Our Golden Retriever Loves the Beach

Sadie's first trip to the beach was a big success.

Tags: Golden Retriever, Gentling Exercises for Puppies, golden retriever dog beach, Golden Retriever Training, riding with Golden Retriever,

Raising a Golden Retriever Puppy is Hard Work

It's been almost 2 weeks since we brought our puppy home and we have had lots of highs and lows.

Today, I spent most of the day saying "Sadie no." She's just so busy... busier even than my one year old niece.

Our main issue is the constant chewing on things. We're spraying her unacceptable choices with bitter apple, but she just goes out and find new unacceptable choices.

Here's a pic of our pup from today. She's 7 weeks and 8 days old.

Golden Retriever Kong Recipes

Yesterday, I blogged about how Sadie needs to chew everything she comes in contact with and discussed our strategy on helping her make acceptable choices.

Today I discovered a breakthrough. Actually, the breeder and my wife both told me about this but I guess I needed to figure it out by myself.

The breakthrough...?

Golden Retrievers love Kongs.

Not sure what a Kong is? A kong is a device or chew toy made from extremely durable rubber. It is dishwasher and microwave safe. The reason you need to know this is because Kongs normally have a hole through the center that can be stuffed with tasty treats.

This keeps the Golden Retriever busy chewing something acceptable, often for long periods of time.

This is a picture of the Kong we are now using.

We stuffed our Golden Retriever's new Kong with low fat yogurt, then spread creamy peanut butter on the outside pockets. We froze it for about an hour and then gave it to Sadie. After she worked on it for nearly an hour it was no puzzle as to why the Kong is such a valuable training tool. This device trains your puppy while you're away by rewarding her with a tasty treat. All the while keeping herself occupied with an acceptable chewing activity.

Eureka! A dog that spends three hours getting a taty treat has little time to do any digging, barking, chewing, or breaking boundaries. Give it a try, your dog will thank you.

KONG Puppy Kong Toy, Small, Assorted Pink/Blue


Here are some pics of Sadie at 6 weeks and 6 days old trying to negotiate her way in to the off-limits section of our home.First, she tries the "look adorable technique. This is where she sits lovingly at the boundary and tries to convince me she'll be a good girl if I will just let her pass.

When that technique fails, Sadie decides she can gnaw her way through the metal gate. This technique would eventually give her success but her mouth, jaws, and teeth would regret it.

Another attempt, this time trying to squeeze through. Nope, too big and getting bigger every day.

Sadie Loves Her Toys

Golden Retriever pups are chewers and there's just no getting around it. Chewing is a natural behavior for all  breeds and it is beneficial to them because it helps promote healthy teeth, gums and even jaw muscles. There is a back side to chewing however. Sometimes a Golden pup may direct her chewing habits at objects that are supposed to be off-limits.

Chewing is also a dog's way of exploring the world around it. Just like human babies, puppies often learn about new things by putting them in their mouths. 

The solution to the problem is....

May I have a drum roll please?

Toys!

Lots and lots of toys. Golden Retriever puppies have to chew so give them something they're allowed to chew. Here are pics of Sadie from this morning with her chew toys. She is 6 weeks and 5 days old.

Training Sadie to Come to Us On Command

We're teaching our Golden Retriever puppy to recognize her own name and to come to us on command. I've read lots of techniques for this simple trick but the one we chose to use seems to be working.

Crystal holds Sadie while I sit 15 feet away from her with a treat. I pat my legs and say "Sadie come". When she comes she gets praise and a treat. Then I hold her and Crystal repeats the process.

If all goes well, the "Sadie come" command should work in real life situations. Time will tell.

Here's a picture of Sadie from today. She's 6 Weeks and 3 Days Old.