Should You Use Crate Training for Your Golden Retriever?
A lot of golden retriever owners may not be too keen on the idea of putting their cute and adorable golden retriever puppy inside a crate the minute they take it home, for fear that it will do more damage than good to the puppy.
Golden retrievers are by nature very cuddly and affectionate. They are usually so cute and adorable that it’s hard to imagine them wreaking havoc on your home once they grow up with very little guidance. With their fuzzy bodies, puppy dog eyes, you can easily get hooked on them and maybe even give excuses for the bad behavior they may show or for manipulating you to give in to their demands.
But remember, no matter how cute and cuddly your golden retriever maybe, it still needs discipline or you’ll end up unhappy with it in the long run. Without giving it a proper golden retriever puppy training, it may grow up either stubborn, lazy or too aggressive. In other words, as early as the day your golden sets foot inside your home, you need to educate it and show that you are the “leader of the pack.”
When housebreaking your golden retriever, it is best to use a crate. When you use a crate to housetrain your golden, you are not just keeping your home safe from poop accidents or from a bored puppy who will resort to chewing your prized possessions, but you are also giving your pup a safe haven, where it can feel comfortable, even while you are away.
By crate training your golden, you can also go on about your daily tasks without getting too worried about your puppy, knowing that it is safe and is not out in the yard digging or inside the house chewing on your shoes. You can then reward it for its good behavior when you get back by giving it treats or a hug, or taking it out to play.
For very young golden puppies however, it is not advisable to keep them inside a crate for longer than 3 hours. If you find that you would have to be out of the house the whole day, find a friend or an accommodating neighbor who could let you pup out for a few hours to walk around, relieve itself or play under supervision and then put it inside the crate again. There is not a fixed period of time as to up to what age should a golden retriever be put inside a crate, but usually a good 12 months should be enough to get it trained.
Of course, if you find that you can trust your golden puppy sooner than a year not to show any unacceptable behavior, you can gradually give it more independence and allow it more privileges as rewards for good behavior.
