If you have kids, make sure when you feed the puppy to have the kiddos get down and run their hands through the food in the dish while the puppy is eating. Sounds weird but helps keep the dog from getting food aggressive.
New Puppy Tips
- Thread starter no2cyclones
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This may be weird but I heard it is one strategy: a cookie sheet. When your gf walks in the door have her hold a cookie sheet in front on her waist/thighs (or whatever placement need for that don't size) so when the dog jumps up it scratches it's claws on the sheet and makes a terrible sound and doesn't feel good so they don't do it again. Worth a shot.
But if the dog associates her with a cookie sheet, maybe it'll expect her to be baking in the kitchen all the time. Sexist dog...
Go over the top with verbal approval when it does something good, especially when they start to let you know they need to go to the bathroom.
Mentioned above already, but mess with the dog and his food occasionally while they eat so they're used to other people around them when they eat. Helps with aggressive demeanor when eating.
I had good responses from laying the dog on its back from time to time after it did something wrong, and placing my hand on its stomach to let it know I was in control. A friend told me if you spit in their food it will help with obedience. If they smell your saliva in the food they'll think you already ate, they'll consider you the alpha male of the house. That part seemed weird to me though.
Mentioned above already, but mess with the dog and his food occasionally while they eat so they're used to other people around them when they eat. Helps with aggressive demeanor when eating.
I had good responses from laying the dog on its back from time to time after it did something wrong, and placing my hand on its stomach to let it know I was in control. A friend told me if you spit in their food it will help with obedience. If they smell your saliva in the food they'll think you already ate, they'll consider you the alpha male of the house. That part seemed weird to me though.
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I went a bit farther and would even reach into the dish. Still do years later - just to keep it reinforced. Like I said - a dog we had when I was a kid was very food protective - bit all of us at one point or another. Kinda scarred by that, so I really wanted that to sink in. I don't think dogs typically are all that food protective as a general rule however.
Did it so well apparently that my dog is sick of it and when I do - she just walks away. Success!
Favorite moment of all that work came when my maybe 2 y/o niece (who adores that dog) went up to her while she was eating. My heart was in my throat - this was the first real test, but I let it play out. Dog sort of backed up and for the next 10 minutes it was a delight as I watched the kid hand feed the dog, one piece of food at a time. And so gentle. Proud, happy and extremely relieved.
Ha, well done. We had the whole family at some point run their hands through the food dish while our lab was eating and have never had issues, she's very easy going and passive with food and chew toys. Some other dogs my kids have been around, not so much.
I have one too and it is hardly ever used. I only use it when hunting or walking through the timber with my dog and even when its on I rarely ever use the button. It's just there in case he takes off or tries to stick his nose in a hole or something else that could get him hurt.
I had my kids take turns feeding our dog and have the dog sit next to the bowl until they told him he could eat.
The easiest and quickest way to stop a jumping dog is to use your foot and sweep their backlegs out from under them. Sounds rough, but doesn't hurt them a bit. Do it a couple times and you can't make them jump on you. Great breed you chose! Personally a lab guy, but retrievers have similar dispositions. Very easy first dog..
Definitely do all of these things. Especially the socializing. Take the dog with you whenever you possibly can and get it used to lots of experiences, people, riding in the car, etc. We probably didn't do this enough with our mini-Aussie and she gets scared a bit too easily by things that are out of the ordinary now. If you plan for the dog to ride in the car with you a lot, I would do some research on how to properly acclimate the dog with riding in the car so they don't have any anxiety associated with it. Whenever we even start to think about putting our dog in the car, she senses it, and she will run and hide. Probably because she knows that it usually leads to a trip to the vet or groomer.
Of course, all of these experiences are with one breed of dog. Every breed has their own temperament. I would HIGHLY recommend learning as much as you possibly can about the temperament of Golden Retrievers. Understanding that can have a big impact when training them and will help you understand their behaviors better.
