Edie MacKenzie

Edie MacKenzie is a published author, traveler, dog lover, and tortoise enthusiast. Passionate about what she does, her books provide peopel a firm grounding in the dog breed and their unique characteristics with a nice touch of humor.

What Type Of Leash Is Best For Your Dog?

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What type of leashes are best for your dog? Well personally, I prefer leather leashes. Nylon leashes have a tendency to cut and burn your hand. They also slip through your hands more easily if your dog suddenly pulls at you. A leather leash gives you more comfortable control. A good dog trainer can look at a leather leash and tell how much the dog owners are working with their puppies. The more they practice, the softer the leash becomes.

Some owners don’t like leather leads because they are more expensive and puppies have a tendency to chew on them during a walk. There is nothing more cute than a puppy carrying his leash while you walk him. If your puppy puts the leash in his mouth during a walk, then let him carry it for a while, but maintain control of it. If he bites too hard on it or really starts to chew, then this is a good time to practice the “Drop it” command. With a firm voice say, “Drop it,” and substitute a stronger motivator to satisfy his needs.

I do not favor chain link leashes. They are hard on your hands when you move up and down the leash to control your dog. The only good purpose to link leashes is if you’re tying your dog outside for a while – dogs can’t chew through them.

I am also not a fan of retractable leads. I feel the owner has little control over a dog or puppy with such a lead. Some owners feel they are giving their dog more exercise and freedom with a retractable lead, since the dog can move ten to fifteen feet ahead of the owner. But accidents easily happen – a biker or runner can quickly go by and if your dog moves toward them, a person can trip on this long lead. Also, it is very difficult to control a dog and gain back the leash quickly if someone is coming toward your dog or if your dog is moving toward them.

A retractable lead is made of wire and you cannot grab on to it. I think the best use for a retractable lead is when you are in a field and want to give some extra lead to your pup so he can run about with a little more freedom. Otherwise, on city streets, I only see it as a nuisance for other people.

Retractable leads also create a problem if your dog gets loose from you. The plastic housing at the end of the lead will bounce along as it trails behind the dog. This can frighten some dogs, particularly noise-sensitive dogs, and they will run that much further away trying to flee from the very sound that they can’t escape.

House Breaking Your Golden Retriever

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Basic Golden Retriever Training

To properly train house break your Golden Retriever, you must stick to a routine regarding your crate, and ensure that he doesn’t spend additional time outside of his crate.  When he is outside of his crate, you should watch him at all times.  If you don’t keep an eye on him when he is outside of the crate and he has an accident inside the house, you can’t blame no one but yourself as you didn’t correct him the second it happened.

To help your dog learn the right way to relieve himself, you should always praise him when he goes to the right location.  You can crate him at night, then take him out when he wakes up in the morning and show him the correct spot.  Give him some time, then praise himself once he starts to go.  If you avoid accidents, you should be able to train your Golden without any problems.  Once accidents begin to happen though, it can be extremely hard to break the pattern.

When you house break your dog, you should never give him any freedom.  Getting it right is a lot of work for him, and chances are he’d rather be doing something else.  If you are tolerant with him and allow him to make mistakes, you’ll find yourself needing to be a lot more stern to break him of the bad habits that you have tolerated and allowed.  If you start when your Golden is young and enforce the rules, he’ll be a happy member of your family in no time at all.

When you house break, you should use confinement as much as possible.  Confinement basically means that until you have housebroken your Golden Retriever, he isn’t allowed to freely move around the house.  You should always keep a watchful eye on him and make sure that if he’s outside the crate – you know where he is at all times and what he is doing.

If you happen to take your eyes off of him even for a second, he could easily relieve himself on the floor.  Once he starts to go on the floor, it can be really hard to break him of this habit.  The smell will be there, and he will smell it the next time he is in that area.  Each time he smells it, he will instantly go to the bathroom in that same area.  The best way to prevent this from happening is to watch him at all times and ensure that he only goes in the area you have for him.

To housebreak your Golden Retriever, you should also allow him a way outside.  Normally, a doggy door is the best way to do this, as your puppy can go outside and relieve himself when the time comes, without disturbing you.  You should also use puppy pads or a litter box inside as well, so that he always has somewhere to relive himself.  During times when he can’t make it outside, he needs somewhere else that he can go.

