Respect Other Pedestrians When Walking Your Golden Retriever In The Street For The First Time

Your golden retriever puppy will be curious with every new person that comes across his path. The natural instinct of most puppies is to pull you toward a person to say “hello.” Don’t make the mistake as a puppy owner by assuming every person on the street will be just as excited about your puppy as you are. Not every person is a dog lover. Many people don’t like dogs and some people have serious allergies to dogs. Other people may think your puppy is adorable, but may be in a hurry and not have time to greet your puppy.

Respect the space of others. Why let your puppy get away with something that most parents wouldn’t allow their toddlers to do? Make it a rule never to let your puppy pull toward strangers. By letting your puppy pull towards people, you are setting a pattern for your puppy to pull you along to greet any person. You’re teaching your puppy that he can control you.

If someone is interested in saying “hello” to your pup, then place your pup in a sit to keep him from jumping up. Move out of the traffic flow so pedestrians don’t have to maneuver around you. It’s also a good idea to watch for senior citizens on the street. Many don’t appreciate a puppy taking a sudden jump on them. If you see a person approaching with a cane or a walker, particularly on a narrow street, be considerate and move to a safety zone area and let the person pass. If you are passing from behind, slow your puppy and give direction to the person ahead on which side you intend to pass. Use a calm voice to warn them if you are passing on their left or on their right, and tell your puppy “On by” as you pass.

Pedestrian traffic will be coming towards you on your left side, so always give your Golden Retriever less of a lead when people are approaching. I have often seen pedestrians get their legs tied up in a puppy’s long lead. When approaching a group of people on the street, don’t try to negotiate your way through them. You are better off moving to a far side of the sidewalk, or into an alcove of a storefront and waiting for the group to pass. Eventually, after many walks with your Golden Retriever he will become accustomed to your routine and avoid confusion when out in the public.

Your Golden Retriever Puppy’s Stages Of Life From Birth To 9 Months Old

0 to 7 Weeks: This is a period when the environment opens up for a golden retriever puppy. His eyes and ears are excited to experience the sights and sounds of the world around him. This is a strong socialization period as a bond grows between his litter mates and mother. These bonds lead to a healthy, well-adjusted temperament. By day ten, however, the puppy should experience the touch of human hands and feel comfortable when being handled. This is a critical period for a puppy’s physical and emotional growth. The mother passes on 65 to 75 percent other temperament to her puppies. If she is calm, she will have a calming influence on a hyper puppy. The mother also passes natural antibiotics to the puppy through her milk during these weeks.

8 to 12 Weeks: Like a sponge, puppies at this stage absorb everything around them. They are curious and anxious to learn and play. At this age, puppy kindergarten can begin. It’s important to begin training but more important to create confidence. The training should be fun, not overly strict or aggressive. Negative experiences at this age can create impressions and behavior that can last the pup’s lifetime. Because this is such an impressionable stage, have a positive attitude when working and playing with your puppy. Build a foundation for him to develop positive patterns in his behavior.

3 1/2 to 4 Months: golden retriever puppies at this age are losing their baby teeth - you can feel good that those razor-sharp puppy teeth will soon be gone if your hands are still holding up. With any physical growth, there is a surge in hormones which affect the pup’s behavior. If your puppy is hyper to begin with, he will become 30 percent more hyper during this period. If he is shy, he may become 30 percent more shy. Through this period, you want to stay with a consistent training schedule.

4 to 5 Months: At this age, an owner becomes mystified with his puppy’s behavior. For example, your puppy may be housebroken one day, but urinate all over the floor the next. This is a common problem for many dog owners. Puppies are not being defiant at this stage, so never punish them. The problem is they are getting a surge of hormones which confuses them. The best thing to do is take a few steps back, and reinforce the housebreaking pattern you will learn in chapter four after this happens.

5 to 6 1/2 Months: Puppies go through a noticeable growth spurt during the fifth month. Spaying or neutering during this stage doesn’t help - they will still go through a transitional phase.

6 1/2 to 7 1/2 Months:Your Golden Retriever will settle down for a while, allowing you to breathe a sigh of relief. But don’t relax just yet!

8 to 9 Months: This is the final hormonal surge within your puppy, when items around your house, such as remote controls, begin to disappear. This is a very challenging stage for owners because a puppy’s temperamental behavior will increase - a pup will be approximately 50 percent more aggressive, more shy, or more hyper. It is during this time that male dogs will begin to lift their legs when urinating. Attention, not punishment, is what your pup needs during this time. All the training you have done will seem to have gone for naught. Owners get panicky and frustrated because they think their pup should know better.

Your Golden Retriever Puppy Might Have Gastrointestinal Parasites Even Without Showing Signs

The majority of golden retriever puppies contract some form of internal parasite either before or shortly afterbirth. Although this may sound repulsive to you, it’s a normal part of being a dog. There is no need to be excessively concerned, provided you have your puppy checked and treated promptly. Left untreated, intestinal parasites can cause serious harm.

Therefore, it’s essential to bring along a small, fresh sample of your puppy’s stool when you make your first veterinary visit. When the stool is dissolved, eggs or parasites from this sample will be clearly visible under a microscope. Do not assume your puppy has no intestinal parasites simply because no worms have shown up in the stool.

