8 Golden Retriever Puppy Tips

So you want a Golden Retriever Puppy?  Outstanding!  Golden Retrievers are the best breed on the planet (no bias here; they really are).  🙂  That said, there is MUCH for you to do if you want them to STAY the best; it’s not magic and does not happen on it’s own.  A Golden Retriever’s natural temperament makes them easy to train but also makes them a handful so go into this with proper expectations.  The following article is a fairly long read and the sections are in no particular order but I suggest working your way through it so that you can be prepared to be the best Golden Retriever puppy parent you can be.  It may sound difficult to do things the right way but it’s not.  It does however require knowledge, thought and attention so read on!  Note that this article is intended to deliver some useful tips but there are certainly more to be had..  Vaccinations, good food, Vet checkups, flea treatments, etc.  I’ve written other articles on some of these things (more on the way) and are on this web site but do your research and be prepared!

Make Sure You are Ready for the Long Haul

OK so first a word of caution.  Puppies are a LOT of work if you want to have a well adjusted adult.  If you are not prepared to do what it takes as a puppy to make them good pets as an adult then just change your mind now and don’t buy one.  You will own, live with and love this puppy for potentially 12 years or more so make the commitment or not but decide NOW.  There is nothing worse than someone who buys a puppy and abandons it a few months later because they were not prepared to be proper owners.  If you make the decision to more forward and work at it you will almost certainly never chose another breed and will be glad you did but it does take commitment.

Set Proper Expectations for the First Few Months

A puppy is a baby.  We put diapers on human babies and put up with a year of changing those diapers, watching over them every minute of every day, hugging/holding them, cooing at them and tolerating spit ups and all manner of bodily fluids.  When they are old enough, you have to TRAIN them to potty in the right place.  The only difference with a puppy is it does not take all that long since they mature MUCH faster than human babies, they can start potty training VERY early on and…   well…  diapers just don’t work.

Puppies will be cuddly and beautiful but will also be amazingly curious and rambunctious.  They will either be sleeping (a lot) or going 100%;  there is little in between.  They will have accidents in the home, will chew things and might make more noise than you like.  Deal with it and start training them VERY early on, you will be happy you did.

Crate Training

Most people and experienced trainers swear by crate training.  It provides a “safe place” for the puppy to retreat and is handy to keep them contained when you are not watching them.  Despite how it appears, crate training, when done properly, is not evil or cruel at all.  Dogs are naturally den animals and the crate can provide a sense of security for them.  We at Texas TLC Goldens do not use crates a lot but that is a personal preference; we still recognize that it’s an incredibly useful tool for many and a very popular and safe thing to do if done properly.  I’ll not go into specifics on how to perform crate training as it’s not my strong point and frankly there are TONS of sites on the web that can advise you.  My only real advice is to research several methods and make absolutely sure that you never use the crate as punishment.  Your Golden Retriever should LIKE going into the crate and feel comfortable there.  Also don’t make a puppy go all night without a potty break.  Puppies can generally hold it for an hour per month old; don’t force them to pee or poo inside their crate!

Potty Training

Note:  This section is an excerpt from my more detailed post:  How to Potty Train Your Puppy

This subject is all over the web so I’ll not go over all the different methods of doing it; the key thing is to start early and be consistent.  Puppies from Texas TLC Goldens will have a head start as we plan to use artificial turf just outside their whelping box as well as on the back porch to give them safe places that simulate grass.  Dogs don’t like eliminating near their food or where they sleep so once they are big enough to climb out of the box (around 4 weeks or so) they will start moving to the turf area to do their business.  They will not be completely trained but they should have a head start when they go to their forever homes.

Notes before we start:

• Your Golden Retriever puppy WILL have one or more accidents inside the house, guaranteed.  It serves no useful purpose to scold them for this  and frankly, is probably your fault (read on below).   When this happens, clean it up quickly and thoroughly, especially if it happens on carpet.  The smell will draw them back to that spot if you do not get it completely gone immediately.
• No matter which method you choose to potty train, there is always one key component;  you must pay attention 100% of the time.  You must know what your Golden Retriever puppy is doing at all times until they are thoroughly potty trained.  Keep them in the same room you are in, pay attention and respond properly; you must be observant and respond properly in a very consistent fashion.
• The methods I supply below are not nearly the only ways to potty train your Golden Retriever; they are just the ways that we have used with good success.  Do your own research, make a plan and act on your plan with consistency.

We’ve used two different methods for potty training that have been very successful.  You can even combine both methods.

Puppy Pads

I don’t particularly LIKE this method since it typically takes longer than the manual method (below) and because I don’t particularly like cleaning up their messes on the pads constantly but it did work for us for three of our dogs years ago.  It is also a good method to use if you cannot be right there with the puppy 100% of the time.

