Living the Life

While adults indulge in the festivities and revel in enjoying the spirit of
Christmas, undoubtedly it is more fun for children because they are able to lose themselves in the wide-eyed wonders and glorious splendor of the season. Activities at Christmas that children can enjoy include all of the sights, sounds and scents that put the magic and a festive spirit into Christmas.

At major shopping centers like malls, children can enjoy various window displays and arrangements inside stores that show Christmas sceneries. The displays, which can be moving, stationary or interactive, can be so numerous and mesmerizing that parents often arrange a trip to such malls just for children to view the many displays.

Shopping malls are also a popular place where Santa Claus is sure to be found. For a small fee, children can get to sit or stand with Santa Claus, talk with him and most importantly, get a picture taken with Santa. Those children, like pre-teens and teenagers, who may be too old for Santa Claus can also be entertained by the various grand Christmas displays as well as one of their favorite activity – shopping.

Various colorful and twinkling lights is certain to be a part of the displays at malls and shopping centers, but other arrangements of Christmas lighting can also be a delightful activity for children to enjoy. Because Christmas displays have become so common, everyone has some form of lighting arrangement at their houses. This has led to neighborhoods where it is common to see an increase in traffic during the Christmas season because of the fanciful, landscaped displays of outdoor Christmas light decorations. These usually include figures of reindeers, Santa, sleighs, angels, shepherds and animals that are a part of the story of Jesus’ birth. It can therefore become an activity to take a tour of these neighborhoods with children for them to feast their eyes.

In a similar manner to the grand Christmas lighting that can be found in some neighborhoods and the occasional home, there are also themed-lighting at quaint villages and special large, Christmas light displays at venues like some public parks. The displays can be similar to those seen in neighborhoods except that they are usually on a larger and grander scale. As an example, a typical home lawn display will have a Christmas display that includes Santa, a sleigh and a reindeer or two all as separate pieces. A Christmas display at a themed-village or park would have a large and possibly moving display of Santa Claus with elf-like figures in a sleigh that is being pulled by reindeers as one big structure. These Christmas sights are what often bring out the wide-eyed wonder in children as their faces express awe and amazement.

While children will have a beautifully decorated Christmas tree at home to enjoy, it will also be fun for them to go to other lightings of Christmas tree because again, those trees are usually bigger and decorated on a grander scale than the ones in their living rooms at home. Just about every town, city or municipality will have a Christmas tree lighting in a central location.

Sometimes local firehouses will also have a special Christmas tree lighting. At these events, children can see a local official or personality flip a switch to symbolically turn on the Christmas tree, in a similar like they would have seen the President do on television. Those local events are likely to include Christmas treats and goodies, a Santa Claus to present Christmas gifts to children and the singing of Christmas carols. Taking time out to engage in activities just for the enjoyment of children will make them feel special, experience the magic of Christmas and create memories that will last a lifetime.

Although there are many training tips for Golden Retrievers, teeth is the most common. Golden puppies love to chew, and will chew anything they can get. Although chew toys are preferred, there is a way that you can help your Golden fulfill his natural instinct to chew, and help him to ease the pain of teething as well.

To start, simply fill an old sock you have with several ice cubes. Next, put a knot in the sock and place the sock with the cubes in the freezer. When your puppy starts to chew on things, simply give him the sock. You can keep several socks with ice in it in your freezer if you want, so your puppy will always have a chew toy. Although this is great to use, you should never leave your dog alone with the sock. He could end up chewing the sock and swallowing pieces of it, which could lead to very serious health problems.

Leashes

During leash training, a lot of people prefer to attach the leash to the Golden then drag him in the direction they want him to go. This isn’t the best way to train, as it often sends the wrong signal to the puppy. Instead, you should first get your Golden puppy used to the collar and the leash. You can do this by putting his collar and leash on inside the house or outside in a fenced in area, so that he can walk around and move about freely with the leash on, dragging it alongside him.

Once you have given him some time, pick the leash up, then start calling him to you. Once he comes over to you, start praising him for it, so he knows that he is on the right track. Always be patient when leash training, as it will take some time for him to get used to it. If you continue to praise him when he is doing it right and continue giving him time to get used to the leash, you shouldn’t have any problems.

Digging around

Digging is something that Golden Retrievers love, as it is essential to their nature. Digging can be somewhat frustrating if you don’t give your Golden an area to himself, as he will dig holes in your yard. If you keep your Golden indoors, he may try to dig in the floor, on the couch, or on the bed. Digging is part of their nature, and you should never punish a Golden for digging.

