Where To Get Help And Advice
Puppies are great fun, but they can also be hard work. At times youll benefit greatly from the support of other new puppy parents.
We used to be able to help new puppy parents by answering questions in the comments on this website. But there are now so many that we needed a better way.
Do check out our support forum. Youre welcome to simply browse and read the answers to other peoples questions. Or you can join in and ask your own.
Its free and wed love to see you there!
Golden Retriever Puppy Training
One of the very first things we have to do is train our puppy their name. If we cant get their attention, we cant ask them to do anything else.
We also need to train our golden retriever puppy slowly to wearing a leash and collar, so they are happy to wear them as soon as possible. We will provide you some ideas on how to toilet train a golden retriever puppy.
Learn how to do this in the following articles:
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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How To Potty Train A Puppy
May 15, 2017 By Petsway
Although adorable, playful, and often very sweet, puppies can be a handful. Just like a human child, your puppy will depend on you to teach him everything he needs to know about the world and how to behave in it. One of the first things you will need to learn is how to potty train a puppy. Too many people think that they can teach a puppy not to go to the bathroom in the house if they swat him with a newspaper, rub his noise in his mistake, or shout at him. These old-fashioned training methods wont effectively train your puppy in fact, they may make him fearful of you. With kindness, consistency, and patience, you can let your puppy know the proper place to relieve himself. To get started, check out our tips below to learn how to potty train a puppy.
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! .
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Leaving Home And Last Call
When you have to leave home for several hours and your puppy needs to stay in a crate during the day, remember to plan ahead. If youre unsure about how long your puppy can hold it, use the month-plus-one rule. Take the age of your puppy in months and add one, and that is the maximum number of hours that your puppy should be able to comfortably hold it between potty breaks. A 3-month-old puppy plus one equals 4 hours that they should be able to stay in the crate without a mess.
Remember that the last thing you should do before you go to bed for the night is to take your puppy out for one last potty break before bedtime. However, your pup will usually be able to hold their bladder for a longer period when they are asleep and not active.
When it comes to how long potty training takes, it depends on the puppy and the schedule you keep, says Dr. Jerry Klein, AKC chief veterinary officer. If training begins early, a 6-month-old puppy is usually able to be depended on most of the time to eliminate outside. However, if you feel that youre not making progress, you should have the puppy checked out by a veterinarian. They may have a urinary tract infection or some other health issue causing the delay in house-training.
AKC is a participant in affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to akc.org. If you purchase a product through this article, we may receive a portion of the sale.
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.
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Correct Bad Behavior In The Crate
Lastly, one of the most important things for you to do when crate training is to differentiate bad behavior from acceptable behavior. Things to watch out for are:
- Chewing on the crate. This behavior can seriously harm your dog and cause injuries that can leave their teeth, gums, and nose raw and bloodied. You can curb this behavior by remaining present with them when they are enclosed in the crate so that you can catch the behavior in real-time and correct it as it occurs.
- If this is not an option for you, dont worry you are not out of options. Instead, you can purchase bitter apple spray or something similar.
When To Expect From Puppy Bathroom Breaks
A 9-week-old Golden Retriever puppy going outside for a bathroom break.
Leah Lefler, 2011
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Golden Retriever Potty Training
World-famous dog trainer Zak George shows you how to potty train a golden retriever puppy with the Potty Training Puppy Apartment crate. Zak George has been featured on numerous television shows. Zak George also has more YouTube subscribers than any other dog trainer in the world! We have golden retriever house training solutions, so housebreaking golden retriever puppies will be fast and easy. Over 100,000 dogs have been successfully potty trained with our world-famous indoor dog potty, called the Potty Training Puppy Apartment, including golden retrievers. The free video below is a short version by Zak George of our free and more detailed 15-minute video which is located on our Home Page. If you are seeking golden retriever puppies for sale or adoption, please visit our Breeders page. At the bottom half of this page is specific breed information about the temperament and traits of a golden retriever. If this breed is available in a teacup, toy or miniature size it will be mentioned below.
The golden retriever needs daily exercise and human interaction. Challenging obedience lessons, active games or retrieving sessions are all good ways to exercise the golden’s mind and body. Although it is capable of living outdoors, it is such a social dog that it is best when it shares its life with its family. The coat does not tend to mat but needs twice weekly brushing.
