How to Housebreak a Golden Retriever Puppy
Dogs are creatures of habit. They thrive on routine and consistency. The key to housebreaking a puppy is to consistently reinforce good behavior and prevent, as much as possible, bad behavior. Golden retrievers are a fairly large and intelligent breed that can handle potty training as early as four weeks from birth. To prevent bad habits from forming, training should begin no later than eight weeks of age.
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Instructions
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Identify right and wrong places to go. Decide whether you will use paper or a cage and introduce the dog to these items. If you put down paper or mats, the puppy should be encouraged to go on these. If you use a cage, it should be large enough to serve as a bed so the dog will naturally be disinclined to mess where he sleeps.
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Watch for "pre-potty" behavior. Supervise your puppy at all times when possible, looking for the tell-tale sniffing and circling. Gently move them to the papers or take them outside and praise them profusely when they go in the appropriate place.
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Confine the dog when not supervised. When you cannot be there to prevent accidents keep the dog in a confined space of limited size. If not a cage, make sure paper is present.
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Take the pup outside to go. When you observe pre-potty behavior or suspect the need to go, take the puppy outside. Bring the dog back in promptly after they go, to reinforce the idea that the trip outside was for the purpose of relieving themselves. If you're using a cage, the puppy will probably not be able to last more than seven or eight hours without having to go, even if they are trying to hold it. Be sure to take them out before their endurance is exhausted.
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Use a verbal cue. Though not necessary, it might help make the connection between going outside and relieving themselves to use a verbal cue. The dog will not understand the words, so any short phrase can work. "Hurry up," or "potty," are quite common.
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Move papers close to the door and eventually remove them. Once you have the dog reliably using the papers (if you use papers) move them closer to the door. You can even put some papers outside if the dog is having trouble making the transfer. After a few weeks of training, the puppy should be large enough to last most of the day. Remove the papers and give ample praise if there are no accidents.
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Tips & Warnings
Use praise to reinforce your dog's good behavior. This need not include feeding a dog treats, but this can help if used moderately. Be sure to always pet them generously and use a excited, happy verbal tone. Training will take at least a few days, but as long as a few weeks.
Accidents are inevitable when training a dog, but punishment is not as effective as prevention and reinforcement of good behavior. Avoid rubbing a dog's nose in their filth, as these are not necessarily foul smells to the animal, or of pressing on the dog's hindquarters.
