Advice Needed On Golden Retriever Puppy

[First Time Puppy Owner]

We did think about getting 2, but the advice I received was that they can tend to bond with each other rather than you, and that if you go with 2 you are better to have a period of a few months in between.

Not to mention that :

1. the closer ages are together, the more likely you might have heirarchy issues when the dogs reach adolescence.
   
2. what one dog learns, chances are so will the other. This is fine and dandy when it is "good" things they learn off each other, but more often than not, they pick up on "not so good" things faster and more prevalently.
   

Working through with one - making the mistakes as we do (and fixing them, as you are doing ) is a learning curve. Further down the track, if you then chose to take on a 2nd dog, you'll be able to apply the knowledge you've gained through your experience/s. Of course, every dog is an individual, so they normally throw in a 'curve ball' just to keep us on our toes ............... and just when we thought we knew it all!

SO TRUE!

[percyk]

we had a goldie years ago ..a first dog for our eldest

i wanted a female but my oh who wasnt a dog lover chose a male..i let him cos i figured hed bond better

he was a great dog in many respects but id not get another in my situation

we had him in the laundry while he was little and unsupervised..he had no trouble toilet training ...i dont think big dogs have that problem like some of the toy breeds

we went to obedience twice a week at two different schools

he was a big boof head that loved every dog and every person

we did have a problem with him barking at smoke...the back neighbours were shift workers ( we didnt know ) and theyd light the fire for many months of the year at odd hours like two oclock in the afternoon and then nap

our goldie would bark and of course noone told us til one day we found him locked under the house! with no water !!!!! i asked around...noone could tell me who had done this....

we started to keep him inside after that

he was fine

apart from the fur he dropped....coulda knitted a fur coat for the whole family i reckon with all that shedding

as long as we walked him he was fine..left unwalked hed pace and pace and never settle

he wasnt particularly destructive and was fine with our two cats..he did dig for a while

have great memories of our big boof...we still have the ole girl cocker with us who has outlived him...we bought her as a companion for him and they were great mates...two dogs of a kind but she was quieter and more sensible...

i have worked all of my adult life apart from short stays with my kids as babies...if u walk ur dog and spend the evenings with him i dont see the problem

id not buy two big pups together but further down the track id look to getting him a companion ...another boy of a compatible breed

good luck..theyre lovely dogs but do need training

[sas]

I personaly took 2 weeks off work when Dante arrived. We had a puppy run, he ate in there, played in there, spent time in there everyday so when I went back to work it wouldn't be such a shock for him and he'd be upset. They sleep so much as puppies as well.

Dante wasn't getting 3 meals a day when i went back to worfk as he refused to eat lunch. But if you're puppy is happily eating 3 meals a day you'll need someone to come and feed the pupp lunch.

[Guest Tess32]

I'm also taking two weeks off (and my mum one week off) when Noah comes home, which we've always done. That means he won't be alone for most of the day until he's almost 3 months old. After three weeks he'll be alone from 7 - 2.30pm.

Having a puppy and working can be done if you are committed. MOST people have to work - I'd rather have someone with a puppy who works and can afford emergency vet care than someone who stays at home and cannot.

[Gayle.]

We're going to add another Aussie Shepherd to the fold next year and when we do, I'll take a few weeks off work to settle her in. But on the subject of fulltime work and dogs, I was discussing the cost of keeping our pets with my husband today. I've never added up how much we spend on them each week, cos I reckon it'd be way too scary (3 purebred cats, a moggy, an old Lhasa Apso and a young Aussie)....and we don't show any of them, or (as yet) participate in any dog sports. I take the Aussie bloke to obedience classes every Saturday and eventually hope to go a bit further......but for now, they are family pets. They cost us a small fortune, but we don't care because we love our fluffy family.

How do people who don't work, afford to keep dogs?

[Ahona]

Interesting Gayle, I'm going to chip in here, because Hubby and I are currently on one income since I'm a full time student and can't afford a dog.

I am hopefully going to start work soon and will then be looking at getting a pup.

I need to work for us to be able to afford rent on a bigger dog-friendly house and also to afford medical care, premium quality food, toys, bedding, imsurance, obedience classes etc etc for it.

I reckon we're going to end up spending at least 2k to start with, for the pup and for medical insurance, vaccinations, desexing, a pen, toys and all the little things a dog needs, plus another $30 per week on food, because we're going to feed it Eagle pack, unless something happens and we REALLY can't afford it.

I also want to take my dog to preschool and obedience classes as well as be able to afford a naturopathic vet for it, so all up, we are looking at rather a lot of money and I definitely will need to work full time to give it the best I can.

