Golden Retrievers are among the most popular dog breeds in the United States and consistently ranked in the top five smartest dog breeds. This friendly and gentle breed is perfect for families and can be trained fairly easily due to its intelligence and people-pleasing nature. However, dog training isn’t all pets and cuddles. So, we’re here to help make sure you raise the perfect Golden.
Training a Golden Retriever starts from day one. The most important part of dog training is using positive reinforcement and praising good behavior rather than punishing bad behavior. Setting firm boundaries and creating routines will also help you’re Golden learn faster. Most importantly, be as patient as you can while helping your Golden learn to navigate the world.
Read on for a more comprehensive guide on how to train a Golden Retriever. This guide will cover the most essential training topics throughout your Golden’s adolescent years. We’ll also detail the best tactics for the biggest training challenges, like potty training and getting your Golden to listen.
Positive Reinforcement Training of a Golden Retriever
Now we can get into the nitty-gritty of training your Golden Retriever. This guide will start at 8-weeks old, which is the healthiest time to separate a puppy from its mother and transition it to a new home.
From there, we will progress up to 24 months, where at this age, your Golden should have all the basic tools it needs from training, and owners can simply hone and expand on them for the remainder of their Golden’s life.
The only training process we will use for this guide is positive reinforcement. This means that your Golden will only be rewarded for positive behavior and redirected from undesirable behavior through distractions.
We strongly recommend pairing this training with a dog clicker so you can help your Golden more easily mark positive behaviors.
At no point should you scold or use physical corrections in your training. Studies have shown that dominating or fear-based training is highly ineffective and can even create aggressive behavior within your dog.
Through positive reinforcement, your Golden will learn to associate certain behaviors with good things like praise and treats, and so, over time, they start to willingly perform these desired actions themselves to please their owners and earn rewards.
Early Puppy Stage (2-6 months)
Without a doubt, this is the absolute hardest and most crucial stage for training any dog. It isn’t uncommon for all the puppy cuteness of your baby Golden to occasionally melt away while you constantly try to keep them from peeing in your home or chewing your furniture.
The brunt of your training will be here in your Golden’s formative years. But don’t worry, this stage doesn’t last forever, and the sooner you lay a solid foundation for your Golden puppy, the quicker they’ll learn to be a well-trained companion.
Fear Stage
Puppies are just like babies in many ways. Everything is incredibly new and exciting and even scary. They have very little experience with the world and are slowly exploring new things every day that they might not enjoy the first time around.
It is crucial for puppy owners to realize that at this age, any dog breed experiences what is referred to as “the fear stage.” This means that they are extremely wary of new things due to their lack of experience and might avert to crying, whining, or even more aggressive behaviors.
You are going to have to be extremely patient and understanding of your Golden puppy throughout this stage. Never force them into situations where they are clearly over-anxious or fearful.
It is alright to initially try to coax them through some positive training if they seem unsure, but once you recognize they are overwhelmed, it is best to remove them from the stressful entity. Otherwise, your Golden is likely to develop a fearful aversion to whatever is causing them stress, and this could carry on into their adult years, posing a significant training challenge.
Crate Training
One of the first things you’re going to want to do with your Golden puppy is crate train them. Dogs are den animals, which means they will find comfort in small spaces where they can feel comfortable and secure. When full-grown, Goldens need a 42″ dog crate. You can either start with this size or work up to it as your puppy grows.
At an age when everything is new and overwhelming, you’ll want your Golden puppy to have a sanctuary where they know they’ll be safe.
Crate training is also essential because it gives owners a secure location where they can keep their puppy when they can’t supervise them, such as overnight or when preparing meals.
A common mistake puppy owners make is giving their puppy way too much access to the house. By crate training your Golden, you’ll have a set space to keep them where they’ll feel safe, and you can mentally relax knowing they’re somewhere secure rather than running around the house.
Of course, this only works if the Golden likes their crate. When crate training, it is imperative that you never place your puppy in the crate. The key is to let them get used to space and enter on their own.
Start by leaving all the crate doors open and placing a treat inside. Once your Golden goes into the crate for the treat, immediately praise them. If you have a clicker, click the moment the enter and eat the treat.