Housebreaking your Golden Retriever can take you some time, although it will be well worth it once your Golden is properly trained.  He’ll be an essential member of your family, and not use the bathroom anywhere he takes a notion.  He will only relieve himself outside or in an area that you have trained him. Golden Retriever’s need interaction with people, and if you are going to keep them inside – you’ll need to ensure that they have been properly house broken.
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The Best Basic Training
For Your Golden Retriever

If you’d love to discover EXACTLY how to get your dog to stop urinating on
your carpet and actually ring a bell when he needs to potty. . .

Train Golden puppies to NEVER chew on furniture or expensive rugs – even when
you aren’t there to supervise. . .

Learn simple techniques for getting any Golden Retriever to stop barking at
strangers or from begging you to let him back inside – Plus a TON more
step-by-step dog obedience strategies THOUSANDS of regular people are
already using.

Check out Chet Womach & Bauer the Golden Retriever’s-
Hands Off Dog Training

Dog Training: Train Your Dog To Become A Good Neighbor

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Their world may not extend beyond a couple of blocks – but nevertheless, dogs are an integral part of society and as a dog owner, you have a serious responsibility when it comes to dog training.

You must mold your dog into a good neighbor – not a nuisance or a menace. Left to its own devices, a dog naturally might enjoy destroying someone’s precious lawn, chasing other animals or having a loud dialogue with the midnight moon.

These and lots of other behaviors your neighbors will hate, of course, never strike your dog as anything but fun, unless you have employed dog training and supervised.

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Click Here Now – -and watch Chet’s Free Dog Training Video.

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This is your responsibility. Certainly you don’t want your dog’s behavior to become a point of contention between otherwise compatible neighbors.

To begin with, no dog should be allowed to roam indiscriminately. Most people are reluctant  confront the owner of an offending dog, but no one appreciates canine trespassing.

You must use some form of dog training  because dogs lacking human supervision will often leave destruction in their path, and you are liable for your pet’s activities.

Don’t let bad feelings start because you have given your dog a free rein.

Furthermore, you put your dog’s life at risk every time you allow it such freedom. Your pet may attack or be attacked by other animals – wild (think about rabies) or domesticated. Chances are, at some point, the dog will be hit and perhaps killed by a car.

A free-roaming dog is more susceptible to picking up parasites and disease. And it may simply disappear one day, leaving you to wonder whether it has been abducted or killed. Sadly, these are common occurrences.

If you want to keep your dog outdoors, an exercise run or a sturdy fence around your yard is mandatory. Hopefully, if your dog is a barker, your neighbors live a good distance away. However, in the densely populated urban and suburban areas in which most of us live, it is simply unacceptable to permit a dog to bark endlessly. You are going to have extremely unhappy neighbors. Breaking the barking habit can be a real problem; you can try working with a trainer to come up with a solution, or you may simply have to keep the dog indoors. Certainly, it is unfair to make other people suffer while you’re away.

Remember, barking is both natural for dogs and a learned behavior in certain situations. To correct unwanted barking, you must catch the dog in the act and administer a stern, forceful correction.

You cannot correct undesirable behavior via dog training unless the dog is actually caught in the act of performing it.

Leash – A Great Training Tool

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Leash training is a great tool for distance training. It allows freedom to explore while still leaving you in complete control. As a training tool, you can use it informally during walks to reinforce the following commands:

Name: Call out your puppy’s name enthusiastically: If he looks at you, praise him. If he ignores you, gently snap the leash, say “No,” and then praise him once you have his attention.

Wait: Begin to command your puppy to stop 3 feet in front of you with this command. If your dog continues forward, gently snap the leash and say “No, Wait.” Increase your distance to 6 feet, 8 feet, 12 feet, 16 feet, and 26 feet in front of you.

Sit-Stay: Use the Flexi-Lead to increase your distance control. Increase your distance incrementally.

Heel: Use this command to call your puppy back to your side. Call out his name and then command “Heel” as you slap your leg. Praise your puppy as he responds; then walk a short distance before you stop to release him.

No: Whenever he is  focusing on something he should not be, gently  snap the leash and say “No!” Immediately refocus his attention with a toy, stick, or command. This will make leash training more enjoyable for both parties.

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