To help him fill this need, you should give him an area to dig in. You can get him a kiddie pool or sandbox, filling it with either soil or sand. Then, try burying a treat or toy in inside, so your Golden will dig to get it out. Once he learns this is where he should dig, he will more than likely head to that area when he has the need to dig. Later on, when he becomes a bit older, you should invest in obedience training classes that will help him to get his digging habits under control.

The above tips can help a great deal when training your Golden Retriever puppy. Golden’s are great dogs, although you’ll need to have a bit of patience with them. Even though they are very smart dogs, it may take them time to learn. Once they start learning however – they will become an integral part of your family that you couldn’t begin to live without.

With the term training in mind, there are several different meanings involved. When you are looking to train your Golden Retriever, you have a few options available to you. Below, we will take a look at the many types of training for your Golden, and help you decide when type of training is best for both you and your Golden.

Behavior training

Behavior training teaches a Golden Retriever to be a good dog in general. The training involved includes house breaking, good general behavior around people and pets, leash training, and other types of things that will make him a better companion. Dogs that who passed obedience training and well composed – no matter where you decide to take them.

Activity training

Activity training teaches Golden Retrievers various activities such as hunting, herding, search and rescue, and several other tricks that you can do together. Activity training is very popular with the Golden breed, as it helps to make the relationship between you and your pet a lot more interesting. By concentrating on activities that the Golden breed was bred to do, activity training is always very beneficial to your Golden Retriever.

Obedience training

Obedience training teaches your Golden how to perform various activities. This type of training focuses on general behavior as well, teaching the dog to be well behaved. Most dogs who go through a class in obedience training turn out to be well behaved and will listen to your commands and shouldn’t do things such as chewing and barking for no reason. If you want your Golden to be well behaved and obedient, you should enroll him in a obedience training class as soon as you can.

Keep in mind that there are certain lines and distinctions with each type of training. If you choose obedience training for example, then your Golden Retriever won’t get any help with his behavior. When you select a class for your Golden, you always want to select a class that fits his needs at that time. If you are having trouble controlling your dog, you may want to start him off with behavior training, which is what most Golden owners tend to do.

When you look for a training class, you should also know what area your dog needs help with. Sometimes, a behavior pattern can be the result of boredom, which can easily be fixed by spending more time with your dog. Once you have spent more time with him, you’ll sometimes notice his patten to stop. Other times however, he may need a bit more help with certain behavior patterns, which is where training comes into play. Although Golden Retrievers are smart dogs, they won’t know if they are doing something wrong unless you show them.

Before you can train your Golden puppy, you need to know what to teach him. Golden puppies adore routines, and feel more at ease than ever if they are on a schedule that they can predict. When you take your dog to training, you should always be patient with him and reassure him that he is doing good. As your Golden gets older and begins to learn new things, he will never forget his training. In the unlikely event that he starts to slip on some of his training, you can always let him go through a course again to brush up on the techniques. This way, no matter how old your Golden Retriever gets, he will always be the ideal companion that you have grown to love over the years.

Dogs aren’t like humans, so they need to learn in different ways. Dogs don’t have human responses, meaning that they don’t operate with the principle of right or wrong. Instead, they operate on a principle of response, guided by the actions you give them. If their actions lead to a bad response from you, then they not that what they are doing is wrong and will avoid doing that type of behavior.

If your dog does something right, he should be praised for it. If your Golden Retriever is listening to what you say and doing well, you should reward him with a treat or praise. Letting him know that he is doing good leads to positive response. On the other hand, if he isn’t listening to you or doing the total opposite of what you say, you shouldn’t reward him at all – but instead scold him with a stern NO.

When training your Golden Retriever, timing is the most important factor. If your dog is doing something wrong, you shouldn’t wait or hesitate to correct him. Doing so may send the wrong impression. When your Golden is doing something wrong, you should correct him right then and there, so he will know without a doubt what he is doing wrong.

For example, if your Golden Retriever is chasing cars, you obviously want to stop this habit before it gets it out of hand. The second you see him doing this, you should always stop him and let him know he’s wrong. This way, he will know that chasing cars is something he shouldn’t be doing. It may take a bit of time for him to realize this, and you’ll need to hold your ground and continue to correct him when he is doing something that you don’t approve of.

