There is a saying that God made man because he was lonely, and then he made dogs so that man wont be lonely. Its a friendship made in heaven; dogs live with us and make the living fine. But a little puppy is like a baby, it needs to be well taught and trained so that both the owner and the pet live in harmony.

Golden retrievers are obedient and easy-to-train dogs. The puppy has to be taught good manners; it has to get used to a daily routine. You will have to make it known to your puppy where it can and cant go, whether or not it is allowed to sleep on the sofa or chew your slipper. Do not puzzle the puppy by permitting something one day and forbidding it the next. You can give your puppy a little treat as an incentive and gently reprimand it as a penalty, but never hit your puppy it will break its spirit.

Toilet training can be started right away. All your energies need to be devoted to it in the first week. You must take the puppy outside as soon as it has had meals or awakens from sleep; puppies usually get a little restless when they have to go. If you like you can use a word association. Puppies can associate words with going to the toilet and this way you can make them go any time you think suitable.

Though the golden retriever has a friendly temperament, a new puppy has to be trained to socialize with people. As soon as it is 8-9 weeks old, you should take it out in your arms or in your car. He will love socializing and youll have a friendly little dog that will be the talk of the town.

Twelve weeks is the ideal time when you should start taking your puppy out on walks. It will take a few weeks before your dog learns to be on the leash. But as soon as it does, walks would be something that both you and your dog will look forward to. You shall walk to the park with wind in your face, flower falling on the path and your golden retriever walking by your side, and 'It will be the beginning of a beautiful friendship'.