The Retriever Expert Expert Care Tips For Your Retriever
Golden Retriever Potty Problems — How To Help
Golden Retrievers who don’t know where to do their business can cause huge inconveniences around the house. When your Golden Retrievers relieve themselves anywhere they want, it will cause hygiene issues around your home. This is why you should help resolve Golden Retriever potty problems as early as possible. That way, you can keep your Golden Retriever and your home squeaky clean! You will finally be able to say goodbye to the bad smells and unclean floors.
In this article, I will be sharing with you my personal tips and tricks on how you can help your Golden Retriever’s potty problems!
Why should I potty train my Golden Retriever?
Let’s first get down to the basics. Why exactly should you potty train your Golden Retriever? There are many reasons why pet parents prefer to potty train their dogs. Luckily, Golden Retrievers are the kind of dog breed that are very quick learners.
They have the innate urge to please their masters, pack leaders, or pet parents. Those aren’t the only good qualities of a Golden Retriever. They’re also quite friendly and loyal. If you have a Golden Retriever, you can expect that you will have a lifelong friend and protector. Even though they’re medium-sized dogs, they don’t have an aggressive bone in their body. Their fighting mode will only trigger if something is harassing them or their family.
In short, your Golden Retriever was bred to be quick learners, friendly, loyal, and have the need to please you. Now, you should take advantage of the fact that they always want to make you happy by potty training them at an early age.
When your Golden Retriever is young, they are more prone to learning household manners and tricks easily. Your Golden Retriever may or may not have a stubborn streak, but that doesn’t make it hard to train them.
Here are the reasons why you should potty train your Golden Retriever:
They want to please you
Since your Golden Retriever was bred to be a follower, it would be a pleasure to them if you praised them often. Praising your Golden Retriever whenever he relieves himself in the proper place will condition him to keep peeing or pooping in that same spot every day. Soon, it will become a good habit that will save you money and a lot of cleaning materials.
However, it does matter at what age you train them. For example, younger Golden Retrievers are more open to taking in knowledge, skills, and training than adult or senior Golden Retrievers. Nevertheless, your Golden Retriever still wants to please you. Even though it may take some time to get them to accept your training, it will be worth it in the end.
It’s cleaner
Speaking of cleaning materials, it’s a lot cleaner if you trained your Golden Retriever to relieve himself outside of your home. Particularly, it’s better if he chooses to do his business on a patch of grass (that’s still on your property). It’s certainly a lot better if he does this outside in nature instead of inside your home. Surely the residents of your home will be so glad that there’s no more funky smells wafting around inside the house.
If your Golden Retriever prefers to go on walks in order to relieve himself, please be responsible in taking care of the waste that your dog leaves. I suggest that you bring a doggy bag and pick up their waste, especially if your dog pooped in property that does not belong to you.
It’s less of a hassle
After a couple of days that you have successfully trained your Golden Retriever to relieve himself outside, you will find that you have saved yourself a lot of time, effort, and money. You won’t keep needing to bend over to wipe down his pee. This is especially important if you have older residents in your house. Additionally, you won’t accidentally step into a puddle or into some fecal matter anymore either. No mess equals no cleanup.
Another benefit to note is that you won’t have to keep running to the store to buy extra toilet paper rolls, rubbing alcohol, or whatever you use to clean up your Golden Retrievers pee and poop!
Overall, it’s much less of a hassle when you don’t have to clean anything anymore. Other than that, you won’t have to spend any cash on cleaning materials either.
Are Golden Retrievers hard to potty train?
You’re in great luck. Golden Retrievers are great pets because they’re not hard to train at all. In fact, they’re so gentle and want to please you so much. They will always look for your love, praise, and attention. Which is what makes them so easy to train.
You won’t have to worry that your Golden Retriever will reject your training efforts. In some rare cases, you might encounter a stubborn Golden Retriever, but applying the right training methods will eventually work.
Later on, I’ll be sharing how I address Golden Retriever potty problems. I’ll also explain how you can help them. Additionally, I will also give my tips and tricks on how you can train your dog to relieve himself in the correct places.
Being inexperienced in training your Golden Retriever won’t be a problem. If you don’t have any idea on how you can train your dog, don’t worry! I’ve got you covered. My combined years of experience has taught me a lot of things, and I can’t wait to impart the same knowledge to you.
Training your Golden Retriever may be intimidating at first, but don’t fret. After getting over the initial awkwardness, you will be able to assert the dominance that is needed when training a Golden Retriever (or any dog for that matter).
Should I rub my Golden Retriever’s nose in pee to discipline them?
