5 month old golden retriever

[solvendie]

After much looking we are now going to be the parents of a 5 month old golden retriever. He is coming from a reputable breeder but it is delayed due to the early heart surgery he needed.

He has been in a breeder kennel environment so is relatively untrained. I’m just looking for some hints and tips on training a puppy that may be slightly delayed in their development

Is there anything I need him to grasp straight away?

Do you know what the breeder has done to socialise him? For example, has he had early (prior to 16 weeks of age) positive experiences of a variety of people including children? Does he have any experience of living in a home?

Has the breeder asked you lots of questions about your experience with dogs?

In a kennel - not their house?....

The top 2 for me would be socialization and toilet training, as it sounds like it will have had little of either in the current set up.

Also it's been kept in a kennel so normal household noises may be frightening. Hoover, washing machine etc

Be wary though OP. I personally wouldn't buy from a breeder who kept dogs in kennels. Also, will your insurance cover against any heart issues going forward given that this is a pre existing condition?

Are you planning to get the dog checked over by an independant vet before you buy?

This puppy could end up being very expensive and an awful lot of work.

I wouldn't buy this puppy OP - sorry.

The surgery means you may have real trouble insuring him in the future - can you afford thousands of pounds on vet bills down the line?

If he's never lived in a house, has he been socialised? Because he's past the 16 week window for socialisation so my worry would be that he's got no experience of the outside world and that he'll be growly, fearful and reactive.

Please don't - you'll be setting yourself up for a lot of hard work and tears.

“If he's never lived in a house, has he been socialised? Because he's past the 16 week window for socialisation so my worry would be that he's got no experience of the outside world and that he'll be growly, fearful and reactive.“

That’s exactly why I’m asking if he wasn’t in the house...

I have a 5 month old puppy, that had never been in a house - he is in fact barky, growly and reactive.

Some of it I was prepared for, some I wasn’t, he isn’t the first reactive dog I’ve dealt with - and tbh I’m still finding it very hard going.

He’s very much going to be a project dog for quite a while, and it’s a full time job.

How do you know they are reputable breeder? I would assume a breeder who had a puppy which needed heart surgery, wouldn't be selling that puppy but keeping it

That was my first thought also - reputable breeders tend to hold onto "faulty" pups rather than sell them.

Are you an experienced dog owner? Have you had experience with that "teen" phase in dogs?

I would also echo those who are wary of getting this pup at all - you will indeed have trouble with insurance and his training is going to be a full time job.

‘Breeder Kennel environment’ doesn’t say reputable breeder to me.
Quite the opposite!
Is he a show line or a working line?
A lot of working gundogs are bred outside, which id still avoid.

And as PP have said, I’m not sure a reputable breeder would be selling an older dog with a serious heart defect.

Why have you chosen this particular dog? Sounds like a lifetime of expense and heartbreak to me.
We have a Goldie and I know that at the moment they are hard to come by and very expensive but I would not be taking this puppy even if it were free

I have a Goldie. Easy to train with food. Fabulous recall. Often stubborn tho.
We began tho at the get-go at 8weeks. And he was well socialised, having been born in a house in a family setting. Not sure what to say really. Even without the heart condition it sounds tough. On the other hand tho you're giving a dog a home...

I’m sorry but this puppy sounds like a bad idea.
Under socialised, possibly never lived in a house and with health problems that have been serious enough to need heart surgery. Hardly a perfect situation!

Why have you chosen this puppy? Why this particular breeder? If it’s simply a case of availability, there is a good reason. It’s because others have been put off by the very obvious issues.

I also would not get this puppy 'untrained from a breeder kennel' doesn't sound like a good reputable breeder for family pets to me. Why would you get a puppy with heart problems and not a healthy one? This all sounds very odd to me, who are this reputable breeder and how do you know they are reputable?

Actually thinking about it...

If it’s a good breeder, why is it untrained?

Having had a reactive dog (rescue) who hadn't been socialised properly, I'm afraid I'm joining the chorus saying I wouldn't take this dog if he's been brought up in a kennel environment. I'm sure he's heartbreakingly gorgeous but reactive dogs take a lot of hard work over and above the normal amount of training a young 'teenage' equivalent dog. I loved our boy but dear god, he tested us to our limits and we spent £££ on a good behaviourist to help improve - we could never completely eradicate - his issues around other dogs.

I wouldn't buy a dog like this. You won't be able to get insurance for heart issues, he has missed the window for socialisation and could well be an absolute disaster. The kennel bit wouldn't concern me particularly as long as training had been happening - my working Labrador was kennel-bred - but it doesn't sound as though it has.

At 5 months my golden retriever was a nightmare - and he had had all the socialisation, training etc etc. He was a barrelling mass of teenage hormones and with the full-on gr stubbornness thrown in for good measure. He came through it (well, mostly!) but if I had adopted him at five months I think I’d have had a nervous breakdown!

Agree that insurance costs will be astronomical. Even a splinter in a paw adds £££££ to the next year’s premium. A heart condition would send the cost through the roof.

Why this dog OP?

I expect it’s not £3000+ as most golden retrievers are currently.

Will cost more in the long run though

Gosh, I would be thinking hard about this. Have you rang any insurance companies? I would get everything in place before considering taking this pup on. We have a GR with a heart condition, but we got a full refund from the breeder and it was discovered after we got him, so Cooper is insured for it for now.
We found him via a fab facebook grp which posted this video, which helped me, especially at the end (its a bit long, but useful stuff at the end)

Good luck x

None of this says ‘reputable breeder’ to me!

Well aside from anything else if you had a young puppy having major surgery wouldn’t you have it in the house rather than a “kennel environment “?

Why would anyone pay money for a pup that's come from a kennel and that has already had to have heart surgery? Obviously this poor little pup needs a home but it doesn't sound good.

What type of heart surgery has the puppy had? If you are planning to insure him, then it is likely the insurance company will put an exclusion on anything to do with the heart. If this doesn't bother you, then depending on the type of surgery, go ahead, but bear in mind the dog may end up costing you £££s.

I would treat him much like any other puppy. Start basic commands the day you get him home. Lots of socialisation but don't overwhelm him, be guided by the dog. Toilet training may take longer but work hard on this from day 1. Join a training class. Puppy proof your house!