Retriever Puppy Training

A companion dog, the retriever is known for his affection, intelligence, loyalty and good looks. And retriever puppy training is a rewarding experience for all parties involved. The training and socialization your retriever puppy receives during the initial six months is crucial to the dog he grows up to be.

It is important to start retriever puppy training when the dog is young. By four weeks they are active and mobile. And by the fifth week the teeth are fully developed and they use them to play.

Personalities also develop at this stage. Retriever puppy training can be started at the sixth to eighth week. In this early stage, a simple training routine works best.

Start your retriever puppy training gently. Repetitive constant training is ideal. Food rewards also help but should be kept to a minimum. Brutal force and physical abuse of any kind is a big no. This will have serious repercussions later on.

When it comes to retriever puppy training, recurrent human contact and a variety of external environments is important. Young retrievers are extremely active and must be taken out for walks or ‘fetch’ games often at least once a day. In retriever puppy training it is important to keep in mind that they have short attention spans. Short sessions that occur frequently are best.

Retriever puppies are extremely energetic. Hence when it comes to retriever puppy training it is important to promote it to be calm. Holding the puppy and gently restraining it is one way of doing so. Keep an eye out for times when especially children play with the puppy to ensure that they do not egg him on unnecessarily.

One of the basic skills in retriever puppy training is potty training. Dogs are generally clean animals and do not like to excrete in areas where they eat or sleep. Determine an area for the bathroom away from areas where your puppy usually eats and sleeps. After a meal take your puppy to the potty area and encourage them to use it for the purpose of excretion. A toy or a reward in the form of a food treat helps. Be patient during this period. And over time they will begin to use the area for excretion.

Another important aspect of retriever puppy training is good feeding habits. Do not allow your puppy to dive into the food dish. Instead lower the doggy bowl with a command such as ‘Dinnertime.’ Hold the puppy back till you lower the dish and move away.

Lots of patience and kind words are what it takes for effective retriever puppy training. Lovable creatures, this breed of dogs are some of the easiest to train for they are fast absorbers and keen learners.