Golden Labrador Retrievers are called "retrievers" because fetching is wired in their brains. It's natural to them. The best thing about training a Golden Retriever fetching is that they learn easily and they never get bored doing it.
I know you read the title of this article is about "Training A Golden Retriever The "Get it" Command". The question is "Why would you like to train your Golden Retriever the "Get it" command?"
Training a Golden Retriever is a kind of obedience training. Restraining your dog to fetch something is harder than simply fetching it. Like I said, it is in a Golden Labrador Retriever's instinct to retrieve things. If you make them wait before they are allowed to get it, it shows a form of submission and obedience. And again, obedience training is what will bring you a well-behaved dog.
Now, let's teach your lab more about obedience.
Teach Him To "Wait"
This is going to be quite challenging. Training a Golden Retriever to "wait" and not to fetch something immediately is against their will. This part of training a Golden Retriever will require a lot of treats. Here's how you can train your dog to "wait":
1. Make your dog sit
2. Practice "wait" by simply throwing the ball (or a toy) at a short distance
3. Hold the collar of your dog and tell him "wait". Remind him to "sit" as well
4. Give your dog a treat and praise him if he obeyed the command "wait"
Simply repeat the steps and gradually lengthen the distance of throw. Remember to praise your dog as well when he is doing well in training.
Teach Him "Get it"
By this point, your dog should already know the word "wait".
The "get it" command may be effectively used for different obedience training scenarios. In my case, I use it when feeding my dog. Stopping a Golden Lab from eating their food is a good sign of leadership. You can do the same thing when giving your dog a treat or a toy. Here's how you can train a Golden Retriever the "get it" command:
1. Start with your dog in a sitting position again
2. Throw the ball at a short distance, then tell your dog to "wait"
3. Point your finger to the ball and say "get it" in a very lively voice, encouraging your dog to get the ball
4. Give your dog a treat and praise him if he responds to the command "get it"
Training a Golden Retriever is usually easy because they are a smart breed of dogs usually used for bomb sniffing. On the other hand, the trainer has to have a lot of patience.