This type of theory is similar to that of praise. When you see your Golden Retriever doing something right, you should praise him instantly. If you don’t praise him instantly and instead wait until he has stopped, he will assume that you are praising him for stopping. To be on the safe side and get the most from your Golden, you should always praise him when he is behaving in the right way, then correct him when he is behaving in a negative way.

If you take your time and show patience with your Golden Retriever, you shouldn’t have any problems training him. The training process may take quite a bit of time, although it is more than worth it in the end. Once you have trained your Golden Retriever, he will react to what you say, and avoid doing the things he has been corrected for. Training is essential for Golden – and will make him a much better dog when he grows older.

Golden Retrievers love to be included in family activities, which includes take rides in the car and traveling. They love attention, and love for you to treat them just like they are a member of your family. When you first get your Golden Retriever puppy, you’ll have to teach him how to enjoy car rides and traveling, so he can come to appreciate it more as he gets older.

When you decide to take him traveling for the first time, you should always give him food in small amounts throughout the day, while he adjusts to traveling. If you feed him a lot of food before you head out, he may get sick in the car and have an accident. By reducing the amount of food that he consumes, he’ll be much more in control of his bladder and himself.

When you are traveling, always plan to make frequent rest stops and allow your Golden Retriever time to relieve himself. You should also take some time to exercise as well, stopping every few hours for bathroom breaks and exercise. Golden Retrievers will hold themselves if they need to, although it isn’t good for them. No matter how far you travel, you should always be kind to your dog and stop every so often to let him have some time.

A common mistake that many have made, and one you should avoid at all costs, is letting your Golden ride in a moving vehicle with his head out the window. Although you may think this is a good idea, your Golden can easily get an eye, ear, or nose injury. Cars and trucks move at very fast speeds, and something can pop up when you least expect it and do serious damage to your dog.

When you stop for a break or to fill up your car, you should never allow your Golden Retriever to be alone in the car with the windows up. Even though you may crack the windows for him, the heat of summer can result in a heat stroke if you aren’t careful. If your dog does get a heatstroke from being locked up in a hot car, he can easily die before you are able to return to the car. If you simply must leave your dog in the car, make sure that you park in the shade and give him plenty of air.

As long as you do your part and take care of your Golden Retriever when you travel, he will love to travel with you. Traveling is something that your Golden needs to get used to, although most adapt to it fairly quick. Once you have taken your dog traveling with you, he will know when it’s time to travel and eventually learn to tell you when you need to stop so he can use the bathroom.

For beginners, breeding Golden Retrievers is nearly impossible. Breeding can be very complicated, although it can be easy as well. You should never attempt to breed unless you know a lot about requirements for hobby breeders, as it is simply unfair to the breed if you have a litter of puppies that simply aren’t what they should be. People who look to buy Golden Retrievers only want top quality, which is why you shouldn’t attempt to breed just have a puppies or make a few bucks.

Breeding Golden Retrievers is a very serious hobby, one that should be left to those who know how to make the right choices. There is a certain amount of cost and care involved with breeding, especially if breeders are going for a certain quality. There is also a lot of responsibility involved as well, which can take quite a bit of time to say the least.

Motivation for breeding

Breeding can help to fulfill the need of a Golden, although the dog still has no knowledge of it missing, no regrets, or no guilt towards living a life without having been breed. A pregnant Golden Retriever female doesn’t gain anything in regards to health, as it instead causes problems. Golden females that have been spayed on the other hand, cannot be bred. If you have chosen to have your Golden spayed, always remember that she will be unable to breed.

When looking to breed, quality breeders will have a lot of choices in front of them. They will need to determine the pair, such as the mother and the father. To get the highest quality possible from the litter, the breeder will need to determine the traits of both dogs, temperaments, and how well they seem to react to one another. The breeder will also need to determine in either of the dogs have any type of health problems, to prevent any diseases or ailments from being passed on to the litter.

Sometimes, when breeding Golden Retrievers, the mother of the litter will prove to be unfit, which requires more work for the breeder. If the mother isn’t doing her job of nurturing her young, the breeder will need to do it for her. This can be the most time consuming aspect of breeding, as the breeder will have to feed the young and make sure that they turn out as healthy as possible.

Aside from that, breeders also face quite a bit of costs as well. The prices for daily care, food, and vet bills can be very steep to say the least. When you crunch the numbers, you’ll quickly realize that breeders don’t make much money at all when they sale. Most breeders do it for a hobby, not looking to make money. Quality breeders on the other hand aren’t concerned with money at all, as they are more concerned about the quality of their litters. Quality is better than quantity, as even the best breeders out there have problems selling puppies from time to time.

