THE VERSATILE GOLDEN RETRIEVER

  PART 2   EARLY TRAINING 

It is difficult for me to put into words a specific progression of how to encourage versatility in a young pup.  Much is dependent on the individual dog and his readiness, confidence, and work ethic.  The actual foundation of many skills is introduced while the pup is very young, and is done in the context of normal day to day routines.  So, the purpose here is not to tell you how to train that multi-purpose dog, but to give you ”food for thought” on how and where you can begin to encourage a “multi-purpose” golden retriever.

  First and foremost I am guided by the following ten “Tips for Training”:

  ATTENTION SPAN:  Like any small child, a puppy will have a short attention span.  More is accomplished in short sessions.  Ideally, you want to leave your puppy happy and confident, wanting to do more with you.

CONSISTENCY:  You should determine the rules and boundaries for both your household and interaction with other people.  Then you should enforce these rules from day one.  What is improper behavior today is improper tomorrow.  A behavior is either right or wrong.  A puppy does not understand “sometimes” or “just this once”.  If you are inconsistent, the pup will learn that anything goes and there are really no “rules” but only suggestions.  The pup cannot understand that you don’t mind if he jumps on you when you are wearing jeans, but will frown on this same behavior if he chooses to jump on you when you are wearing a new pair of panty hose!

PATIENCE:  Training a dog is work! No one ever promised that training would be easy.  As you travel the road of training, there will be many pitfalls.  What a young puppy seems to know today, he forgets tomorrow.  Take things one step at a time.  Make expectations clear.  Start at the bottom of the ladder.  Build a solid foundation.  Break each concept into components and build understanding gradually.  Never lose your temper when training.  Training in anger (or anger in training) is never constructive.  If you get frustrated, do one thing that you know your puppy can do successfully and end the training session on a positive note.

REPETITION AND PRACTICE:  Training is a matter of conditioning, so daily repetition and practice is essential.  The young puppy will benefit the most from two to three, short 5-10 minute training sessions each day.  (I tend to be a “kitchen” trainer.  I often do what I call “two minutes here, and two minutes there” training.  As I take the pup out to potty or move around the house doing chores, I often stop and do a bit of this or that for a minute or two.) 

PARTNERSHIP:  We all recognize dogs as pack animals.  I am the alpha to my dogs.  I set the boundaries, but I make the rules crystal clear and try to be fair in my expectations (and, as I pointed out earlier, there is consistency in my relationship with my dogs.)    Everything I do with my dog is also geared towards developing a partnership where not only do I enjoy working with my dog, but he chooses to and enjoys working with me. 

TRAINING IS FUN:  Your dog will train willingly and happily as long as you keep it fun.  This means that you need to TEACH your dog.  Concepts must be clear, with time invested to teach the specifics of each element.  Fun in training sessions doesn’t mean being “easy” or not demanding performance.  It means teaching in a manner that promotes confidence in your puppy, that provides a means for him to be successful in his training sessions.

PRAISE:  Praise is essential for success!  It is your praise for a task performed successfully that encourages the puppy to repeat the desired behavior with more consistency.  In other words, praising a successful accomplishment on the part of your puppy encourages him to do it again.  A dog works for your praise.  Rewarding a dog, verbally and/or otherwise, for complying with your wishes encourages success. Remember too that praise should be immediate.  When your puppy performs correctly, acknowledge his efforts immediately!  Give your praise lavishly when earned, and your pup will work hard to earn it often. 

CORRECTIONS:  Corrections must be immediate, firm, and applied properly and consistently.  Remember this rule in those day to day situations where your puppy is “naughty”.  (It is not fair to correct a young pup for having an accident or chewing your shoe unless you catch him in the act.)   While I am not a pure positive power clicker training, Cookie Fairy trainer, I do not correct a puppy or dog until a concept has been taught completely and the dog demonstrates understanding of that specific concept.  When corrections are used (when the dog understands expectations) they must be fair (appropriate to the Situation) and matter of fact.  Emotions on my part should not enter into the equation. 