Top Tips For Choosing A Healthy Golden Retriever Puppy:
| Meet the parents | Check for obvious health issues, like skin problems or fleas |
| Make sure the parents have all their health checks | Make sure theyre a health weight no ribs showing! |
| Ask the breeder lots of questions and expect to be asked questions! | Look at the environment the puppies are kept in |
| Interact with the puppy are they friendly and bright? | Check theyve had their first set of vaccinations |
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In addition, puppies that are 23 months old will have a very limited bladder capacity. They will need frequent outings to go to the bathroom in the great outdoors: If a very young puppy is left in a crate for an extended period of time, it may go to the bathroom inside the crate out of necessity. This will make the rest of crate training ineffective, so ensure the puppy is taken outside at regular intervals. Some puppies will need to go outside in the middle of the night!
Dogs should not be placed in crates for extended periods of time. If the dog owner is gone from the house for long durations, the dog should be placed in a puppy pen with puppy training pads instead of a crate.
A happy, well trained Golden Retriever puppy. Fully housebroken by 13 weeks of age.
Leah Lefler, 2011
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.
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Use The Potty Command
To help ensure your golden does its business, add in the potty command. It can be as simple as go potty or you can make it your own, but it should be a consistent command.
Each time your dog eliminates after the command, offer praise and treats. After a few weeks, your golden should get the hang of the command, and youll be able to help things along even when your golden is super energetic or curious.
How Long Will This Take
The length of time it takes to properly potty train a puppy depends on your consistency, training method, and individual dog. In general, most golden retriever puppies are fully potty trained by the age of 8 months, but if you find yourself needing to still set in some training, then heres how to do it.
Consistency will be your best friend when tackling the task of training your dog. And the best way to establish consistency is to first start with a schedule. By creating a schedule, your dog quickly becomes aware of the times that certain tasks take place such as feeding, grooming, training, and so forth.
For the most part, puppies have a fast-acting digestive system which means that a trip to the bathroom does not follow long after. So, to gather a good gauge of your puppys behavior, its best practice getting a schedule set in from as early as possible.
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The Goal: Redirect Bad Behavior Immediately
Potty training is time-consuming theres no question as to whether this little fact is true. Depending on the dog, it can take days or even months for him to catch on. For dogs that dont seem to be getting it, part of the problem occasionally lies in the fact that owners arent consistent enough with redirection and positive reinforcement.
Heres the caveat to potty training: if you dont immediately redirect your dog, its already too late. Even just a minute after an accident happens is too long. You need to be ready to react to the squat or dribble the second it happens, redirecting him to either a pee pad or the front door quickly.
When youre at home, you can increase the chances of noticing a pending accident by leashing your dog to your waist. Have him follow you around as you take care of chores, tend to the kids, or even handle a bit of work. The second you see that little furry butt go down, head for the door while encouraging him to follow you.
The first few times you may not make it. Thats okay after the accident, continue outside or to the pads. You want him to associate the process of going to the washroom with going to the ideal location. Eventually, hell get the point.
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, they’re bright, and yes, they’re eager to please. But unless you can get them to focus on you rather than whatever else is happening around them, you’re 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 you’ve ever wondered what the ideal potty training journey looks like, this is where you’ll get to see it in action and learn exactly how to emulate it.
Once you’ve finished watching the video, complement what you’ve learned with some of these tried and tested strategies.
Create a Routine
You can’t necessarily set your watch by your pup’s 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 they’ve 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 can’t account for everything. But if you can create a schedule based around their regular activities and then time their bathroom breaks accordingly, you’ll 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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Golden Retriever Puppy Zoomies
At first, it might not seem like zoomies should be anything to worry about. But all puppy owners can tell you just how destructive these random bursts of energy can be.
Especially with a relatively large breed like the Golden Retriever.
In fact, it can lead to broken ornaments, ripped fabric, muddy pawprints all over the house, and knocked over children. It can be quite distressing for new puppy parents!
Running after your puppy can often make this worse as it seems like a fun game to your puppy.
Instead, encourage calm behavior by rewarding your puppy when theyre relaxing peacefully.
You wont be able to avoid the zoomies altogether, but you can try to minimise them by ignoring this behavior and rewarding calmness.