# What type of training is best for golden



## valong (Aug 30, 2011)

I have visited two totally different puppy classes this month and we just picked up our puppy this week so I need to decide. One class is gentle leader and no treats what so ever. They make you do 30 mins of sit on a mat with stay per person in your household. they let the kids get part of the training. I have 3 ages 10 to 5.

the other class, totally food based. no kids involved at all. 

totally confused help0000


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## Jige (Mar 17, 2011)

Is that all you have available? The children should be included in the training. I perfer to use praise as well as treats and I hate the gentle leader. I know...I know lots of people love them I hate them. I training my one APBT with one and when I didnt use it I had to re-trainer her. It was awful. I had a couple of other people say the same thing.


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## Bogart (Nov 14, 2009)

In the puppy socialisation class we had adult dogs visiting, Kids, Men. In the Puppy Beginner Obedience class kids are allowed to be in class with us. 
We marker train (instead of the clicker we use a Marker word) and treat the pups. I don't see why one shouldn't use treats specialy for dogs that are Food motivated. My older Golden is/was clicker trained for the basic commands and also to learn tricks. On walks I don't use a clicker and he sits and downs now without getting treats. 
What is the motivation if you don't use treats? I hope it's not being jerked into the sit or down. A golden is very mild mannered they don't need harsh corrections. You can make them fearful or shy.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

valong said:


> I have visited two totally different puppy classes this month and we just picked up our puppy this week so I need to decide. One class is gentle leader and no treats what so ever. They make you do 30 mins of sit on a mat with stay per person in your household. they let the kids get part of the training. I have 3 ages 10 to 5.
> 
> the other class, totally food based. no kids involved at all.
> 
> totally confused help0000


If these are your only two options... I would go with the food based class. As somebody who got frustrated when people brought kids to class and didn't watch what they were doing or were constantly correcting their bored or fussing kids... that's not precisely a bad thing to me. 

And I'm somewhat anti-gentle leaders too. Especially putting them on puppies!

My first instructor followed a limited treats training method, but that only applied to dogs who were in the upper/competition level. I can't imagine anyone going that route with puppies. :no:


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## Enzos_Mom (Apr 8, 2010)

I would definitely go with the 2nd option. You can go to class and learn what you're supposed to work on with your pup each week, then bring the pup home and have the whole family practice there.


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## aerolor (May 27, 2011)

Ditch the gentle leader and no treats option. The second option sounds bettter, but go with your gut feelings about what is right for your pup.


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## valong (Aug 30, 2011)

Thank you all, #1 option is more convenient but I think too harsh. The other option is to have a trainer to the house but was thinking they needed the socialization and training with distraction. This is our first dog and getting so much advice in different directions.


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## Muddypaws (Apr 20, 2009)

Definitely option #2 Positive reinforcement and food rewards is the best method. It makes learning fun for both you and your pup and positive reinforcement also builds a more loving and trusting bond with your dog.

Children were allowed to observe our classes and during the first 15 minute of "puppy" socialization or "play-time". After that they were out of the ring with supervision. Only the primary handler and pup was allowed in during the 45 minutes of training. All members of the family were encouraged to work at home the only caveat was that the commands, signs/signals and rewarding had to be consistent for all trainers and in short time frames. 

You will love training your pup and classes are the best, fun to share with the other students and also someone to commiserate with when you hit a "block" in the road.


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## Kimberly208 (Nov 8, 2011)

valong:

What class did you go with? I am in Richmond as well. We have a 9 week old puppy and want to get started with classes soon. I'd love to hear what class you chose and if you are happy with that decision.

Thank you!


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## Radarsdad (Apr 18, 2011)

I think a mix of both. Treats to get the desired behavior but your pup has to learn to comply with or without treat. +2 on ditching the gentle leader. Even a choke chain (I prefer prong in the very beginning and transition to choke chain to get the snap sound) is more effective than a gentle leader and eventually requires much less pressure and much less the damage to a growing pups structure.

Had to revise this, I phase out treats as quickly as possible


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## Gwen (Aug 9, 2007)

30 minutes of sit/stays???????? It's obvious that the trainer knows absolutely nothing about puppies who have the attention span of a young child. 

This would be too much for adult dogs let alone a puppy. I'd definitely question the training credentials.


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## skycforme (Dec 20, 2011)

"I agree. When we were looking for a dog obedience training program for our dog meatloaf it was difficult to choose. We wanted to teach Meatloaf to stop dog aggression when people pass by, one of the things we did was to take him on an RV trip with us, and then work with him every time somebody walked by."


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## bbuzz (Aug 8, 2010)

I think you need to get to know your puppy and then make the decision based on your puppy’s needs and learning style. Each puppy is an unique individual and what works for one dog does not work for another. The optimal method involves not just pick one dog training theory or method of training, instead I take a bit from here and a bit from here, to tailor to suit the dog, therefore creating maximum success. 

As far as training and the children I would advise not taking the children to the training sessions, it will just complicate matters. And as one member noted it can be a negative for other people attending the training. You are better selecting one member of the family to attend the training and then hold training sessions at home, where you run through everything you did at class for the children to learn. That way it is less stressful, greater learning, there is less distraction for the puppy and you can just have a good time and bond with your pup (imagine being in class and trying to control puppy, listen to the trainer, not distract others, giving treats / praise at right moment, control children and allow them to train = too much at once for any super Mum/Dad).

Please engage the children in training your new family member, but do it at home. You could make a big deal out of it. So have the kids draw up a roster of who gets to do what training with mum/dad at what time, have them sort out treats, select a training area specific to what learning, maybe have a chart and give stickers when each kiddie masters sit, stay etc and maybe you can write them a little report at the end of each week. So make it fun and a special for kids, puppy and parents.

Sorry about my mega post, I always end up posting mega post for some reason. Hope it was of help to you! 

Also you didn't say is your pup a girl or boy?


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