About our program.

So, you want a Golden Retriever puppy? Great idea! Want to hear an even better idea? Our trained golden retriever puppies and young adults are trained and ready to fit right into your family. Oh, you have your heart set on a cute little puppy? OK, here's some food for thought why waiting a few months might be your better option.

We have four major areas we concentrate on when preparing your golden puppy to go home with you: housebreaking, socialization, manners, and obedience training.


Housebreaking: Before you bring home a young puppy, consider how much time your new family member will spend alone. Remember, a puppy requires constant attention. The key to successful housebreaking is consistency; preventing "accidents" is key. Once a puppy soils the carpeting, it becomes much more difficult to train them out of that behavior. Here's a good rule of thumb to consider: a puppy can hold his bladder just one hour for every month they've been alive. For instance, a 3-month-old puppy will need to empty his bladder every three hours! And yes, that does include the middle of the night! Ask yourself if you are available to walk your dog several times throughout the day, and if you have the patience and commitment to wake up and take him out several times throughout the night. Of course, before you can walk him at all, you will need to train him to walk on a leash, which is a project in itself.

With a Matigan trained puppy you have the advantage of knowing that

• Your dog is physically able to "hold it" for several hours at a stretch.
• He will be crate trained will be able to hold it all night.
• Elimination in the house is not acceptable.
• He will know that he will have an assigned area of the yard to eliminate in.
• He will respond a verbal command to eliminate on cue. (Usually "go potty")

Socialization: Puppyhood is the most important and critical time in a dog's development. We start the socialization process early, from birth, in our home. As soon as they have received their second round of vaccinations, they can continue the socialization process outside the home. In order for them not to be fearful or skittish or even aggressive, they need to introduced to as many unfamiliar situations as possible. Our puppies accompany us pretty much everywhere we go: to beaches, malls, children's sporting events, and play dates.

• They meet men, women, youngsters, babies, seniors, different ethnic backgrounds, etc.
• They are socialized with other dogs, puppies, cats, and horses.
• Our pups go to shopping centers, parks, school playgrounds, car washes, etc; places where there are crowds of people and plenty of activity.
• They take frequent rides in the car.
• We introduce your puppy to unfamiliar objects such as umbrellas, bags, boxes, the vacuum cleaner, etc. They are exposed to household noises like blenders, dishwashers, quarreling kids, etc.
• Your puppy will be used to being brushed, bathed, inspected, having its nails clipped, teeth and ears cleaned and all the routines of grooming and physical examination.
• Your puppy will be introduced to water: sprinklers, hoses, pools, and the beach.

Manners: Sure, puppies are super-cute, but simply put, puppies are adorable, relentless machines of destruction. Even the most well-behaved puppy will destroy shoes, clothing, paper, remote controls, telephones, leashes, dog beds, carpeting…anything and everything. More rambunctious pups have been known to obliterate sofas, car seats, Venetian blinds, electrical cords, door frames…you name it, they can eat it or shred it. And when they're teething, look out! Cute puppies have very sharp teeth, and they are happy to use your hands, feet, nose, hair, etc, as a chew toy. Ouch! Needless to say, a teething puppy and a small child do NOT make good companions! To keep the puppy from hurting himself, and to prevent the destructive behavior from becoming a bad habit, you will need to spend every waking moment supervising his every move. Do you have that kind of time? Our Golden Retrievers are already trained and ready to go!

Your Matigan trained puppy:

• Will not jump on you or your guests.
• Will sit before being fed.
• Will not beg at the table or steal food from the counters.
• Will wait at the door when it is opened and not rush either in or out.
• Has learned to chew on his own toys and not the furniture.
• Has learned that in each room he has a "station" that he should lay on. This practice will keep him from jumping on the furniture and keep him calm in the house.
• Has learned not to mouth or nip at humans.

Obedience: Typical obedience training consists of the following:

• Sit: Sit on command, sit prior to eating, sit when greeting guests, automatic sit when heeling stops.
• Down: Lay down on command, down at their station, down while family is eating.
• Stay: In conjunction with sit or down.
• Wait: Similar to "stay", but they are allowed to move.
• Heel: Walk on a leash at your side and sit when you stop. Dog's head is even with your legs - he is not allowed to pull or lag behind.
• Come: Come when called, even with distractions for at a distance.
• Free: To signify training is over or he his released from a command (like stay).
• Out: To release object in his mouth.
• Up: To have the dog jump into a car or onto a bed or couch (if that is your preference).
• Fetch: To chase a ball, retrieve it, and drop it in your hand.
• Leave It: To ignore whatever it was he was just interested in.
• Shake or High Five