[RWebb]

I got some info re puppies from a breeder for you - she is not a canid behavioral scientist but is a very good breeder - the last part is important -sorry re the formatting



Take a few days to come up with a call name. Think about this name with care,
your dog will carry this name for life. You will use it daily. I name my dogs
simple, easy to say names that do not sound like other pets’ names or family members or obedience commands. Here is an example: “Bo” and “no” sound too much
alike.
Your puppy's name should always relate to a positive. When you want to get his
attention, you will use this name and you will want him to come, tail wagging.
Never call your dog with anger in your voice. Go after him calmly, then
discipline him. Never do you want your dog to relate his name with
unpleasantness. Example: puppy gets out of the yard, headed for the street.
For his safety, you want to be able to call him back and for him to come tail
wagging, not for him to continue off into traffic

House Training
I am an advocate of crate training.
There are two types of crates, the wire type or the plastic, airline type
(Veri-Kennel). Either will be fine, however I prefer the Veri-Kennel. I
transport dogs by air on occasion and the wire type are not airline approved.
There are, however, advantages to the wire type that are worth consideration: In
hot weather they provide the best ventilation and in colder weather, you can
throw a blanket over the three sides. They do fold up for easy storage. I
never store a crate though, We have an open crate door policy. My dogs love
their crates; it's their house, their private place.
Once you have decided on the type you need to purchase, the proper size for a
full grown Golden. In the Veri-Kennel you want a 400 size.
In addition to potty training, you will find your crate handy for the times you
cant supervise your puppy. Dogs are den animals and feel a sense of safety in
confined spaces. It's an instinctive behavior for them to keep their den clean,
therefore they will not potty in their crate under normal conditions. They will
do everything within their power to keep their house clean. Later, when they
are older and more mature, they will respect your house as their crate. If a
puppy does excessively urinate in his crate and it is not from excessive water
intake or not being allowed to relieve himself properly, consult your vet. You
may have a urinary tract infection going on. It is common in puppies, but must
be treated.
When you take your puppy out of his crates, always take him outside to the spot
you have picked for his bathroom. Use the same door each time, as later, your
puppy will go to that door to let you know he needs to go out. I strongly
suggest you designate a particular part of the yard for potty. It makes clean
up easier if you know right were to find the mess, keeps the shoes clean at the
very least. Pick this area up often. Dogs do not like to go in a dirty place
and will use your entire yard if allowed. It is also important to keep the
area clean because puppies relish in poop pie, and it gives them bad breath and
is not particularly a desired trait.
To help your puppy feel at home in his crate, feed him there and allow toys in
the crate too. Water, however, is not a good idea. Your puppy is a water dog
and water bowls are swimming pools, you know. In addition, what goes in, must
come out. To begin formal crate training, whenever you cannot supervise your
puppy, crate him. When he becomes more trustworthy, start extending his time
out of the crate. As time goes by, he will gain your trust and you can
gradually increase his “loose” time (supervised, that is). Each dog is an
individual, how long the process of potty training will take will differ dog to
dog and trainer to trainer. Be consistent with the crate training and taking
him out. Correction and praise are very important and I cannot stress this
enough. It's how your puppy learns. You will need to watch your puppy. It's
very important you gradually increase the loose time or he will never learn to
be out on his own.
Accident are going to happen. This is how your puppy learns if he is pleasing
you or not. Accidents are good, they give you he opportunity to give that gentle
correction. Just remember you must balance the corrections with praise. After
correcting a puppy take him outside to his area. He just might finish his
business outside. If he does, praise him. If he does not, set him up to win
with something else, like a short game of fetch. Praise him when he brings the
ball back.
The crate method is really an advantage and gives you puppy a place to call his
own. I often go looking for a “lost” puppy and find him fast asleep in his
crate, with a ball between his paws. It's like seeing a sleeping baby in their
crib safe from harm.
Establish a pattern of in and out of crate time. The first place your puppy
goes when released from the crate is outside. There can be no exceptions. This
means you do not release him from the crate unless you have the time to take him
out and stay with him. Be sure he does his business, then praise him lavishly.
This stands true even in the worst of weather. Keep an umbrella handy and a
couple of towels to dry him off with. Fair warning: most Goldens love the rain,
and don't know when to come out of it. Don't say I didn't warn you!
Balance the time spent in and out of the crate. Be sure your puppy gets lots of
exercise. As he matures, he will be able to hold his urges to go. Give him an
opportunity to prove himself, by allowing extended time out for the crate
(supervised of course). Still, if you can not give your full attention, crate
him. When you are away from home, crate him. Alone with no one or anything to
play with (or get into trouble with) he will sleep. The crate is your friend
and your dogs bedroom.
Never correct your dog in his crate, this is his private place away from all
harm and intruders are not welcome. When he is out of the crate, leave the door
open. You just might find him in there when you “loose” your puppy. Puppies
have two speeds: on and off. They play hard and they sleep sound. Always after
a nap, they must be taken outside.
The keys to crate training are to be consistent, balance the time and extend
free time gradually. Firm, yet gentle corrections are equal amounts of praise.
Your first night or two can be restful, or you can be up all night with a
howling puppy. You choose. I choose to rest, so we can play with all the
energy of a puppy the next day. One hour before bedtime offer a drink of water
and a trip outside. Again, just before bed, we do the trip outside (no water
this time) and it is off to the crate. He may cry, he may howl, put up a real
good argument. However ignore him! I know it's hard, but don't give in. If
you give in, you have taught your puppy how to get out of the crate. He will
eventually settle in. I always plan on rising early when I have puppies. I
don't leave them in a crate for more than six hours over night at first. This
is just like teaching a human baby to sleep in their own crib overnight.

Feeding:

If you are planning on changing food, I suggest you purchase a five to eight
pound sack of the food the puppy has been eating and a twenty pound sack of your
desired brand. We used to feed high protein, high fat diets for the first year.
However, research on the larger breeds calls for us to at about four months of
age, decrease protein and fats, as puppies go through a growth stage and the
extra protein and fat can actually hinder them. So, you should use a high
quality food of about 28% protein ( but not above) for the first four months
then drop down to a 25% protein food for the rest of the first year. At the end
of the first year, you need to take a hard look at your puppy and his
requirements. If he is extremely active and lean, keep him on the 25% for an
additional year. If he is a couch potato, he should be placed on maintenance
food, 22% and put him on an exercise program. When changing feed, it is
important to mix in gradually the new food. When I know I am going to make a
change, I purchase a new bag when the old bag is half full.
When puppies first come home, I measure out their food each morning 3-3 1/2 cups
and divide it into 2 to 3 parts (three if you have the time to fee three times
per day for the first week). With the AM feeding, I mix a helping tablespoon of
cottage cheese in with the dry food. I also add some warm water. I leave the
food down for 20 minutes (if it lasts that long). Whatever isn't eaten, I
discard. Do not free feed Golden Retrievers. They do not know when to stop
eating, and this can create picky eaters. It just does not work with Goldens.
Optimally, feed your puppy three times per day till 3 months of age. Then, you
can go to twice per day depending on the puppy. Remember these are guidelines.
Consult me if you have concerns. Puppies that are fed only twice a day do just
fine, but you may have to increase their intake a bit faster than the three time
per day puppy. Also, if you are not able to come home and lunch and wish to
feed your puppy three times per day, just before you leave for work, leave some
dry food down. However, if you come home and the dry is still there, stop doing
it. You're then, in a sense, free feeding. Take note: Fat puppies are not
healthy and will not grow up health.