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

[Eliza22]

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!

Well done OP. My God they are hard work, but so worth it!

. Thank you

Updating... She's doing so well now! Weighs over three stones. Will come to command, house trained (except when it's chucking it down - she hates the rain). She's mastered "down", "paw", "drop", "come", "stay", "sit" and "lie down". DS plays with her but isn't too keen on the walking bit ... Never mind. Still digging like a loon so we've had to have the patio cordoned off for her but hey, that's fine. Love her to bits!

Cat still hates her. Dog just totally bemused by the cat.

Hi Eliza
So pleased you persevered. I have a 6 year old goldie and had two previously. They are such loyal loving dogs and so worth the hard work you have to put it. Lovely pictures x

Just read this thread in one hit and feel like crying it's so lovely!

Really glad that it's all worked out for you Eliza, so pleased.

Congratulations on all your progress , at least the cat hasn't moved out . We fenced our patio off with ornamental fencing when our pup was small ,he digs and we had an incident with a daffodil bulb so it's too stressful to have him on the grass / borders .

Thanks ladies! It makes me tearful now when I look at her and wonder how I could ever have thought to let her go. She's five months old this weekend and just gorgeous. Would highly recommend the breed....very loving puppy

Aww, so pleased you got over that blip and love her. She looks lovely. Wishing you many happy years.x

She is beautiful :)

Can ask what her name is?

Hurrah

sorry Cookie... Don't want to "out" her! Should have named her JCB though. The digging is bad. My garden resembles Ypres, circa 1915.

Another one who had just read this thread for the first time.
Just so lovely, your dog is gorgeous, this has put a big smile on my face.

Glad everything is working out for you. Hope things are going better with your son and his friends too.

She's a beautiful puppy.

You already have a lot to deal with and probably not the time or energy to properly raise a rambunctious, large dog.

Please return it ASAP so it is still young and cute enough to find a good home.

Perhaps the breeder, or a local enthuisiast/animal rescue group, or some other experts can suggest ways that your son can get beneficial interaction with animals, without the animal being your 24/7 responsibility. But for the sake of this puppy, please admit error (there is no shame in it) before it's more traumatic for everyone involved, which it will be if you wait.

Ugh, ignore my previous message! New poster learning the ropes here and didn't realize there were positive updates.

Glad it's working out!

She's so gorgeous Eliza - how lovely that she's doing so well and you are so happy now.

Mine's just gone into season this week...deep joy! She's a bit confused by it all and really isn't enjoying her on lead walks at all.....!

I love a happy ending. Your dog is gorgeous!

Cuts full on adoration.....on both parts ??

It's not cuts !

Brilliant news and thanks for the update. Has your son adjusted well to the change now? Hope so! Just fab :)

Yes, he loves her but reinforces bad habits and rough "growly" play! His clothes are full of holes now... then I spend the rest of the time trying to get her calm again!

Eliza, some dogs need to dig, it releases endorphins and makes them feel good.

Get her a cheap plastic kiddie pool. Fill it with sand or soil, let her see you bury treats and toys in it. help her to dig them out a couple of times. if you see her dig somewhere she shouldn't, gently interrupt her and redirect her to her 'legal' digging pit.

So glad everything has worked out for you all. She is absolutely stunning... Although as I think goldies are bestdogsintheworld I admit to being a tiny bit biased.
Very difficult not to fall in love with even though the early days can be a challenge.
Could not imagine my life without a goldie (or two) in it.
You sound like a brilliant owner congratulations on all you have achieved.

Thanks, Tooty

Hello and "Happy New Year"!

Just a quick update.... All's well now. We have a 7 month old who is HUGE, very hairy, very muddy and it's difficult to imagine NOT having her

She's doing quite well with her training. Loves to snooze on the sofa (which she was strictly forbidden to do u till my DH caved ) and is eating us out of house and home! DS loves her but still flatly refuses to come for walks (it's OK) and the cat has reached the stage where she will creep past the dog to exit the house. Puss is quite happy living in the comfort of the upstairs (thank god for stair gates) and although we do miss her, we are hopeful she'll eventually come down to the lounge and join us.

I spend a massive part of my day cleaning mud and have to turn a blind eye to the fact that an hour later, it's as bad again in this weather.

All in all, we love her soooo much. Here's a couple of pics xx