Golden Retriever Puppy Waking At Night
Another problem that a lot of new puppy owners experience is night time waking.
There are a number of reasons puppies wake at night. They may be scared, in pain, or hungry.
Puppies may also wake at night because they are lonely and want attention, or because they need the toilet.
For the first few nights after you bring them home, keep your Goldens crate by your bed. This will reduce the risk of them waking out of fear and loneliness because they will see you and know they arent alone.
Puppies will need the toilet through the night when they first come home. So, if you arent using puppy pads, youll need to take them outside throughout the night to pee.
Try not to make nighttime trips out to the toilet too exciting. Otherwise, your puppy may start waking up and crying for your attention.
Are Golden Retrievers Easy To Train
January 25, 2021
Golden Retrievers are one of the worlds most beloved breeds of dog, and it is easy to see why. They have warm, loving temperaments, are loyal to the whole family, and are especially good with children.
Golden Retrievers are smart. Golden Retrievers high intelligence means that they learn quickly. Compared with other breeds, Golden Retrievers are considered one of the most intelligent breeds and trainable dogs. Golden Retrievers are eager to please and enthusiastically respond to training.
How To Train Your Golden Retriever Pup
The first and most important thing to note is the importance of positive reinforcementwhen it comes to training your dog. You should NEVER hit, yell at, or punish your dog.In fact, punishment may actually increase the incidence of problem behaviors in your dog.8,9,10;
Keeping It Positive: Reward-Based Dog Training
Golden Retrievers learn behaviors by understanding the relationship between actions and consequences. When your Golden obeys a command or performs a desirable behavior, make sure to reward them immediately.
Dogs will do anything for a tasty treat, but food isnt the only reward you can dole out. Other kinds of positive reinforcement include:;
- Pats on the head
- A walk11
Your dog will perceive almost any form of owner attention as a reward.;
Make sure you keep your reward system consistent. When teaching a new behavior, it can be useful to reward your Golden every time they perform the behavior. But once theyve learned it well, you can reward them intermittently. This can actually strengthen the desired behavior. .12;
The Proofing Method;
If youre training your pup in a calm, quiet home environment, you might start to suspect its a little too easy. And you may be right. For dog behavior to stick, it has to be proofed.;
Remember that a Golden Retriever puppy will likely have a short attention span.13 Theyre easily distracted. And a distracted dog may be a disobedient dog.;
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Teaching Your Dog To Obey In Every Situation
I remember teaching Oliver to sit pretty quickly.
Im not going to lie, I was a little proud of how fast he learned, but when we took him to my parents house and I tried to show him off, he would not sit no matter how hard I tried to get him to.
Then when we returned home that night, he was sitting perfectly every time!
Dogs dont generalize well, meaning that even though Oliver knew sit means sit in my living room, he didnt know that sit means sit in my parents living room as well.
Eventually, he learned that sit means sit no matter where we are, but then we faced another problem: whenever other dogs were around he wouldnt pay attention to me and sit when I asked him to.
So heres how to get your puppy to obey you in every situation, even with distractions: practice.
Practice in different rooms in your house, in the backyard, in the driveway, on your walks, at the park.
Also, practice with different distractions around, like around other dogs or people.
And heres a note for when you practice: take baby steps.
You want your dog to obey you every time you ask them to, so slowly teach them new behaviors in new environments, and slowly add in new distractions.
For example, if you just taught your puppy how to sit in the living room, teach them to sit in the kitchen next, not at your local park.
And if your dog is great with obeying while there are no other dogs around, take him to a park, stay 100 feet away from other dogs, then try to get him to obey.
Looking At Your Lifestyle
There are situations where it might be better to wait before buying a Golden puppy.
This doesnt mean youll never be able to get one! But, bringing a Golden Retriever puppy into a home that isnt ready can cause stress, frustration, and lead to puppies ending up in rescue centers.
If you have very tiny kids remember that Goldens are fairly large dogs and are very boisterous when young. Picking up a toddler and drying their tears for the tenth time before breakfast can become wearing.
Think about the exercise needs of an active dog. If you cant walk very far, this probably isnt the breed for you.
If you have a very small home, or live in an apartment, think carefully before adding a big dog to the mix.
These large dogs also need plenty of companionship. Theyre social, and can become depressed or anxious if theyre left alone for long periods of time.
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How To Train Your Golden Retriever To Sit
Training Golden Retrievers to sit is a very important and useful dog trick.
