Obie the Golden

Welcome to Golden Retriever Tips.

We hope you find some great advice from this site.  My husband and I have had our Golden now for over three years.

While we have both always had dogs growing up, Golden Retrievers have been in my husbands family since he was a kid.

This is our Golden, Obie.  He is three years old.

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Tips for Taking Your Dog to Obedience School

When you consider obedience school for your dog, you should consider both the program and instructor. First, research what style of training the instructor uses. There are a variety of methods that can be used, and the one your program uses should match the needs of you and your dog. The instructor of the program should be a patient, experienced individual who has a strong background in this area. See if you can watch a class before getting involved, which can tell you quite a bit about how the program is run each time.

The place where the classes are given is also important, whether it is done in a busy pet store, one-on-one at your home or at a private facility. Depending on the type of dog you have, one-on-one may be preferable to a busy pet store. When you attend a class, you will begin with basic commands such as sit and stay, and as the program progresses your dog will graduate to more difficult ones and higher expectations. The instructor will model the commands with an animal for you, and then help you all practice as a group. This helps to reinforce the lessons for your pet.

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Recommended Food For Goldens

Royal Canin’s Golden Retriever-25 is the recommended dog food for Goldens. Royal Canin specially formulates each of its blends for the most loved pure bred dogs. The Golden Retriever-25 blend of dog food is ideal for Goldens 15 months of age or older.

This special blend of dog food helps alleviate some common health problems pure bred Goldens are more likely to have than other breeds. Special nutrients in the Golden Retriever-25 blend are designed to reduce inflammation and skin irritation, a common health problem for Goldens. Golden Retrievers are also more likely to suffer from canine hip dysplasia (CHD) and elbow dysplasia (ununited anconeal process). Supplements of glucosamine and chondroitin included in Golden Retriever-25 can help support joint health and reduce inflammation as a result of these painful conditions. Goldens are also more susceptible to heart disease, and the Golden Retriever-25 blend from Royal Canin’s has extra ingredients added just to support heart health. This attention to the special health needs unique to each breed is why Golden Retriever-25 is the recommended dog food for Goldens.

Knowing the importance of nutrition in addressing some common health problems that pure bred Goldens are likely to have, many vets are recommended Golden Retriever-25 to their furry patients. Pet owners, too, love the difference this food makes in keeping their Goldens healthy and alert. The product is backed by a 100% no-risk guarantee. Try Golden Retriever-25 and see why it’s the recommended dog food for Goldens!

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Grooming Your Golden

Grooming Your GoldenTips on Grooming Your Golden

Golden retrievers are a lovable breed and require basic maintenance to keep them healthy and looking great. They have rather large prominent ears that need to be taken care of on a regular basis. Using a specially formulated doggie ear cleaner like Epi-Otic ear cleaning solution, which will eliminate dirt buildup, does this. Just like the rest of their hair the ears need to be trimmed. Shearing scissors can be used to straighten up loose hairs. You may also need to use the scissors on the inside flap of the ear as well.

One of the things that make golden retrievers so attractive is their shiny coat. Their hair also makes shedding inevitable. Owners can run a brush through their hair twice a week to remove the build up of unwanted hair trapped in the under coat. It is best to start from the top of their head and brush downward to the tail. Long strokes will help remove lots of shedding hair.

Though their hair is beautiful to look at it can get in the way. Trimming long hair is a much better options especially with golden retriever puppies. To keep their coat shiny its best to use shampoo during regular bath times. The best shampoo will keep their skin and hair healthy.

Grooming toenails are a necessity that both you and your golden retriever will appreciate. Using nail clippers specially designed for larger dogs such as the Oliver Paw Pal, which takes most of the intensity out of trimming your dogs nails. When trimming the nails it is best to have them in a sitting position on a grooming table. Trim a little of the nail at a time to avoid accidental injury.

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Breeding Your Golden

How To Breed Your Golden

If you are the owner of a golden retriever, and your dog has not been spayed or neutered, you may be considering breeding. Breeding your golden retriever can be very complicated, and sometimes expensive, but it can also be very beneficial too. There are a lot of responsibilities that are included in breeding, and the pros and cons should both be weighed before you go ahead with breeding your dog. There is especially a lot of work for the owner of the female who will be carrying the puppies, and also housing the puppies. Not only do you have to worry about caring for the puppies, but you also may have a hard time getting your golden retriever pregnant.

First and foremost you should know and have access to your dogs paperwork proving its blood line. This will allow you to show that your dog is certified as a golden retriever. Next, you need to verify the papers of the mate you are planning on using. You also want to make sure that the other dog is a pure bred. Once you have these papers together, you need to place the animals together for a period of time. Sometimes, dogs will only mate if the female is in heat. So you may want to wait until your female is in heat to put them together. After they have mated and she is proven pregnant, you need to contact the AKC to start filing the paperwork to get the puppies proof of breed.