  VOICE AND BODY LANGUAGE:  A dog’s instincts are acute.  They quickly sense anger, frustration, and pleasure from your voice and body language.  A smile, frown, hands on hips, etc. will all elicit a response from your dog.  That response will occur instantly and determine how your dog reacts.  When an owner comes home to some havoc caused by their dog while they were gone, the dog is responding to the actions and voice of the owner, not some long forgotten act.

  Your voice is probably your most effective training tool.  It is important that your voice communicate your pleasure or displeasure.  “No” should be firm and given by dropping the tone of your voice.  You need not shout.  A cheerful, upbeat “Yes”, “Perfect” or “Good job” communicates your pleasure for a job well done.  Pay attention to your body and voice in both household situations and working venues. (Does your dog really understand “Bad Puppy” if you are shaking with laughter?  Does he feel he has done a good job if you say “Good” in a harsh voice while your body is rigid, feeling frustration? )

I seem to have “degrees” of guilt built into my interaction with my dogs.  My husband, meanwhile, tends to use the same tone of voice for both minor and major infractions.  I permit the dogs to come onto the couch in the TV room, yet they do not attempt to climb on the furniture in the living room.  My body and entire mental expectation just seems to convey to them that climbing on that off-white couch and love seat is not acceptable.  Failure of a dog to sit on the first command does not elicit the same response from me as getting into the garbage. Yet, even though we have differences in approach, the dogs are confident and attempt to comply with each of us.  The key here is that dogs respond to more than voice or body language alone.  Pay attention to what your voice and body really convey to your dog!

PLAY:  Dogs must have time to be dogs.  Playing with them helps develop confidence and teaches them that you can be a source of stimulation, worthy of their attention.  Play has both physical and mental benefits for  your dog.  Using play as a means of reward and as a tension release in training helps create a well-balanced relationship between dog and owner. And, since we are talking about molding a versatile dog, maybe we also need to add an eleventh  “tip” to consider for those who show in the conformation ring.

ESTABLISH GOALS/EXPECTATIONS:  Goals and expectations will be different for each of us. Although goals will need to be re-evaluated and possibly adjusted as time goes on, you should give some specific thought to what you hope and want to accomplish.  Do you want to just point your dog, or do you hope to earn his Championship?  Do you want to just earn obedience titles on your dog, or do you have a minimum level of performance in mind prior to entering the obedience ring?  Are you content with entry/intermediate levels of work in the field or do you want to obtain a MH?  Do you want to track?  Do you plan to do agility?  The answers to much of this will depend on previous training experiences, availability of time, work ethic of both dog and handler, availability of resources available to you, etc.  But, you do need to have a plan!  That plan may change, but know what you hope to accomplish.  If you need to change your goals as you go along, so be it.  But, don’t just try to forge ahead in the dark.

  Often I have heard people say that you cannot train your golden for such and such if you want to show in conformation.  Many times I hear that doing obedience will confuse a dog in the breed ring.  How many people have you heard say they do not teach a dog to sit because it will carry over into the breed ring.  Some have said they never taught their dog to come to them because insisting on such compliance will break a dog’s spirit.

  I say “Hogwash” to such blanket statements.  Be realistic.  Give things a try and see what natural abilities your dog possesses.  If you want to help your dog become versatile, capable of doing more than one thing, then foster his natural talents.  As you build a relationship and partnership with your dog, learn to read his body language and natural abilities.  Be objective and recognize his weaknesses or lack of adaptability in certain situations. Training a dog that can perform in more than one venue is not possible nor even desirable for everyone.  But, if you do want to consider the possibility of participating in multiple venues, then work in a manner that promotes understanding and confidence in your dog, no matter what venue you are pursuing.  Editor Julie Caruthers asked that I write some of my feelings and experiences while I have a puppy, because these formative stages are a time that you can create at least a foundation for later work in more than one venue.

Next month I will try to give some specific examples on how I have started this progression with my pup.  The basic foundation for an eventual recall will be discussed, as will ways to encourage your pup to want to focus his attention on you. 

Pat Quinn

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