Patience is critical - especially the first few days of housetraining, biting and crate training.

I think socialisation is one of the best things you can do. When the pup hasn't had all his or her shots, you can still invite lots of people around to meet the puppy. Try to have the pup meet as diverse a group as possible - children of different ages, adults, tall people, short people, people wearing hats, men with facial hair - dogs can develop very funny things with people that they are unfamiliar with, and by inviting people over, your young pup can learn that these are all very pleasant. Obviously don't overwhelm the pup, but having a couple of different people over each evening who can gently interact with him or her can make a huge difference.

__________________

Came back to add: organize your life around the puppy, atleast in the beginning. They need a lot exercise, training and socializing and it's all time intensive. I get really bummed out about dogs that are given up because they were destructive or too hyper--it's usually that they just didn't get enough of their owners time. A tired and trained dog is a good dog.

__________________
Kathleen, mom to one human, age 17, three canines, and a bunch of fish.

We are definitely planning on doing that! Our homeschooling will even include a puppy care and golden retriever-specific unit study!

That was the best piece of advice someone gave me when I started fostering. A tired puppy is a good puppy. That can't be emphasized enough. When I have a new training puppy, Walmart is one of my favourite places. It is amazing how tiring a trip thru a Walmart Superstore is to a young puppy. About 3 hours "work time"