Friday, 20 July 2007

Getting your Golden Retreiver to stay




Training Your Golden Retriever to Stay

Most problems with golden retrievers are a combination of their intelligence, energy, and desire to please. The importance of training your golden to stay comes in part from their energy. If your golden gets loose, he can run off in the blink of an eye. One of the first steps in training your golden is to establish yourself as the "alpha dog" or "pack leader". This is especially important when raising a large breed dog, as many people are afraid of large dogs. It doesn't matter that goldens are not aggressive watch dogs. Good training will make your dog more welcome wherever you go. Pay attention to your dog, and make eye contact often. When your dog does something right, look him in the eye, give verbal praise, and offer a treat, in that order. For example, when your dog sits (whether by command or not), make eye contact, say "good sit" and give him a treat, or "good stay", etc. Goldens are sensitive, they do not do well with scolding or punishment. It's better to identify the good behaviour and reward that, rather than use negativity.
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Your dog can learn to stay from any position, lying down, sitting or standing. Eventually you will want to train him to stay from any of these. With your dog on leash, stand to his right, place your hand in front of his face, palm towards him, and say "stay". Step away from your dog with your right foot first (stepping with the left foot encourages the dog to move too); take two steps, and turn and face him. Give him the hand signal again, hand right in front of his face with the fingers pointing up, and repeat "stay". Return to his side, say "ok" and then say "good stay" and give him a treat. Over time, increase the length of time you hold up your hand, and increase the distance you walk away from him. Eventually, walk away the length of the leash, hold your hand up, and repeat "stay". Always return to his side and reward if he continues to do as he is told. Little baby steps that you can reward with a "good stay" and a treat are much more valuable at first than trying unsuccessfully for a longer time or distance. Are you worried about spoiling your dog with too many rewards? Are you concerned that he won't obey without them? As long as you never show the treat to your dog before he exhibits the desired behaviour, you don't need to worry. A rule of thumb with goldens, since they are so sensitive and so eager to please, is pick your battles and bribe shamelessly. You can overdo training, so if you can alter circumstances (like you would to childproof your home for a toddler) rather than discipline...do it.
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Keep your counters clean so your dog isn't tempted to clean them for you, but insist upon sitting and staying instead of jumping on people and licking children’s' faces. Young children are easily knocked over by happy goldens! When you feel your dog has learned to stay well, vary the circumstances. Make sure he can stay from a sitting, lying down, or standing position. Practice inside and outside, around other dogs and other people. Try to distract him with a rolling ball or have someone else call him. You aren't being mean; you aren't trying to trick him. You are simply helping him to understand better what you mean by "stay", and he will be deliriously happy when he knows he's got it right. Here's a bonus tip, specific to golden retrievers but you be the judge if it's appropriate for your dog, retriever or not. Retrievers like carrying things in their mouths; many of them have favourite toys they don't like to be without. If your dog is having trouble concentrating during a training session, you can try letting him hold his favourite stuffed toy in his mouth. If he thinks it's playtime, it won't work; but oftentimes it gives him a focus. With these few tips and techniques under your belt, your training sessions with your sunny-tempered golden can be quite fun and pleasurable for both of you.


4 comments:

lorenzothellama said...

Perhaps you could give some instructions on 'stand'. I haven't yet had a dog that liked the instruction to 'stand'. I find I have to hoick up the back legs from sitting if I want her to do it, but now I just don't bother asking her, as I feel it is a pretty pointless command anyway.

Labradors are buggers aren't they? At one time I worked with blind people and there was one particular guide dog who was extremely naughty. One day a helper took him out to have a pee and the sod pulled her over and then run off. It was hours before he was found. I gave Alf (the owner) and Quintus (the dog) a lift back to their home as his own transport had left hours before. Quintus had been rolling in all sorts of unmentionable substances, been in the mud and river and generally been enjoying himself as a dog. He was a HUGE dog, and Alf was only a small man. Quintus sat on his knee the whole journey home, being a very spoilt dog, totally submerging Alf. I had to keep the car windows open all the way, even though it was winter. Quintus ponged so much.
I once looked after Quintus while Alf went to hospital. Alf reckoned that I loved Quintus and he loved me, but the bloody dog nearly gave me a nervous breakdown while I had him. He was soooo naughty!! I did really love him of course, and I enjoyed taking him out, but I never, ever let him off his lead as I knew what the bugger was capable of doing. I could write a whole posting on Quintus, now long dead.

lorenzothellama said...

Hi Martin. Thanks for the comments. I don't think it matters especially as I seem to be the only one who comments on this site!
Do you think I should write something about Quintus. Both he and Alf are dead now, but I think Alf's wife may still be alive. If I do, should I change their names? I could say so much about that wicked dog. He really was a sod, but so lovable. While he was staying with us he ate a wellington boot!
One problem is I don't have any photos on the computer. I have some lovely ones on ordinary film, but as I don't have a scanner, and even if I did, I'm not sure whether I would be able to use it, they couldn't be used. Do you know whether you can transfer an old colour photo to a computer? My big brother, Maalie, is coming here tonight. He is a bit more with it than I am. Perhaps he will know.
Do keep on with these instructions. They are useful and entertaining. Perhaps you could do one on turning a poodle into a sheep dog and a border collie into a lap dog! Actually, Badger sat on my knee for about an hour last night, but don't tell anyone as she is supposed to be a proper grown-up dog now!

Martin Stickland said...

Hey lorenzypoop, thnaks for your comments!

I like your idea of changing dogs, the funniest one I ever heard of was on the film Dumb and Dumber when they crossed a Bull dog with a Shitzu and made a Bullshit!

Quintus sounds like a right character!

The only way to get the colour photo on to your PC would be to scan it unless you can get a good shot on a digital camera and upload it. As a last resort if you do not know anyone with a scanner you could send the photos to me and I will scan them and put the images on to a disc for you and post it back?

Have a lovely weekend!

M

lorenzothellama said...

Thanks Martin. I'll see what big brother comes up with this afternoon.
What colour was the Bullshit?