For people, the bed is just a place to sleep, but for Golden Retrievers, it’s one of the ways they figure out what their social status is in the household. A Golden Retriever who feels that he has special rights is going to keep pushing the boundaries.

Today’s mild grumble may turn into tomorrow’s nasty growl. Golden Retrievers who get uppity because of their comfortable sleeping arrangements need to be taken down a notch or two, quite literally.

You must also know that if your Golden Retriever is accustomed to sleeping in the bed, then he isn’t going to give it up voluntarily.

Even if you don’t let him up before you go to sleep, he’s going to try to sneak up once you’re asleep. The easiest way to keep him out of your bed is to make his own bed a very comfortable place to be.

Now that you understand your Golden Retriever’s need for control with sleeping in your bed, take notes of the following nuggets of advice:

1. Put his bed next to your bed: Though Golden Retrievers can adapt well to sleeping by themselves, they like to be in the same room with their families at night. It is recommended that you try putting the Golden Retriever’s bed next to yours.

He’ll be able to smell you. He’ll hear you breathing. And he’ll know he’s important enough to share the same general space, if not the bed itself.

2. Make his bed bigger: You can’t expect your Golden to be able to stretch out on a 3-foot round bed and be comfortable. Even though Golden Retrievers sleep curled up most of the night, they need additional room to spread out when they feel like it.

The bed should be as long as your Golden Retriever is when he’s stretched full length. For bigger Golden Retrievers, you may need to put two pillow-type beds side by side.

3. Spend some time in his bed: Golden Retrievers climb into bed with people because it makes them feel important. You can make their beds feel just as special by visiting them yourself. Sit on the floor and pet your Golden Retriever while he’s in his bed. Occasionally stashing a biscuit in his bed is a good incentive, too, as that always helps.

4. Give your Golden Retriever a familiar scent he loves. It’s not really the contact with your body that Golden Retrievers crave at bedtime, but all of the other sensory stimulation that come with the territory, smells especially. Try taking one of your old blankets and putting it on your Golden Retriever’s bed. It’s loaded with your personal scents, and that will probably be enough to keep him happy.

Why Your Golden Retriever Chews Shoes

Unlike your Golden Retriever, human feet have about half a million sweat glands, which are always secreting moisture. When feet are tucked into hot, humid shoes, the glands can release a half pint of sweat a day. The perspiration, in turn, is loaded with human scents, and that’s hard for any Golden Retriever to resist.

Adult Golden Retrievers generally understand that just because something smells good doesn’t mean they have to chew it. But when they’re young, Golden Retrievers respond to shoes in the same way they respond to anything that gets their attention – by putting them in their mouths.

Added to this natural attraction is that fact that puppies go through a teething phase. Few things make their gums feel better than working over a nice pair of loafers.

It sometimes seems that Golden Retrievers’ interest in shoes is directly related to the cost: The more expensive the shoes, the more likely Golden Retrievers are to leave them in tatters! But they really don’t have a preference.

They can’t tell which shoes come from Macy’s and which come from K-Mart. All they know is that shoes smell exciting and are worth an exploratory chew or two.

To your Golden Retriever, that personal smell is the next best thing to you. In fact, Golden Retrievers rarely chew up the shoes of people whom they dislike.

If they really hate someone, they might tear their shoes up. But most Golden Retrievers really want to be close to the familiar, pleasant smell of their owners.

More important, shoes are singularly convenient. When people leave home for the day, it’s normal for Golden Retrievers to explore a bit. They’ll sniff around the living room, the bedrooms, and the closets. Sooner or later, they’ll come across a pair of shoes.

They’re right on the floor, they smell great, and they’re just the right size. They may decide that their search is over and commence digging in.

Golden Retrievers Prefer Leather

Some Golden Retrievers will chew rubber galoshes if that’s all they can find. But given the choice, most go for leather shoes. Leather is made from cowhide. Despite all the treatments and tanning and dyes that go into shoe-making, Golden Retrievers still recognize leather as a substance that’s dam close to food.

An added bonus is that leather gets softer and tastier the more Golden Retrievers chew it. Once they’ve started to wear it away, leather massages their gums just like rawhide does.

There’s a good taste, a good smell, and great mouth appeal, too. Leather shoes with tassels are especially popular. To your Golden Retriever they’re like great smelling chew toys with tails and that makes them very hard to resist.

Does your Golden Retriever freak out every time you go touch his feet or trim his nails? Then try changing up both his atmosphere and the surface beneath his feet.

For example, Golden Retrievers who are foot phobic at home sometimes get downright easy-natured when groomers or veterinarians lift their feet. It’s not because experts have a magic touch. It’s because they put Golden Retrievers on tables, which are often made of stainless steel.

The combination of height and a cold, slippery surface makes Golden Retrievers think more about stability than about what’s happening to their feet. A high table is a great tool because owners who put their Golden Retrievers on the washing machine or the dryer to trim their nails have no trouble at all because of the surface.

Another reason that Golden Retrievers are so cooperative at the vet’s is that they’re unsure about the whole situation. Golden Retrievers are big on routine and hierarchy, both of which get confused when they’re away from home.

The resulting uncertainty puts them off-guard, which makes it much easier to trim their nails or check their feet. You can achieve the same result by trimming their nails away from home or even by asking (or bribing) a friend to do the work.

Golden Retrievers are naturally protective of their feet, but they can learn to accept claw clipping and simple exams when their owners regularly handle their feet, preferably starting when they’re young.

You should be touching, rubbing, and holding the feet for a few seconds every day. Gently press your fingers between the toes. Squeeze the pads. Spread the feet and feel around.

Get your Golden Retriever accustomed to the idea that foot touches aren’t a sign of uncomfortable things to come. The more gentle contact he experiences, the more likely he’ll be to accept pedicures and exams as he gets older.

Golden Retrievers get very nervous when there’s uncertainty in their lives, and objects that people take for granted, like nail trimmers, can seem foreign and frightening. A quick solution is to put the clippers somewhere that your Golden Retriever will see them, like on a low table or a shelf in a bookcase.

Don’t merely put them out for a few hours on the day that you’re going to use them. Leave them out all the time. This will give your Golden Retriever a chance to sniff, see, and generally get used to them. He still won’t enjoy having his nails trimmed, but at least he’ll be less nervous about the shiny object that you’re holding in your hand.