Golden Retrievers?

Q. Sorrry a/b all the questions about goldens. I just want to be a good pet owner if we get a golden. Okay so the question is..... I was reading an article a/b goldens and it said that they can cause problem like get tooo hyper if they are left alone too long. How long are they talking a/b? I am not sure if getting a dog will work out.I have never had a dog && the first one i want is a golden. But what if we aren't home in enufff. GR owners how many hourse can these dogs be left alonee? I go to school and my parents are at work but my dad comes home in the middle of the day to do some work at home? Is that enuff time. Thanks for all your help!! :] If I'm not explaing it corectly then just tell me and i will update it thanks again. buh bye <3

Answer
I got a golden when I was 16 and still in high school. I was the dog's main caregiver and so when i was at school it was at home alone.
I made sure that it was in a contained space when i was gone (but i did not leave it in its crate for the entire time) and he adapted very well to the schedule. I did, however, get him during the summer so that i could housebreak him before I went back to school. (he was about 4 months old when i went back)
I also made sure that I walked him for a half an hour before i left for school so that he could go to the bathroom and get a little exercise, and then I took him for another walk or played with him when I got home. (we also attended obedience classes once a week).
This worked out perfectly and he was very well behaved and never destructive in the house. He also never had any trouble with going to the bathroom in the house during the time when i was at school.
Of course the interaction before and after school was very important, but I am very glad I got Cedric and he seemed like a very happy dog that managed well with my going to school.

Good luck

Help with dog crate sizing for my Golden Retriever puppy?

Q. I am looking to purchase a dog crate (for the purpose of potty training, her safety, etc.) for my Golden Retriever puppy who is just under 11 months old. Gauging from the research I've done online, the size that most crate companies suggest is a (large) crate with these dimensions:

42"L x 28"W x 31"H

My primary concern is this: my dog is almost 11 months old. Should I be concerned about her getting much bigger that it would it warrant me having to purchase an x-large crate with the dimensions of:

48"L x 30"W x 33"H ?

At 10.5 months is she at full adult size or does she have room to grow? - not sure. (Note: I am trying to minimize having to buy an additional crate in the future.) Would there be enough room do you think? I don't want the crate to be too small that she would be confined in a lay down position and not have room to sit up/turn around if need be.

Advice and help would be greatly and sincerely appreciated. Many thanks and all best!

Additional info: the last time I weighed my dog at her last vet visit back in July '08, she clocked in at 65 lbs. Being 2 months later, I assume she's around 70-75 lbs now.
Additional Question: I've read often that I opt for a bigger crate, where a dog can move about more, is it true that the dog would be more apt to urinate/defecate in its crate?
I was told that a dog would never do that in it's "den". So, to bring up a point with my so called 'dilemma' - I want my dog to be comfortable while she's crated for the few hours I'm away at work. So I figure the x-large will do this for me. On the other hand, I'm afraid she'd be apt to soil her crate with the extra room. (Perhaps some of you have had the same dilemma, as it tears me up to cage her. I understand that it's for her best interest, and I've finally resolved my thinking after a long hard week of getting out of the that "anti-caging an animal" frame of mind... and oh yeah, chewed up wooden furniture legs).

Thanks again for all your great advice, everyone!

--From one four-legged parent to another.

Answer
I would get the largest crate possible, and make sure it has a divider. If your puppy is not used to a crate, use the divider to make it just big enough to stand up and turn around. Then, when he's used to it, the extra space will be nice. For our boxer, we used to have to keep up the divider, but now we have the back with a blanket for her to lay on, and the front bare.

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Is crate training puppy's cruel?

saoirse_na

I have a 10 week old Golden retriever and I am crate training her for the last week. I have her on a schedule, where I take her out in the middle of the night for toiler, then in the morning for toilet and play time, feed. ANd every 2 hours for toilet and play time. THen I let her stay in the house for bout an hour and half in the evening. I give her a treat when I put her in. Sometimes she cries and struggles to get out and other times she just goes asleep.
ALL my family are acting like I am an animal abuser.
My uncle said that its cruel.
He is not a professional dog trainer, but he has raised some dogs, and he also told me to put her nose in her poop is she goes in the house. He just gave me a big talk there about how he thinks its cruel, and I am really upset now.
I am not a kid by the way, sorry if this comes across as scatty, I'm writing in the heat of the moment.
My dog cant go out for a walk until late next week which is so terrible. She sometimes growls at me and tries to bite me when I tell her no she cant jump up on the couch, etc.
I am extremely stressed out. I am really trying hard to do everything right...
Do guide dog trainers crate train the pups?....
I would appreciate people's advice.
Hi, I can't walk her until then because she is due her final vaccination then. It adds to the stress not being able to walk her, and to release her energy properly!!

