Golden Retriever

　　How does a Golden Retriever perform actions based on your commands? Do you have this question when training your Golden Retriever? To answer this question, you need to understand the theoretical basis of training Golden Retrievers.

　　The theoretical basis for training Golden Retrievers is conditioned reflex. There are two types of animal reflexes: unconditioned reflex and conditioned reflex. The unconditioned reflex is an innate reflex activity acquired through heredity. For example, a puppy Golden Retriever will nurse, breathe, and defecate from birth. When food enters the dog's mouth, it will secrete saliva. This reflex is quite stable and serves as the foundation of reflexes.

　　Conditioned reflex is an acquired reflex activity that dogs gradually form in life. This reflex activity is developed as dogs continuously adapt to changes in their environment to ensure normal life functions. For example, when a dog sees food, smells food, or even sees the person feeding it, it will produce saliva secretion, intestinal movement, and other digestive activities. Conditioned reflexes can be established under certain conditions and can also be changed or disappear under certain conditions, showing great plasticity and flexibility.

　　Dog training is the purposeful formation of conditioned reflexes in dogs. During the training process, clear commands or instructions are often given to prompt the dog to perform corresponding actions, providing the dog with a stimulus paired with a reward, encouraging the dog to link the command with the action and form a fixed conditioned reflex. Because conditioned reflexes are unstable, training must be repeatedly reinforced to consolidate them. Otherwise, the established conditioned reflexes will gradually weaken and disappear, causing the dog to forget the learned actions. (Source: PetsZone)