6 Simple Steps to House Train Your Golden Retriever Puppy

Puppies do lots of cute things: snuggling in for a hug, licking your face, playing tug of war, chewing on old slippers. . . However, one particularly frustrating but normal aspect of puppy life is house training. No one enjoys dealing with a slippery mess of pee on the kitchen floor or a stinky pile of dog poop in the corner of the family room. It is a fact-puppies have to go to the bathroom frequently! How can you house train your puppy confidently? Here are 6 simple suggestions to help house train your golden retriever puppy.

1. Utilize your puppy crate. Your puppy’s crate is it’s personal “den” space. When appropriately sized, the puppy’s crate provides enough room for it to stretch out comfortably without extra space. Puppies like to keep their personal space clean and will not ordinarily mess up this space.
2. Establish a reasonable schedule. It is unfair for the puppy to hold its bladder longer than necessary and adjust to sloppy time keeping. Take them out early and plan for intervals throughout the day. Make sure you have someone who can do an evening trip outside with them.
3. Select a specific place for doing their business. Return to this location every time they need to go. If allowed to go anywhere outside the door, they will quickly settle into this unwanted habit.
4. Give a short clear instruction about their business. “Get busy Henry.”
5. Observe and listen. A puppy who needs to “go” will often whine, fuss, and wriggle. Don’t ignore this communication-take them out. Pay attention to other more subtle signs your pup uses to tell you she needs to go.
6. Reinforce desired behavior. When your puppy does its business in the right spot or close to it, reward them. Use consistent verbal praise: “Good get busy Henry-good get busy.”

Finally, exercise patience. Mistakes will happen. House training takes time and every puppy’s progress will be different. Please let us know how your training goes-we welcome all puppy related questions and feedback.