Goldens can grow to over 60 pounds. Ensuring they have a great alternative to jumping up for attention is very important.
Sit is a great behavior to train and encourages your puppy to do so if they want something! Golden Retrievers love their food, so the easiest way to train sit is to:
Repeat this trick ten times over short periods of time throughout the day.
After a few days you can start to introduce the word sit just before you move your hand. After a few more days they will learn to sit on command.
When To Begin Training
Training begins before you even bring your new puppy home. Some breeders start training pups before they find a family. Often this training includes things like mild crate training, mild potty training, and corrective behaviors. Of course, not all breeders do this. Not only that, but many people do not find their goldens via breeders, but rather shelters or rescues.
Regardless, its important to note that dogs should not be separated from their mothers or littermates before the ages of 7-8 weeks old. Studies have found this to be damaging to puppys psyche and emotional well-being, which can lead to behavioral issues down the road. Therefore, you can expect to begin training as soon as you pick up your 8-week-old golden retriever!
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Golden Retriever Crate Training
Training a Golden Retriever puppy as well as an adult dog to love using a crate is one of the best and most beneficial things you can do for both you and your dog.
With this in mind, Ive written the following articles to detail why its so important and take you step by step from the absolute beginner to a successfully crate trained dog.
Vigilant Supervision: Behavioral Correction
A new golden retriever pet parent must be prepared to be ever vigilant in watching their new pup like a hawk! If your puppy accidentally pees inside or chews on a household item, you cant yell or punish your pup if you werent supervising them properly. Thats like punishing at a 2-year-old who just burned their hand on the stove-top flames. Yes, inform them that fire is unsafe, and they should never touch the stove when you are not around.
You are the parent, and you are always responsible for their safety and well-beingso that moment is 100% on you.; Puppies, in so many ways, are like human children. You would not harm your human child.; Therefore, you should not harm your canine child!
Biting & Chewing
Dogs use their teeth for a lot of things. It is a natural canine behavior. However, you dont want your dog biting your neighbors kid or tearing your new comforter to shreds. ;You need to direct their biting properly, so they know when it is okay, and when it is not okay to chew on something.
To curb their desire to nibble on your favorite shoes, provide your puppy with lots and lots of chew toys. If they start chewing on a household item, redirect them to a chew toy.
Puppies are also capable of adjusting their bite pressure. If your golden retriever puppy has not yet learned what hurts you and what does not, you will need to yelp like an injured dog to let them know. Yes. Yelp.
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Training Your Golden Retriever Puppy
Heres puppy training in a nutshell:
Golden retriever puppies want to please you, and they want to have fun, so they respond best to positive reinforcement training and learning games.
When teaching any new behavior, you want to start with baby steps and have them be successful at each step.
Of course, theres a lot more to it than that, and well get into it, but first, if youre here because you just brought your puppy home and theyre a lot more difficult to manage than you expected, dont worry, thats totally normal.
Its a good thing golden retriever puppies are so cute because theyre quite a handful!
But just because your puppy is difficult now doesnt mean that theyll be difficult forever.
Before you know it, theyll be a well-behaved adult and youll miss their naughty puppy days when they were small and fluffy.
Now, many people dont put a lot of work into training their puppies when theyre young, but instead, hope that their dog just ends up being a good dog.
Thats a big gamble because even though golden retrievers are great dogs, they were bred to be working dogs retrieving birds in the field.
If theyre not being mentally stimulated and given a job or a purpose, a lot of problems can occur, such as jumping up on people, tearing up the house, etc.
But all that being said, if you have a golden retriever, youre in for the ride of a lifetime.
Theyre so sweet and loving and you will have a blast watching your puppy learn and grow into a well-behaved adult dog.
Consider Using A Crate
Crates can be a great tool in your training arsenal. They’re a catch-all piece of gear. A crate can be used for house training, obedience, and safety. If you ever have to leave your puppy alone, the crate will ensure that they can’t get into any trouble. It’s recommended that you use the crate at night as well.
Over time, your puppy will start to see the crate as a place of comfort. They’ll go to it whenever they’re scared, tired, or just want to be alone. By introducing a crate early on in their lives, you can rest easy knowing that they’re comfortable using one.
This can prove to be useful whenever you need to take your puppy to the vet or on an airplane. Typically, owners will stop using the crate full-time once their puppy has reached adulthood, using it only when it’s necessary.
