So you want a Golden puppy

Well I am a new mom so I am still learning how to take care of a golden everyday, but in case you are thinking of getting one, you might want to know these lessons that I learned the hard way.

First and foremost, before anything else get a crate!

I can't repeat this one enough. By statistics, new parents abandon their puppies within a month the most simply because they are too frustrated with the mess left by the dogs. We had the same issue and almost let go of Caitey. I know like me, you wanted to be human and don't want to make the baby go into a crate that looks like a prison cell, but trust me, it is the key if you want to keep your puppy with you over a long period of time.

Dogs don't like to soil their den by nature in general, so a crate can keep your house clean AND at the same time give you the peace of mind knowing that you house is safe from chewing or scratching. Most puppies can hold 2 to 3 hours at a time I heard, but our Caitey once managed to hold 9 long hours straight because I failed to wake up in the middle of the night to let her go potty (bad mommy). I was eventually waken up by her barking downstairs which she rarely does -- she was only 10 weeks old then.

So get a crate, get a crate, and get a crate. Trust me, it saves you a ton of headaches if you use it in a disciplined fashion.

2ndly, find high quality dog food that is full of nutrients and no artificial ingredients.

I strive to eat healthy because I have seen the improvements in the family once we modified our diet for the better. I believe the same thing should benefit our puppies as well. The last thing you want to do is to load them up with man-made ingredients like artificial colors/flavors and preservatives which can easily hurt a puppy's immune system and make them allergic or sick. After all a puppy is like your child, you are happy when they are healthy.

One thing that I do like is the organic "Nature's Best" from Science Diet. For instance, their lamb/brown kibble is made from lamb meat from Australia and New Zealand (note their regular product is made with local lamb organs that is filled with toxins from the body). You'd be happy to know that down in that part of the world, people don't use artificial growth hormones or antibiotics on farm animals; and brown rice not only is a better choice of carb that is richer in nutrients, but it is also easier for puppies to digest. Also Science Diet did a great job making the organic products in smaller pieces than their regular kibble so it is easier for puppies to chew on.

Next, get a good house keeping tool for your house.

Now if you are like me who is very particular about a clean shiny hardwood floor, congratulations you could not possible have picked a breed that is more wrong than golden for yourself!

Diligent brushing does help, but then goldens shed a ton -- that is the way their hair is and there is nothing you can do to stop it from shedding. Sometimes I will have a trail of small balls of golden puffy hair on my spotless hardwood floor after Caitey walks on it. So for a person like me who HAS to bend over and pick up a tiny piece of hair on the floor the moment I see it, and wish I could make my family walk with their feet on their shoulder...hear me say that I am vacuuming around the clock and there is no way that I can get my Polish cleaning lady in every other hour!

But you know love never comes without a price any way.

If you have no choice that like me, I suggest that you get a good dry cleaning tool that is both gentle on the floor but still offers some vacuum power -- the Swiffer SweeperVac.

Trust me I have tested lots of fancier vacuum cleaners on the market, but I have to say that the expensive gadgets did not serve my purpose as conveniently and the heavy duty ones scratch my floor. Now ordinary Swiffers does a great job picking up dust and some hair, but it can't help much if you have dirt or small crumbs on the floor. That is when the Sweeper Vac comes in handy because it sucks in the small pieces and picks up hair and dust at the same time.

Because the Sweeper Vac is a cordless rechargeable device, it adds convenience but does run out of power quickly if you have a sizable house and have to make your floor squeaky clean the way I do. My solution is to get a couple of them, at least one on each floor. The good news is that the Sweeper Vac is very economical and easily available from stores like Target for under $30, although you do have to buy the refills every now and then.

I also like the same manufacturer's Wetjet for wet cleaning and dusters.

Last but not the least, good news -- goldens can be lured.

A man once said hopelessly: "She does not love me, not even my money". Well that is a tough situation to be in, but luckily goldens can be bought with treats so make sure you bribe shamelessly to get it into good habits.

A treat is useful for both training and rewarding good behaviors, but there are treats and then there are treats. I find it most useful to use the ones that a puppy likes the most to do things that she likes the least to create a positive association.

On the flip side, be sure to stick with your plan and discipline your puppy early for things that you don't want it to do. Keep in mind goldens are a loyal breed that is eager to please its parents. In our case we don't want Caitey to chew up our pianos and our leather sofa sets so she is forbidden to get to the piano room and the family room. It was actually not hard to make it happen -- we just said "NO" to her and took her out a few times, and pretty soon she never bothers to go in there again.

Hope this list has been helpful. I will come back with more if I have something else to offer later.

Good luck with your golden and have a golden day!