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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Ive had a golden retriever puppy 4 days....and changed my mind

298 replies

Eliza22 · 14/07/2015 08:42

Does this happen? I feel overwhelmed.

Story...

My son is 14 and has autism and OCD. He has no friends despite many many efforts. He is high functioning. We've had his name on a list for an autism assistance dog for years but he's now too old for the list. A year ago, we sourced a breeder and decided to get him the doggy companion ourselves. So far so good. Two litters went by....no bitch for us until now.

The pup is beautiful. Full of energy but very clever, as these Goldens are! But, my son is tearful and upset (and so am I) because we have a beloved cat who is 7. She has taken the dog very, very badly. Last night, my son came to me in tears saying "I miss Tallulah (the cat), I want the dog to go away if we are going to lose Tallulah".

I should add....I'm 53 and menopausally emotional at the best of times. Have I made a massive mistake? We've had the idea of a golden retriever companion for our son for so so long, what HAVE I done?! I feel like ringing the breeder and saying keep the cash....I've made a mistake.

Help!

OP posts:
Thread gallery
33
CrikeyPeg · 06/04/2016 09:53

Awwww loving these updates :) Update us when she comes home for hols, make the most of your ops for lie-ins Grin

Tootyfilou · 06/04/2016 10:00

She is beautiful, well done you. As a goldie owner for years and years, I was confident you would love her in the end! They are such beautiful dogs ( even when covered in mud and other unspeakable substances Grin)

mateysmum · 11/04/2016 18:12

Thanks so much for the update and so pleased you stuck with her and are now reaping the rewards. How is your ds getting on with her?

Eliza22 · 11/04/2016 19:30

Well.... He loves her. But has little to do with her in reality. He likes to talk about her and she makes him laugh so in Asperger terms, that's a result! It'd be great if she had someone to play with, other than yours truly but she is much loved.

OP posts:
Gide · 16/04/2016 21:44

Take her back to the breeder. It doesn't sound like your DS is going to come round.

Eliza22 · 17/04/2016 09:37

Gide.....you've skipped a bit! She's 11 months today! We kept her. Have updated from time to time. We all love her to pieces Smile

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Welliesandwings · 25/04/2016 21:53

We're getting on fine Eliza. As you can see, welliepup has a penchant for landscape gardening, I don't share her vision though Grin. We're still plugging away at the training and she's doing fine. She still hates the car but has stopped puking at least and her most favourite person in the world is our 3 year old DS who loves her beyond measure.

Ive had a golden retriever puppy 4 days....and changed my mind
Eliza22 · 06/05/2016 11:06

Awww...Wellipup! Had our garden flagged and landscaped and my girl's still trying to dig. The concrete!

Her, this morning....in the fields

Ive had a golden retriever puppy 4 days....and changed my mind
OP posts:
gingerboy1912 · 07/05/2016 23:30

Ah so glad you kept her op. She's beautiful

Eliza22 · 17/11/2016 22:50

For anyone who'd like to know....

My golden "baby" is 18 months old now. Every day, we LOVE her! She provides endless cuddles, laughs, comfort, and joy! I was reminded this morning (by a woman I dog walk with) how at the beginning, I really felt it'd be the kindest thing to let her go. I'm so glad I didn't. We're ALL so glad I didn't.

She's in season now. All clingy and off her food. Bless. Thinking we might let her have one litter before spaying her. So, next summer, hopefully...puppies. Who'd have thought it Smile

Ive had a golden retriever puppy 4 days....and changed my mind
Ive had a golden retriever puppy 4 days....and changed my mind
Ive had a golden retriever puppy 4 days....and changed my mind
OP posts:
Scuttlebutter · 17/11/2016 23:20

Cos there aren't enough GR puppies in the world already.... Hmm

Have you really thought this through? You'd be willing to risk her health on a whim?

PotOfYoghurt · 17/11/2016 23:22

I'm so glad you're all loving your dog, and things have settled well. But please don't be that person. Don't breed her. You seem like someone who cares about their dog so I really can't see that you've researched this, otherwise you wouldn't do it.

Tootyfilou · 17/11/2016 23:24

Please do not do that.

goatkid · 17/11/2016 23:25

Did the cat come round OP?

Eliza22 · 17/11/2016 23:26

Not a whim. Taken advice from her breeder and from our vet. Many people believe it really matures a dog to have a litter.

I waited almost two years on a waiting list for my girl. Each litter the breeder had didn't have enough bitches "to go round". Like it or not, these are a lovely, gentle breed, perfect for families (and my girl is the perfect companion for my autistic son) and they are much in demand. I have absolutely no doubt I will find loving and responsible homes, if we are lucky enough to have a litter.

OP posts:
Eliza22 · 17/11/2016 23:29

The cat and the dog tolerate each other. It got (very much) better but the cat is still hostile at times.

This is interesting. Why are you so sure we ought not to let her have a litter? We'd like to keep one for ourselves.

OP posts:
insertsomethingwitty · 17/11/2016 23:35

So glad that things worked out for you. Why on earth would you breed from her though? Totally agree with above poster, don't be that person.

Eliza22 · 17/11/2016 23:37

I'm clearly ignorant. Why? Why not have a litter ? Some advice here?