Although breeding is fun for hobby breeders, it is something you really shouldn’t be doing if you don’t have the experience. Although your Golden may get knocked up by a dog of a different breed without you knowing it, you should do your best to avoid it at all costs if you can. A pure bred Golden Retriever should be bred only with dogs of her breed, to help preserve the breed and keep their bloodline going. If you have thought about breeding in the past – you should really study long and hard before you actually make a reality of it.

Socializing your Golden Retriever is very important. As you may already know, all dog breeds behave different in front of strangers, with some dogs choosing to ignore people altogether. They may choose to glance at someone, then go on to pay no attention to him. On the other hand, some dogs are the total opposite and love to meet everyone they can. These types of dogs love attention, and will take any attention they can get.

Some Golden Retrievers are happy with those they have come to know in their own family, or those they have selected to be friends. Others on the other hand, may feel comfortable just around those of the same sex. Most Golden’s like children, although there are a few rare cases in which certain types of Golden Retrievers like adults but not children. This is extremely rare, and is normally due to the way they were bred or raised.

When your puppy is between the ages of 8 weeks and 8 months, socializing him is extremely important. During this time, you should always do everything you can to ensure that your Golden Retriever meets other people. Although he may be shy at first and not have much interaction, he will eventually come around. You will need to be patient with him during these times, as he will need quite a bit of reassurance from you.

Your dog’s parents also contribute to socialization. If the parents of your Golden Retriever were good with people and other dogs, the gene could very well be passed on to your dog. On the other hand, if the parents were shy or aggressive dogs, those genes could be passed on as well. Pups inherit the traits of their parents ,which is why it is very important to make sure that the dogs being bred are compatible with each other – and share a passive temperament.

If your puppy was separated from his mother before he reached the age of seven weeks, he won’t learn many of the social signals taught to him by his mom and his siblings. Golden Retriever pups that are brought to a new home earlier than seven weeks will normally tend to end up nippy or aggressive around people. Although they may be aggressive towards people, they may be shy or fearful around other dogs, as they lack the social skills needed to be themselves.

Sometimes, if a puppy was injured or frightened during his early years, he can end up with a state of trauma. This type of thing leaves a huge scar in the mind of a puppy, making it very hard for him to get past it. Most Golden Retriever pups that have been injured or frightened by an individual never get past it. They may end up fearing humans in general, or being very aggressive towards them when they feel frightened. When you take your puppy home for the first time, you should always make him feel welcomed, and never let anyone or anything harm him.

To better socialize your Golden Retriever, you should always make sure that he gets plenty of interaction with other people and other dogs in his breed. This way, your Golden will learn how to socialize at any early age. When he gets older in life, he will carry these skills with him. Golden Retrievers that are sheltered or not given the proper amount of interaction will turn out shy towards people and other dogs. With your Golden being your companion for life – you should always ensure that he gets the socialization he needs.

Although you can get commercial food for your Golden Retriever, the ideal way to feed is to use a combination approach of both commercial food and fresh people foods. Most commercial food is good for your Golden, although it lacks nutrients and vitamins that fresh food has. Vets will tell you that fresh food is good, providing you don’t overdo it. Golden Retrievers love fresh food as well, as they can smell it a mile away. If it smells good to them – they’ll want it.

Most commercial foods will offer your Golden great sources of protein and vitamins, although fresh food contains far more essential sources. Chicken and meat for instance, have far more protein and minerals than any type of commercial dog food. Fish is another great choice, as it contains a lot of the protein your dog needs to maintain a healthy brain.

All dogs are well within the capacity of staying healthy, although you need to provide them with the minerals they need. Each dog is an individual, meaning that you can’t continue to feed him the same food on a daily basis. Golden Retrievers love people food, and they also love variety. What they need one day may vary the next, so you should always mix it up a bit and give them something different each day.

To be on the safe side, you should give your Golden a little bit of everything. This way, he will get everything he needs with his diet. When you design the diet for your growing Golden Retriever, you should always make sure to include animal protein. This is very important for your Golden, as he has to have it. Without animal protein, your dog will find himself literally struggling to stay healthy.

To keep your Golden Retriever healthy, it is very important that he gets quality nutrition. Although quality nutrition is very important, you should never him eat so much that he gains weight too fast. If you monitor his diet and know exactly what you are feeding him, he should remain in his weight class. Sometimes this can be hard to help though, especially if your Golden starts to develop allergies to a certain type of food.