Answer
She shouldn't be in the crate that much time. That's not really what crate training is for. It's for having a place to put her when you can't supervise her. When you are there and can supervise her, she should be with you in the house, not in the crate. The actual toilet training can't happen unless she is in the house and has opportunities to make choices about whether or not to toilet indoors. The crate takes away that choice. It's function is to prevent her from making mistakes during periods when you can't supervise and catch the mistakes yourself. Without the opportunity to make the choice and learn from mistakes and successes, she can't actually learn anything from the process.

No, you don't put their nose in the poop if they go in the house. Once the poop hits the floor it is too late to do anything but clean it up and remind yourself to pay closer attention next time. Sticking their nose in it is more likely to teach them to hide the poop in the house than to not do it in the house. It takes a combination of two things: 1. prevent poop in the house BEFORE it happens 2. reinforce/reward poop that is deposited in the correct location. When either item is missing, toilet training is going to be a real struggle and may never be successful. People often forget step two, to praise the right place. When you correct a dog for toileting in the house, does he actually know it's for doing it in the house? Or does he maybe think it's for doing it at all? A lot of dogs think it's the second one and since they can't avoid pooping, they try to avoid you finding their poop by hiding it. A dog who is praised for pooping in a certain place has a much better idea that the issue is location not the act itself.

What you have to do is watch closely enough that you can catch her preparing to poop. Catch her circling, sniffing, squatting, or anything else she does when she's about to poop. Since you're taking her outside on leash to poop, you have a great opportunity to observe what she does leading up to it. That's what you watch for. When you see the signs, interrupt, rush her outside, let her go and praise like crazy. Even if she starts going inside the house, if you can get even one nugget outside, you still praise for that nugget.

Your pup is 10 weeks old. She should have had two vaccinations under her belt by now. You don't need to wait for the third. Go ahead and walk her. Don't let her sniff dogs she doesn't know. Don't let her sniff poop. Those are the real risks at her age. Remember that you walk around outside and track in all manner of poop remnants without even knowing it. You can't keep her totally away from contamination risks so what you do is manage her exposure to a reasonable level, just as I described above.

Do guide dog puppy raisers crate train? Of course. It's for more than toilet training. If a dog is ever injured or ill and has to be hospitalized or has to have crate rest, that is not the time for them to have their first experience being crated. They should already be entirely comfortable with the crate so that that doesn't add extra stress on top of the illness or injury. I had one dog with a bad muscle pull in his shoulder that had to be crate rested. Another had complications after surgery and almost died and had to be crate rested (restricted exercise). Neither was distressed by this because they were already crate trained.

You know your pup is most likely to go when she first wakes in the morning, about half an hour after a meal, and during or immediately following play. If you take her out to potty after play and she does her business, you should be pretty safe for a couple of hours to let her interact with the family in the house. She has more house manners to learn than just toilet training, including what to chew and not chew, what to jump on and not on, waiting politely at doors, greeting visitors politely, walking on a loose leash, etc.

crate training my golden retriever?

Q. I've never had a puppy before so i'm kinda wondering what to expect.

I'm really curious on what to do at night. I know that the puppy will whine and cry. but i dont want it to go pee and poop everywhere while we're sleeping. I know that it will go in the house till fully potty trained but i was just wondering if there was a way to minimize it.

do i have to desensitize the puppy? or do i just stick it in the crate?

Answer
Read this about crate training: http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/our_pets_for_life_program/dog_behavior_tip_sheets/crate_training.html

Follow those tips and you should not have any problems. This is how we crate trained both of our dogs, and we have no problems. Our older dog is rarely crated, as he is 100% house broken and does not chew, but our pup sleeps in his crate every night and eats every meal in it. He has had only one pee accident in the crate. He whines to wake us up at night to go outside.

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What do I need to buy for my golden retriever puppy?

dog crates golden retrievers image

luckystar5

Alright so I have a english golden retriever pup who is gonna be living with me on aug 4th and it will be 8 weeks. So i need to know what I need to buy for it(kinda like a supply list) And any tips would be nice too!:) thank youu!!!!!!! 10 points for whoever answers best!

Answer
Hi Jennifer,
What a beautiful choice of dog. An English Golden is a stunning dog that turns heads where ever he/she goes.

Here is a basic list for supplies you will need for your new charge:

1) Start researching foods. Find out from the breeder what she is feeding at this time. Go online and research the ingredients of this food. Look for what the protein source is. Meat needs to be the first ingredient as meal or meat. Only whole grains, if grains at all. No corn, no wheat, no soy. If you are satisfied with the breeder's choice, then pick up some. If not, buy the brand you do find the best for your pup along with a bag of what the breeder has been feeding, and slowly over the course of a couple of weeks, switch over the food from what the breeder fed to your new food.

