The first step to training a golden retriever puppy to sit is to be in the right environment. You should do your training in a quiet place in your home so you're puppy won't have any distractions. Training should be kept to about five minutes to start with, as puppies tend to have a short attention span and will lose interest. Start by guiding your puppy into the sitting position, and then quickly giving him or her a treat. The treat should be healthy and small so your puppy can gobble it down quickly and get back to the lesson. Do this three, or four times in a row to start. When your puppy knows to sit at your command, you can omit the treat and just give him the command to sit and praise him. While training a golden retriever puppy, keep in mind that praise is very important for them and with it he will know that what he is doing is good.

Once your golden retriever puppy is sitting when you ask and without treats, you can then teach him other commands such as stay and come. To do this, you should start with the puppy in the sitting position. Say, "stay" and take a couple of steps backwards. Then show your puppy a treat and say, "come". You will have to be very patient with your puppy and reward him with a treat when he does what you want. Do not give you're puppy a treat if he makes a mistake, as this will only confuse him into thinking he did what you wanted him to. Make sure you tell your puppy that was not right by saying "oops" or "no" and not giving him a treat.

After you have succeeded in training a golden retriever puppy to sit, you can then take him to a park or somewhere there is distraction. Your puppy must learn to avoid distractions when you give a command. After he masters that, you can move on to other tricks. Remember, when you give your puppy a command, it should be followed promptly with a treat and or praise so he will understand what you want.