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Want to know if you can have a golden retriever while living in an apartment?
Yes, potty training will be harder if you don’t live on the first floor, and yes, exercising them will be harder if they don’t have a backyard to run around in…
But if you’re prepared, you love your golden, and you’re willing to put in the work, then yes, golden retrievers can adapt to apartment living.
However, it won’t be easy, and it might not even be legal, so keep reading to see how to raise a golden retriever in an apartment.
How To Potty Train A Golden Retriever In An Apartment
The biggest problem most people have with owning a golden retriever while living in an apartment is potty training.
Golden retriever puppies need to pee often.
And by often, I mean as frequently as every hour.
Can you handle taking your pup outside every hour?
It might be tough, but here’s the good news: it won’t be for long and goldens can be potty trained relatively quickly.
If you follow these steps to potty train your golden retriever, they can be potty trained in as little as two weeks:
Step 1: Take your golden retriever outside often
If your puppy only goes potty outside in the grass, and never gets an opportunity to go in the house, then they’ll be potty trained quicker than one who has an accident inside every now and then.
Step 2: Take them to the same spot
Dogs like to go potty where they smell their previous business, so taking them to the same spot every time will help them know where to go.
Warning: this need can backfire on you when they have an accident, so see step 5 for how to manage it.
Step 3: Praise them for going outside
When they go where they’re supposed to go, throw them a little praise party and give them treats to let them know they’re doing the right thing by going potty there.
Step 4: Keep them constrained
When they’re in a crate, they most likely won’t have an accident, so you can use that to your advantage by putting them in there any time you can’t keep an eye on them.
Of course, don’t leave them in for too long, and right before and right after you put them in the crate take them outside.