If you ever have any questions regarding the diet of your Golden Retriever, you shouldn’t hesitate to ask your vet. Your vet could make some recommendations for you, even tell you the best type of commercial food for your dog. Depending on his individual needs, what he requires may be totally different than what another dog needs. As long as you keep your dog on a healthy diet and make sure he gets the food he needs – he should grow to be a healthy dog with plenty of energy.

A lot of people wonder what type of human food they should feed their Golden. Even though many prefer to stick with dog food and only dog food, there are certain types of human food that Golden Retrievers love – and is actually good for them. Golden’s crave attention as we all know – and when they watch you eat it never hurts to give them a bite – as long as you know what they should and shouldn’t consume with their diets.

For your Golden’s health, feeding him foods such as chicken, raw vegetables, turkey, brown rice, fruits, and oatmeal are always great. Even though we think of these type foods as “human food”, they are actually good for many animals as well. All dogs have taste buds and noses, meaning that they get very excited when they see you with food.

If your Golden Retriever runs to the refrigerator when you open it up, he’s trying to tell you that he smells something good. Even though he may run to the refrigerator, he isn’t begging for food as many think, he is simply wanting to have some real food. Once your Golden starts to do this, you should give him some of what he wants. Although most real food is great for Golden’s, there are some that aren’t quite so good.

Egg whites

If you feed your Golden a large amount of egg white in his diet, he will get a deficiency in biotin, which is a B vitamin, due to the amount of avidin, which is a very destructive substance. If you are feeding your Golden Retriever egg yolks, you shouldn’t worry as the effects of avidin will be offset by the high biotin levels that are found in egg yolks. You can also feed your Golden egg shells as well, as they contain a large amount of protein. If you want the best for your Golden – try feeding him raw eggs – with the shell intact.

Any form of Chocolate

We all know never to feed chocolate to any type of animal. Chocolate contains bromine, which is very toxic to both dogs and cats. Unsweet chocolate is by far the worst to feed to your Golden, as it contains a large amount of bromine. Bromine is a very harmful chemical, one that normally leads to death of your animal should he be fed any type of chocolate.

There are other foods out there that can be good or harmful to your Golden. If you have any questions, you should always ask your veterinarian. Your vet will be able to recommended real food that is beneficial to your Golden, as well as foods you should avoid. You can experiment with real food if you like – although you should never allow your Golden Retriever to consume any type of chocolate.

Hip dysplasia is a poor formation of the hip joints, which is a common growing disease with younger dogs of virtually every breed. With larger breeds, unsteady hip joints are common, although hip dysplasia can be a serious problem that will limit the physical activity of your Golden. Although many Golden Retriever owners don’t realize it, hip dysplasia is something that dogs inherit from their parents, and gets worse with age.

The signs and symptoms of hip dysplasia is nearly impossible to detect with Golden puppies, although it will start to show once the pup has reached the age of nine months. Even though you may take your Golden to the vet to have him looked at, your vet will tell you that you need to wait to see if the symptoms are there, once the Golden Retriever has reached a certain age.

The symptoms and signs of hip dysplasia vary, although the most common include crippling or the inability to walk properly. This disease can get better once the dog gets older though, due to the joints stabilizing, the inflammation going down, and the muscles in the hips getting stronger and more mature. Keep in mind however, that Golden’s who have hip dysplasia when they are younger will more than likely develop arthritis when they get older.

Golden Retrievers that suffer from hip dysplasia aren’t fit for breeding, although they can still live a long and healthy life. There are certain drugs that your vet can prescribe to your dog, which will help him control his weight and help control the disease. These drugs can also cut down on the pain as well, helping your Golden enjoy himself as much as possible.

Some Golden Retrievers that have hip dysplasia won’t begin to show any signs at all until they get a few years old, once the muscles start to wear down and the damage to the hip muscles start to become more noticeable. Although your dog may be active and healthy for most of his puppy years, dysplasia can slow everything down and make your dog look as if he is old and is suffering from the physical attributes of arthritis.

To eliminate the pain of hip dysplasia, there are surgery options available. Golden Retrievers have a high threshold for pain, and won’t normally show any signs of being in pain, even though you know they are. X-rays won’t show any signs of pain, although the limping or slow walking will tell you that your dog is hurting. Golden Retriever’s who have this disease won’t know it – which is why you should help as much as possible. If you do your part and help your dog seek relief – he will feel better than ever before – although he won’t let you know he hurt any at all.