Dog Gone Doggies

To properly train house break your Golden Retriever, you must stick to a routine regarding your crate, and ensure that he doesn’t spend additional time outside of his crate. When he is outside of his crate, you should watch him at all times. If you don’t keep an eye on him when he is outside of the crate and he has an accident inside the house, you can’t blame no one but yourself as you didn’t correct him the second it happened.

To help your dog learn the right way to relieve himself, you should always praise him when he goes to the right location. You can crate him at night, then take him out when he wakes up in the morning and show him the correct spot. Give him some time, then praise himself once he starts to go. If you avoid accidents, you should be able to train your Golden without any problems. Once accidents begin to happen though, it can be extremely hard to break the pattern.

When you house break your dog, you should never give him any freedom. Getting it right is a lot of work for him, and chances are he’d rather be doing something else. If you are tolerant with him and allow him to make mistakes, you’ll find yourself needing to be a lot more stern to break him of the bad habits that you have tolerated and allowed. If you start when your Golden is young and enforce the rules, he’ll be a happy member of your family in no time at all.

When you house break, you should use confinement as much as possible. Confinement basically means that until you have housebroken your Golden Retriever, he isn’t allowed to freely move around the house. You should always keep a watchful eye on him and make sure that if he’s outside the crate - you know where he is at all times and what he is doing.

If you happen to take your eyes off of him even for a second, he could easily relieve himself on the floor. Once he starts to go on the floor, it can be really hard to break him of this habit. The smell will be there, and he will smell it the next time he is in that area. Each time he smells it, he will instantly go to the bathroom in that same area. The best way to prevent this from happening is to watch him at all times and ensure that he only goes in the area you have for him.

To housebreak your Golden Retriever, you should also allow him a way outside. Normally, a doggy door is the best way to do this, as your puppy can go outside and relieve himself when the time comes, without disturbing you. You should also use puppy pads or a litter box inside as well, so that he always has somewhere to relive himself. During times when he can’t make it outside, he needs somewhere else that he can go.

Housebreaking your Golden Retriever can take you some time, although it will be well worth it once your Golden is properly trained. He’ll be an essential member of your family, and not use the bathroom anywhere he takes a notion. He will only relieve himself outside or in an area that you have trained him. Golden Retriever’s need interaction with people, and if you are going to keep them inside - you’ll need to ensure that they have been properly house broken.

There are many common health problems that your Golden Retriever will experience from time to time. Most of these ailments are nothing serious, providing you know how they should be treated and prevented. Below, we will take a look at the most common ailments, and tell you how to prevent your Golden from getting them.

Distemper virus
The distemper virus is an airborne disease that poses a high risk. This virus can be prevented by getting your Golden 3 different vaccinations when he is between 6 and 16 weeks of age, along with his regular annual booster shot. The symptoms from this virus include fever, cough, diarrhea, and vomiting. If your Golden Retriever has these symptoms, you should immediately take him to see the vet.

Heartworms
Heartworms are among the most common ailment with all dog breeds. They can reach lengths of up to 12 inches in the heart and the lung arteries, leading to heart failure, a decrease in blood circulation, and even death in some cases. The symptoms with heartworms may not appear until it is too late, so you are better off preventing them with the correct heartworm medicines.

Heatstroke
During the summer months or hot days, your Golden Retriever can get a heatstroke. You can prevent this from happening by giving your dog plenty of water, and never leaving him in direct sunlight. If you are playing together on a hot day, you should give him plenty of time to rest so he doesn’t overdo it. The symptoms indicating a heatstroke include a lot of panting or drooling, dark gums, a glazed expression, rapid pulse, and even vomiting. If your dog starts to show any of these symptoms, you should immediately take him to the vet.

Rabies
Rabies is one of the more serious ailments that your Golden Retriever can get, as it has an adverse affect on your dog’s nervous system. Normally, dogs get rabies through a bite of another animal that is infected with the disease. There are rabies shots that helps to prevent the disease, and your dog should get them at least once a year. The symptoms of rabies include seizures, aggression, and foaming at the mouth. If you suspect your Golden has rabies, you should call the vet immediately.

Tapeworms
Tapeworms are normally caused by fleas, and affect your dog’s stomach. The symptoms for tapeworms include a loss in weight, diarrhea, and even biting of the rectal area. You can easily prevent your Golden from tapeworms by using a rigid flea control. If your Golden Retriever exhibits symptoms for tapeworms, you should take him to the vet immediately. If the vet catches them in time, he may be able to kill the tapeworms with an oral medicine.

Hookworms
Hookworms result from your Golden coming in contact with feces, his mother, or the worm simply burrowing under exposed skin. You can prevent your dog from getting hookworms by cleaning his living area and keeping his skin clean. The symptoms that accompany hookworms include a dry coat, weight loss, weakness, and blood in the stool. As with all other ailments, you should immediately contact your vet if your Golden Retriever starts to show any of these symptoms.

