Help me prepare for a new puppy (golden retriever)

[DebbieHarryIsMyMum]

I’m so excited to be getting a little golden retriever puppy in a few weeks. As a novice dog owner I’d love some tips on what I need for the first few months. I’m reading online but feeling overwhelmed by choice.

I’m especially interested in things I might need for:

Taking her home from the breeder - it’s about an hour and a half drive and will be her first time in a car. I know about doggy seat belts and have seen the little carriers. I’m not keen on an enclosed carrier as she might be scared but I want her to be safe. What is the best thing to get, bearing in mind she will end up being quite a big dog.

Crate or pen - is an enclosed crate better than a pen, and if so why?

Recommendations for a nice puppy friendly harness - what size and type would be best for a golden retriever?

Any other tips you may have or things I may not have considered.

I can't answer any of your questions sorry but my first though was do you have enough storage on your phone for all of the photos?

Hurtta do a really good adjustable harness, go for a “y” shaped one not a step in on the julius K9 style - they restrict movement and the Julius ones in particular are insanely easy for dogs to escape from. I’ve no idea why they are so popular.
I like a crate and you can make a nice den in there for them, I know some people hate them.

Lots and lots and lots of things to chew!!!

This is so true. Our rescue DDog arrived with a Julius type harness and quickly realised that she could pull it down with her teeth and then just get out of it. Loveable little sod!

As many chewy toys as possible
High shelves for your shoes
Boxes of tissues for the slobbery kisses
Patience
Our vet advised us not to buy a harness without having dog with us to make sure it's a proper fit so I'd borrow a carrier for coming home. The enclosed space will give puppy a safe place.
Seat belt is a must for us as our one loves hanging out the car window
Enjoy your new friend

For coming home from the breeder we had a cardboard box which was put in the footwell in the back (make sure it fits snuggly) with plenty of fresh towels in case of vomiting . A crate is really useful if used properly , a place where pup can go for a peaceful nap away from it all and to keep them safe if you're doing chores (our crate is seeing it's third puppy right now ,so good value for money) .
With my experience with goldens a big bottle of puppy shampoo will come in handy . Lots and lots of toys and chews of various types oh and don't forget ,since it's a retriever , Pets at Home do puppy sized tennis balls 😁 .
Near the time of pickup phone breeder and ask what food she/he is feeding so you can get this in advance (you can change the food at a later time) .
First time for us , this breeder told us we can give the pup a drink of Goats milk which apparently breeders use , and right enough last night we warmed a small amount last night and gave her in small bowl and she lapped it up greedily , so 🤷🏻‍♀️ .
Last of all enjoy your new little chap or girl 😁 .

Goldie are the best but they are bitey little feckers as puppies so be prepared.
They can be prone to resource guarding too so look out for that and be prepared to fend off people (especially small children) when you start going out and about.
I have had 4 and I would never have anything else, they are wonderful but despite looking like smiley teddies they are big powerful dogs so treat them as such.
Also, throw away your dark coloured clothes as they will be covered in “golden glitter” at all times. Get rid of carpets and buy a vileda spray mop (using mine 4 times a day at the moment)

Working or show lines @DebbieHarryIsMyMum ?

Have you researched the breed and know what behaviours drive the dog? Retrievers were/are bred for a purpose, so have an overwhelming desire to have something in their mouths - socks, shoes, blankets, tea-towels. Don't raise your voice or chase after them if they've stolen something they shouldn't - this can turn into resource guarding.

Our Golden was very mouthy so we looked into bite inhibition - she eventually learnt to have a 'soft mouth'.

They can also be quite strong as they grow so I would def look to heel training from the off. My older parents did not have the strength to take our Goldie for a walk when she was a full grown adult as she pulled a lot!

When we brought ours home (now 13 years ago!), I had her in a box on my lap with towels (including a scented towel from mum) whilst DH drove. They may be excited and curious, but equally they may get car sick too (ours was). If you are driving alone I would recommend the carrier and schedule stops to check in on her and make sure she is OK and hasn't been sick (and a quick clean up if she has - maybe pack a small towel/flannel and a bottle of warm soapy water for a wipe up in an emergency?).

Crate/pen - we used both for our new DDog - crate you can cover over to make into a den and pen was somewhere to put DDog when we couldn't keep an eye on him. Puppy proof your house in advance (our Golden even managed to prise off the socket covers to chew as we had young kids at the time). Put anything precious out of reach.

Harness - don't get now until you have your pup. We didn't use one to begin with, just a collar, but got a fleece lined Y harness when we did get one.

If ever you find you need support, do contact the breeder, or find a local breed support group. Their knowledge on the breed can be invaluable, particularly if you find training isn't working out, or unwanted behaviours creep in.

Last word: enjoy!

Thank you for all the tips! I thought bringing pup home on a lap would be frowned upon for safety reasons (in case of crash) but seems it's fairly common. I even asked the breeder and she said that's what she did when she brought mum home. I've got a carrier so I'll pop in a cardboard box and plenty of blankets and puppy pads, then I have options depending on what suits pup. Husband will be driving and probably kids in tow as well. Breeder is providing mum scented blanket.

@fridaytwattery she's a show line.

I'm also borrowing a range of puppy proofing barriers and crate etc to see what works for us and our house.

Now I am heading off to research threads/articles on the most sensible way to deal with a dirty pup after a muddy walk, any further tips on this or anything else are welcome! We have back access to our house and an outdoor tap (only cold water though) in the garden so don't have to bring a mucky pup through the house, but anything that's worked for you in order to streamline the process/handy products etc please do share!

We've got a Mud Daddy for our Ddog, would recommend.

