Of course every dog, no matter what breed, should obey the
basic
commands, "come", "sit", "lie down", as well as walk to heel, with and
without a lead.
Because the Golden Retriever was bred as a gundog, it is
absolutely
necessary to consider his inbred characteristics when training him.
Ideal is if he can be used as a gundog to retrieve game after
shoots. But most Golden owners do not have the possibility to
do
this. There are numerous other ways to keep your Golden busy. One of
them is working with dummies (photos). This type of work is also used to
train gundogs during the time when there is no shooting season. The
dummies simulate game and the tasks done situations which can occur
during a shoot.
There are basically two types of
retrieves: "marks"
and "blinds". Marks are when the dog sees the "bird" falling and blinds
are when he has to hunt for the "bird". There are many varieties of
these retrieves depending on the ground and the landscape. Working on
blinds means that the dog has to read and respond to the signals that
you give him. These are hand signals and the whistle that stops
him.These signals are used together to direct your dog into a
particular area where a retrieve can be found. Having arrived there he
must hunt for the "bird". Of course the hand and whistle signals have
to be practiced and you can start at an early age when the dog is still
a puppy. For example when you feed your dog, make him sit
(you
blow the whistle once) before he gets his dinner. He will soon
associate the whistle with something positive and sit down quickly in
order to get his food. When you put down the bowl make him wait until
you give him a command before he can start eating. This way you also
teach him steadiness at the same time.
Of course the dog must be well-trained to perform all these
tasks.
Therefore you should look for a good dog trainer who can help you to
teach your dog (preferably one who is familiar with
Retrievers).
Working with your dog does not necessarily mean spending hours
on
end training your dog. Many of the exercises can be done while going
for a walk with your dog. This way walking your dog can become much
more interesting for you and your dog and it also helps to keep both of
you fit!.
There are many recommendable books that can help you to train
your Retriever. Some of them are listed below.
Literature:
"Training Retrievers with Nigel Mann" (Nigel Man)
Other recommendations will follow.