Adult worms often live exclusively within the intestinal tract; the tiny eggs they release serve as the only clue to their existence. Furthermore, other internal parasites, even as mature organisms, never reach a size visible to the naked eye. Let your veterinarian discover which type, it any, of these parasites inhabits your puppy’s system and treat it accordingly.

Your Golden Retriever’s Diet May Reduce His Brain Function

A 1996 study with dogs investigated a growing misconception among some trainers and veterinarians that low protein diets (16 to 20% protein) can improve the behavior of hyperactive or aggressive dogs. These were dogs that had formerly been fed what was erroneously called a high protein diet (28 to 32% protein) on a dry-matter basis.

The results suggested that lowering protein in the diet is not generally useful in treating behavior problems involving territorial aggression, dominance aggression and hyperactivity. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, a study was not done that reduced the carbohydrates (the major component of most dog foods) while increasing protein.

In a carefully controlled study, protein-starved animals were evaluated for the effects of protein depletion on various organs. Examination of the brain revealed only a 14% average protein loss, compared to gross depletion of 27-65% or more in other organs. Researchers concluded that, because it directs hunting/food-seeking behavior, the brain may have naturally evolved to be less susceptible to protein starvation.

Unfortunately, we must now cite rat studies for further data. Protein-starved experimental animals exhibited no serious learning deficits regarding responses to aversive (shock) stimuli or maze problems involving food rewards. However, the animals did have lower thresholds for electro-convulsive shock, that is, they convulsed at lower voltages than normal animals. The researchers tentatively concluded that a protein depletion of up to 14% in the mammalian brain does not appreciably affect learning, but slightly reduces excitability thresholds. This study raises interesting questions about the effects of protein, carbohydrate and fat ratios on the general level of excitability in mammals, particularly in problem dogs, many of which are excitable.

Studies on rats indicate that carbohydrate-rich diets can significantly increase levels of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) is an essential but still poorly understood chemical neurotransmitter found in greatest concentrations in the nuclei of the medulla oblongata, which has a role in determining the general levels of excitability. What is pertinent is that the ratios between carbohydrate, protein and fat intake may produce both immediate and long-term changes in the excitability of dogs. It now remains to relate this empirically to certain behavior problems.

Why Golden Retriever Ear Cropping Is Cruel

Ear cropping is by far the most controversial of the elected procedures. Many veterinarians who have no problem with tail docks or dewclaw removals do not crop ears, and some are lobbying the American Veterinary Medical Association to condemn the procedure.

Ear cropping entails slicing an anesthetized golden retriever puppy’s ear flap to a shape and length preferred for the particular breed and then bandaging what’s left on splints or racks to heal. This procedure is not painless by any definition, although untold thousands of dogs have come through it with no apparent longterm psychological damage.

In England and Germany, ear cropping is banned as cruel. No such laws exist today in the United States and Canada. As long as the breed clubs that write the standards insist on this practice, many pet owners will follow suit.

It is urged that you do not crop your puppy’s ears! Cropping is a matter of tradition and familiarity, and the more uncropped dogs are seen and loved, the more comfortable others will be with leaving their puppy’s ears alone. Perhaps in time, even the breed clubs that defend ear cropping so vigorously will relax on the issue - and this senseless tradition will fade away.

Why Do Golden Retrievers Paw & Scratch At Certain Things & At Certain Times?

Everyone has a little bedtime ritual. For children, it’s toothbrushing, stories, and lights-out. For their parents, it might be pillow fluffing or putting on satin pajamas. For Golden Retrievers, it’s pawing the ground - or the carpet - before settling in. Some dogs’ routines are so precise that you can tell even before they start moving what they’re getting ready to do. You can just see that look in the eye that says, Okay, I’m going to turn around four times, paw six times, lie down, sigh, and fall right to sleep.

Sparky Was Here!

A thick pile carpet or a plaid cedar bed doesn’t need this sort of treatment, but dogs are creatures of habit. They tend to do the same things they’ve always done. Every Golden develops a slightly different set of bedtime rituals, and for the most part, they’ll follow these rituals every time they lie down. Once they get in the habit of pawing or scratching or circling around before they lie down, they’re going to always want to do it.

Comfort and ritual are only part of the story. Another reason for pawing is that dogs are
territorial animals, which means they stake out and claim areas that they consider theirs. One way of marking territory is to scratch at the ground. In the wild, dogs who happened by would see the scratch marks and know that the place was occupied. They’d smell the marks, too. dogs have scent glands in their paws. Pawing at the carpet is one way of depositing their personal scent. Female dogs may be somewhat more likely than males to paw before lying down, especially if they happen to be pregnant. It’s because they have a biological urge to prepare a safe, comfortable nest for their puppies.

It Also Feels Good to Scratch!

From the time they’re golden retriever puppies, dogs will scratch and dig just about anywhere - on the carpet, in the garden, even on linoleum floors. They’re not really trying to make a bed in all of these places. They just enjoy scratching. It feels great on their paws. If it’s hot outside, they’ll scratch and get a little cool dirt under their nails. Before long, they’re hooked.

This is why some dogs spend an inordinate amount of time pawing the carpet or their beds
before lying down. They don’t need to make things more comfortable than they already are. They’re just enjoying the activity. And since they find it relaxing, it’s a natural prelude to taking a nap. They don’t necessarily have a goal in mind. They do it because it feels good.