All Golden Retriever owners please give advice to a newbie dog person!!!?

Question

Hi all,
As I said I am new to dog ownership having always had cats I presently have 3 cats and now my Golden Retriever that I already love dearly. She is ten weeks I have had her for two weeks. she is so clever she will sit when I tell her to and comes when I call her. I had done all my research on the breed but I think nothing is as good as the advice from people that know the breed and have lived with them so really I would greatly appreciate any tips on toilet training I have been getting up every morning at six thirty to let her out I dont mind finding a little accident as I understand she is only a baby but the problem is this we could be out in the garden for an hour and she will wait untill we go back into the house to relieve herself and not in any particular spot it can be anywhere rugs being her particular favorite so I have taken them up. 2. plant eating I don't want to build a run as she lives indoors as part of the family with daily access to the garden when she wants

Answer 1

be patient, never smack her, remember itis all new to her and she is trying to do the right thing. Praise good and ignore bad. Let her out every hour and praise her when she does it, tell her wee wee or toilets when sheis doing the right thing and she'll learn what shes supposed to do and when. don't use pads, get time off work and be there and work at it and you'll get it right soon. have treats to hand when she does the right thing -she'll learn quickly then! She'll make mistakes - probably when you think she's got it, then she'll wee on the floor somewhere...only natural. Sometimes they forget to go - life is toointeresting to go out in time! and their bladders are only small. Shut bedroom and kitchen doors - then she can't wee without you knowing.

Answer 2

OK I don't own a golden, but the things you're asking are universal for all puppies and dogs. First of all I know EXACTLY why she's going out but still having accidents in the house. She's just a baby. Outdoors is a big new world to her, full of new sounds and interesting things to explore..in other words she's getting distracted. She's so caught up in all the new things out there she's completely forgetting she even has to relieve herself, but as soon as she comes in and the distractions are gone she remembers. You can help her though. When you take her out always go with her. You can put her on a leash so she doesn't become too distracted and give her the command potty or whetever word you prefer and praise her when she goes. It helps also if you can walk her to the same area she's already gone..if she smells it it will help remind her she has to go. At this point I'd bring her right back inside. Matter of fact until she's completely housebroke I'd restrict outdoors to relieving herself so it's easier for her to understand that outdoors has a specific purpose in her life. It means this is her area to relieve herself. Indoors you have to be extremely vigilant in watching her. She will have accidents..so expect them and be prepaired. The more you consistantly catch her in the act the faster she will learn and the better YOU do this job the faster she learns. When you see her start to squat say loudly and firmly NO! then pick her up and take her right out the door. Don't get mean about it. No hitting or nose rubbing, rolled up newspapers or anything of the sort. Don't say too many words that will confuse her. Simply say NO! and take her out. When she relieves herself outside praise her and bring her back in, but only after the mess is cleaned up. An easy solution you can make at home to use for clean ups is 1/4 c vinegar in a half pail of water, or you can buy the enzyme cleaners, but you don't want her to smell where she's been. And remember, dogs smell much better than us. Just because you don't smell it doesn't mean she won't be able to. Keep at this, be vigilant and consistant and she will be housebroke soon. I've had puppies learn this in as little as two weeks, but I've also had it take as long as four months. But the biggest mistake you can make is rushing it. Let her learn at her pace, remember she's doing the best she can and NEVER consider her reliable until she's gone at least a whole month 'accident' free. If you stop your vigilant watching too soon and get lax when she's not had an accident, that will only be a big set back. So keep on it. The better you do this the sooner you can forget it and move onto other things. And consider getting a wire crate. There are times when you won't be able to watch her so closely and confining her in a crate at those times is a good idea. I honestly don't know what I'd do if I couldn't use a crate for training lol. They are a life saver and she will soon come to think of it as her den.