OP posts:
orangebird69 · 17/11/2016 23:46

Do you know anything about breeding? How to find the right dog? How to measure the likelihood of breed specific health issues? Do you have the finances if any emergency during birth occurs? What you need to get them kennel club registered? How to vet potential owners of the pups? Do you have the money, time and space for the bitch and puppies (for at least the first 10-12 weeks of their lives)? Tbh, I find infuritating that anyone would even think of breeding any dogs when there are rescues OF ALL BREEDS AND AGES overflowing. Its self indulgent and fucking ignorant. Hobby and back yard breeders that know nothing should be illegal.

IminaPickle · 17/11/2016 23:48
Shock Because as you discovered puppies are hard work. What will you do if the new homes don't manage? You've had a steep learning curve coping with one dog and you're considering creating more. Words fail me.
MrsderPunkt · 17/11/2016 23:50

On a personal level, you struggled with a single pup at the start, how will you and your family cope with 14?

On your dog's level, 'letting her have a litter' is bugger all about what is best for the dog, no pups is always safer, and why do you feel that she needs to 'mature'?

And the bigger picture - there's already too many overbred dogs in the country, why do you feel the need to add to it?

kilmuir · 17/11/2016 23:55

Dear God No! Enough unwanted dogs already

TrionicLettuce · 18/11/2016 00:05

She'll mature in her own time, having a litter will do absolutely nothing to help in that regard. In fact it will be of absolutely no benefit to her whatsoever to have a litter and there are plenty of risks associated with breeding.

Breeding responsibly takes a huge amount of time and effort, plus a not inconsiderable amount of money.

What about your bitch is going to attract decent stud dog owners? Is she proven in any measurable way? Do you show her? Work her? Do any dog sports? PaT dog qualifications? Anything? Are her lines exceptionally rare? What sets her apart from the countless other pet GR bitches producing puppies?

You also need to look into health testing, not just having it done but understanding the conditions and what the results of the tests mean in terms of breeding. At the very least she'd need her hips and elbows scoring, a BVA eye test (repeated annually) and a gonioscopy (repeated every three years). There are also multiple DNA tests necessary; two different types of progressive retinal atrophy, degenerative myelopathy, ichthyosis, muscular dystrophy and neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis.

Do you work? If so will you be able to take enough time off work so you can be there with her when whelping is fairly imminent and then with the litter until they go to their new homes?

On top of the costs of health testing you'll need to purchase proper whelping equipment, your bitch would need extra food during pregnancy and whilst she's feeding her litter, there are vet visits, worming programmes, all the food for the puppies, the extra power you use for heating and the vast amounts of washing you need to do. You need to have a good amount of money on standby in case of emergencies, breeding costs are rarely (if ever) covered by pet insurance and something like an emergency c-section can easily run into the thousands.

Are you prepared for the sheer amount of work rearing a litter is? It's not all puppy cuddles and letting mum do most of the work. The cleaning and washing and feeding is endless. On top of that there's all the work involved in preparing puppies as well as possible to go out into the world and be well rounded individuals which isn't just giving them loads of toys and getting them used to the hoover. Can you cope with the sleep deprivation? You need to keep an eye on the bitch and litter which means sleeping next to the whelping box and checking them regularly through the night.

Will you be able to provide the necessary back up to your puppy owners? That means supporting them when they're struggling, advising them on feeding/training/exercise/worming/etc. and either taking them back should the owners no longer be able to keep them or at the very least being heavily involved in the rehoming process.

Even when you do absolutely everything right, things can still go wrong. Would you be able to cope with losing your bitch and having to hand rear the puppies? Or losing both? Or ending up with no puppies and a very depressed, lactating dog to nurse?

More often than not bitches whelp absolutely fine but you do need to be realistic about the risks you would be taking with your bitch and whether it's worth it just to produce another litter of a breed there is absolutely no shortage of.

orangebird69 · 18/11/2016 00:08

GR Rescue
another Retriever rescue
another GR Rescue effort
<a class="break-all" href="http://m.swgrc.co.uk/site/mobile?dm_path=%2Frehoming.htm&fw_sig_social=1&fw_sig_permissions=none&fw_sig_tier=1&fw_sig_partner=webs&fw_sig_session_key=582931d052b2da3f380971a18e921329a4d022f1fd163f83b64d697763266bb1-100250076&fw_sig_permission_level=0&fw_sig_site=100250076&fw_sig_api_key=522b0eedffc137c934fc7268582d53a1&fw_sig_access_token=e49b05f1496826fe8000c8c44225def158647a12&fw_sig_url=www.swgrc.co.uk/&fw_sig_locale=en-US&fw_sig_time=1479427606875&fw_sig_is_admin=0&fw_sig=2b26d15acb9396c74a57a25a31247c76&fw_sig_premium=1&fb_sig_network=fw#2330" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">and another

They were all wanted dogs once too. Angry

BlackDoglet · 18/11/2016 00:08

Please don't breed from her. I'm not sure where you got your information from but it is NOT the best thing for your lovely girl.

What if you were to lose her? Could your son cope with either living with the chaos of a dozen or more puppies for 10 weeks or, at the opposite end, the loss of a dozen puppies or worse, your own dog?

Please, please think again. Have her spayed and live a long lovely life together.