Repeat for a few rounds, and then start practicing with the door. Place treats in the crate to keep your Golden inside. While they’re distracted with the treat, swing the door closed and immediately open, then click and treat again. You’re trying to teach your Golden that the crate is a positive and safe place regardless of if the door is open or closed.
Over time, you should be able to get your Golden in the crate and close the door completely. Keep it closed for maybe 5 seconds, then open it, praise your puppy, and give them a treat. Eventually, your puppy will settle into the crate, and you can leave the door closed for longer periods.
To help them feel more secure, it often helps to place a dark-colored blanket over the crate to create a den-like appearance that your Golden will find comforting.
Potty Training
Possibly the puppy training section all owners wish they could skip is potty training. It is important to note here that every dog is their own individual, and so, they will all respond to potty training at their own pace, even with the most dedicated training.
One Golden puppy might get the hang of potty training after week one, whereas another will struggle until they’re three or four months old. Many will still have the occasional accident even into their fifth month.
To ensure your Golden puppy is a pro at potty training early on, the best thing you can do as an owner is to provide structure and follow a potty routine.
First, if you don’t have a lawn to potty train your pup, you can train them to pee on puppy pads or an artificial doggy lawn.
Second, you’ll need a potty routine. A general rule of thumb for puppies is that their bladders can hold their pee for about one hour for every month of age. So at two months, your Golden can really only hold it for an hour or two. When you first start training, monitor how much your puppy is drinking water, and then give them absolutely every opportunity you can for them to pee outside.
For the homebody owner, if you want your Golden potty-trained ASAP, take them out to pee every hour. Give them a solid few minutes to maybe relieve themselves and if they don’t, set a timer and take them out every 15 minutes until they do. After they’ve peed, you can go back to one-hour waiting periods.
Now the most important part about potty training is the praise. Every time your Golden puppy pees outside, give them a treat and throw them a party. And I mean a party! Don’t’ worry about the neighbors; they don’t understand the sheer joy of knowing you were saved at least one more accident clean-up inside.
During and after their pee, use a high-pitched voice to tell them they’re a good boy or girl and give them lots of pets and praise. This high level of positivity will help your puppy learn more quickly that lots of good things happen when they potty outside (or in the specified location).
If your puppy has an accident inside, and let’s be honest, is unavoidable, don’t scold them! At this age, they don’t understand what they did wrong, and scolding them will only make them scared to pee or poop in front of you and might make training harder. It is best not to react at all, so your Golden learns they don’t earn anything for going potty inside.
Crate training is insurmountably helpful for potty training. Dogs typically won’t go to the bathroom where they sleep. So, if you need to leave your unpotty-trained puppy alone, put them in their crate where they are far less likely to have an accident. However, make sure you gave them an opportunity to go potty before you do this for the best chance of success.
Teething
When they aren’t peeing or pooing all over the house, they’re probably chewing like a train. Teething is one of the most significant problems for this age, and most Golden puppies won’t get their full set of adult teeth until they’re around six months old.
The best way to help your puppy with teething is to buy them lots of teething toys. There’s an unimaginable array of teething toys in nearly any pet store you can choose from, and it might take some trial and error before you find the one your Golden really likes.
Some teething toys have grooves to soothe puppy gums, and others can be tossed into the freezer to help relieve pain. There are even teething treats that are guaranteed to keep your puppy occupied and soothe their urge to chew.
If you notice your Golden chewing furniture or other things in your home, try to avert their attention with their favorite chew toy or treat and then praise them chewing the toy instead. This is a great opportunity to introduce a “trade” or “leave it” command.
It’ll be tough, but typically around the 4-month mark, most of their baby teeth will fall out, and you’ll notice a significant change in their behavior.
Early Socialization
Golden Retrievers are exceptionally friendly dogs, but it is always a good idea to expose them to new dogs and people at an early age, so they learn key interaction skills.
Most Golden puppies will be too young to socialize with other dogs until they are fully vaccinated around 3-4 months old. However, this doesn’t mean they can’t meet other dogs.
The ideal scenario would be to get your Golden to socialize with another fully vaccinated dog in an environment that other dogs don’t frequent. It is also best to choose a dog you are confident will be patient and gentle with your puppy, so they don’t have an unfortunate experience and learn to be afraid of other dogs.
