it should have been. However, through research and help from others, I was quickly able to whip my dog into shape.
After reading this, youll find that training your dog will literally be a walk in the park! .
What Is The Hardest Dog To Potty Train
QUESTION: What is the hardest dog to potty train?
ANSWER: Borzoi, Chow Chow, Bulldog, Basenji, Afghan Hound.
Again our list is based on Stanley Corens blog post about smartest dog breeds.
As I mentioned earlier Im not an expert in all dog breeds and our list comes from Stanley Corens post and his list of of dog breeds on the low end of the intelligence rankings.
One thing Id like to note here is that in our experience training puppies along with what other trainers have told us, the toy and smaller breeds often take longer to potty train.
The reason Ive heard for smaller breeds taking longer to potty train is they have smaller bladders, their bladders take longer to develop, and they have a higher metabolism.
If its any consolation these small pups have small accidents. ð When our adult Lab, Stetson had an accident in the house I seriously think it was more than you could fit into a Super Big Gulp .
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Top Picks For Our Puppies
Check out more of our favorites on our New Puppy Checklist.
Cons Of Crate Training
- The main reason crate training wouldnt be beneficial is if your puppy has a background of abuse where the crate was used to confine them for long periods of time. When puppies get used to sleeping in their own filth, they lose this natural instinct to keep their crates clean.
- Crate training shouldnt be used if your dog is ill or has a medical condition that makes it impossible for them to wait to eliminate. Your dog shouldnt have to sleep on soiled bedding!
- If crate training is only used to confine your puppy for long periods of time, he may associate it with negative things such as isolation. Make sure you use the crate in positive ways so your pup associates comfort and good things, such as food, with the crate not just being left alone.
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Best Age To Begin Training
A puppy can begin potty training as soon as he or she is born.
However, puppies have relatively little bladder control up until 8 to 10 weeks of age, so your training method and schedule may be more rigorous during this time. Puppy training pads could be a great option to look at during these early stages too.
Stop Bad Behavior Early On
When you first start the training process, your precious puppy doesn’t have a good understanding of what they shouldn’t be doing. They’re going to do some stuff that you don’t like.
For example, they may start to chew on your furniture, climb on your bed, or even bite you. It’s important that you put a stop to this behavior as soon as possible.
They don’t know any better, so you have to show them.
Something as simple as saying “No!” is enough to show them that the behavior is not acceptable. You can also show them a good alternative. For example, if your dog chews on your favorite pair of shoes, take them away and put a toy in their mouth.
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Use Crates And Puppy Pads
Crating is crucial when trying to potty train a puppy and work full time. If you give your puppy full reign of the house when youre gone, they will relieve themselves wherever possible. Using a proper size crate is also essential. If the crate is too large, your puppy may think they have space to both sleep and relieve themselves. Puppy pads work great for giving dogs the option of relieving themselves in the proper spot indoors.
Related Sources How Long Does It Take To Potty Train A Golden Retriever
In general, to properly train your puppy you will need: Leash and Collar Crate Puppy Gates or Pet Barriers Puppy Training Pads or News Papers Poop Bags Pooper Scooper Treats Cleaning Products There are four methods that are commonly used to potty train a puppy, and many pet owners use a combination of these potty training methods.
Pros This is the easiest potty training method for puppies Your puppy will have a place to potty at all times and accidents will be few If you live in a cold area or on an upper level, your dog has the option of going to the bathroom inside Cons If you want your puppy to learn to go outside, paper training will take the longest time of the methods mentioned You will have messes and papers to clean up Any papers that you leave on the floor are a potential bathroom for your puppy Leash Training Explained Leash training is a puppy training method that is very similar to constant supervision.
Outdoor potty training eliminates the risk of future accidents and prevents your living space from being tarnished with poop everywhere.
Potty-training frustrations have formed more than a few wedges between new pet parents and their fur babies.
How long does it take to potty train a Golden Retriever?
Conclusion While no potty training journey is ever perfect, with the correct amount of patience, consistency and praise, most puppies learn quickly whats expected of them.
How long does it take to potty train a Golden Retriever?
Take your dog to puppy classes!
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Is Crate Training Ever Over
After reading all of this you might be wondering, When do I stop crate training my puppy?
Ill be honest, it was a lot easier when we stopped putting Oliver in his crate every night and every time we left the house.
We started leaving him alone in the house somewhere around six months old, and then a few months after that we started letting him sleep outside of his crate .
Two big questions to ask yourself when considering taking this next step are:
When was the last time my puppy had an accident in the house?
When was the last time my puppy chewed something up in the house?
If its been a few weeks since either of those incidents have happened, you might want to consider letting them be in the house for a few minutes by themselves and then working your way up.
Just like with crate training, you want to take baby steps and set them up for success.