Although these are just some of the most common ailments for Golden Retrievers, there are other ailments and health problems that your dog can get. If your Golden starts to show any signs of ailment, disease, or health problem, you shouldn’t hesitate to contact your vet and set up an appointment. Some of these diseases and ailments can be pretty serious - although they can be treated if you catch them in time.

Dogs aren’t like humans, so they need to learn in different ways. Dogs don’t have human responses, meaning that they don’t operate with the principle of right or wrong. Instead, they operate on a principle of response, guided by the actions you give them. If their actions lead to a bad response from you, then they not that what they are doing is wrong and will avoid doing that type of behavior.

If your dog does something right, he should be praised for it. If your Golden Retriever is listening to what you say and doing well, you should reward him with a treat or praise. Letting him know that he is doing good leads to positive response. On the other hand, if he isn’t listening to you or doing the total opposite of what you say, you shouldn’t reward him at all - but instead scold him with a stern NO.

When training your Golden Retriever, timing is the most important factor. If your dog is doing something wrong, you shouldn’t wait or hesitate to correct him. Doing so may send the wrong impression. When your Golden is doing something wrong, you should correct him right then and there, so he will know without a doubt what he is doing wrong.

For example, if your Golden Retriever is chasing cars, you obviously want to stop this habit before it gets it out of hand. The second you see him doing this, you should always stop him and let him know he’s wrong. This way, he will know that chasing cars is something he shouldn’t be doing. It may take a bit of time for him to realize this, and you’ll need to hold your ground and continue to correct him when he is doing something that you don’t approve of.

This type of theory is similar to that of praise. When you see your Golden Retriever doing something right, you should praise him instantly. If you don’t praise him instantly and instead wait until he has stopped, he will assume that you are praising him for stopping. To be on the safe side and get the most from your Golden, you should always praise him when he is behaving in the right way, then correct him when he is behaving in a negative way.

If you take your time and show patience with your Golden Retriever, you shouldn’t have any problems training him. The training process may take quite a bit of time, although it is more than worth it in the end. Once you have trained your Golden Retriever, he will react to what you say, and avoid doing the things he has been corrected for. Training is essential for Golden - and will make him a much better dog when he grows older.

Once your dog is used with the crate, you should lock the dog inside. You can go away for a bit and watch from a distance to see how he calms down. If you see him protest, keep him inside until he calms down. Let him go only when he does. If you do this for a few days, he should be learning to enter and exit the crate on his own.

Some people don't like crate training because they think that it resembles solitary confinement. But, if you read some of the benefits listed here, and those that are not mentioned and you might find on your own, you can easily reach the same conclusion I did, that a crate is good both for the dog and his owner.

If you train dogs or puppies enough, you can make them love it, and not consider it a place that they want to avoid. If they're not trained, they can feel lonely and unsafe in this environment.

Crate or den training is done because dogs need a feeling of security, a place of nesting, where there aren't any distractions. Such a home can be a den. If the right techniques are used and it's introduced properly, crate training can be OK for dogs, and they will not consider it a punishment.

1. Benefits of using a crate.

a) When you want to be sure that your dog isn't running around on his own, and you need him to stay put, you can use a crate to control him.
b) If they're in a place where they feel vulnerable, a crate will provide them a safe haven.
c) A crate can be a place to rest and relax for the dog, where he can't be distracted or bothered.
d) You can use the crate to make sure that dogs with behavioral problems are kept under control.
e) If your dog is untrained, you can keep him under control, so he doesn't bite your guests or cause any accidents.
f) If your dog has separation anxiety a crate can help him.
g) If you need to take the dog out, a crate can keep him secure.
h) His confidence is boosted because he is more secure.
i) Can help the dog with their training, since it can be a direction for their activities.

2. Size of the crate.

You should choose a crate that allows the dog to stand up on all fours, where he can lie down or turn around without the walls being in the way. If you also want to use the crate to travel with your dog, you should pick a larger one.

If training is the only reason why you use the crate, you should still pick one that follows the rules I talked about before. Using a big crate will allow the dog to do things that are unwanted in an area of the crate where they don't have to sit.

3. How to introduce the crate to the dog.

Introducing the crate to the dog should be done when you're comfortable with the idea. First, choose a crate that is appropriate. Second, put it in the house, in a place where the dog can notice it. In the beginning, remove the door from the crate, so the dog can explore it for a week or so.

If he doesn't seem interested in the crate, you can leave some food inside, to get his attention. After a few days pass, you can try giving him food inside. This way, he will learn that the crate is his and he can enter it safely.

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