Train a Golden Retriever
Do you have an unruly Goldie? This article will deal with the four "building block" commands that you will need.
Steps
- Recognize the first basic commands to teach your Golden Retriever.
- Sit – Your Goldie will sit down. This is self explanatory.
- Stay – Your Goldie will stay where it is currently standing, even if you should walk away.
- Lie – Your Goldie will lie down on the floor
- Heel – Your Goldie will follow you as you walk.
- Have patience before beginning to train your dog. The Golden Retriever is one of the most intelligent dog breeds in the world, so don't be frustrated if he or she doesn't pick up on anything on your first few sessions.
- Choose a selection of tasty treats. Reserve these treats for your Goldie for when you are training him/her.
- Start with the sit. Have your dog standing in front of you, and hold the treat firmly in your hand above the dog's head. Move the treat towards its shoulders. Gently push their bottom to the ground. Praise the dog and give it the treat. Repeat, this time introducing the command - "sit." Continue repeating this step, using the command each time, until your dog seems to have learned the trick.
- Move onto lying down, once your dog has learned to sit on command. Once your dog sits, you can teach it to lie down. Have it sitting in front of you and hold the treat firmly in your hand. Move it towards the floor. As your dog starts to go down, move it at ground level towards you. Once it is lying down, praise and reward. Repeat this step, but introduce the command this time. Continue repeating the method, with the command included every time, until your dog seems to have learned the command.
- Move to the heel command. This is surprisingly easy. Have your dog on a short leash, on your left. Hold a treat in your right hand, about level with your lower ribs in the center of your body.
- Make sure your dog knows the treat is there. Walk away and give the heel command. Keep its attention on you and don't be afraid to keep repeating the command. Stop and praise your dog every few yards, giving rewards and attention.
- As you get better at this, slowly increase the length of the leash until it's long but loose. To keep his attention on you, use other commands. For example, introduce a stop command (the dog should stop but remain standing), the sit command and/or the lie command.
- Finish with the final building block, the stay command. Tie your dog up at first if necessary. Get the dog in the sit or lie position and firmly - but not angrily - tell him to stay. Take two steps away but remain facing him. Count to three. Then return and praise. Don't expect him to remain still at first.
- Practice stay. The stay command generally needs the most practice. Eventually you will be able to untie him and turn your back.
- Make it feel comfortable with you and add new tricks every once in a while.
Tips
- Keep training sessions to a maximum of 10 minutes - dogs have short attention spans and you don't want them getting bored. Have training sessions regularly.
Warnings
- Think of your dog as well as your self.
- Don't overfeed your dog treats - Golden Retrievers are notorious for suffering from hip problems if overweight, and being overweight is simply not very healthy for your dog. Also remember that if you feed your dog from the table, it will likely start to beg constantly while you're eating. If you do feed your dog leftovers, give them to the dog away from the table and only after everyone has finished eating..
- Don't physically punish your dog - the word "no," strongly emphasized, will be enough. If he has been very naughty, a sharp tap on the nose will suffice, but never hurt your dog.
- Never forget that you are responsible for the dog, as if you were its parent. Be careful.
Things You'll Need
- One dog
- Treats
- One short leash
- One longer leash
