Are Golden Retrievers Easy To Train? (The Answer Might Surprise You)

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Want to know if golden retrievers are easy to train?

The short answer is yes.

Golden retrievers are easy to train because they’re smart, loyal dogs that love to please people.

They were bred to be hunting dogs and work with humans, so it’s in their nature to be obedient.

In fact, in the 2018 AKC National Obedience Championship, Streak, a golden retriever, was the winner!

But if you’re considering getting a golden retriever, there’s a lot more you need to know.

In this article, you’ll learn:

  • why they can be hard to train
  • how long it takes to train your golden retriever
  • 3 tips to make it easy to train your golden
  • and much more

To learn more about training golden retrievers, keep reading.

Why Golden Retrievers Are Easy To Train

Golden retrievers are very smart dogs.

In fact, according to Dr. Stanley Coren’s book, The Intelligence of Dogs, they’re the fourth smartest breed out of 138 evaluated breeds.

But it’s not just their brains that make them easy to train.

What good would it do you if they were smart but had no motivation to obey?

Another trait that goldens have that makes them easy to train is that they like to please people.

They’re loyal, family dogs that enjoy spending time with you and obeying you.

They were originally bred to retrieve gunned down birds in the marshes and fields, so they’ve been obeying people for hundreds of years.

And finally, here’s one more reason they’re easy to train:

Golden retrievers love treats!

They love to eat (although sometimes that can lead to obesity) so having a tasty treat will motivate many goldens to learn and obey quickly.

However, it’s not always rainbows and butterflies when it comes to training your golden retriever…

Why Golden Retrievers Are Hard To Train