• Keep your puppy in a restricted area on hard floors with puppy pads placed away from their food and sleeping area.  Place the puppy on the pad every time you think they might want to potty; praise them whenever they go on the pad;  change the pads often.  Never scold them for missing the pad but ALWAYS praise them when they succeed.
• Once the puppy is addicted to going on the pad, start moving the pad closer to the back door then eventually out onto the porch then into the grass and continue to praise theme very time they are successful.   Make sure the puppy continues to follow the pad wherever it goes.
• This process can take weeks to a month or two but it does work.  Once they get onto the grass, keep pads there for a week or two and encourage the puppy to go on the grass as much as possible including effusive praise every time they go on the grass.  You can stop using the pads as soon as they get used to the grass.
• Important note:  once you move the pads outside it’s incredibly important that you watch the puppy closely.  They will not know how to ask you to open the door and this is a critical transition time.  If you see them standing at the door, they want to go outside.  If you see them wanting to go potty in the house, immediately pick them up (they typically won’t have an accident while you carry them), take them outside and praise them when they eliminate in the proper place.  If you miss them and they go in the house, just clean it up quickly and move on; it serves absolutely no purpose to scold them.

Potty Training by Hand

This has become our preferred method since I work from home and Terri is currently a full time student from home.  We’ve found it to be quicker, less messy and much more effective than the puppy pad method but it requires a lot more work, close attention and consistency on your part.  We used this method on our two current Golden Retrievers Harley and River and we have had two..  count them..  TWO accidents in the house since we first got them at 8 weeks old and they are over 2 years old now.

2018/10/24 Update:  We received our beautiful Emma almost two weeks ago at 4 months of age.  Apparently she was unintentionally TRAINED to do her business on concrete or other hard surfaces before she arrived in Texas.  We can only assume that she was housed in a kennel with a concrete floor and learned (essentially was trained) that going on hard surfaces was the thing to do.  When we first got her she had over 8 “accidents” in the house every single day including overnight.  It was frustrating and required a LOT of careful attention but we caught her doing it maybe half the time and immediately scooped her up, carried her outside directly to the grass and followed the method below.  After around 10 days now she makes it though the night without an accident and has maybe one event in the house during the day every two days.  We hope to have her reliably house trained in a few weeks.  Yes it was hard but it WORKS.  It also speaks to finding a breeder that does not house their puppies in fixed kennels with floors that resemble your house floors.  We at Texas TLC Goldens plan to provide turf areas where the new puppies can start to go on (usually starting at about 3 weeks old).  While this will not completely train the pup, it should make your lives MUCH easier.

Now..  on with the tips….

• It is absolutely key with this method that you watch your Golden Retriever puppy all the time; no exceptions.  Keep them in the same room you are in and if needed leash them to keep them close.  Observation and consistency wins the day here.
• Know when your puppy will likely want to potty
  • Immediately after waking up from their MANY naps
  • Within 30 minutes of eating or drinking
  • Puppies have tiny bladders and bowels.  As a very general rule puppies can hold it 1 hour per month old until around 6 months old.  Take them outside at least this often even through the night until they consistently tell you they need to go out for a week or more.  Yes this is difficult and is hard on your sleep but you’d have to be up this much for a human baby as well – deal with it.  It is very important that they do their business outside every time you can possibly arrange it
• Take them outside proactively and watch them.  Do this EVERY time you think they MIGHT want to potty.  You will spend a lot of time going outside but this bit in itself is good training for them.  If they potty, praise them AFTER they are finished (doing it during may distract and confuse them)
  • Always use the same words to praise them and be effusive.  We use: “Yes!” (this is a key word for success we use for everything) followed by “Harley pottied outside!  Good Girl!  Harley pottied outside!”.  Pick something that works for you but be consistent.  You will find that they will know what it means in short order and you will get success faster.  We also always use the Golden Retriever’s name in the praise.  They need to know who your are talking to and if you have more than one Golden Retriever as we do, this can become very important later.
• As with the puppy pad method, pay close attention to your Golden Retriever standing at the door.  If you see them there, take them outside and praise them if they potty!  Yes you will find yourself going outside, a LOT,  just so they can play and will feel like it’s a revolving door but you cannot take the chance when they are young so just do it!
  • Note:  we used a bell for this and trained them to use it.  There are many bells available on Amazon for this purpose but be advised that the bell can become a nightmare for you as they get older and they start wanting to go in and out and in and out and in and out for other reasons if you don’t have a dog door.  You may want to wean them from the bell when they get a little older.

Get Plenty of Chew Toys!

Puppies chew; it’s what they do.  Yes golden Retrievers tend to have a “soft mouth” but that does not mean they don’t like to chew.  In fact, golden Retrievers are very mouthy dogs and love having things in their mouths.  If you don’t train them to stop they will chew EVERYTHING including furniture, carpet, shoes, underwear, rocks, sticks and basically anything else they can put in their mouth.  This for us was much harder to train them on than potty training so be prepared.  Get plenty of chew toys that are soft and/or rubbery.  Try to avoid really hard chews for the first few months and I suggest looking for toys that don’t hurt too much when stepped on with bare feet. 🙂  Also look for chews that will not fragment off into smaller pieces and become a choking hazard.

Until between 6 months and a year old, puppies will have “puppy teeth”.  these are VERY sharp teeth that will fall out over time.  You will likely never see them fall as they tend to swallow them.  Swallowing puppy teeth is normal and safe so don’t worry about it.  Be advised though that these teeth will HURT if they chew on your hand as they are like thick needles.  it’s not their fault, just be aware and deal with it.