This form of socializing is helpful for Golden puppies to learn cues from other dogs, particularly when it comes to mouthing.
Mouthing comes with the territory of teething, and playing with other dogs will help your Golden learn what is too hard in terms of play biting and when another dog wants to play or be left alone.
When you can’t have your Golden playing with other dogs, try to introduce them to your friends, co-workers, and family. The exposure is great for them, and true to their breed, they are sure to love the experience.
Be sure to treat and praise your Golden puppy throughout these interactions when they are behaving well so that they associate dogs and people with positive things rather than learning to be confrontational or aggressive with them.
Desensitization to Tools
This topic goes along with the fear stage for puppies. A Golden puppy generally doesn’t need much grooming until they’re closer to 6 months old. However, you don’t want to wait this long to get them used to basic grooming tools.
Your Golden puppy is likely going to be wary of their brush, nail clippers, toothbrush, or other tools at first because of their unfamiliar, alien nature.
To make grooming easy in the future, use positive reinforcement to help your Golden associate these tools to rewards. Start by simply allowing your puppy to touch or interact with the tools. For nail clippers, just touch them to your Golden’s paw or nail and then immediately treat and praise. Don’t go straight for using them.
Same with a toothbrush. Try to find a puppy brush you put on your finger and just gently rub it on and in your puppy’s mouth without using any toothpaste. Do this quickly and briefly and use lots of praise and treats.
In time, your Golden will come to expect and even enjoy these tools, and everyday grooming won’t be a nuisance.
Basic Obedience
Puppies have extremely short attention spans at this age, so training them commands can be difficult. Since they are so young, fearful, and inquisitive, your Golden puppy is likely to be distracted frequently throughout training sessions and won’t be able to focus on you for more than maybe 5 minutes at a time.
However, this doesn’t mean you can’t teach them basic obedience and commands. A good way to keep your Golden’s attention for this kind of training is with high-value rewards like fruits, vegetables, and the trainer’s go-to, boiled chicken.
Clearly show your Golden the high-value reward and try to use it to guide them into the command you want. You could put it on the floor and make them lay down for it for a basic “down” command.
Typically, the best approach here is behavior catching, meaning if you see your Golden sit, praise and treat them for the behavior and pair it with the command, “sit.” Eventually, you’ll be able to get your Golden to listen to the command without prior action.
Chaotic Teen Phase (6-18 months)
So, the hard part’s over, right? Well, not exactly. You’ve laid a solid foundation with your Golden up until this point. By now, your Golden puppy should have lost all of its baby teeth, so teething isn’t an issue. They should also be fully potty trained, crate trained, and have some of the basics down like “sit,” “down,” maybe even “shake.”
Sadly, you might be kissing those commands goodbye for a little while because we’ve now entered your Golden’s chaotic and rebellious teen years.
Between the ages of 6 to 18 months, your Golden will reach 80% of its growth and start experiencing hormones that will drive its senses crazy. As a result, you’ll find that they are frequently difficult to control and will sometimes just downright ignore you and your commands.
Although this is certainly discouraging and even frustrating, don’t lose hope. Your Golden still knows these commands; this is the time to double-down on them and really drive home that they need to listen to you no matter the circumstances.
Exercise Needs
Up until this point, your Golden puppy should have gotten all of its exercises either through play or maybe a short 10-minute walk once they were fully vaccinated.
Now that they’re older and are starting to reach peak development, they’re going to need much more extensive exercise and mental stimulation to stay happy and refrain from any destructive behaviors from boredom.
A common rule for puppies is that they should receive 5 minutes of exercise for every month of their age. So by the time your Golden is six months old, you can take them on one half-hour walk or two 15-minute walks, depending on your schedule and preference.
By the time they are 18 months, they can receive up to an hour and a half of exercise from walks, swimming, or light jogging next to a bike.
Although it is fantastic to get your Golden out and moving, be careful not to push them to their physical limits while they’re still developing. If overworked at a young age, Goldens could develop elbow or hip dysplasia, severely inhibiting their mobility and quality of life.
