Golden Retrievers And Leadership

All dogs thrive on the strict structure of the pack. They need a leader they can follow. One that gives them purpose and orientation in the pack itself. In short, dogs need to be taken care of and have a way to contribute to the pack's benefit. Golden Retrievers are no different than any other breed of dog.

As the alpha dog of your own little pack, it is up to you to provide food, shelter and rules to live by in order for your Golden to feel comfortable and part of the pack.

Golden Retrievers can be the proverbial "Wild Child" when left to their own devices. Think of them as wise cracking teenagers. They are; smart, fun loving, rule breaking, not ready to settle down party animals.

Goldens are very capable dogs and are able to perform many tasks. But they can get bored easily without enough stimulation or a job to do. Leadership is your opportunity to provide your Golden with the necessary structure and firm consistent rules to live by.

You are the keeper of all things good in your dog's life. The resources that he values such as; playing with other dogs, retrieving, access to other people, places to eat and sleep, food itself ( Goldens can be a bit of a glutton if you let them), toys and time with you.

By controlling these favorite things, you are gaining control over him. Even a headstrong and dominant dog will settle down when he realizes that you are the keeper of all things good, the things that he wants.

But just controlling his favorite things is not enough. A good leader also displays certain characteristics that reinforce the leaders role, things like:

* Leaders go first

* Leaders only ask for a behavior one time

* Leaders only pay attention when the dog is behaving properly

* Leaders ask their dog to do something before rewarding them

* Leaders don't reward when behavior is inappropriate or not correct

* Leaders do not wait an extended time for compliance

* Leaders don't crumble and give attention when their dogs ask

* Leaders provide the needed pack like structure that dogs expect

* Leaders are consistent with the rules that they lay down

A good leader also needs to be flexible at times. If your dog behaves well most of the time and only breaks the law once in a while, you can look the other way. But if those times increase, you then need to go back to a tighter rein on him.

You can help set your Golden Retriever up for success by managing his situation. For instance, you just came home only to discover that your dog has just chewed up your favorite pair of shoes. At this point, hitting or yelling at him after the fact won't make him understand what he did wrong. To him, it was just a fun thing to do while you were away. He has no idea that those shoes cost a lot of money. Punishing him right now will only make him afraid of you when you come in the door. The shoes are gone, get over it.

Instead, take temptation away by putting the shoes and anything else that he can chew in a safe place before you leave and by giving your dog a toy that will occupy him. He will think that you are great because you give him a treat when you leave. He is occupied while you are gone, your stuff doesn't get chewed up and he still loves you when you get home.

Another way that you can keep your Golden Retriever out of trouble is to give him plenty of exercise before you leave. They need plenty of regular exercise anyway. By tiring him out a bit before you go, he is less likely to feel the need to take matters into his own paws and destroy your things. Combined with giving him appropriate toys and chew bones, this strategy should really work well.

Just a bit of common sense and fore thought will go a long way towards having a well behaved dog. Being firm with your rules, being consistent with those rules, providing the structure necessary is what good leadership is all about. That good leadership builds a bond of trust between you and your dog and that provides you with a well behaved dog.

 That is just one aspect of proper dog training.