Our Golden would dry out quite quickly (they have the most adorable crinkly fur when wet!) so we would just put to bed after walk and then give them a good brush outside after to remove all the dry mud.

They moult like you wouldn't believe too!

You will save yourselves a lot of stress by puppy proofing rooms they will be in. Things like doing without rugs and floor and table lamps if they require trailing cables, removing low books and objects. Clearing low surfaces. it’s only for a few months and will save you a lot of labour. It’s always better to avoid opportunity for behaviours you don’t want rather than trying to stop them once started. Rotate toys and make them the most exciting thing as soon as your puppy comes home so they choose to chew and play with them instead of your furniture. To get them interested you need to play with them with the toy, they won’t automatically favour it just because it looks like a cute octopus, a moving object is always more exciting than an inanimate one. Make sure you have at least one long toy so you can play with them without risk of them catching your fingers with their teeth. With a Goldie, I’d also avoid flappy clothes and consider washing your wellies and keeping them handy to wear in the house for any foot obsessed biting, particularly for your children if you have them.

I’d allow them into your sitting room under very close supervision from the start to normalise it and make it less exciting, some people end up virtual prisoners in their kitchen diners for months because their dog becomes totally hyper when allowed in the sitting room because they weren’t habituated to it when smaller.

@LightDrizzle good tips re puppy proofing, thank you - I think we will definitely need to block off the living room except under v close supervision as we have some lovely old mid century furniture that I don't want chewed, and I only recently took up the horrible carpet so the floorboards are bare untreated wood with gaps, we'll sort them out eventually but in the mean time I also do NOT want to be scraping accidents out of the cracks!

@fridaytwattery Mud Daddy looks excellent!

Goldies are the bestest dogs ever. You can never be sad around the fluffy goofballs. They give the best cuddles as well.

Second what everyone says about puppy proofing. Set your puppy up for success! Then puppy proof again. And again. Seriously move anything you don't want "retrieved" higher up.

I did restrict access to the back of the house - easy for me as it's open plan. Means you can easily keep an eye on them and as soon as you see them sniffing around and can take them out to the garden quickly.

Gets lots of kitchen roll and enzyme spray cleaner.

Also as most training is treat based and you need to dispense treat at the correct time I found clothes with pockets brilliant. Yes you do smell a bit meaty but it's so handy.

It will be a manic couple of months but totally worth it for an utterly lovable partner in crime.

As @Jumpingvert said, 'Goldie are the best but they are bitey little feckers as puppies'. 😁Ours is now 3 years old and he didn't stop being bitey for ages. I spent a fortune on things for him to chew. He's now full grown and an enormous hairy thing and we love him to bits. Two things we managed to teach him (not much I know) - take a treat gently from someone's hand and tolerate being brushed. So he at least doesn't snap when people offer him something and he just about looks presentable most of the time!

A decent brush!! In the summer they malt alot! I have to brush mine a few times a week.
Mine was brilliant as a pup never had any chewing or anything. Lots of decent toys and Kongs and a doggy camera is brilliant to see what they get up to when your not around. Enjoy, they are amazing dogs.

“I only recently took up the horrible carpet so the floorboards are bare untreated wood with gaps, we'll sort them out eventually but in the mean time I also do NOT want to be scraping accidents out of the cracks!”

@DebbieHarryIsMyMum If you can bear it aesthetically, you could buy however many metres of a roll of vinyl flooring as will almost cover your lovely boards and anchor it under the furniture to make the supervised time in the sitting room less nerve wracking. You can then play with him in there with toys and keep a bed or piece of vet bed in there to try to encourage a settle when you have time to sit with him, still poised to whip him out as the first sign of sniffing and circling etc.

It’s really cheap and great to have in your garage or shed for painting and varnishing jobs, less annoying than having thin plastic to get tangled up in. I have some I put down when painting in oils as I’m a clumsy bastard.

Chew toys and teethers you can freeze.
Ankle booty type slippers (for you) to avoid land shark puppy nips.
1001 carpet cleaner and scrubbing brush if you don’t have a carpet cleaner.
Have a think if you intend to let pup upstairs. My vet advised against it due to wear and tear on joints. We did let him but he tore his knee age 5 and we stopped him.
Remember to limit walks for first six months I think it’s ten mins initially, building up.
Try to avoid zoomies on wooden floors. Torn ACL’s /arthritis are a nightmare.
Start on joint supplements as soon as old enough.
Quality memory foam mattress once pup stops chewing everything.
Good insurance.

oh OP I forgot to say you need quite a big cuddly toy for inside your crate as puppy will really appreciate having something to snuggle when alone . My puppy really does enjoy her cuddles . 💕.

OP do you have your puppy yet ?

Watch out for people who just blatantly want puppy photos

Ha Ha yes!

We’ve always had goldies - currently have 2 aged 3 and 2 1/2 - all I can add is that they are Velcro dogs - they love you and want to be with you - everywhere 😂 you think they are fast asleep then you move rooms and boom they are there! Start training early - always have something in your hand to divert the biting. Mine rip soft toys to shreds so have hard chews such as antlers ( not as puppies)
I love my boys, they are so good.
I am unashamedly waiting for a photo 😂 Here are my boys

@NoLongerATeacher They are soo beautiful I've a mix of labs and goldies , and love them both .

Beautiful @NoLongerATeacher 😍

Interesting to hear about goldies and biting. My pup is a goldendoodle and she is ridiculously bitey at the moment. I’ve had cockers before and I’ve never had to deal with anything like this! We have masses of toys, but there’s nothing like biting the back of someone’s leg, is there?!