Meeting Another Dog: How To Introduce Your Puppy To A New Dog
Its important to socialise puppies when theyre still young to really make sure theyre at their friendliest and kindest with other dogs as adults. In humans or dogs worlds, everybody likes a friendly guy.;
A good way to do this is by organising a visit from one of your friends dogs.
PRO TIP: The other dog should be friendly with puppies, and up to date with their vaccinations!;
How to do it
PRO TIP
We know that all you may want is to let loose in some off lead play. But lets not get ahead of ourselves, keep the adult dog on lead for now; there will be plenty of time to play later on. Dont worry youre not being a Debbie Downer, youre just making sure your puppy is safe, and is able to go one step at a time!
Can I Still Train My 2 Year Old Dog
Did you get a puppy a year or two ago, and then time just flew by and you missed out on enrolling for dog training classes and teaching basic commands to your dog? This is not anywhere close to too late. While it is never too late to train any dog, a 2 year old dog is actually still very young just a teenager. Some breeds, especially large breeds dont mature mentally until they are 2-3 years old, and big dogs will grow physically for nearly that long as well.
Whether your dog needs help with leash training, potty training, manners and polite behavior around people now is the time to start working with him. Please dont hold off on training because you believe it is too late. A 2 year old dog is only 15% into his overall lifespan. That means that if you teach him manners and good behaviors now, you will have a lovely, well-trained dog for the next 13+ years!
When Should You Start Obedience Training
Any time I talk about puppy obedience training, you will hear me say that you are training your puppy at every moment. Your puppy is noting every interaction with you.
The way you feed your dog sends a message about your expectations.
Your manner at bedtime sends signals about what you will tolerate and what you will not during the night.
Being consistent with the little things is all a part of teaching your puppy her first lessons in obedience.
So, according to this logic, you begin retriever obedience training as soon as you bring your puppy home.
I think, however, that what most people mean when they describe obedience training are the lessons where you are teaching a specific command. Some people refer to this as formal training or lessons.
The simple answer to this question of age is also probably earlier than you thinkas long as you avoid any kind of aversive correction or force while teaching. I usually tell people that they can begin teaching things like SIT, COME, KENNEL, etc. as soon as you get home as long as you never correct your dog.
Dont even use a stern voice in these early stages.
Everything early on must be happy and fun, and that includes the way you talk to your puppy when they do not understand or follow your commands.
Failing to use this early, formative stage in your dogs life is a form of negligence.
Also Check: Where To Rescue A Golden Retriever
Tips For Training Your Golden Retriever
What makes Golden Retrievers such popular dogs? Besides their beauty, Goldens typically are very people-oriented dogs.
It is wise, however, to do your research by talking to Golden Retriever breeders, rescues and parents to best prepare when considering adding a Golden to your pack. These are large, energetic canines who often dont realize their size. The good news is, Golden Retrievers generally are trainable and willing to work, especially for high-value dog treats.
If youre a new Golden Retriever parent, your next step after your pup settles in is to start dog training. Whether teaching your Golden to lie down, sit or drop it, follow these dog training tips to ensure successful training sessions.
Goldendoodle And Labradoodle Dog Socialization
As with any dog, socializing them from a young age is vital to set yourself and your goldendoodle or labradoodle up for the best possible relationship. Socialization refers to meeting and interacting with other dogs and people. It’s equally important to expose them to different sights, sounds, smells, textures, and experiences from an early age.
As we suggest in our Los Angeles puppy training classes, a general benchmark is to socialize your puppy with 100 new people between the age of 0 to 8 weeks and 100 additional people from 8 to 12 weeks. Introduce them to: older people, children, people with disabilities, men, women, people wearing hats, people wearing backpacks, people on skateboards, people on bikes! Having a puppy meet a diverse group of people from different walks of life exposes that puppy to different ways of being touched, being held, different types of movement, different smells, etc.
You might be thinking: how am I supposed to introduce people to my puppy when he or she is under 8 weeks old? This is where you need to do your research when selecting a breeder or shelter. Make sure that whoever is raising your puppy during that initial development period is well versed in socialization techniques and is purposefully exposing them to different people, sights, smells, sounds, and experiences! It will make all of the difference.
Also Check: What Kind Of Grooming Does A Golden Retriever Need
Make Dog Training A Family Project
Be sure your Golden Retriever has a positive relationship with every member of the familyincluding other pets. Encourage each family member to practice basic skills with the dog, including sit, down, off , stay, come and all done . Encourage everyone to work on emphasizing a default behavior.
You can help other pets feel safe around your Golden by using equipment to separate them as needed when supervision isnt possible.
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.
Also Check: Is A Golden Retriever A Medium Or Large Breed
Why Would Somebody Want To Wait For Their Puppy To Be 6 Months Old
This advice traditionally came from the trainers of working dogs who quite rightly felt it best to leave a puppy to be a puppy, let it grow some and become stronger before starting formal training.
I say quite rightly because up until the last couple of decades, working dog training was quite hard on a dog. It was very physical with the use of corrections and physical punishments and aversives very common. The accepted idea was that it was cruel to be so physical with a very young puppy and so training was delayed until 6 months old or so.
But there are so many gentle, positive reward based training methods today that physical corrections and aversives are almost completely unnecessary. So waiting for 6 months to start training is no longer essential.
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.;
You May Like: How Do You Trim A Golden Retriever Rear
How Can I Socialize My Hunting Dog
Socialization is simply the process of introducing your puppy or young dog to new things and teaching him or her how to adjust quickly to changing circumstances. As a hunting dog, your retriever is required to adjust quickly to new locations, new terrain, and new hunting situations. You will expect your dog to hunt well and consistently regardless of the day, the weather conditions, or the type of bird you are hunting.