Now although your dog might not sleep in the crate anymore in your home, its still a valuable tool and skill for them to have in case youre traveling and they need to stay somewhere theyre not used to staying in, or they have to spend the night at the vets office.
Can An 8 Week Old Puppy Be Potty Trained
QUESTION:Can an 8 week old puppy be potty trained?
ANSWER:Yes, but the chances a puppy will be potty trained at 8 weeks old is highly improbable.
As a service dog puppy raiser Ive raised over a dozen puppies and I havent had a puppy potty trained by 8 weeks old yet.
However, I was talking to a colleague of mine who has experience working with hundreds of puppies. He said out of all the puppies hes worked with, he only knows of one puppy that was potty trained by 8 weeks old.
So, the answer to the question can an 8 week old puppy be potty trained is yes, but it very rarely happens.
Most puppies dont go to their homes until they are 8 weeks old. In order for them to be fully potty trained by 8 weeks old they would have to be trained by their previous caretakers.
Our most recent puppy, a black Labrador Retriever named Elsa came home to us when she was exactly 8 weeks old. Her breeder started potty training her by teaching her to do her business on a piece of artificial turf.
When she came home to us at 8 weeks old Elsa still had accidents in the house. Even though she understood the place to go potty I thing at 8 weeks old she lacked the bladder control to hold it.
Therefore, while possible to potty train a puppy at 8 weeks, I think your puppy, your puppys upbringing, your puppys previous caretaker and you as the trainer would have to be exceptional in many ways.
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English Cream Golden Retriever Aka Platinum Retriever Aka White Retriever
The English cream golden retriever is known by several different names in the U.S. Besides English Cream Golden Retriever, this breed also goes by Platinum Retriever, rare white European retriever, exquisite platinum imported golden retriever, and also simply White Retriever or White Golden Retriever.
Although there is just one golden retriever breed, there are slight differences, except for the coat color, between the English and American retriever types. However, the pale platinum coat is the trait that made English creams sought-after and popular.
Imagine that your pup is sleeping beside your bed, and you notice it has wet its dog crate when you wake up in the morning. You didnt hear the pup when it had to go pee, so it would be wise to set your alarm clock the next night, to offer the pup an opportunity to relieve itself. Setting the alarm will prevent you from remaining asleep when your pup really needs to go pee or poop.
#2 An Indoor Lawn With Artificial Or Real Grass How To Make Your Own
Of course, its not a big lawn, but nevertheless, its a lawn of sorts. You can get real or artificial grass mats in many variations. You can use some a couple of times and then replace them, while others you can just rinse and use repeatedly. Now, if this is only a backup plan, Ill strongly recommend trying the ones you use a couple of times and then replace. They are less expensive, the grass is real and they will fulfill the purpose.
Ask Golden Meadows Retrievers All Your Puppy Training Questions
As a top golden retriever and vizsla breeder in California, Golden Meadows Retrievers has been breeding top-quality golden retriever puppies for more than 25 years. Were an American Kennel Club, or AKC, Breeder of Merit and go to the best of the best Debbie Cohen for the OFA exams.
Are you ready to help one of our puppies find a happy home? Contact us today for more information about our matching process and training specializations.
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Why You Should Crate Train Your Golden Retriever
Honestly, crate training can be very hard, so its important to know why youre doing it in the first place.
Here are a few of the benefits of crate training:
- It accelerates potty training
- It keeps your house safe from them chewing things they shouldnt be chewing, like your shoes or furniture
- It keeps them safe from swallowing things they shouldnt swallow, like socks, which can get lodged in their stomachs or throats, or poisonous things like grapes or chocolate
- If they ever need to spend the night at an animal hospital, they will be placed in a crate, so its best if theyre used to it already
- The safest way for them to travel is in a crate
Some people think putting them in a crate is cruel, but in addition to all of the benefits above, dogs are naturally denning animals so theyll usually learn to love their crates.
A Complete Guide To House Training From Totally Goldens
For more information on house training, please see our articles linked to below.
This series contains everything a Golden owner needs to know on the subject and should have your puppy or dog toilet trained in the fastest, most effective and painless way for all involved.
We strongly recommend reading through the whole series before you begin, to give yourself the skills and knowledge for the greatest chance at speedy success.
Also Check: How Long Do Retrievers Live
When Should You Start Training Your Golden Retriever Puppy
Puppies are surprisingly smart and you can start training them as soon as you bring them home.
In fact, its encouraged to start training them as soon as you bring them home.
For one, it will help build communication and a bond between you two.
It will also help build their confidence as theyre challenged and they overcome those challenges.
Plus, its great to start training them before bad habits start.
If your puppy learns that jumping up on people gets him pets and attention, its going to be very hard to train her not to do it.
And if your puppy learns that crying in the crate gets them out of it, its going to be very hard to teach him not to do that.
So now that you know puppies are easy to train, and you know you need to start training them asap, how do you actually train them?
Lets get into the training strategies now.