Goldens are biddable, people-friendly dogs, and the breed was developed in the 1800s to be great companion dogs.
Suggestions:
1. Walk or jog with him (off-leash?) for about 20 min., twice a day. In addition, train him (clicker train?) for 30 min. every day.
2. Goldens don't easily self-entertain, but they do sleep when alone. Can you put him in the crate for no more than 8 hours, in the house to sleep while you are at work? Place two frozen Kongs in the crate for him to chew on.
3. If you want him to be a therapy dog, I'd suggest that you find some older Goldens (or Labs) for him to play with at least once a week, more often, if possible. You'd also like him to meet more people, so he doesn't bark from fear or aggression. Goldens may also bark to greet people.
4. Sometimes, Goldens like a soft toy to carry, like a 'security blanket'. On the other hand, you don't want him to swallow things ... the result can be expensive or catastrophic.
5. For games, Goldens like to chase or be chased. Go in the field and run away from him. You probably can't tire him out, but right now, he may get hot after 15 - 30 min.
6. He may have learned how much fun it is to destroy things, but one approach is to crate a Golden for the first year or two. They don't learn to destroy things, and they mellow out around 3yo, and can hang out without being destructive.
7. I give my retriever mix two large carrots every day. Before he goes to sleep, he chews them like a stick, and swallowing them like food. If your dog doesn't eat carrots, buy a bag of baby carrots for a couple of bucks, bite a carrot in half and toss half to him. Practice this until he learns to catch them, then as you eat your half, he may learn to catch and eat his half. After you have him eating baby carrots, try larger carrots.
Suggestions:
1. Walk or jog with him (off-leash?) for about 20 min., twice a day. In addition, train him (clicker train?) for 30 min. every day.
2. Goldens don't easily self-entertain, but they do sleep when alone. Can you put him in the crate for no more than 8 hours, in the house to sleep while you are at work? Place two frozen Kongs in the crate for him to chew on.
3. If you want him to be a therapy dog, I'd suggest that you find some older Goldens (or Labs) for him to play with at least once a week, more often, if possible. You'd also like him to meet more people, so he doesn't bark from fear or aggression. Goldens may also bark to greet people.
4. Sometimes, Goldens like a soft toy to carry, like a 'security blanket'. On the other hand, you don't want him to swallow things ... the result can be expensive or catastrophic.
5. For games, Goldens like to chase or be chased. Go in the field and run away from him. You probably can't tire him out, but right now, he may get hot after 15 - 30 min.
6. He may have learned how much fun it is to destroy things, but one approach is to crate a Golden for the first year or two. They don't learn to destroy things, and they mellow out around 3yo, and can hang out without being destructive.
7. I give my retriever mix two large carrots every day. Before he goes to sleep, he chews them like a stick, and swallowing them like food. If your dog doesn't eat carrots, buy a bag of baby carrots for a couple of bucks, bite a carrot in half and toss half to him. Practice this until he learns to catch them, then as you eat your half, he may learn to catch and eat his half. After you have him eating baby carrots, try larger carrots.