Good luck and congratulations on your new family member :))

Answer 3

You need to put newspapers down until she learns to control and where you want her to go. Then slowly start moving the newspapers outside. Then take them away all together. Took ours less then a week. You should be able to tell the signs when she has to go too. And when they become apparent to you, ask her, "Do you have to go potty." or whatever terminology you want to use. Keep it consistent!
Let her know when they go in the house that it is naughty, and use the proper voice. But also let her know she is a good girl and reward her when she goes outside.

Goldens are the greatest, and they always want to please their owners. This being said, yours will come around. Please don't get a pen, that isn't where a Golden belongs. They are very family oriented and want to be around you.
As for the plant eating...mine eats the grass but never had a plant problem.

Answer 4

hi ive just got a golden a week ago shes 15weeks and im doing the same as goldengal ,ive done this with all my dogs when they go to wee i say do it over and over again and the same wen thay have a poo and it works my springer is so good at it she lived out side with her last owner (she lives inside with us ,all our dogs do ) well it took me a week to get her house trained ,and goldens are as clever as springers if not more!! so keep taking her out when she starts pooing or weeing give her a word for this and do it all the time ,after a treat and loads of fuss and it not take long ,good luck but i know you not need it x

Answer 5

many pups will do the thing were they wait until they are back in the house to go potty. I don't know why, but they do. You just need to be more patient, a friend of mine had a pup that did that all the time, and it was so frustrating, though she would eventually go if we waited long enough.
Just make a HUGE deal out of it everytime she goes to the potty outside. pet her and tell her good girl, and even give her a little treat. that gives her serious incentive to potty outside.

Answer 6

Ah sweet!
youve done right in taking the rugs up as if she peepees on them she can smell it and will keep doing it there.
Try putting newspaper down or those oudorless pet pee pads...train her to go on them -if she does it anywhere else just gently tap her nose(or spray water on her nose) and say no...pick her up and move her to the spot you want her to do it and say here...kep doing it until she gets the jist then gradually move pads/paper nearer to the door until it ends up out of the door...and there you will have your success.
Same theory for plants-spray her on the nose but watch her carefully as many plants can be harmful to dogs if eaten

Good Luck!

Answer 7

Congrats on your new pet! I have a Golden Retriever named Sam at the moment and I adore him!

A few things you need to know:

-They bark- LOUD!

-They shed a lot

-They will get very hot in the summer, so you should brush them a lot, make sure they have cold water, and I give my dog ice cubes every once in a while

- If, for some reason, your Golden Retriever get fats or overweight, instead of using treats for a reward try ice cubes! My dog loves them!

I hope I helped!

Answer 8

How refreshing to find a responsible, intelligent pet owner. Well done. All I can add to others' answers, is be patient, as you rightly say she is a baby and has to learn When she makes a mistake in the house, just say no and shake your head and take her out and say puddles in the garden. She will get the hang of it eventually.

Answer 9

As rose says...take her out frequently...and praise her and give her a treat when she does it outside...we put newspaper down and praised her when she went on the paper (if she ever did it inside) and gradually moved the paper towards the door...its amazing how quickly they do it.
We also bought an indoor cage...before you go mad...its not cruel...put a bedding in there and start to train her to go to sleep in there...it will be worth its weight in gold when you leave her on a night or have to go out ...when they are teething they can do thousands of pounds worth of damage...ours still loves her cage..with the door open or shut and she is 10 makes her feel secure.

Answer 10

You need to catch her when she does do the toilet in the house. Tell her no firmly and take her outside. You have to keep an eye on her and keep doing this until she gets the message. Do the same when it comes to your plants. Puppies will chew anything so you have to keep an eye on them at all times and remove anything they may chew and choke on. Tell them no firmly and tap their nose (not too hard) as it is unpleasant for them. When my labrador was a puppy, we filled a water squirter and whenever he did something bad, he would get a squirt. He didn't like it so when he learnt that whenever it was pointed in his direction, he knew he was up to no good. All we have to do now is just pick it up when he is becoming too boisterous and he stops.