As good dog owners, it’s nice to be able to let your dog run around with a little extra freedom once in a while and without a leash. But those types of dogs need to be well-trained, obedient, and extremely good with people and other dogs.

Golden Retrievers are one of the best breeds of dogs to train to be good off-leash. From hiking to running around the local park in your neighborhood, Gold Retrievers can be trusted with a little more autonomy. They are obedient, gentle with others, and learn commands quickly.

No matter the breed of dog, everything starts with proper training at a young age. There are a number of different types of dogs that can be trained to be good off-leash, but if obeying commands and learning etiquette with the leash isn’t instilled early, it will be near impossible to correct as an older dog.

Goldens Have Traits That Shine Off-Leash

It seems the more we hear about well-behaved dogs and those that are great with people and other dogs; Golden Retrievers seem to always be the best go-to. Although they might shed a good amount, the kindness and character of a Golden Retriever are hard to beat. In fact, some of their best traits are what make them great candidates for off-leash fun. 

Goldens Have a Friendly and Gentle Personality

Golden Retrievers are lovers and always wanting to please. This might explain why they’re so gentle, especially in a setting with more human interaction. Because they’re such social dogs, they love and need lots of attention. So, don’t be surprised if your Golden goes around the entire room a few times, making sure everyone gives a few ear scratches and belly rubs.

Hills Pet reports that Golden Retrievers don’t do much barking (which is nice), but they also won’t be the top-of-the-line guard dog either. 

While they may not be a home-grown protector, the fact that they are friendly, helpful, and obedient means good news when trained for off-leash activities. 

They Love Attention, Companionship, and Acceptance

If you’ve ever been around a Golden, you know how gentle and loving they are. You’ve probably also noticed that even though they can relax, they’re always down for a game of fetch, especially if it involves jumping over obstacles or swimming to retrieve the toy.

Golden Retrievers are fun companions, and they love to please and help. Since they’re bred to assist in an outdoor setting, they tend to be very trustworthy when trained to be off-leash. 

They Have Lots of Energy

They like to stay active, so if you plan on getting a Golden, be sure you have a local park or fenced-in yard to let him or her run around and get plenty of daily exercise. Golden Retrievers have lots of energy and need at least 40 minutes of exercise per day. 

If you live in an area where hiking trails are accessible, you’ll never have to hike alone because your Golden will be disappointed if you leave him or her at home.

Goldens are active enough to want to really run and expend energy off-leash – and they are social and dependent on attention enough to be alert and listen to you when trained to do so.

How to Train your Golden Retriever to Behave Off-Leash

There are some dogs that might not be as good off-leash, but no matter the breed, proper training is the key to a lot of success between a dog and owner. Training is a little more work and more money depending on the training route you take, but you’re going to thank yourself after it’s all said and done.

Start Training at an Early Age

When it comes to training your dog, starting early is one of the most important components. Embark Pets emphasizes that leash training your dog even as early as eight weeks old can help develop good habits from the start.

The article also reinforces the fact of not letting your dog make toys out of tools. If it’s a training tool like a leash or harness, then it’s not a toy for tug-of-war. Don’t let your dog start to confuse the distinction between tools and toys. They need to distinguish the two and what comes with seeing each.

The leash training will help teach your dog an acceptable distance to be from you before having to stop going ahead. When you start this type of training early, your dog will know boundaries and what’s acceptable and what’s not when you finally decide to remove the leash completely.

Start with Simple Commands

Even though your puppy is likely getting acquainted with a lot at one time, you can still start to train it into simple commands. Following the trend of training them at a young age, learning these commands young will help with leash and off-leash etiquette.

Totally Goldens provides a few great techniques to help train your Golden Retriever new commands without getting too confused:

• Teaching commands: start with having your dog sitting in one spot and then start to back away. You can have another person hold your dog for now as well to help teach the command. When you’ve taken a few steps back, tell your dog to “come” and give some small praise.
• Take commands outside: this might require you to start with the leash since your dog is just learning. Have your dog sit; you still hang onto the leash, walk the distance of it, then order your dog to “come.” 
• Increase the difficulty: when your Golden has matured and is comfortable with your commands, have someone you trust to play near you to try to distract your dog from what you’re ordering. This will help keep your dog focused when there are other people and dogs around while it is off-leash.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, so don’t expect your dog with fresh puppy brains to pick up and know everything you want it and don’t want it to do on the first day. This is a process that must be consistently followed, and then you will start to be able to see change. 

Reward Good Behavior and Correct Poor Behavior

During the training process with your Golden, it is important to reward the behavior you’re looking for. Dogs obviously love treats and rewards, but they also like to be disciplined. They want and should know what to expect with particular behaviors. Dogs can’t handle mixed signals, and that also puts them and you in a lose-lose situation. 

Disciplining and correcting behavior helps them to associate your commands with what you want out of them in terms of action and response. 

These steps in training are also a gentle reminder to your pet(s) who the alpha is in the house and who’s in charge. If they start to get the idea, they’re in charge, then they will quickly stop listening to you and your commands, and you’ll lose control over your dog.

Start your Golden Off-Leash at Home

When you’re confident with your dog being off-leash, it is still recommended that you start in the confines of your own yard. You want to let your Golden get used to having a little more freedom, but with you still there and in charge.

Next, try a puppy playdate with another dog in the yard to test your golden’s ability to listen and respond to you off-leash while there is a new distraction in place. After a while, you’ll get a feel for when it is time to try off-leash away from home. Start small and gradually work your way up to that running path around the park. 

Final Thoughts

Golden Retrievers are dogs that interact well with other animals and people, pick up on and follow commands well, and are going to be too attracted to you to run off. In terms of having a trustworthy dog to take places off-leash, a Golden Retriever is one of the safest bets you can make.