Training Intensifies
A common issue at this age is that owners feel like their Golden just won’t listen. Getting your Golden to focus on you in any setting is the most significant training element during this age.
To help build a strong bond between you and your Golden, make sure you practice all the basic commands in a controlled setting without distractions before you test them outside. You’ll want to keep using high-value rewards so that you keep your Golden’s attention during training.
In less controlled settings, your Golden is going to be extremely distracted by all sorts of sights, scents, and sounds. In addition to training a strong “come” command, you’ll want to prove to your Golden that no matter what, you are the most interesting thing anywhere.
You can do this by redirecting your Golden from unwanted behavior or distractions with commands, rewards, and body blocking if necessary. Once you have their attention, keep it. Constantly praise and reward them for focusing on you before you move on.
Something that typically helps Goldens really calm down and listen at this age is getting them fixed or spade. For boys, it is best to wait until they are at least one year of age, and for girls, you should wait until after their first heat. However, some professionals state it is best to wait until they are at least two years old to reduce the risk of early onset of orthopedic problems.
It is important to note that, although getting your Golden fixed or spayed typically helps them calm down, it isn’t a substitute for strong obedience training. They will still be highly energetic dogs afterward and need structure and leadership from their owners to promote good behavior.
Grooming
Around the 6-month mark, your Golden is old enough to need some more extensive grooming. These dogs have long heavy coats that they shed twice a year. Therefore, it is best to brush your Golden once or twice a week.
If the Golden is in a heavy shed, a bath will help loosen the hairs, and then, once they’re dry, you can brush out the shedding coat. You might have to brush your dog daily during this time of year.
Goldens can certainly benefit from going to a professional groomer once every six weeks or so. If this is a path you intend to take, be sure to expose your Golden to the groomer’s environment in their puppy months rather than waiting until they are a year or so old. This will help them become familiar and comfortable in the environment at a young age.
In addition to grooming their coat, Goldens should have their nails trimmed every 4 to 6 weeks and their teeth brushed two or three times a week to prevent dental diseases.
Young Adult Phase (18-24 months)
Heave a sigh of relief because the worst is behind you. By 18-24 months, your Golden Retriever should be fully grown and nearly fully trained. Most experts state that your Golden really calms down around this age or as late as three years. So, if you’ve been anxiously waiting for that puppy phase to pass, you’re nearly there.
Honing and Expanding Training
At this point, training your Golden is all about honing their commands and ensuring they have ample exercise. Now that they’ve fully developed, you can start ramping up training for sporting events or even outdoor activities like hiking and jogging next to a bike.
If you’re still struggling with leash training at this point, be sure to invest in a no-pull harness and a solid 6-ft rope leash to keep them close to your side while training.
Any time your Golden pulls on a walk, stop immediately and wait for them to come to you. Then praise them and continue. Alternatively, when they pull, you can redirect them by body blocking to turn them around and walk in the other direction.
It is also likely that your Golden has significantly matured by this age which, paired with your diligent training, means they are much calmer and focused when it comes to listening to your commands and following your lead.
Try to incorporate some more advanced commands during this stage, such as “roll-over,” “army crawl,” and “say your prayers,” as long as you are confident that they have the core commands down.
Providing Purpose
Because they have fully developed by this age, this is a great time to give your Golden some much-needed purpose. Many intelligent, working dogs can get easily bored because they were bred to perform daily tasks.
To fill this hole, you can now start training your Golden for:
- Flyball
- Swimming
- Service Animal training
- Search and Rescue training
- Agility courses
- Hunting retrieving
These sports and activities will help your Golden feel helpful and provide them with the much-needed exercise and mental stimulation they crave.
Final Thoughts
Golden Retrievers are absolutely fantastic breeds that are sure to make any environment feel like home. Remember to stay patient and constantly support your Golden with lots of praise and positive reinforcement.
At such a young age, they’re still learning to navigate the world and need you, as the owner, to show them what you like and don’t. Being the people-pleasers they are, your Golden will stop at nothing until they know you’re happy.
Training a Golden puppy will have plenty of ups and downs, but the dedication and patience with undoubtedly pay off once you have that sweet and well-trained companion by age two.