[Gayle.]

One very real advantage of a pup going to a home where two people work fulltime is that they often have a high disposable income to spend on their pets. We do, and our pets have the best of everything.

When we got out Aussie pup, I budgeted about 1.5k for the initial purchase.....pup plus extras. He was a bit cheaper than I expected so it meant I just had more money to buy more stuff for him. He started life with a large, sturdy crate, plenty of new bedding, a LOAD of toys, a car restraint, collars and leads, a large bag of Eagle Pack puppy food, bowls and various puppy chew things.

He still has Eagle Pack, plus human grade raw meat and bones.

We make a real point of taking him out with us on the weekends and taking him when we run errands, pick kids up etc. He gets to be part of almost everything we do, and in the not too distant future, he'll also go to work with my husband.

[Ahona]

Ooh wow, that is awesome Gayle, where does your hubby work? I'd love to work from home someday in order to be able to take care of my pets FT, but that's not really a possibility with the field I'm in!

The disposable income is one of the main reasons why we're waiting to get a dog until I start work too, we'd probably be able to afford the basics for a dog now, but not much else, and I'd keep stressing if it needed emergency vet care and so on!

[bek]

We work full time and our Goldie is now 12 weeks old. I was really worried about how he would cope being left alone for 8 hours a day but so far it has been great. My children play with him for at least an hour every morning before school. We feed him breakfast early (5.30-6.00am) and then the last thing I do before I leave is give him some chicken necks or a bone for the day. We get home around 4.30 - 5.00 and again we play with him in the yard for an hour or more. He has a run in the back yard and our yard is seriously dog proofed. During the evening he comes inside and sits with us. So far we have had no chewing / digging / destruction. He has been such a good pup I am kind of amazed. Maybe I am getting a ahead of myself and the destruction will come later! We spoil him with loads of "chewy treats" and we rotate his toys so he doesn't get bored. He is already a much loved member of our household. I am home sick (ish) today and he has loved the extra playtime but has also spent a great deal of the day snoozing!!

I think if you are committed you can work f/t and be a good pet owner you just have to be prepared. Surely it is better to be working and have a pet who is part of the family then to be at home and be neglecting your pet anyway.

[Miranda]

the last thing I do before I leave is give him some chicken necks or a bone for the day.

Sorry this is OT, but I wouldn't leave chicken necks with an unsupervised 12 week old puppy because if he happens to choke on one you won't be there to help him. The only sort of bone that is suitable for a puppy of this age is a marrow bone or large brisket bone, something that can be chewed on but can't be broken up and swallowed.

[First Time Puppy Owner]

Miranda - is it ok if they are frozen!?!?!

[Gayle.]

Gayle, where does your hubby work?

He is supervisor/admin on a large construction site. He has an office on site but he also has to take frequent walks around the place and liase with tradesmen, engineers etc and he thinks Benson would love it there...and be a real hit with the tradies.

[Ahona]

Wow, that is a cool job and I bet your little pup will love it there!!

[goldielover]

I also supervise young pups with chicken necks. I remember another goldie breeder once telling me that she had given a young pup (i think around 10 weeks) a chicken neck, which she gulped down, she must have regurgitated it whilst the breeder was out and chocked to death. I do feed chicken necks, but make sure i'm home for the next few hours, particularly if they just swallow them whole.

[Miranda]

Miranda - is it ok if they are frozen!?!?!

Chicken necks are fine for puppies providing someone is there to supervise them, I wouldn't leave a 12 week old puppy with anything that it could choke on and that includes chicken necks and wings frozen or unfrozen..........sorry

[gsdog2]

I also supervise young pups with chicken necks. I remember another goldie breeder once telling me that she had given a young pup (i think around 10 weeks) a chicken neck, which she gulped down, she must have regurgitated it whilst the breeder was out and chocked to death. I do feed chicken necks, but make sure i'm home for the next few hours, particularly if they just swallow them whole.

After having GSD's, I got a shock the first time I gave my Goldie a chicken neck as a puppy. There was no chewing (no enjoyment). He just "sucked" it down. It was a long time before I gave him another one .

[goldielover]

I also supervise young pups with chicken necks. I remember another goldie breeder once telling me that she had given a young pup (i think around 10 weeks) a chicken neck, which she gulped down, she must have regurgitated it whilst the breeder was out and chocked to death. I do feed chicken necks, but make sure i'm home for the next few hours, particularly if they just swallow them whole.

After having GSD's, I got a shock the first time I gave my Goldie a chicken neck as a puppy. There was no chewing (no enjoyment). He just "sucked" it down. It was a long time before I gave him another one .