You will need to train your Golden Retriever puppy what is a “good chew” and what “bad chew” means.  Pick your own words of course but those are what we use.  Watch your Golden Retriever puppy constantly and any time they are chewing on a bad thing, tell the “bad chew!” a couple times, then gently take away the offending thing, give them a proper thing to chew on and reward them with praise “Good chew!  Good chew!” and love on them a little.  This activity will never go completely away but our adult dogs never chew furniture or carpets any more and know what “bad chew” means and have a good idea what a “good chew” is.

Once the Golden Retriever pups have a head full of adult teeth you can get them some harder chews.  Be careful to avoid chews that can splinter (almost any cooked bone) and most rawhide bones (unless you know for certain they were USA made and have good ingredients).

Yes They WILL Shed

Golden Retrievers have long lustrous coats with two layers.  They WILL shed and will typically have two “blowouts”, one in spring, the other in fall but they will shed year around so be prepared.  Brushing your Golden Retriever outside daily (or at least once per week) will help quite a lot but you should accept right now that there will be hair in your home, on your furniture and on your clothes.  Almost all dogs shed but Golden Retrievers have longer hair than many so it’s more visible.  You can also get one of the many vacuum robots on the market now.  They do help but they don’t remove the need to dust mop and vacuum yourself.  Get lint rollers for your clothes and move on; it’s part of the price of admission to this awesome club.

Socialize Your Puppy!

This is incredibly important.  So important in fact that I wrote a completely separate article on socializing Golden Retriever puppies (well…  any puppy but I’m biased).  Read it!  Do it!!

Train Your Puppy

Training can not start too soon if you want a well behaved Golden Retriever.  If you are not an experience trainer, get help!  There are many training facilities and groups that offer obedience training and don’t think private training is necessarily better than group.  In a group you have the added benefit of exposure to other and varied dogs.  This can be an important socialization technique and I know a few people that attend training over and over just for this purpose.  Understand as well that these training sessions are basically teaching YOU how to train your dog.  You will need to continue working with your golden Retriever at home on a very regular basis if you want true success.

I recommend finding a training group that also shows dogs if you can.  They are often more effective and less commercialized than the lessons offered at pet stores.  We have done both and really prefer to training offered by professional dog handlers and truthfully, it is not more expensive in our experience.

At very least you should train your Golden Retriever to:

• Sit
• Stay
• “Leave it” (move away from something you don’t want them messing with)
• Not crowd the door
• Behave and walk nicely on a leash
• Avoid separation anxiety.
  • Separation anxiety is a destructive behavior and typically a learned behavior that you probably taught them without knowing.  Work with a trainer to understand what you did to cause it and/or what you can do to prevent it.  It is MUCH harder to correct than prevent.

A Tired golden Retriever is a Good Golden Retriever

Golden Retrievers are intelligent, energetic and in need of a lot of exercise and mental challenges daily.  If you do not do this, you puppy is smart enough and energetic enough to get into creative mischief.  Learn to enjoy spending time with your Golden Retriever.  Throw a ball, take walks, play tug-o-war, do anything that keeps them active and paying attention to you.  It’s really not that hard but it should not be consistently forgotten.

Pro tip:  Before you do training sessions with your Golden Retriever, run them a little, throw a ball, get some of that excess energy out so that they can more easily pay attention to you.

Special note for Golden Retriever puppy exercise:  Golden Retrievers, like any other large breed are prone to hip and elbow problems late in life.  One key thing you can do to help prevent this to some extent is to be careful how you exercise the puppy when very young and their joints are still growing.  Up until 18 months to 2 years old you should avoid excessive running with quick stops and turns or jumping on hard surfaces (concrete, etc).  Quick stops or turns at full speed should be avoided when possible on any surface.  Yes when you throw a ball your Golden Retriever will chase it with every muscle in their body but try to throw it so that they don’t need to jump too much or make really hard stops/turns.  Don’t worry if they do this a little but try to keep it in mind when at play.  Some experts also frown on teaching a young puppy to stand on it’s back legs (upright like a human) as well.

Summary

Taking on a Golden Retriever puppy is a commitment that will typically last over a decade, make sure you are ready to commit before even trying.  Golden Retrievers are the best breed of family, sport and show dog on the planet in our not-so-humble opinion but they don’t get that way all by themselves.  You should be ready to continually train them all of their lives but especially in the first year and a potty training plan should begin on day one and carried though with consistency until they are fully trained.  Consider a crate for your Golden Retriever if you will be away from the home for a few hours at a time and to keep them contained at night but properly train them that it’s a safe and good place for them.  It is critical that Golden Retriever puppies be socialized as thoroughly as possible when young.  Golden Retrievers are a very intelligent and energetic breed so mental challenges and physical exercise is a must.  Remember:  A tired golden is a good Golden.

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About the Authors

Bryan and Terri Curry love all dogs in general, especially Golden Retrievers.  They have had dogs for all but 6 months of their long lives and all have lived happy and much longer than average.  Bryan and Terri are co-owners of Texas TLC Goldens; a small responsible breeder producing high quality Golden Retriever puppies.