Golden Retrievers encompass everything people love in a dog. Their friendly, upbeat personality makes them a joy to train, and their joyful energy is ideal for dog lovers who enjoy a companion on their walks. For best results in a well-trained Golden Retriever puppy, we recommend to begin early in your dog’s life, and it should include the following components that will help them recognize you as a leader and learn to socialize with other humans and animals.
Start Young
Puppies enjoy their greatest window of opportunity for learning between 3 and 12 weeks of age. This means that you need to use this time to provide your puppy with lots of exposure to new experiences. If you are adopting a puppy after 3 months of age, your dog can still learn. However, it is always best if their handler has been working on socialization before the adoption. It is also important to note that there should be a great amount of variety between the new experiences you provide to your puppy since that will help to stretch their comfort level so that they can adapt to any situation.
Try Out New Surfaces
Beginning with exposing your puppy to different surfaces is a great way to initiate training without creating too much stress. As a general rule, your puppy should be exposed to at least seven different types of surfaces. Concrete, carpet, natural grass and linoleum are a few that you may be able to provide at home. Once your puppy is fully vaccinated, the branch out to local parks and dog play areas where they can experience bark chips, gravel and natural trails.
Play with Different Toys
As a new puppy owner, it is pretty normal to go overboard with toys. Fortunately, you can do so without guilt since letting your puppy explore new textures and sounds through play is an important part of their training. Give your puppy chiming balls, tug ropes and chew sticks that stimulate their senses. If you choose to make homemade toys from home, just make sure they do not pose any hazards to your pet.
Introduce New Types of People
Your puppy will naturally grow to love each member of your family. However, you also want them to be comfortable with meeting strangers on the street. This is especially true for Golden Retrievers who tend to want to go everywhere with their human companions. Socialize your pet by introducing them to different types of people. Let them play with your elderly neighbor and romp about with your younger family members. Remember that your puppy should also be comfortable with people that might not fit their expectations so expose them to mobility devices early on. This way, they learn that people may move using wheelchairs and other aids that are different from walking.
Acclimate Them to Different Styles of Eating
There is nothing worse than being stuck with a hungry dog that is only comfortable with eating out of their bowl in the kitchen. Believe it or not, some puppies will turn up their nose at perfectly delicious food if they are not exposed to different styles of serving. Before your puppy turns 3 months old, teach them to eat out of bowls, the ground, your hand and anything else food-safe that you can find. This way, you can feed them on-the-go if the situation arises.
Training your Golden Retriever puppy is fun and exciting. As your puppy gains confidence, remember to reward them with praise and new challenges. By taking training seriously at an early age, you can enjoy knowing that your faithful pet can quickly adjust to changing circumstances and always be on their best behavior.
Dog Training Basics
The training of the family pet is something you need to think about before bringing home the pet. First, you should determine the boundaries that are going to be used in the household, and the type of behavior that’s going to be allowed. Next, it’s important to think about how this training is going to come about.
Most pet owners aren’t sure where to begin when it comes to obedience in the relationship with the family pet, so choosing a breeder that trains Golden Retriever puppies before the puppies are released to the new owner can give you a jump start on the relationship, and save your home in the process.
Training is going to create a secure relationship between the owner and the dog. It’s going to ensure that the dog is taught properly, the behaviors and interactions between humans and the pet and the home and the pet that are acceptable.
What Types of Dog Training Are Available?
There are two main types of training methods that can be used when it comes to buying a dog. First, you can choose to bring the dog home and take care of the training process yourself, through the use of information learned through the internet, videos and books with a combination of trial and error experiences to see what works for you and the Golden Retriever puppies, or you can leave it up to the experts.
Leaving the training up to the experts, you’re not only going to successfully train the dog, but you’re going to be trained in a crash course of how to correct behavior and get the behavior that you want in the animal. Experts have programs and the knowledge to create a relationship that is secure between the owner and the pet, and through positive training, the common problems that occur when you first bring home the puppy are often reduced.