Thinking about a golden retriever.

[JazzAnnNonMouse]

Dh and I have never owned a dog before so are complete novices. We've looked after other peoples dogs and loved it but appreciate that's like saying you've babysat so are prepared for being a parent!

We did a bit of research and golden retrievers seem to fit in with the kind of family dog we'd like. I'm a Sahm and we have 2 dds (3 and nearly 2)
We have a cat and a chicken coop (barren of chickens as of yet!!) we live next to a nature reserve so perfect for dog walking and my friend also has a golden retriever so can have our dog if we went on holiday.
I don't want to get a backyard breeder puppy but I'm also not sure about rescue dogs?

Can anyone advise me the best next steps for us?

I know chewing is totally normal! I asked for advice on the Sally Bradbury FB page about her growling and snapping at me when I wanted her to stop chewing my sofa -and she advised it was resource guarding and I needed to stop it. I didn't know that it was a problem with goldies though - although reading the full thread it sounds as though it may not be....!

If you would consider a rescue then there are always plenty of retriever crosses here

We had a golden retriever when I was a child, and I've never met a more sweet - tempered, docile (lazy!) and easy dog. Barely even needed any training - just amazingly biddable. Hair everywhere though!

Panic most 15 week old puppies will be a bit miffed if you push them off the sofa. make the reward of getting off the sofa better than being on or don't let them on the sofa until older.

Put a piece of hotdog on the floor and say off they will jump off like a shot for the treat.

If she is chewing the sofa prevent her getting access to it until she it past the chewing stage. If she is chewing and you want her to stop treat to get her off the sofa (no you are not treating her for chewing before someone comments on that ) you are treating for being away from the sofa

Thanks Mutty - no she wasn't on the sofa - just chewing the loose covers along the bottom. And until DH let her on the sofa last week, it wasn't an issue of moving her off, as she knew she wasn't allowed on it; now I am engaged in a battle of wills with her because he "thought she looked so sweet and comfortable on the sofa"....for those who have read how much he has battled with having the dog, I think he may be softening...!

Black Retriever X Rescue has already been mentioned. There are also a lot of Golden Retriever Rescues located in various parts of the UK, just google them. Reputable rescues will have done temperament testing.

Goldens are the best. Think people have gone through most of the good and bad and there are way more good than bad.

My boy after a muddy run today

My golden retriever x collie - check out those goldie eyes :)

Daily mud baths are his favourite thing, but an amazingly steady,lovely natured boy.

Can anyone tell me the pros and cons of rescue? I've heard that they're normally runts or from abused backgrounds so temperamental etc ?

Also are there any differences between black and golden retrievers aside from the colour? I don't know much about different breeds of dog

Dogs end up in rescues for all kinds of reasons, rescue dogs aren't 'runts' or defective, they're just victims of circumstance - divorce, death, human greed and our 'want it now, discard when bored' society. Some have behaviour issues, others don't, and a good rescue will always fully assess its dogs and be upfront about any potential issues, as well as offering ongoing backup and support. One of my dogs is a rescue; she was given up due to change in working circumstances, I've had her for 9 years now and she has no issues whatsoever, she's a dream dog to live with and has been since day one. I'm a vet and see rescue dogs daily, the vast majority of which are wonderful pets.

Golden Retrievers are a breed. There are several Retriever breeds - Goldens, Labradors, Chesapeakes, Flatcoats etc. A 'black Retriever' is a colour description - breed wise a pedigree black coloured Retriever-type dog could be a Flatcoat or a Labrador. Or you get a lot of black Retriever crosses, often with a Collie, Spaniel or German Shepherd. Speaking of which, as I think a pp already mentioned, Black Retriever X Rescue is fabulous. Jemima does an amazing job of rescuing and assessing dogs and matching them to new homes. If you're interested in a rescue Retriever I would 100% recommend contacting her.

Golden retrievers are a breed, they only come in yellowy colours.

You get other types of retrievers though including Labradors.

Tbh, the vast majority of rescue dogs are in rescues because someone took them on without actually thinking through what owning a dog involves.

You get tiny puppies brought in for biting (because that's what puppies do) you get older puppies brought in for chewing (again, that's what they do) you get dogs brought in because they pull on the lead (as if they're somehow supposed to just know not to without training) or for shedding fur and yes you do get ones with real behavioural issues as well, but you also get well trained much loved dogs whose owners have just had a horrible change in circumstances.

The biggest pro of a rescue is that you give a home to a dog...but more selfish ones are, it's a lot easier to find a good rescue than it is a good breeder, so you get a dog that's been assessed and you know whether it needs full training (which is exactly the same as you'd need to do with a puppy) or just a bit of a brush up and what it's personality is actually like rather than having to wait and see what a puppy grows up like.

You usually get to skip all the horrible puppy bits as well, the house training and the biting.

Love my golden. She's small for the breed and a bit stupid but perfectly trainable and incredibly good natured. Has been completely perfect with DD since we came back from hospital 8 months ago!

Never had a problem with resource guarding - never even heard of it before this thread. We did make a point of interrupting her eating and picking up her bowl and then giving it back when she was a puppy so she knew that she wasn't allowed to be possessive of food. You can drop something tasty in front of her nose and she won't touch it if she's told not to.

Also she has never chewed anything other than her own toys. She will very happily destroy her own soft toys (pulling apart 'tuff toys' in less than 30 minutes is her favourite game) but won't touch anything of ours, the baby toys, furniture, etc.

We went to the vet's puppy parties, took her out to the park as soon as she had her jabs, but didn't do any obedience / training classes. We used the book 'Puppy Training the Guide Dogs Way' to help us train her, found that very good. DH and I had both had dogs as kids so were comfortable with dogs but hadn't had full responsibility before, and the book was a good guide.

She's cute too!

And happy!