Nola, Our Golden Retriever Puppy, is growing fast, just like a normal Golden Retriever puppy. In other words like a weed. I’m a bit behind in posting as this picture is already a few days old. I know that you can’t really get an idea of her size in this picture, but she’s adding a lot of body mass.
While we’re getting ready to bring Nola in to our home, she is being taught by the best teacher ever. Her mom. Her mom communicates in Nola’s own language, so it really helps when puppies are left with their mom for the first eight weeks. And that doesn’t even take the benefits of nursing into account.
Golden Retriever puppies are generally easy to train so long as you give them plenty of attention. Still, getting ready for a new puppy requires some effort.
- You need to puppy proof the areas in your home where he will live and play.
- You will need a plan as to how you intend to train your puppy
- You will need to start collecting the needed items.
- You should pick a leash and collar locally, so you can find something special. You should select something that a small dog can easily become accustomed to, something lightweight with room to grow.
That makes me think of one thing about dogs that always makes me smile. When they’re very young especially, they’re not too crazy about wearing things. Even a small collar can be an obstacle that requires some patience. As they become accustomed to the item and get used to it, they can get a bit upset when it is removed for cleaning or whatever.
Toys are important for your Golden Retriever puppy too.
Puppies grow so fast that you can wait a week and miss a picture like this. This was one of the few early pictures of our last Golden retriever, Maggie. This was pre digital camera and we hadn’t been in the habit of taking a ton of them. With the great cameras in our smartphones, we don’t even get the digital camera out very often.
This time I want to get lots of pics like this. That reminds me, I’ve got to get a ball with those rubber spikes on it!
Anyway, this is the time when you need to decide how to train your new puppy, and what direction to take. Crate train or not? Do you need additions to your home such as a doggy door? We don’t really crate train our dogs but we put a large box in our bedroom so the puppy will not feel alone, early on, while sleeping. This limits her unsupervised movements, keeps her close and contented, and gives us a bit of rest. Of course, it’s very important to wear her out before bedtime. Always remember, “A tired dog is a good dog.”
We’re following the training style of Casar Millan in his book “How to Raise the Perfect Dog: Through Puppyhood and Beyond” and I’m reading it now. Excellent! I’m about 90 percent through and from the experience I’ve had raising my pooches, Casar’s got it down.
In this picture, the breeder was trying to get a photo of the puppies together, but dad wanted to hang with them, so he made it a bit difficult.