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Know The Breeds Behaviors And Channel Them Nondestructively
While many love the gentle, sweet side of the golden retriever, its easy to overlook the higher-energy, active side thats just as characteristic of the breed. Traditionally, golden retrievers were bred to carry waterfowl in their mouths. Although most goldens arent hunting nowadays, they still need a lot of activity and have a tendency to get quite mouthy, especially as puppies.
To discourage your golden retriever from biting, chewing, or being otherwise destructive, encourage her to channel her energy toward an item thats supposed to be chewed . Let her burn energy frisking with her four-legged friends or bring her on your run to keep her active.
Are You Raising A Golden Retriever Puppy
At times, when your puppy is small, you may question whether or not you have made a mistake in bringing a Golden Retriever into your home.
There is a period of adjustment, often known as the puppy blues when raising a puppy can all seem a bit much.
Rest assured that Golden Retriever puppies do grow up into great family dogs. They have one of the best temperaments of any dog breed and are ideally suited to a young and active family.
Are you expecting a Golden Retriever puppy? Do tell us all about them in the comments below and dont forget to join our forum community!
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Golden Retriever Puppy Socialization
Every new puppy owner will hear about the importance of puppy socialization. But not all puppy owners carry out this important process effectively.
Socialization means introducing your puppy to many new experiences before they reach the age when they become shy of strangers and strange objects. That age is surprisingly young and most dogs need to be socialized fully before they are 13 weeks old.
That means you need to get going right away with your new Goldie pup!
Your puppy needs to meet lots of different men and women, in different situations, children, other dogs, trains and lorries, and much much more. All from the safety of your arms. And all before he or she is four months old.
Puppy socialization is vital because it helps to prevent dogs becoming aggressive and increases the retention rate of puppies in their homes.
You can find an excellent puppy socialization plan and lots of useful information on The Puppy Plan website provided by the Kennel Club in association with international charity The Dogs Trust
Keep Them In The Crate Overnight
You can choose to do this before or after Step 4. The order you do this in depends on the type of dog you have and whether they will respond better to being in the crate with you present or away. As youre practicing crating for short periods, you can determine whether your dog would benefit from overnight or extended day periods first. ;
If your dog seems more content with you in the room when left in the crate, they may acclimate better if you trained them with overnight crating rather than leaving for work first. If they are calmer with your absence , then they will do well with you extending their crate time.
Either way, when crate training overnight, you need to:
- Make sure your dog is comfortable
- Give your pup a safe chew toy
For young puppies, restrict water consumption before they go into the crate overnight. This will prevent them from becoming uncomfortable in the night and/or waking you up early in the morning for a potty break!
Note: When practicing overnight crating, you must stick to a solid schedule. This will help your dog to acclimate, as their body will adjust to the routine. They wont have to work as hard to fight their bladder when they know when they will be released. They also need to know when its bedtime.
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My Top 10 Tips For Raising A Puppy
I regularly receive emails from readers with new puppies asking for advice on everything from food to training to exercising to gear and more. Since Im such a dog person and I share so much about our dogs with you, I thought that Id sprinkle a few pet posts in here and there.
Im going to start general today with some of my top 10 tips for raising a puppy. While they are so cute and fluffy, they are a ton of work!
Golden Retriever Leash Training
If you want your dog to walk nicely right next to you without pulling, then you need to teach him how to walk properly. Dogs arent born knowing they shouldnt pull ahead or lag behind their owner when walking on a leash. Most dogs often run around as fast they can, while others stop, sniff and urinate on everything through their way while they explore the world, these are common and natural behaviors for any dog.
What you need to startTo golden retriever leash training you will need a lightweight 6 foot leash, a collar and some tasty treats your dog doesnt eat often but loves them nonetheless.
If your golden has an habit of pulling, he might be able to slip out of normal collar, in this case you can buy a limited slip collar or martingale collars as they are mostly known. This kind of collars are used to prevent dogs from slipping out when walking on a leash, these collars will tighten as the dog pulls, however once adjusted they will always prevent complete obstruction of the neck therefore preventing your dog from choking by excessively pulling the leash.
Younger is easierGolden retriever leash training is easier when started young, 4 to 6 weeks of age is a good time to start leash training your golden retriever. Since youre dealing with an puppy, you should be mindful that both the leash and collar arent going to harm your puppy, buy an light and comfortable leash and collar.
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