Golden Retriever Training
If you have a Golden Retriever then you probably already know that your dog can be a handful. They may be affectionate and loving and completely charming but your Golden Retriever will continue to act like a puppy for years. He needs some training to be a good member of the family. Here are some suggestions to help make your Golden Retriever training a little easier.
Training Your Golden Retriever
Although your Golden Retriever is exceptionally bright, he may act like a puppy much of the time. He’s probably bouncy and enthusiastic and will continue to behave this way well into middle age. Your dog’s energy is great for training purposes. It can make him enthusiastic about training. Fortunately, although he may act like a puppy, he is still smart enough to focus and learn fast when it comes to training.
Goldens are often used as dogs for the blind and as assistance dogs for people with disabilities because of their capacity for learning and their good temperaments so you know that your dog has the ability to be trained.
Golden Retrievers can be particularly inclined toward play biting and chewing since these are “mouthy” activities. Any retriever, any sporting dog actually, naturally uses his mouth to learn about the world. You will need to work on discouraging play biting and chewing with your Golden.
Golden Retrievers usually learn best through positive reinforcement. This means the use of rewards for positive behavior. For example, if you want your Golden to sit you might ignore your dog when he doesn’t sit and only praise him and give him a treat when he sits. Your Golden will figure out that sitting is what gets him your attention and the reward.
Most sporting dogs, including Goldens, have a “soft” temperament. This means that they don’t respond very well to harsh correction or physical punishment. If you use these methods with your Golden Ret
riever you can expect him to shut down on you and not learn very well. He may withdraw his trust in you for a while and you will have to earn it back.
It’s perfectly all right to use food as a reward with your Golden Retriever but don’t stuff him with treats. Goldens can be inclined to become overweight so use treats with discretion.
Training Choices
You may choose to train your Golden Retriever through a formal obedience class, such as those offered by pet stores, kennel clubs, animal shelters or private trainers. These classes can provide your Golden with lots of opportunities for socialization which is always a good thing for a dog. Provided the instructor is well-qualified, these classes can be very helpful.
You may also choose to train your Golden at home. If you have a good book on dog training or a good video/DVD on dog training there is no reason why you can’t train your dog yourself.
What To Teach Your Dog
You should plan on teaching your dog basic obedience lessons to start. These should include commands such as learning to sit, to stay, to come when called, to lie down, to walk on a leash and to heel. Your Golden is very smart and he should be able to learn these lessons in just a few weeks.
Activities
Golden Retrievers are one of the most versatile of all dogs. After your dog has learned the basic obedience lessons the two of you can go in almost any direction with your training. Goldens excel in obedience, in agility, in rally, in hunting, in water sports, in flyball, canine freestyle, and many other dog activities. You can check with your local dog clubs to see what kind of events they offer that you might like to pursue.