“Awww… look at them chewing that shoe. When they turn those eyes on me, my heart melts and I can’t find it in me to punish them.”
Puppy training is hard business. There adorable eyes, that golden fur, tumbles and sleeping with their favorite toys… there’s no way you can resist all this. The first few days are crucial for establishing a routine. If you slack now, they will develop the wrong habits and then you will have a difficult time training them out of these habits.
Puppies are rambunctious but when it comes to golden retriever puppies, they are gentle and quite playful. All they want is your love and help you anyway their tiny paws can to please you. Even if you see your puppy acting out like eating or chewing what they’re not supposed to, you can easily use a force-free training method to get them back on the good boy track.
Why Are Golden Retriever Puppies Easy to Train?
- They love games
- The love food
- They are extremely smart
- They love pleasing their owner
Remember these four key points because you can use them to make your puppy’s training easier.
Teaching New Behavior
When training a golden retriever puppy, start with baby steps. Build a foundation that will develop positive habits. You don’t have to worry about putting in extra effort because they will quickly catch on to what you are trying to teach.
Yes, we did mention that golden retriever puppies are gentle in nature but they are quite the handful. One thing we can guarantee is that after you have trained your puppy into a well-behaved dog, you will miss their naughty days. Your doggo is not going to be magically a good boy! They need mental and physical stimulation to teach them how to obey commands and be gentle with other dogs and people. Keep in mind ― a dog trapped in a corner will bite, even if it’s a golden retriever.
In a nutshell, it’s easy to train golden retriever puppies but sometimes, it can be a little difficult too.
Why?
Because of their playful nature!
Golden retriever puppies can be easily distracted. Getting a hooman is complete new to them so all they want to do is play with them in the backyard. Here’s a scenario to help you picture this:
Molly is a 2-month old golden retriever. She just got adopted and has been having quite the time with her owner. One day, Molly’s owner takes her to the park for the first time for training. While he was teaching Molly how to sit, a leaf blew by. Overjoyed at this sight ― a fun leaf somersaulting in the air ― Molly got all excited, abandoned the training and ran after the leaf. There she was, a goofball, trying to play with a leaf.
Yes, a leaf.
So, now you know why it is so important to keep your golden retriever puppy’s attention.
Following are some golden retriever puppy tips to make training sessions easier:
General Golden Retriever Puppy Tips
- Make It Fun
No matter what you are doing, in order to keep up with your puppy’s enthusiasm, make everything fun. And by that we mean ― use every trick in the book to keep them occupied. From a squeaky toy to throwing a stick, and using playful voices, try everything. No matter what, don’t yell or use a stern voice because if they become accustomed to it, they will fear you and not bond with you fully.
- Make It Safe
Since golden retriever puppies are fragile, instead of just putting a collar on them, use a harness. This way you can prevent any choking incidents if you accidentally pull hard on their leash.
- Make It Rewarding
One of the best ways to instill good behavior in a puppy is to reward them consistently. As a result, you will find them automatically doing the right thing because they want a treat. Make sure to keep some healthy snacks in your pocket so that you can reward them on-the-go too.
Golden Retriever Puppy Entertainment Tips
- Play Fetch
Playing fetch is the best way to teach your golden retriever to obey your most basic commands. The tone you use while playing with them will pave the way for you during training. Moreover, this is an interactive game that allows your puppy to spend all that pent up energy.
- Give It Puzzles
To coax a golden retriever puppy’s intelligence out, you should teach them how to play with puzzles. Get a puzzle game, which is challenging enough that your puppy doesn’t figure it out in the first few tries. The more they try to figure how it works, the more they will get mental stimulation.
- Experiment With Chew Toys
If your golden retriever puppy has a habit of chewing things then every time you see them munching on something, replace it with a chew toy.
- Play Tug’o’War
Playing tug’o’war is a great way to teach your golden retriever puppy how to focus. You can use this tip to simply play with your puppy and during training too.
Golden Retriever Puppy Eating Tips
Following are the food types you can feed your golden retriever puppy:
- Kibble
- Wet Food
- Raw Diet (Raw Food and Bones)
Foods Not to Feed Your Golden Retriever Puppy
- Citrus Fruits
- Chocolate and Hard Candy
- Fatty Foods
- Raisins and Grapes
- Chives, Onions or Garlic
- Nuts
- Milk and Heavy Dairy Products (You can introduce milk into their diet after a month and even that in small amounts)
- Salty Foods
- Yeast Dough
- Artificial Sweeteners
Feeding Your Puppy
- Two Months Old: 1 ½ cups/day
- Three Months Old: 2 cups/day
- Four Months Old: 2 ½ cups/day
- Five to Six Months Old: 3 cups/day
- Six to Seven Months Old: 3½ to 4 cups/day (male dogs) and 2 cups/day (female dogs)
Our Final Thoughts
The young mind of a golden retriever puppy is easy to mold and their playful antics make it all the more fun to teach them. This furball won’t give you a hard time. In fact, with these tips, you will be amazed at how much of a good and healthy boy your golden retriever puppy turns out to be.
