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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.
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