You have to remove the misconception that training your Golden Retriever will be harsh on them. In reality, you are training your dog so that he will be easier to live with. It will be easier for you, the people in your house, and for your Golden Retriever as well.
The presence of good house manners means that your Golden Retriever is living the lifestyle that he should. Good house manners include things like knowing what and what not to chew, knowing basic commands like ‘sit’, and peeing and pooping in the right place among others. This makes it easy for you to teach him what is right from wrong.
You will find that treating your Golden Retriever with respect is better than punishing him for messing up. Like humans, Golden Retrievers are sensitive. If you rub your Golden Retriever’s nose in pee when they pee in the wrong place, they will develop a fear and anxiety of you.
It’s not a good idea when your Golden Retriever fears you. This is because they may hide when they get the urge to pee instead. They’ll look for ways to hide their pee or poop. In some very bad cases, they may lick their pee clean or sometimes eat their poop to hide the evidence. That is obviously very unhealthy behavior that you want to avoid at all costs.
Another thing to note is that if they fear you, they may be so scared of you that they will try to hold their pee and poop for as long as they can. This is also the kind of unhealthy behavior that you want to avoid. In the long run, your Golden Retriever will develop urinary tract infections and stones. That will lead to a lot of medical expenses for you.
How old should a Golden Retriever be potty trained?
This is a question that most pet parents of Golden Retrievers ask, especially if they do not have experience taking care of a Golden Retriever yet. The answer should be: 8 months old. Your Golden Retriever should be fully potty trained at that age. However you can start potty training them at an earlier age than that.
The earliest age that you can start potty training your Golden Retriever puppy is at least eight weeks old to one month old. At a young age of eight weeks, they are already smart enough to learn new skills. Their brains are like sponges that are willing to sponge up all the knowledge that you give them.
The earlier that you teach them the proper place to do their business, the earlier that you can reap the benefits of your training. You won’t have to deal with wet floors, stinky carpets, and small bits of poop here and there. Additionally, you will also save some cash on cleaning materials as well.
Never use fear as a method of training. Even if it’s effective, there are more drawbacks to your dog fearing you. Responsible pet parents know that the best way to train a Golden Retriever is with patience and not force. If you are not a patient person, perhaps a Golden Retriever is not the kind of dog for you.
The more you wait to train your Golden Retriever, the more stubborn they may get. This is why I highly suggest that you train them at the ripe age of eight weeks. After all, an adult or senior Golden Retriever is a lot harder to train than a young puppy. I am not saying that it’s impossible, but you may encounter some difficulty in getting them to accept what you’re teaching them.
How do I Help Golden Retriever potty problems?
There are many ways that you can train your Golden Retriever when he or she is still a puppy. There is no wrong or right way to do this. What is effective for you may not be effective for other pet parents out there. That’s why it’s important to do your research so that you are equipped with the knowledge to help Golden Retriever potty problems.
Keep in mind that accidents do happen. However, you should not blame your Golden Retriever for whatever accidents that he or she makes. Instead, extend your patience and help your Golden Retriever potty problems.
As I have mentioned earlier, a Golden Retriever who is at a young age is a lot easier to train. This is because they are more willing to learn from you. They will not cause much resistance since they have a big urge to make you happy and pleased with their actions. You will rarely find a Golden Retriever who does not want to be trained.
If you have the chance, train your Golden Retriever while they are still puppies. Adult or senior Golden Retriever potty problems are a lot different than from when they were puppies. You may encounter some resistance, but it’s nothing that time, patience, and effort cannot fix.
Let me share with you the different ways you can potty train your Golden Retriever puppy.
- Potty Training Through Familiarization
The first one on my list of ways that you can take care of Golden Retriever potty problems is through familiarizing where they should go do their business. You should do this after every meal.
Purchase a leash that is long enough to let them explore at least four to five feet around them. Then, hook the leash on your Golden Retriever’s collar. Make sure that the leash and collar are both secure before you leave your home.
If you are taking them out for a walk, keep your Golden Retriever at your side while they are walking. Remember, if it is not your property, always bring a doggy bag to clean your Golden Retriever’s poop. Then, you can dispose of it properly.
Do not let your Golden Retriever stray too far from you. He or she might bother or jump on people who are passing by. Additionally, if they make any sudden movements you might accidentally let go of the leash so make sure to keep a tight hold on that leash!
When you see that your Golden Retriever is extra interested in something that they found on the ground, you can gently tug them away until they lose interest. That way, you are able to keep control of the walk.
Eventually, your Golden Retriever will get the urge to poop or pee. They will usually sniff a lot and go around in circles. Eventually, you will see them getting into the peeing or pooping position. They will then do their business in that area.
