Consistency is the key to training Golden Retriever puppies.

Training an always energetic and curiously active Golden Retriever puppy is a difficult task. Along with your love, care, and patience, it also requires the knowledge of some basic training skills. Golds are very intelligent and learn quickly. But in the absence of proper, consistent and clear training/instructions, they can easily fall into the wrong habit. Your pup should be clear about what is allowed and what is not. Confusing or unobtrusive instructions would result in incorrect training.

The key to training Golden Retriever puppies is consistency. Another important thing to keep in mind is positive reinforcement. You should never rely on punishing your pup if he doesn’t obey you. You need to make your puppy understand what you like about him and what you don’t. Golds have an innate drive to please their masters. Once your pup knows what he doesn’t like, things will be easy. Rewarding your puppy positively for every obedient and correct behavior would help him adopt good habits willingly and quickly.

Using a clicker training system can go a long way in helping your pup learn the difference between do’s and don’ts. Many successful trainers rely on this system. Clicker is a handy little device used to signal each time the dog displays the correct behavior or performs an action correctly. Little by little, the dog learns that the clicking sound is associated with a good job. The click should be followed by some positive reinforcement such as a treat or a hug/caress. This encourages the dog to repeat the ‘good job’ and thus good habits are instilled.

Positive reinforcement is good and definitely has great benefits. But your pup needs to be aware of the misbehavior too. This will only happen when you explicitly ‘show’ your dislike. Hitting or intimidating the puppy is not recommended. Instead, you should use voice modulations, hand movements, or leash-pulling reactions (comparatively strong) to show disapproval of him.

Using food as a positive reward often works well. But you must be careful that this does not become a habit. Also, this can create problems for a breed like the Golden that lays down quite easily.

The most important part of puppy training is housebreaking. The puppy must be given clear instructions on where she can urinate or defecate. Puppies are like little babies and cannot ‘hold’. Therefore, you need to take him to the resting place after every meal, immediately after the puppy gets up and whenever she sees him sniff the ground or turn around and around. This is usually a sign that she wants relief. During the first few weeks, every time the puppy relieves her in the right place, he should be rewarded. This will make the puppy take it as a habit.

You must be clear about what kind of behavior you want from your dog. If you don’t want him to sit on the couch or bed, discourage him from the start. It will be difficult to break an adult dog out of this habit, if he was allowed to do it as a puppy. Similarly, do not encourage him to growl or bark while he plays with his puppy. This will instill bad behavior. Discourage your puppy from chewing on household items or nibbling on you and other family members. Teach him to chew and play with his toy.

Discourage the unwanted and encourage the wanted. This is the basic rule for training a golden puppy.

The final word: dogs love to be worn. You must be the leader of your dog. Never let it take over you. Be consistent and stick to the lines you draw. Don’t show what you don’t expect. This will build respect and once your dog respects you, obedience will follow naturally.