# Is it really this easy?



## Oaklys Dad (Dec 28, 2005)

Great to hear that you and Bailey are getting on so great. All pups are different but most go through and adolescent period around 8 to 14 months where they seem to forget everything they once had down pat. If Bailey goes through that stretch you may have to go back to practicing those things you swore she knew.


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## amy22 (May 11, 2008)

Misty was easy to train too....as far as the leash walking I found that if I jingled my keys she would walk..so we did short walks with me jungling my keys! LOL


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## amy22 (May 11, 2008)

O by the way Bailey is adorable!!


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

Bailey sounds like a smartie to go with that cuteness. Yes there will be times when she gets older that she will test her limits and yours. They do like to try to assert their independence but just keep up the good training.


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## Nicole74 (May 30, 2009)

I had no idea they could learn at such a young age. I'm happy I started to train her soon after she was home. My neighbor has a british black lab and they didn't start to train her until she 5 or 6 months old and she doesn't listen at all to them. She is untrained and very hard to handle.


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## Heidi36oh (Feb 27, 2007)

They learn very quick, as for the leash walking Chloe wanted to keep up with the big once's so I never had a problem. I would keep taking her out on the leash just to get her used to it and eventually she will walk with you.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Yeah - apparently people used wait to train their dogs. I don't really get that. I find a little positive motivation goes a long way with a Golden pups, even at ridiculously young ages.


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## Bock (Jun 23, 2008)

Glad to hear she is doing good right now. I'm sure she'll make it tough on your later on though!!


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## Sucker For Gold (Jan 13, 2009)

It probably took me somewhere around 4 weeks to get Gracie to walk around the block. At first we would just go one door down and she would not go any farther. I never pushed her too hard. If she wanted to go home we went home. Everyday she would go a little farther. I remember being so excited when we finally made it to the corner for the first time!! We turned the corner, Gracie stopped and turned around....arghhh. Finally one day we turned the corner, she kept going and we finally made it around one full block. 

Taking treats with you on the walk can be helpful. You can use them to lure her along, and to reward her when she doing well. Anytime Gracie was making forward progress, I would treat quite often.


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## Doodty (Jul 1, 2009)

Hi,
Archie too was really easy to train, it helps that he is VERY responsive to food. However, lately he refuses to obey simple commands unless he can see the treat in my hand. (Grrrrrr) Guess he is going through the "adolescent period". 
Enjoy Bailey- who is adorable.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Doodty said:


> Hi,
> Archie too was really easy to train, it helps that he is VERY responsive to food. However, lately he refuses to obey simple commands unless he can see the treat in my hand. (Grrrrrr) Guess he is going through the "adolescent period".
> Enjoy Bailey- who is adorable.


Forgive the intrusion, but if he's disobeying when you don't have a treat, you need to adjust the way you're training. Try hiding the treat in a different pocket, hand, or pouch each time so you can make it appear out of nowhere (from his perspective).

Then, you can show him that if he obeys when you (apparently) don't have a treat, he'll still be rewarded.

You want to use treats to support the natural foundation of trust, not as a bribe for behavior.


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## Augie's Mom (Sep 28, 2007)

Enjoy your sweet little angel puppy while you can. Something happens around adolescence though and they seem to sprout little horns on their heads and develop a barb on the end of their tail.:--devil:


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## Doodty (Jul 1, 2009)

Thanks for the advice Tippykayak, I'll mix it up a little.


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## Maxs Mom (Mar 22, 2008)

AW Bailey what a good girl!

I think goldens in general are easy to train. They have such a high desire to please. Sure you will go through the "teenage" portion of their life where they will question, but I don't remember it being bad with any of my goldens.


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## EvilNessCroft (Feb 17, 2009)

Good job Bailey! You're such a good girl! 

As for the 'adolescent period', I pratice with Molly 2 or 3 times everyday and make it fun! So I never had any problem with her forgetting anything. I think you just have to start young and be persistent and patient and everything should be just fine!


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## LifeOfRiley (Nov 2, 2007)

Glad to hear that it's going so well for you! 

Riley, too, has been a dream. I always say that he basically trained himself, because it took so little effort on my part. Honestly, there are times when I find myself waiting for the other shoe to fall, because I can't believe it's been this easy! Not that he doesn't have his moments - he does. But overall, with his intelligence and desire to please, it's been an absolute dream.



Nicole74 said:


> She does really well when I have a handful of treats, she has full attention on me.


I think that is so important! From day one, Riley has been very focused on me - lots of eye contact, looking for direction, etc. _Build on that!!_ Don't ever take it for granted. Even when we're just hanging out at home and not really doing anything, I acknowledge and praise him every time I see him trying to make eye contact with me. I've always been of the mindset that if you ignore good behavior, it will go away.


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## Ripley's Mom (Apr 22, 2009)

Ripley was also very easy to train. We started with her the day she came home and gets better everyday since then. We live on the edge of the sticks and often go for off leash walks now and she will stick right by my side if asked to do so. That was the hardest one to get her to do and took alot of time. The sit, lay down, stay, and etc she had down before she was 6 or 7 months old.

Ripley's Dad


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## Nicole74 (May 30, 2009)

So, eye contact is good? Bailey is always looking at me. I've always heard not to stare in their eyes and they precieve that as a threat. Bailey will look into my eyes for several seconds at a time. Of course she is happy when she does.


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## Thor0918 (Feb 28, 2008)

I wish Leo would look at me more when we're walking. I keep saying his name but, he doesn't always look. I did notice that when he does his walk becomes a prance. It's so cute!!! I know I need to work on this more. It sounds as if you'r doing great with your pup.


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## avincent52 (Jul 23, 2008)

Nicole74 said:


> So, eye contact is good? Bailey is always looking at me. I've always heard not to stare in their eyes and they precieve that as a threat. Bailey will look into my eyes for several seconds at a time. Of course she is happy when she does.


Eye contact is a hugely good and important thing. Tessie's done it from the day we've had her and before, and we've always rewarded it with attention.

From what I can tell, it's all about encouraging the puppy to look at you, rather than the other way around.

Congrats on the training progress. One thing I learned here--"come" should be treated differently than other commands because of the safety issues involved.
Only use "come" when you're sure she will, and always reward it immediately. 
Use another word like "here" or "pup" to call the pup when immediate obedience isn't absolutely mandatory or expected (such as from a distance or with distractions around)


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## LifeOfRiley (Nov 2, 2007)

Nicole74 said:


> So, eye contact is good? Bailey is always looking at me. I've always heard not to stare in their eyes and they precieve that as a threat. Bailey will look into my eyes for several seconds at a time. Of course she is happy when she does.


I've always heard that too and I think some of the opinions can be a little confusing.
I think the biggest thing is, it's different when it's _your _dog. You have a bond and a trust there, and when they initiate eye contact, it shows that they're zeroed-in on you and are trying to make a connection or trying to read you. I've always found that to be a very good thing. 

I never make direct eye contact with a strange dog that I'm just meeting, though. I always make sure they're good and warmed-up to me before I do anything that they could perceive as a threat or a challenge.


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