Golden Retriever Care: 9 Practical Tips

Golden retrievers are loving, loyal, intelligent, and easy to please. This is why they have been voted as one of the top family-friendly dog breeds since the 1980s.

If your family is ready to invest the time and energy into raising a golden retriever puppy, you are in for the most memorable journey of your family’s life.

Golden retrievers are known for their loveable traits and high energy. You must know the tricks to golden retriever care to train them effectively.

How do you know if you are raising your golden retriever puppy so that it grows into a well-trained and respectable dog?

Keep reading to learn how to provide proper golden retriever care so your family and dog can live a peaceful life together.

1. Embrace the Crate Life

It is important to know that a crate is not a punishment for your golden retriever puppy, but a safe place for them to go. The more they love and appreciate their crate as a happy place, the more they will enjoy staying in it while you are out for the day.

Some dog owners use crates as a form of punishment, which will make your dog anxious when you put them in it. Stay away from this habit and your dog will feel less confused and more comfortable.

2. Teach Your Children Dog Respect

If your golden retriever is the first dog for your children, you need to train your children just as much as the dog!

Watch your children carefully around the dog for the first few weeks and keep an eye out for certain things.

Crate Invading

Your dog’s crate is their safe zone and a place for only them to go to. If your children are climbing in the crate, this can take the dog’s sense of security and safety away from them.

Teach your children to respect the dog’s crate as a property for the dog, not a play place for them.

Grabbing the Dog

A wagging dog’s tail is an exciting thing for a child. It moves around and is a fun thing to chase. Sometimes your child might think of the dog’s tail as a toy, which is not okay for the dog.

As funny as it may be to watch your children chase the dog around and grab its tail and ears, make sure you teach them that is not respectable to the dog.

Toy and Food Grabbing

Golden retrievers are especially known for their calm demeanor, which makes them a safe dog for children. That being said, they are still an animal with large teeth and sometimes, mistakes can happen.

If your child puts his/her hand where the dog is chewing on its toy or food, they may be accidentally bitten. Teach your children about safe distances around the dog’s mouth while it is chewing or eating.

3. Start Training Early

People say that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks for a reason. It is easier to train a puppy than an older dog. Behaviors you should teach your dog include:

• Sit
• Lay Down
• Come
• Heel
• Stay
• Gentle or Easy (great when small children are present)
• Shake
• Speak

These are the basic commands that any dog, no matter what breed, should know. This will keep them safe and remind them that you are the Alpha dog.

4. Be Patient

Golden retrievers puppies are intelligent, but they are still a baby! While you are potty training them, remember to be patient. They can feel your energy, so being patient will help them to not feel horrible when they make a mistake.

5. Get Ready to Clean

Perhaps one of the only pitfalls of having a golden retriever is the amount of hair they shed. You need to have the right tools in place to clean effectively.

Create a chore chart for your family and get the kids involved with the cleaning. This will teach them great responsibility and action.

6. Grooming Care

Not only do you have to clean well, but you also have to groom the dog regularly to prevent too much shedding.

Use a thick dog brush to comb their hair daily, bathe them once a week, and make sure you cut their nails frequently. You could also invest in a golden retriever growth chart for your family to mark the dog’s growth and progress.

7. Choose the Right Food

When you have a purebred dog with a lot of beautiful hair, you need to feed it right to keep its coat healthy and shiny. Many dog food brands have special ingredients made for large dog breeds.

Make sure that the first two ingredients are meat and not grain products, which could affect their digestive system.

8. Clean Their Ears

Because of their floppy ears, golden retrievers have a higher risk of ear infections. You can prevent infections by cleaning their ears regularly with a lightly damp cloth. If you notice a smell in their ear, take them to the vet immediately.

9. Exercise Them Often

Golden retrievers have a lot of energy, which means that they need to be exercised often. One time a day is not enough. Take them for family dog walks and ball chasing at least three times per day.

Having a backyard is a great bonus for your retriever. They can run around and play on their own without you needing to entertain them all the time.

Learn More Golden Retriever Care Tips

Golden retrievers will give you unconditional love, support, and acceptance like nothing you have ever experienced. It’s important to take care of them and treat them like a member of your extended family.

If you enjoyed these tips for golden retriever care, check out our blog for more animal-care articles like this!

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