To do this, your dog must be very well socialized.
Socialization can be done throughout a dogs life, but it is easier for a dog to learn and adjust while he/she is young. Like young people, young dogs are eager and ready to learn new things. So, while you can socialize an older dog, it is much more difficult.
Here are some suggestions on how to socialize your hunting dog:
- Take your dog to new places.
- Expose your dog to different terrain, weeds, or cover.
- Expose your dog to water both dirty and clean.
Proof Dog Obedience In Stages
Every skill you teach your dog must be proofed under different conditions.; The sort of conditions that your dog is likely to come across in the real world. These conditions will include a range of distractions or circumstances that might tempt your dog to engage in activities other than those you intend for him.
If your lab runs off to play football with some local kids when you have just whistled him back,; it is because you have not proofed; your recall against children playing. And if you regularly exercise your dog where children play,; this is a piece of proofing that you really need to set up without delay.
The most effective way to proof; your dogs training is to introduce each distraction in stages beginning with the least powerful level of any given distraction,; and culminating in the most powerful level of that same distractions.
Don’t Miss: English Cream Golden Retriever Shedding
Managing Triggers Is Critical
Obedience training with a dog that exhibits these behaviors can help with time.
In the meanwhile, you might find it necessary to manage your dogs triggers. This is especially true if your dog exhibits aggressive traits around other people or dogs.
Here are some tips for managing your dogs triggers regardless of the behavior she exhibits:
- Avoid crowded places with lots of people or animals
- Always have your dog on a leash so you can keep her close to you to reassure her when you are out
- Never punish your dog in her crateher crate needs to be a place of safety and comfort
- Constantly be aware of potential triggers when you are with your dog
Some simple obedience drills can often help build your dogs confidence. Sometimes new dog owners overlook socialization experiences. This is one of the most important parts of training and should begin even before you start the actual obedience training,
Preparing Your Dog For Hunting
Up until now, the training has been generic the training focused on making your pup a good citizen and family dog. But at this age it is time to dig into preparing your dog for his future hunting career. It is also at this age that many retriever owners get anxious, or impatient, and decide they can jump right into actual hunting. This is a rookie mistake and many potentially great hunting dogs have been ruined by their owners lack of self-control.
Training beyond obedience will depend largely on what you plan to use your dog for. If your retriever will be a gun dog or a hunting partner, the training you provide during this period of your dogs life is crucial to his future hunting career.
Also Check: Best Golden Retriever Breeders California
The Best Golden Retriever Training Guide Youll Ever Need
Golden Retrievers are well-known for their sweet and calm nature. They even remain puppies-at-heart throughout their life.
Another trait that we all love about this breed is that theyre eager to please. With a little bit of patience, they make excellent and well-behaved companions.
To help you achieve that, weve compiled the best Golden Retriever training tips for your journey. But, before we get into the details, we first need to understand the concept of training.
Assess Your Desired Outcome
Before you begin training, you need to know exactly how trained you want your Golden Retriever to be. Depending on whether or not you want your dog to know a few commands and to be obedient, or if you want him to be a hunting utility and utilize that fantastic nose, then your initial steps are going to be different.
Read Also: How To Bathe A Golden Retriever Puppy
Why Are Many Dogs Disobedient
One reason that many dogs are disobedient is that many dog owners do not know how to proof; their dogs new skills. They often make a good job of teaching the skill at home and then are very upset when the dogs obedience falls apart in public. What they are essentially doing is attempting the challenge; method,; but usually without any effective form of punishment. And without punishment,; the challenge method cannot work.
Those who attempt the reinforcement method sometimes fail to understand how to break the process down; successfully,; or get frustrated and give up, when it takes longer than they expected.
Watch And Learn Method
STEP 1: Draw your golden retrievers attention to the prey
Monkey does what monkey sees the same goes for your dog. Golden retrievers mirror their owners behavior and reactions in particular situations.
So, if you seem excited every time you are around the prey, your dog will be too.;
Pretend you are looking for the prey and when you spot it do whatever you need to draw your pets attention. You can point or whisper it is up to you!
STEP 2: Charge at the pray
Once you are sure you have your dogs attention, charge at the prey, looking as excited as possible.
You can shout or wave your arms once again, it is all up to you!
STEP 3: Reward your furry friend as soon as he or she joins you in what you are doing
As soon as your dog starts charging at the prey too, reward him or her! Do it each and every time.
Keep your enthusiasm for as long as it takes! If you lose interest, your golden will lose it too.
So, even if you are tired or bored do not let your dog see that! It would be best if you chase the prey every time you see it until your dog starts doing it as a routine too.
STEP 4: Fine-tune your golden retrievers hunting technique.
When your dog starts chasing the prey even before you do, you can finally relax.
Of course, your pet will not be successful every time, but you should reward him or her nonetheless.
It is now the ideal time to fine-tune the retrievers hunting technique and make him a perfect hunting companion!
Also Check: How To Cut A Golden Retriever’s Hair
Why Do So Many People Have Problems With Proofing
Proofing can be carried out using just the same Labrador training techniques as you did with your basic training. But it can be more complicated to set the dog up to win; when you are proofing,; than it was when you were teaching in the absence of any distractions. It is for this reason,;that many people give up on proofing or resort to more forceful methods than they did in the initial stages of training.
As you advance your proofing with more powerful distractions it can sometimes be difficult to control the environment in which you are training. This is;particularly relevant;when it comes to proofing against the distractions of wildlife in the countryside.
Dogs that have been bred to hunt or chase can be especially difficult in this respect.;; But if you are to be successful in proofing your commands,; you will need to regain control of your dog.