Golden Retrievers are handsome, charming and intelligent dogs with wonderful temperaments.  But they can also be destructive and overly excitable if not trained properly.

With the right Golden Retriever training they can become friendly, playful, social dogs.  Because of this, Golden Retrievers are often chosen as companion animals, guide dogs, rescue dogs or therapy dogs.

Below are our best Golden Retriever training tips.  These tips will help you get started, and to understand your dog’s unique needs.

Firstly, start Golden Retriever training early.

They are naturally obedient and eager to please.  Golden Retrievers will respond well to positive reinforcement training techniques.  Positive reinforcement teaches your dog that good things happen when they do something good.

The best place to start is toilet training and commands such as stay, sit, drop and “leave it”.

Golden Retrievers are very social

Secondly, Golden Retrievers must learn to be well-behaved with people and other animals, including other dogs.  Allowing your dog to interact positively with different kinds of dogs will help your Golden Retriever develop good behaviours and build their confidence.

Like all dogs, Golden Retrievers need to socialise with other dogs of different shapes, sizes, and colours.  Socialising properly will help their development and shape their temperament.

Golden Retrievers are active

Thirdly, Golden Retrievers are energetic and need exercise to keep them in good condition.  It is important to take your Golden Retriever for regular brisk walks or runs.  Fetch games and swimming are also great exercise options. They also need to exercise their mind and regular training classes is a great way to do this.

One final training tip

Our biggest tip for Golden Retriever training is don’t focus on group training courses designed specifically for Golden Retrievers.  If your dog only socialises with Golden Retrievers, they will not cope or behave well when they come across other kinds of dogs.

We’ve written a blog on the different training needs of different dog breeds.  Click here to check it out.

At Fur Get Me Not, we keep our group training classes and playgroups small.  We get to know your Golden Retriever’s individual needs and provide specialist training by highly skilled dog trainers.  To check out our dog training courses and playgroups, click here.