How To Train a Golden Retriever Puppy (Starter Guide)

Before you move on to teaching your dog complex tricks, you need to set the foundation. Begin by training your puppy to go potty, sit in a crate, and walk on the leash.

You also need to teach your puppy fundamental commands, such as “sit,” “come,” and “drop it.” most complex tricks use these basic commands in different combinations.

Training seems daunting to many inexperienced owners, but you will raise a well-behaved dog with enough patience and discipline.

Potty Training

Many owners are confused about how to train golden retriever puppies to go potty. The key to golden retriever potty training success is patience, consistency, and understanding.

You should know the signs a puppy needs to go potty, when to take it outside, and how to handle accidents. In its essence, potty training is simple – you must take the puppy outside before an accident occurs and praise it.

Puppies can hold their bladder for about an hour per month. So, a two-month-old puppy can hold it for two hours and a three-month-old for three.

If you take your puppy outside every hour minutes and it doesn’t go, you can bump it to an hour and a half.

There is no universal answer for how often to bring the puppy outside to go potty, so you must adjust the timing to your dog’s needs.

If you take the puppy out every two hours with occasional accidents, you might want to bring it out every 40 minutes. Always take the puppy to the same spot because dogs like to go potty where they can smell pee.

This habit might also work to your disadvantage if your puppy pees in the house. If you don’t clean the stain properly with an enzymatic cleaner, your dog will return to the same spot every time it needs to go.

After your dog has peed outside, praise it and give it a treat. Your puppy will soon learn that going potty outside is a positive thing.

As you may have guessed, someone must always be home to bring the puppy outside, but it isn’t realistic. A crate is of great help in keeping the puppy constrained while you’re away.

Your puppy might pee on the couch while you’re cooking dinner, so keep it in the crate whenever you can’t supervise it. Of course, you shouldn’t simply close your puppy in the crate and leave – crate training is crucial.

Lastly, learn to handle potty accidents correctly. Don’t punish your puppy because it hasn’t done anything wrong intentionally. Instead, say “not in here!” and bring it outside to finish going. Then, get rid of the stain.

Crate Training

Crate training is crucial for keeping the puppy constrained whenever you can’t supervise it. A lot can go wrong while you’re away – for instance, your puppy might find a box of chocolates and eat them or pee on the carpet.

Start by choosing the correct crate size for a puppy – it should be neither too spacious nor too small. First experiences are crucial, so you should introduce the crate to your puppy without stress.

Open the door and put some of your puppy’s favorite toys and food inside. You can also put a fuzzy blanket for the crate to appear cozier. Then, let your puppy walk into the crate itself and walk out.

Give your puppy time to get used to the crate without closing the door. Once your puppy voluntarily spends time inside, you can shut the door and open it immediately.

Gradually increase the duration of crate training, closing the door for longer periods. Over time, you can start exiting the room – for a moment at first, then for a minute, five minutes, and more.

Never use the crate as punishment. Your puppy should associate it with comfort rather than stress. Always praise your puppy for sitting in the crate without showing anxiety or destructive behavior.

Walking On a Leash

Golden retriever leash training can be challenging because of the exuberant and curious nature of this breed. Goldens often pull on the leash and run after distractions, so you must be strict and consistent.

Start by getting the dog used to the leash. Leave the collar and leash near your puppy so that it can inspect the items. When your puppy appears comfortable around the collar and leash, you can put the collar on its neck.

Only attach the leash if your puppy doesn’t seem anxious with a collar on. Walk indoors at first – the goal is to teach your dog to walk correctly before you head outdoors, and your home has far fewer distractions than a public park.

Spend about five minutes walking back and forth indoors, then increase the duration to 15-30 minutes, depending on your dog’s age. Praise and reward your dog whenever it walks correctly. Eventually, you can head outdoors and wean your goldie off treats.

Many owners unintentionally reward poor habits such as pulling on the leash. Whenever your dog pulls the leash, you should stand still until it stops. Only then can you continue walking.

If you budge and walk in your dog’s direction, it will learn that pulling is acceptable. You should be the winner in this tug of war rather than your furry friend.

Basic Commands

Once your dog knows essential things like walking on the leash or going potty, you can move on to teaching it basic commands each dog must know – “sit,” “come,” “drop.”

These essential golden retriever commands will help you raise a well-behaved dog and might even save your dog’s life. Imagine that your dog takes a bag of raisins in its mouth – you can command “drop it” immediately to prevent your dog from eating them.

Fortunately, golden retrievers are intelligent dogs and quickly memorize verbal cues. To teach your dog the “drop” command, you will need three to five toys.

First, give your dog the least amusing toy and allow it to play with the toy for a few minutes. Then, show your dog a high-value treat and command “drop it.” Your dog should drop the toy to get the treat. Pick up the toy.

Next, give your dog a more amusing toy and repeat the actions. Repeat several times with different toys until you get to your dog’s favorite one. The treat should be really appealing for your dog to drop its favorite chew.

After several solid training sessions, your dog will learn the verbal cue, and you can wean it off treats. Ask your dog to drop the toy without showing it the treat. Only after your dog drops it can you reward it.

The “sit” command is particularly helpful if your golden retriever jumps on people, runs after other dogs or smaller animals, or doesn’t let you peacefully talk to an acquaintance you met in a park.

The best way to teach a golden retriever to sit is the “food lure” method. Hold a treat in front of your dog’s nose while standing still. Next, move the treat behind its head.

Your puppy will follow the treat with its nose and drop to the ground. The key to success is moving the treat slowly. When your puppy’s bottom drops on the floor, say “sit,” then praise it and reward it.

After a few training sessions, your puppy will memorize the verbal cue, and you can try commanding it “sit” without the treat. Don’t forget to reward your dog if it obeys the command.

After your dog learns to sit on cue without rewards, add challenges – introduce distractions or have your dog sit for longer.

The “come” command is the easiest because your dog doesn’t mind running your way anyways. Back away from your dog and call its name. Alternatively, you can squeak a toy.

Once your puppy comes to you, say the verbal cue and reward it. Eventually, your puppy will learn the command and come without treats.

Playing Fetch

Fetch is a fun physical activity and a mentally stimulating game that reinforces command memorization. But first, your puppy needs to learn “come” and “drop it” commands.

You might need to teach your puppy to chase the toy, but most golden retrievers will do so instinctively. Once your dog grabs the toy, call its name, then ask it to drop it.

If your dog doesn’t bring you the toy, encourage it to come using a second toy that’s more appealing than the first one or a treat.

As soon as your puppy drops the toy, reward it with treats. After some time, your puppy will learn that fetch is fun even without treats, and you will be able to wean it off rewards. Gradually increase the distance.

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