The Golden Retriever is a large breed of dog, described as the kindly, friendly and confident dog.
As the name suggests, the Golden Retriever loves to retrieve.
Regardless of what object you throw, you can keep the Golden Retriever busy for hours making him bring back things you throw away from him.
It is a fun and exciting activity for both the dog and the trainer.
Of course, it depends on your ingenuity how you make use of his natural tendencies for teaching him other things.
An extremely intelligent dog, the Golden retriever has the capacity to understand and obey approximately 240 words and phrases.
Golden Retriever training is relatively easy, and they love the learning process.
But, the fact remains that they cannot learn on their own; they have to be taught.
They are also not naturally obedient; they have to be tutored to obey.
So, the onus is on you the owner to train your Golden Retriever properly.
In the first five to six months, you can train your dog most effectively.
His brain is like a clean slate and you can write what you want on it.
Though it makes your work easy on the one hand, you have to be very alert on the other hand because he will be picking up positive and negative habits with the same enthusiasm.
And, once the habits set in, it is many times more difficult to change them.
So, give him lots of positive experiences at this point in time, which will go a long way in the making of a well-behaved adult Golden you can be proud of.
Remember the law of association.
It is the best way to teach the behavior you expect from your dog.
Never change the word corresponding to the act you have taught him.
Your aim is not to teach him language; your aim is to teach him behavior.
Also, never give two three commands simultaneously.
Use one word only at a time.
Always remember to add treats and appreciation during your Golden Retriever training program.
All this will form a chain of positive experiences, which will help in establishing the behavior you want him to learn.
Be magnanimous in showering praise and offering rewards for good behavior or when he corrects his bad behavior.
The biggest mistake you can make with Golden Retriever training is to tell him to come and then correct him for some wrong behavior.
He will get the wrong message.
He will associate 'come' with punishment.
The golden rule to follow is: now and here, which means correct him midway.
Physical punishment should be avoided at any cost.
You will only add fear and confusion in your dog's head, which may lead your dog to act aggressively.
If you treat your dog gently and patiently, you will be able to teach him much faster and with greater success.
You cannot expect your puppy to behave very differently from the way you behave with him.
Love begets love, and dogs understand it very well.