2) Stainless steel food and water bowls. These can be sanitized and won't harbor any germs.

3) Wire Crate: Purchase a full sized crate for when your dog is fully grown. Buy one with a partition to section it off to a smaller size for training purposes. Get some old towels or blankets ready for bedding. Take them with you when you pick up your pup. Have the breeder rub the towels over the mom dog so to bring the scent home with you to soothe your pup over the first few days.

4) Grooming supplies: Natural bristle brush. This brush will get down deep through the dense coat and distribute the oils as well as take out loose hair.
Rake with spinning teeth for shedding times. It pulls through the coat and gets all the old dead hair.
Regular grooming shears: you can pick this up a beauty supply store. These are to keep the hair on the paws trimmed.
Pair of nail clippers: found at a pet store. Keep them good and sharp. And pick up some septic powder in case the nail gets clipped down too close.

A shampoo I make myself and have found far better than any I've bought:
This formula is of the proper ph for dogs, unlike human shampoos.
1/4 cup 7th Generation Dish Soap (I prefer the Lavender mint scent)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup water to dilute
1 tablespoon of glycerin (found in pharmacy section of WalMart)

Toys:
I love Kong toys, especially for the chewing ability of a retriever. The Kong toy with the whole in it, you can put peanut butter or cream cheese in it for a special treat to be used when you have to leave the pup in his crate.
Wubba is made by Kong, too. It is covered in a tough nylon webbing. Fun for fetching, be it in yard or the water.

This is a short list to begin with. Get on line and read up on how to discipline your pup. Take some time and make a list of the commands you are going to use, and teach your whole family them. Decide now what is acceptable behavior for your dog, and what is not. What is cute when he is a puppy, will only confuse him when he is grown and all of a sudden you don't want him on the couch, begging, etc. Start him right and keep consistent.

You have a lot of homework to do over the next month. Use your time well, and you will be totally prepared for this precious pup.

My 2cents worth,
Rose

How do I get my golden retriever to stop chewing on everything?!?

jennifer p

I have a golden retriever that will be 1 in April. I buy rawhide bones all the time but he chews through them in no time. They're getting expensive, lol. I have a one year old daughter and a 7 year old son and he prefers chewing on their toys. I've bought him puppy chew toys and he just tears them up. Help!

Answer
It is perfectly normal for a puppy to chew things at this age, or really at any age, but of course it isn't impossible to keep him from ruining your things.

If it seems the toys you buy him are easy for him to break apart go to a large pet wearhouse and ask if they have any toys suitable for dogs with very strong jaws, I'm sure they'll have some.

As for your dog chewing through your kids toys there are multiplet hings you can do to stop destructive behaviour:

1. Make sure he is getting enough exercise. If your dog isn't being walked daily then he needs more exercise. A dog that is under-exercised becomes hyper and frustrated, and as an outlet for the frustration he can develop behaviour problems like obsessions or destructiveness. Exercising your dog more might help reduce how destructive he is.

2. Obedience training. Teaching your dog a few commands around the household can be a LOT of help. Teach him the commands "leave it" and "drop" so when he goes to touch somehting he shouldn't you can command "leave it", or when he is allready in possession of somehting you can make him hand it over.

TRAINING THE LEAVE IT COMMAND: http://www.cesarsway.com/tips/trainerscorner/LEAVE-IT
TRAINING THE DROP/GIVE COMMAND: http://www.universityvet.com/resource/controlling-stealing-and-teaching-give-command

3. Discpline is really the only thing that can immediently stop any behaviour Issue. Make sure that , when he chews HIS toys you give him POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT, but when he chews through YOUR things give NEGATIVE enforcement instead so he learns what he should and should not do. It is for both your benefit and the dogs that he knows what is expected of him, otherwise it can get stressful. When your goldie goes to chew on on eof your kids toys go up to him and firmly, in a clear voice and looking him straight in the eye, say "no" or "bad". When correcting a behaviour make sure you NEVER yell, be aggressive or threatening, hit or hurt him, or become annoyed or frustrated. Be calm, clear and strong minded, consistant and make corrections immediently with an air of authority. If he won't give it over perhaps leave him on a leash for a week or so so that when he gets his jaws on somehting he shouldn't you can keep control of him and remove the item from his mouth. No dog learns immediently, so be calm and consistant and never give up. It's also a good idea to get your kids into the habit of correcting the dog so they learn to control the dog too, making the job easier for you. (I don't have a son but my 9 year old nephew who visits often can make all my dogs do commands)

4. Sometimes even the most well trained dog can get into trouble when you aren't home, so perhaps invest in crate training him. Crate training is having your dog in a crate while you aren't home and as a bed for the night.

I hope this helps and good luck!

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