Training Your Golden Retriever

Dogs aren’t like humans, so they need to learn in different ways.  Dogs don’t have human responses, meaning that they don’t operate with the principle of right or wrong.  Instead, they operate on a principle of response, guided by the actions you give them.  If their actions lead to a bad response from you, then they not that what they are doing is wrong and will avoid doing that type of behavior.

If your dog does something right, he should be praised for it.  If your Golden Retriever is listening to what you say and doing well, you should reward him with a treat or praise.  Letting him know that he is doing good leads to positive response.  On the other hand, if he isn’t listening to you or doing the total opposite of what you say, you shouldn’t reward him at all - but instead scold him with a stern NO.

When training your Golden Retriever, timing is the most important factor.  If your dog is doing something wrong, you shouldn’t wait or hesitate to correct him. Doing so may send the wrong impression.  When your Golden is doing something wrong, you should correct him right then and there, so he will know without a doubt what he is doing wrong.

For example, if your Golden Retriever is chasing cars, you obviously want to stop this habit before it gets it out of hand.  The second you see him doing this, you should always stop him and let him know he’s wrong.  This way, he will know that chasing cars is something he shouldn’t be doing.  It may take a bit of time for him to realize this, and you’ll need to hold your ground and continue to correct him when he is doing something that you don’t approve of.

This type of theory is similar to that of praise.  When you see your Golden Retriever doing something right, you should praise him instantly.  If you don’t praise him instantly and instead wait until he has stopped, he will assume that you are praising him for stopping.  To be on the safe side and get the most from your Golden, you should always praise him when he is behaving in the right way, then correct him when he is behaving in a negative way.

If you take your time and show patience with your Golden Retriever, you shouldn’t have any problems training him.  The training process may take quite a bit of time, although it is more than worth it in the end.  Once you have trained your Golden Retriever, he will react to what you say, and avoid doing the things he has been corrected for.  Training is essential for Golden - and will make him a much better dog when he grows older.