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House Training Helpful Tips

Take your puppy to the vet before bringing him home to make sure he does not have a bladder infection or worms. This can often cause a puppy to have accidents in the house.

Each dog is different. Just because your first dog learned quickly does not necessarily mean that your new puppy will. House training can take as little as two weeks or as long as four months, it just depends on the dog's learning abilities.

A schedule is very important for both owner and dog. Be sure that you have a good schedule for walks after eating, sleeping and playing.

Older dogs that have been adopted may also need to be retrained. This is a great time to teach an older dog an elimination command, such as "Go potty" or "Do your business." These dogs also benefit from a schedule.

To find out more go to Dog Obedience Training

The Golden Retriever

The Golden Retriever is not to be confused with the Labrador Retriever. Although these two breeds perform many of the same functions, the Golden Retriever is from the United Kingdom, while the Labrador is from Canada and Newfoundland. The Golden Retriever was originally developed as a gun dog that would retrieve game during the hunt. These dogs are also good family dogs as they are very friendly and easy to train.

The Golden Retriever was originally developed in Scotland at the highland estate of Sir Dudley Majoribanks and Baron Tweedmouth at "Guisachan" near Glen Affric. There was much controversy over which breeds were originally crossed to create the dog for many years. The myth was that the dogs were developed from a troupe of Russian Sheepdogs that were from a visiting circus. However, this controversy was dispelled when the breeding records were published from 1835 to 1890.

The original cross was the yellow-colored retriever, Nous, with a Tweed Water Spaniel named Belle. The spaniel breed is now extinct, but was very common in the country during this time. Nous had been purchased from an unregistered litter of black, wavy-coated retriever puppies. In 1868, the cross produced four pups and these four became the basis of breeding for the Golden Retriever. Other breeds that influenced the Golden Retriever breed were the Irish Setter and the St. John's Water Dog. The bloodline was also inbred to create the ultimate hunting dog or dog obedience training dog.

The Golden Retriever is a well-proportioned dog with a feathered, medium-length coat. The colors range from cream to a golden color, but is not supposed to be red. The outer coat is water-repellent. The tail is long, but should not be curled. The head should be broad and tapering with a wide and powerful muzzle. The nose is black and the eyes are brown with dark rims. There are two versions of the breed, the English and the American.

These dogs are lovable and charming. They are easily trained and patient with children. These dogs are very active and enjoy obedience training. They excel in competitions. These dogs have little, if any instinct to guard and are unlikely to attack. These dogs will signal the approach of a stranger. These dogs do become mischievous if left alone for too long. Some are over-exuberant and distractible so they need to have some sort of job. These dogs also love to swim.

These dogs can do okay in an apartment if they receive enough exercise. They really do best with a medium to large sized yard. They are moderately active in the house and become better house dogs as they age. These dogs do require daily walks or they can also accompany you on a jog or run. They love to retrieve balls and other toys as well. To keep these dogs occupied you will want to provide them with several toys, options to keep them busy and regular dog obedience training. These dogs do have the tendency to become overweight, so you must ensure that they are not overfed and well exercised.

Taking Care of Your Golden Retriever

Golden Retrievers tend to be more active in the mornings and in the evenings. Between these times, they are content to take naps and relax. They are moderately active dogs and do require a good amount of exercise to keep their energy levels down. Males tend to be more active and may require more exercise than the females and then there are just some dogs that require more or less exercise than others. That's why they are good for dog training, they can be trained by anyone and have a relaxed attitude to families and older people.

Golden Retrievers are prone to obesity, more than their relative the Labrador Retriever even, so it is important that these dogs are properly fed and exercised. These dogs should not be treated as sedentary dogs and may have too much of an exercise requirement than an elderly person can keep up with.
These dogs should be groomed at least once a week and during the heavy shedding season, grooming once a day may be required. Their coats shed throughout the year, but the shedding season is considered to be spring when they lose their thick winter coats. Generally a good combing and brushing will work well and you will want to pay special attention to the undercoat. These dogs are average shedders and you should only bathe when necessary. The ears should also be cleaned regularly as they are prone to ear infections.

The typical lifespan of these dogs is about ten to thirteen years, although some have lived to be older. As these dogs age and depending on the breeding of the dog, there may be several health problems as many are common. These dogs tend to become obese easily as well, which compounds the health problems. These dogs have been profitable to backyard breeders, but as a result of careless breeding the breed is prone to genetic diseases and other genetic disorders. Hip dysplasia is common for the breed and parents should be examined for hip disease prior to breeding. This is also something to check for prior to purchasing their puppies.

Common diseases that these dogs are known for include:

* Cancer, specifically being hemangiosarcoma, lymphosarcoma, mast cell tumors and osteosarcoma. A health study by the Golden Retriever Club of America showed that in 1998 61.8% of these dogs were killed by cancer.

* Elbow dysplasia

* Eye disease including cataracts, glaucoma, distichiasis (eyelashes grow into eye), progressive retinol atrophy, retinal dysplasia, entropion and corneal dystrophy.

* Cardiomyopathy and subvalvular aortic stenosis

* Patella luxation, osteochondritis, cruciate ligament rupture and panosteitis.

* Skin disease with allergies, specifically flea allergies, lick granuloma, sebaceous adenitis and seborrhea

* Hot Spots

* Hemophilia

* Diabetes

* Epilepsy

* Cushing's Disease

* Bloat

* Autoimmune hemolytic anemia

* Von Willebrand Disease

* Myasthenia gravis

* Laryngeal paralysis

* Hypothyroidism

* Liver shunt

* Megaesophagus

The Golden Retriever is one of the foremost family dogs and are popular companions, that's why they pick up basic dog training so easily. They excel at obedience and agility competition as well. These dogs are excellent bird dogs both on land in the water. They have an excellent nose and have been used for hunting, tracking and also narcotics detection. Many of these dogs have been used as guide and service dogs.

The Rescued Golden Retriever

Many people tend to like the looks of the Golden Retriever, but many have heard horror stories of them being overly hyperactive. I had heard the same types of stories as well when I first began considering purchasing a Golden. And when I did begin looking for a new dog and I saw the Golden Retriever, I knew immediately that this was the dog for me.

Sam was purchased from a local breeder in the area. While my husband and I were shopping for puppies we had heard to stay away from this one particular breeder because it was rumored that he did not take proper care of his dogs. We were not people to normally purchase a dog. We would much rather save the life of a puppy from a humane society. So, we decided that we would still go by this breeder and see what he had to offer.

The stories that we had heard were somewhat true. The dogs were not living in filth, but it was obvious that he had more puppies than he could handle. We began looking at his puppies and we noticed one that was kind of sitting in the back of the kennel while the other dogs jumped on the gate. There was just something about him that attracted me. Perhaps it was because he wasn't jumping up and down and acting hyper, which was what I was afraid of initially when we began looking at Goldens.

I asked for the breeder to bring the dog out for a closer look. As soon as he did, the puppy's eyes lit up and began licking us all over. We knew immediately that if we could save a puppy's life then this would be the one. The breeder said he was the last of that particular litter and nobody had really seemed all that interested in him until me. I knew that if we didn't buy this dog that something not good could happen to him.

Sam turned out to be an excellent dog. He loves to go on rides and I think he only had one accident in the house after we got him. Once he knew he was supposed to go outside, he would let you know that he needed out by quietly sitting at the back door and staring into the yard. That was also how he let you know that he needed outside.