Malaysia Veterinary Forum (Archive)

Jyen · Joined: 06 May 2008 Posts: 5

ok.. here it goes... anyone with excellent advise on how to teach a golden retriever to obey and behave? its cruel to use the 'Shoe' method. So anyone with good advise? He is only 1 -2 years old and very playful. everything i say he think its playing and never pay attention to my command. Help?

amhwong · Joined: 05 May 2008 Posts: 15 Location: Kuala Lumpur

Hey Jyen,

Basic obedience should put you well on your way to a well-behaved pet who will respect and look up to you as his leader. I am not sure what you mean by the 'shoe' method, but certainly, you would not want to teach your dog to be fearful of you, nor would you want your Golden Retriever to lose his playfulness as a result of him learning to fear the punishment that follows when he takes off with a forbidden object in his mouth. What you would want is a dog that chews on the right stuff (like chewtoys) and knows when to surrender stuff that he shouldn't take, or better still, knows that he has to ignore stuff he's not supposed to take in his mouth!!

Playfulness, or any normal dog/puppy behavior (some of which humans may not always accept!! :) ) can be managed and controlled with taught behavior cues, like 'sit', 'look', 'stay', 'give', 'leave it', 'gentle', 'go to bed', and even just exhibiting of calm behavior by your dog.

If your dog has discovered the (extremely) fun game of taking your belongings, then it is time to show him that these items are not interesting. :idea: So, the last thing you should do is to chase after him when he has your stuff in his possession as he thinks it is both fun and probably, what he has in his mouth must mean alot to you thus he will refuse even more to surrender it. Of course, punishing him by shouting at him or giving him a little smack will also not help. These may make him even more excited, as they are a form of 'attention' to him, and dogs THRIVE on attention. :D

'Give' is a good cue to put to use to tell your dog to surrender any forbidden objects he might have taken. In basic obedience training, you will learn how to help your dog understand house rules, and help him to do what is right by rewarding him when he does them; this is termed positive reinforcement. For undesirable behavior, we ignore these behaviors and use negative punishment.

:idea: Giving you attention on cue is also very easy to teach your dog. In your dog's world, YOU should be the most exciting and interesting subject to him. The training exercise on 'Come' reinforces your dog whenever he gives you eye contact, or whenever he comes to you when you call his name or say 'Come'. As we want to reinforce his coming to you during the training phase, you should refrain from calling him to you when you have just discovered he has dug a hole in your garden (and eaten the plants!) and you want to reprimand him. NEVER call your dog to you when you are angry and preparing to scold him. ALWAYS praise your dog or give him a treat when he comes to you when called.

At 1-2 years of age, Golden Retrievers are usually still rather playful but there is no better time than NOW to start training your dog basic obedience. Using the right approach, you will be amazed how your dog will love you for understanding him and helping him to understand humans.

If you'd like help on finding a trainer, I'd be happy to assist. There are a few good options for you to consider.

Best of luck! :wink:

amhwong · Joined: 05 May 2008 Posts: 15 Location: Kuala Lumpur

Jyen, I just read your member introduction. :oops: Didn't know there's more info there about Ron.

As for Ron's bad jumping habit, try turning your back on him when he does that and ignore him until he has all 4-paws on the ground. Then praise him and bring him out to do the necessary.

Since you have identified his fear of shoes, I'd suggest that you do not use raising of the shoe to stop any unwanted behavior from Ron. It is certainly an effective way to immediately stop him from jumping at you (I know it can be frustrating :) ), but in the long run, Ron's fear of shoes will grow and it may lead to more problems. We try to alleviate fear in our pet dogs, as a fearful dog (no matter how insignificant the level) is often easily stressed.

Jyen · Joined: 06 May 2008 Posts: 5

AmhWong are you staying in kuantan? As u all know kuantan doesnt have any dog classes like in KL. So i need to teach him myself. I tot he will be listening if i giv him treats but he still same. By the way i try the method slowly give him food if he bark yes it work but still not the SIT NO command. Can teach me what to do? As its very frustating but i wont give up! :D

amhwong · Joined: 05 May 2008 Posts: 15 Location: Kuala Lumpur

Hi Jyen,

I am not based in Kuantan. I've sent you a PM. Hope it helps.