I have the same issue here. If i want to feed young pups chicken necks i mash them down, otherwise i usually wait as my goldens just swallow them whole!!

[Miranda]

After having GSD's, I got a shock the first time I gave my Goldie a chicken neck as a puppy. There was no chewing (no enjoyment). He just "sucked" it down.

Dogs do not need to chew their food, they are designed to rip and tear at their prey and then swallow it in large chunks, the meat and bone is then broken down in the stomach which is highly acidic and quite capable of dissolving bone. Gulping food is a survival mechanism, if you're a wild dog you have to get your food down quickly before you lose it to another pack member.

A dog's saliva acts purely as a lubricant, it doesn't contain any digestive enzymes so chewing food is of no benefit to the dog. Human and herbivore saliva contains ptyalin which predigests starch by turning it into sugar, as dogs are carnivores and do not naturally eat carbohydrate of any kind they have no need of this enzyme.

Actually a dog's digestive tract is very different to that of a human, they are a totally different species.

Edited November 13, 2007 by Miranda

[toy dog]

We did think about getting 2, but the advice I received was that they can tend to bond with each other rather than you, and that if you go with 2 you are better to have a period of a few months in between.

Im sorry but i don't believe that at all; i know some have said that on this forum but i have proof that that theory may have holes in it . we have bought two together and they didn't bond more than with us they were puppies. we have sold 2 together and it didn't happen for that owner as well.

in regards to not selling to people working full-time we are inclined to do the same, this is for young puppies only. older dogs yes we have placed in working households. the older dogs are house trained by us and have done all their training so makes it easier for the new owners to cope a bit better.

have you considered the fact, that if you get an older dog it has already had its training? also do you realise that you are going to have to house train your puppy and you won't be there to properly train them you will be working? in order to properly train you need to be there it makes it harder for the puppy. Not unless you do have the puppy outside but then there is the factor that someone might come along these days and take your puppy. people are desperate these days. see a puppy unattended, take. so they are safer inside the house, thats my opinion. a golden ret puppy, they have a pretty good temperament too generally so easier to steal i am afraid now if you were going to get dob or a rott maybe it reduces the chances of being stolen although everyone knows a young puppy is less of a threat of biting the thief.

the reason is because young puppies need alot of shaping, socialisation and supervision. its true you can do all that after work but they can also did you know, get depressed being left for long periods and being young as well more so. an adult dog is more able to cope.

i recently gave my parents one dog to look after and she was the only one there on their property and she got depressed would not eat! so i gave them another dog and she perked up. classic example.

also, my brother wanted a puppy too, but i steered him towards a shelter/rescue dog that really needed a home more than a puppy that has been bred by a breeder.

we have also bred and run on puppies and we work (everyone does have to these days to earn a crust) and they have coped quite well but again, we have not brought up one pup on its own they have always been with other dogs.

Edited November 13, 2007 by bigdogs

[toy dog]

I think if you are committed you can work f/t and be a good pet owner you just have to be prepared. Surely it is better to be working and have a pet who is part of the family then to be at home and be neglecting your pet anyway.

that is a good point bek, my brother works casual F/t sometimes he at home working or sometimes for the whole week he might be working not at home but in the office and the dog he has now is fully grown but is as happy as larry with him. he gets everything and gets walked every night for an hour or more. loves his park runs every night. you open up my bro's cupboard and its like a dog shop

i just saw today a family that has owned a pair of jacks and they were always not locked up going all over the road and cars had to slow down so someone called the pound and they picked them up. the family didn't care, then i see they have gone and got more dogs and again, they are out, so it won't be long before the pound come again. these sorts of people should never be owning dogs!

I see that someone has come along and tied the kelpie, really friendly to a tree, and the family don't appear to be home they look like they have gone on holiday they haven't been there for a couple of days now.

I saw a little dog in a similar circumstance all over the road and the mother was inside somewhere with a window open watching me i could feel her eyes and her 6 or 7 yr old son was out front playing with the dog. not behind the fence in full view so i went up to the kid in a loud voice for the mum to hear, (knew she was listening) i will give you an hour thats your dog isn't it? the boy goes yes, why will you give me an hour? i said because your dog for its safety should be behind this fence, he goes ok. i said if he still isn't behind that fence within the hour i will take this dog off you go and tell mum.

he goes ok. so i went back an hour later, with a lead mind you and the dog was gone. so my work was done that day. poor puppy dog. felt so sorry for it, i noticed a week later the same thing happened so i didn't say anything just went up with a lead and looked towards the house, then the dog was behind the fence again. he never got let out again after that.

*bigdogs