Some basic examples with our dog: Australian Shepherds need a fair amount of exercise every day (as do most breeds), so whenever ours has been cooped up for too long she is prone to misbehave due to all of her pent up energy. If I take her out and run her around a bit, she gets exhausted and is usually extremely well behaved when she comes back in.
Another one is that since Aussie's are shepherds and were bred to herd cattle, they like to have a job to do, or feel like they are helping out their owner. This was really helpful for us to know, because it explains why when we're just sitting on the couch watching TV, she will stand and bark at us. But when we're up doings things; cleaning, doing the dishes, etc, she will happily just hang out near us to "help" us. She is the anti-lazy dog.
So, essentially, get to know your breed's temperament.
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My advice on a puppy? Don't show up to pick it up, keep your money and forget the idea of dog ownership. My two dogs managed to dig a hole under our fence and escape on Saturday, leading me to spend significant time searching for them. I found them, but it caused me to perform a cost/stress-benefit analysis on dog ownership, which I believe came down in favor of not having dogs.
Cyclonepride
Thought Police
Spend all the time you possibly can training and watching over the dog, and it will pay off down the road as it is very hard to retrain or train later.
Not sure if this has been brought up yet but I would suggest Crate Training your dog. This will help with house breaking, etc. We crate trained our vizsla pup and she now loves her kennel. Crate Training is awesome if you have to go run errands, will be at work, Sleeping At Night, Have company over, etc.
If our dog see's that we're getting ready to go somewhere, She'll go right to her kennel because she knows she's getting a treat. There are lots of internet tips on crate training.
**Another tip for housebreaking a dog is: However many months old they are is how many hours they can hold it before they have to go outside. A 2 month old dog can only hold it for 2 hours. An 8 month old dog can hold it for 8 hours. --Good Luck!
If our dog see's that we're getting ready to go somewhere, She'll go right to her kennel because she knows she's getting a treat. There are lots of internet tips on crate training.
**Another tip for housebreaking a dog is: However many months old they are is how many hours they can hold it before they have to go outside. A 2 month old dog can only hold it for 2 hours. An 8 month old dog can hold it for 8 hours. --Good Luck!
Great tip on preventing fears with dogs. We tried it with our puppy many years ago and it was super successful. Puppies will look at you as they would their mom to understand what they should and should not be afraid of. Think of it like a small child, if they fall and you make a big issue of it, they will usually cry and be afraid, if you ignore it, they move on.
One of the first night we had our dog there was a huge thunderstorm. We both laid on the floor and as the thunder and lightening came through, we did not react to it, did not make eye contact with the dog, did not pet the dog and did nothing to comfort her. The pup was scared and laid right next to us, but figured out that night that if we did not reinforce that fear, it was nothing to fear at all. Next storm, she was not afraid and ignored it. Problem with this is that you always have to be consistent with it because it just takes one time for someone to say "Oh, poor baby, it'll be okay" and hug and pet them to enforce that they should be afraid. Some dogs fear different types of flooring and it's because at some point they slipped and fell on it and someone made an issue of it.
We also never feed our dog human food. She does not desire it, beg for it or eat something if it is left out. Not all dogs are bad with begging, but once you hand feed them some can really become annoying beggars. That can be a hard habit to break.
One of the first night we had our dog there was a huge thunderstorm. We both laid on the floor and as the thunder and lightening came through, we did not react to it, did not make eye contact with the dog, did not pet the dog and did nothing to comfort her. The pup was scared and laid right next to us, but figured out that night that if we did not reinforce that fear, it was nothing to fear at all. Next storm, she was not afraid and ignored it. Problem with this is that you always have to be consistent with it because it just takes one time for someone to say "Oh, poor baby, it'll be okay" and hug and pet them to enforce that they should be afraid. Some dogs fear different types of flooring and it's because at some point they slipped and fell on it and someone made an issue of it.
We also never feed our dog human food. She does not desire it, beg for it or eat something if it is left out. Not all dogs are bad with begging, but once you hand feed them some can really become annoying beggars. That can be a hard habit to break.
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