Throughout the pregnancy your not going to notice a lot coming out of your pocket, its after the puppies come that the money gets dished out. You have to take the pups into the vet for a check up after their birth, and again a couple weeks after that. You will also have to pay for their first round of puppy shots. After they pups have weened, you will also have to pay for food for all of the puppies. Other expenses will be toys and basic care supplies.

If you are able to get good money for each of your puppies, you may be able to end up making money on breeding puppies. However, you may stumble across a bump in your plan, and you may not be able to find buyers for all of your puppies. Then you are out money, and you have a bunch of new additions to your family. If you are the owner of the sire, the male dog, you will still pay for the living expenses of 2 puppies, and you will receive 2 of them for your own purposes. A fee may also be collected for the use of the male impregnating the female.

If you are considering breeding your golden retriever, make sure that you have the funds, and you have the buyers. You don’t want to shell out a bunch of money and not be able to get it back. Also check with your vet to make sure that you dog is in good health to breed, and that everything should go smoothly.

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Simple Training for Puppy Will Keep Everyone in the House Happy

Puppy Training Advice

Golden Retrievers are one of the most beloved dog breeds around the world. They are sweet, intelligent, playful and have a beautiful golden coat. Consistently ranked highly in the most popular breeds list these dogs are found in homes of all different sizes. In order to keep that household sane and in order some training for the newest member of the family is important. They are a smart breed who will respond well to some rules and showing of good behavior habits. Training your puppy can be a rewarding experience for both you and puppy. Before puppy comes home it is best to sit down and decide what the rules for puppy will be.

It is important that you begin while the puppy is still quite young. This will give you the opportunity to instill those good behaviors before bad ones are developed. Until a puppy is 4 weeks old they are much like a newborn in the fact that they only want to eat, sleep. As they finish growing and developing they will become more and more active. By six weeks of age the puppies are already showing their personalities and nipping at one another trying to decide who is boss. A great time to begin showing them who is truly master is when the pup has reached six to eight weeks of age.

A golden retriever that has been taught simple skills and commands will be happier and will keep his family happier as well. The skill most people think of immediately is getting the puppy to do its business outside. Housebreaking should not be difficult to instill in your puppy as they are clean animals by nature and will avoid going potty in the same areas that they eat and sleep in. Take your puppy outside frequently to avoid accidents inside and be sure to reward him when he does what you ask. Also be sure to let him know that when he is outside to go potty it isn’t play time. Keeping him on a lead and instructing him to “potty” will keep him focused.

Teach him good eating habits by not allowing him to rush for the bowl before you have had a chance to place it on the floor. Only keep the food out for a short period of time and remove it after this time has elapsed. This teaches the puppy to eat when the food is presented.

Golden retrievers are not barkers by nature and that habit should be stopped at a young age by a quick no after each bark. Walking on a leash is another essential skill that all dogs must learn. Do not let the puppy pull you and make frequent stops in which puppy must sit at your side until you give the command to continue. Sitting can be accomplished by offering a treat just above puppies nose and lifting the treat until puppy sits naturally. Retrievers are smart and should catch on to most simple tasks quickly.


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Puppies and Dogs For Adoption

Attention Breeders/dog owners.  If you are looking for a spot to advertise that you have puppies/dogs for sale.  Please let me know and I can post it here for you!

Thank you.

Just put a comment below!

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Crate Training Your Golden

Crate Training Your Golden

A lot of people normally have the wrong conception when it comes to crates.  This conception leads people to believe that crates are a punishment for dogs, and therefore they won’t use them.  Much to the contrary, crates are actually one of the safest places you can put your Golden Retriever, which also gratifies his natural instincts to situate himself within a den.

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Breeding Golden Retrievers

Breeding Golden Retrievers

For beginners, breeding Golden Retrievers is nearly impossible. Breeding can be very complicated, although it can be easy as well. You should never attempt to breed unless you know a lot about requirements for hobby breeders, as it is simply unfair to the breed if you have a litter of puppies that simply aren’t what they should be. Most people who look to buy Golden Retrievers are looking for a pure breed.

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Grooming Your Golden Retriever

Grooming your Golden Retriever is a never ending process. The entire process should be down once or twice a week, and will take you around a ½ an hour of time. Brushing your dog while he is shedding will help to control shedding quite a bit, sometimes you have to wonder where all the hair comes from! While outside, if your Golden Retriever manages to get burs or other defects in his hair, you should instantly take a few moments of your time and get the burs or other matter out of his coat.  We have decided to wait a few times until we got home, only to come home to an even more tangled and matted mess.

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Golden Retriever Adoption

Adopting An Older Golden Retriever

Those of you who want a Golden Retriever but aren’t ready to go through the trials and tribulations of a puppy, should look into adopting an older Golden.  Older Golden Retrievers are mature, and prove to be great in homes where they need to spend a quality amount of time by themselves.  They are a very adjustable breed, being good tempered.  No matter how old the Golden may be, he will quickly become a valued member of your family in little to no time at all.

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