Keep going on these walks every day, especially after meals. Even if it is in your backyard, you should walk your Golden Retriever and allow him to relieve himself until you don’t have to put a leash on him anymore.
- Potty Training Through Monitoring
Another way to take care of Golden Retriever potty problems is through constant monitoring. This means that you have to keep a good eye on your dog whenever he’s inside the home. There are a lot of signs that your Golden Retriever already has to pee or poop. Experienced pet parents already know these signs. However, let me share them once again for pet parents who don’t know what these signs are.
The most common sign that your Golden Retriever has to pee or poop is that he or she is being very restless. For puppies, their restlessness may be normal. However, the restlessness that I am talking about is through scratching, barking, squatting, sniffing, and going around in constant circles. When you see that your dog is doing these, he or she is trying to communicate with you that they really need to go.
Thus, you should bring them outside or open your backyard door. If they already have a designated spot to relieve themselves, they will run to that spot. However, if they’re used to going on walks before they can relieve themselves, then it’s time for you to grab the leash. Again, make sure that you bring your doggy bag. Also make sure that everything is secure before leaving the house, even if your dog really needs to go.
Keep an eye on these very obvious signs that your Golden Retriever needs to relieve themselves. They will usually display these signs around 30 minutes after meal times. That’s why it also helps to have your Golden Retriever have their meal times when you are available to let them out the house. Feed them at a certain time every day. I suggest that you also feed them when you don’t have any more chores or work to do.
- Potty Training Through Reward
Your Golden Retriever will be more receptive towards potty training when you reward them. Rewards can come in a lot of shapes and forms. It can be through petting them, feeding them their favorite treats, or also praising their good efforts while you’re potty training them.
For example, when you take your Golden Retriever out for your walks in order for them to relieve themselves, do not forget to tell them what a good job they did when they peed or pooped in the right spot. This will encourage them to keep doing the same thing. Instead of wanting to pee or poop inside the house, they will look forward to your walks together.
You can also reward them using their most favorite snack in the world. However, I don’t suggest that you use a very large volume as their reward. You can simply take one or two pieces of their favorite dog food. The kibble is small enough to act as a good reward for whatever your Golden Retriever does right. You can also use their kibble for other training sessions such as commands like sit, stay, roll over, and more.
However, you can also take other kinds of treats that are healthy for you Golden Retriever. You can find these snacks in online stores or at your nearest pet store. These treats are usually made out of chicken, beef, pork, or other kinds of meat.
In reality, taking care of Golden Retriever potty problems through the reward system is the most fruitful and the most effective. Eventually, they will develop the habit of pooping and peeing in the right place with or without your reward. However, that doesn’t mean that you should forget to give some love to your dog! After all, they still did a good job.
- Potty Training Through Routine
The last way that you can help relieve Golden Retriever potty problems is through establishing a good routine. What I suggest that works for almost everyone I know who also takes care of Golden Retrievers is that they should take their dogs on walks at specific times in the day or night time.
If you feed your dog once in the morning, make sure that you have time to walk them before you go to work. This is so that they will have the chance to release their pee or poop that they kept in while they were sleeping. Luckily, your Golden Retriever can hold his pee for 10 to 12 hours. That’s quite a long time, but you shouldn’t let them get used to it. In the long run, that will allow urinary tract infections or other kinds of diseases to develop.
That being said, having a routine for your dog will help set a schedule for their bowels. From the moment that they have already selected their perfect spot to relieve themselves, it’s up to you to take them to that place at a certain time. Your Golden Retriever’s body clock will set alarms for itself and say, “Hey, I think it’s time for me to go to the bathroom!”
If you won’t be able to remember what time you’re supposed to take your Golden Retriever out, don’t worry! It’s very likely that your dog will give you signs that it’s time to leave. They may try to get your attention by scratching at the door, taking their leash, or outright bothering you by jumping on you. It’s probably just time for you to take them out.
As I said earlier, time and patience are your only friends when it comes to helping Golden Retriever potty problems.
Final Words
Golden Retriever potty problems in puppies, adults, or seniors should be addressed as soon as possible. There are many correct ways for you to help your dog through these problems without using force. Training them to pee and poop in the correct place will help you eliminate these problems. However, expect that it will take a lot of your time and patience when dealing with these problems. In order to keep your house urine and poop-free, these training sessions are necessary steps that you need to take as a responsible pet parent.
Did you find this article useful? If so, don’t hesitate to share it with your friends, family, and colleagues who also love Golden Retrievers!
