One of the most popular of all dog breeds, Golden Retrievers are intelligent and lovable. That makes Golden Retriever puppy training a lot of fun. You can start training your Golden Retriever puppy around 8 to 10 weeks of age with short, basic lessons in obedience. Here are some tips on Golden Retriever puppy training.
Socialization
As with all puppies, Golden Retriever puppies do need to be socialized. Even the friendliest and most gentle of puppies benefit from socialization in order to build confidence and become well-adjusted adults.
Socialization at a young age helps your puppy become accustomed to dealing with strangers without panicking and helps him learn how to interact with unknown dogs, as well as unexpected events.
You can start socializing your Golden Retriever puppy as soon as he has received all of his vaccinations. Take him to pet stores that welcome dogs, to parks and to other places that invite dogs. Encourage friendly strangers to pet your puppy. Take puppy treats with you so you can give them to people who pet your puppy. You want to make these encounters positive experiences for your puppy.
You should also encourage your Golden Retriever puppy to meet other friendly dogs. However, make sure that you have permission from the other dog’s owner first. Some dogs don’t like puppies and don’t like them jumping in their faces. Your puppy and the other dog should both be on their leashes so you can control the situation. These meetings teach your puppy about proper manners with other dogs.
Puppy Preschool
You can also enroll your puppy in puppy preschool or puppy kindergarten classes. These classes are often offered by pet stores, kennel clubs and animal shelters as a way to give puppies some basic manners and to encourage socialization. Puppies learn some basic lessons in obedience and they can play with other puppies their own age. They also have a chance to get petted by the owners of the other puppies each week. These classes are highly recommended.
Training At Home
You may want to do some Golden Retriever puppy training at home. Golden Retriever puppies are very smart and very eager to please so you should be able to train your puppy with some basic obedience lessons very easily. You can start your training when your puppy is 8 to 10 weeks of age.
Your Golden Retriever puppy will need a collar and leash for his training. You can choose a flat buckle nylon collar for training. You probably won’t want to spend a lot of money on an expensive collar since your puppy will quickly outgrow it. Chain collars or slip collars are not recommended for puppies at this age since your puppy will probably pull on his leash and could hurt himself. Nylon collars are easy to find at pet stores. They come in many different colors and designs. Make sure that you can fit two fingers between the collar and your puppy’s neck so the collar fits properly. You can choose a nylon leash to match the collar. A six-foot leash is a good choice.
At this age you can work on basic obedience lessons with your Golden Retriever puppy. These lessons can include teaching him to sit, stand, lie down, come when called and to walk on a leash. Your puppy should be able to learn these lessons in just a few weeks. Your puppy has a very short attention span at this age so you should try to have two 10-15 minute lessons per day. If you have longer lessons your puppy will get bored and inattentive. However, you should try to train everyday. Otherwise your puppy may forget the things you are teaching him until he has them mastered.
Try to keep your lessons as fun and positive as possible. Your puppy will take his cues from you. If you are upbeat and cheerful then your puppy will enjoy training. However, if you are grumpy and don’t feel like training, then your puppy won’t learn much.
Try to find the things that will motivate your Golden Retriever puppy in his training. Your puppy may respond to food treats or he may like toys. Some puppies love to have a good play session after they’ve completed a lesson. Find what makes your puppy happy and use it as a reward.
There may be times when you need to correct your Golden Retriever puppy. When this occurs remember to be firm but gentle. It’s not necessary to be harsh with your puppy. Sporting dogs in general, such as the Golden Retriever, have “soft” temperaments. This means that if you are harsh or rough with them you could lose their confidence and trust. Make sure that you do get all your training golden retriever puppy training techniques correct during it’s youth because this is the time when he will take the things he has learnt as a puppy into his adult life.