Things You'll Need
- Puppy pads
- Puppy collar
- Lightweight leash
- Treats
- Toy
Instructions
Allow puppies adequate time with their siblings and mother. Your puppies will develop social skills, play bite and interact with the mother and the other littermates. Dominance and manners between dogs develop as early as four weeks. This "puppy time" is imperative for a well-adjusted dog.
Establish an area for your puppies to use the bathroom. House training is one of the first things you should teach your puppies. The earlier you start house training, the easier it is to train. A dog does not like to use the bathroom where he eats, so make sure the space is not near where he nurses or eats puppy food. Place puppy pads in the designated bathroom area to absorb urine.
Allow your golden retrievers to sniff the bathroom area and become familiar with it. Use clear, simple words like "potty" to establish association. Place puppies on the puppy pads after they eat and encourage them to stay there by offering a treat.
Use a collar on your puppies. The earlier a puppy is exposed to a collar, the more familiar it is to him later on. Apprehensive puppies that struggle to pull it off should be comforted, held and soothed. It shouldn't take very long for each puppy to grow accustomed to the collar. When he is collar-trained, attach a small, light leash to it so your puppy gets used to being leashed. This makes it easier for your puppy to adjust to walking with a leash when he is older.
Encourage puppies to come to you. Sit a few feet away from each puppy with an irresistible toy or delicious treat. Encourage him to come toward you and reward him with praise, a treat or toy when he does. This helps assure the puppy he can trust you, and makes it easier to train more advanced commands when he is an adult.