Golden Retriever Training Tips: DOs and DON'Ts





If you are the new owner of a Golden Retriever and need some quick advice right away, these Golden Retriever Training Tips should give you a good base to start from. Here are some basic DOs and DON’Ts:



Golden Retriever Training Tips – DOs:



~ DO be consistent. Praise positive behavior, ignore bad. If you ignore bad behavior some of the time and correct it some of the time, you will confuse your Golden Retriever and delay progress.



~ DO be patient. Behavior is learned, but it takes time. If you are beginning to get frazzled, take a break. Training is only effective if you can remain calm. This way your Golden will feel secure and be able to follow your commands more easily.



~ DO be firm. Your tone of voice should be natural. Even when saying “no”, you should avoid speaking harshly, as this will only frighten him or her and not produce the results you want.



~ DO give plenty of praise. Golden Retrievers love praise and attention. Yours will want to please you above anything else. Praise him or her before, during, and after each training session. Remember to offer treats when he performs your commands successfully.



~ DO train consistently. Golden Retrievers will appreciate the routine of having training times at roughly the same time each day. He or she will begin to look forward to them. Keep sessions short. If your dog is tired, you will have a harder time getting him or her to obey commands.



Golden Retriever Training Tips DON’Ts:



~ DON’T train if you are in a bad mood. If you are having a bad day, are stressed, sad or tired, it’s better to wait to train until you are in a more positive state. Training your Golden should be a positive experience for both of you.



~ DON’T repeat commands. If you say “stay” and your dog follows you, then you need to demonstrate what “stay” means. Remain positive and repeat the process a few more times, and then move on or take a break to play for a bit. If you keep repeating the command over and over without show your Golden Retriever what it means, the command starts to have no meaning to your dog.



~ DON’T train too long. Dogs do not have lengthy attention spans. Move on to something new or fun after 5 minutes. (New command, quick game or jog around a bit.) Your Golden may start losing interest after three minutes anyway, so don’t push it.



~ DON’T worry too much. Learning is a process, and as I already mentioned, it takes some time. You might have some minor setbacks now and then, and you should expect some. If your Golden Retriever seems stuck on a certain command, try to make it fun for him or her by incorporating some fun into the activity.