Serious puppy advice needed. Which breed to go for?

[puppyluvv]

So after many years of knowing we will one day get a puppy, we think in the next year we will go for it.

We have 2 primary school kids.

I work from home almost all week, would be home alone once or twice a week for 3 hours while mine and DH office days crossover.

I've always had the idea in my head that I want a golden retriever and am imagining long country walks with a lovely well behaved dog. However I now need the reality check and advice on to a puppy years and if there are perhaps other breeds more suited for us to look in to.

My husband ideally wants a dog with little malting and not overly destructive in the puppy years.

Walks would be twice a day and sometimes longer (1-2 hours) a few times a week.

Advice and thoughts welcome please.

My DD’s boyfriend has a golden retriever puppy. He has been a bitey nightmare. I am not sure that children will have coped with him. He is no small dog and is very full on.
I am sure he is going to grow into a wonderful dog but he is going to take lots of training and patience for the next couple of years.

Most puppies are bitey nightmares to be fair!

I think any dog moults a bit unless you get a poodle or one of those hairless mexican dogs. We are on our third Ridgeback and our first one moulted for England, the second hardly at all and the current one is somewhere in between, so even within a breed you can't be sure.

If you do get a puppy make sure you prepare your dcs for the fact that it will be a squirmy, bitey pain in the arse for a while, but also huge amounts of fun. Also, looking after a puppy while WFH is really a disaster, make sure you have some help! DH and I both work from home and we couldn't cope when dd went to uni 3 weeks after getting the pup, so we got a local teenager to help out and also sent her to daycare twice a week which was great for socialisation too.

Ultimately the breed will be down to how much time you can devote to walking, training etc. Golden retrievers are known to be pretty biddable so you might not have to spend so much time training as other breeds. If you can't walk 3 hours + a day don't get a dog which needs this obv!

Personally I love hounds as they are super lazy round the house and sleep loads but fun when you are out. Whippets I agree are brilliant and a manageable size.

Golden retrievers moult all year, and they mould a huge amount. I took on an 8 year old spayed GR because her family were moving to a new build and could bear the thought of her hair all over it. Happily I’m not houseproud.

Golden retrievers are late developers. A bored goldie WILL destroy anything it can reach, but so can any bored dog. Children will learn that the hard way.

The huge, very friendly GR down the road from me lives with a fit, active 50-something retired couple. He has pulled both of them over, and now if they see a dog approaching that he likes to play with, they have to tuck themselves behind a car or a lamp post, something they can hold on to when he playfully pounces towards his doggy friend. And he’s a kind dog well used to loose-lead walking.

He has a massive coat, they get him professionally groomed but as he’s a mud magnet, they have a horse shower to wash him outside.

A GR will knock children over with sheer joy, and clear a low table with its wagging tail… shedding unbelievable amounts of hair at every step.
Ditto labradors, shorter hair but they leave a shadow of hair everywhere they lie down.

Even short-haired dogs like smooth Jack Russells or whippets can leave “glitter” embedded in carpets, sofas and all your clothes.

A border terrier might be a better dog for your lifestyle. Don’t think small dogs can’t do long walks, my JRTxYorkie happily does 5-6 miles a day, often more, they’ve less weight to carry so less stress on their joints. There’s a lot of advantages having a dog you can lift up, and small dogs are cheaper to feed!

I'm going to try not to repeat what has already been said because there is some good advice here. Golden retrievers are very good family dogs but yes they do shed so it might be something that you could learn to cope with to get the temperament (and temperament/ behaviour is way more important than looks and vacuuming issues).

The other thing to add is that all the things you've listed will not be possible with a puppy - just make sure you're aware that they can't be left alone. So it's helpful to get some advice on what you do for the first six months where the life you imagine you'd have with your lovely new dog just isn't happening. Plan for the first six months rather than after this (which is what your post seems to be more about) and you'll be a much happier puppy/ dog owner.

Our golden retriever is now 4 and a half and is a sweetie, but that's a fairly recent development. As a puppy he was a little bitey shark and very strong so he could pull me over at 9 months old, didn't care what we did / said / what rewards we used. The puppy phase lasted well over 3 years. I took him to 'puppy class' and ended up crying in the car because he was the worst in the class (obviously so was I) and it ended in chaos with him humping me from behind in front of everyone. I didn't go back. Don't even ask me about the hair.

I have a bichon. She’s non moulting, never been destructive. She’s happy to be a couch potato but can also walk a lot further than people might think for a breed which is considered a lapdog. She’s 11yo and is happy walking 3hrs plus on fairly rough and steep terrain.

We got our cocker spaniel as a puppy. He needed all the usual care that a puppy needs but it wasn’t too difficult - they all need looking after! He is ten now and the most brilliant dog. He has a good routine, 2 daily walks, is great with children, doesn’t moult but has a cut at the groomers regularly. He is just a brilliant companion who loves a cuddle on the sofa too.

I had two, brother and sister, but have lost them both over the last couple of years 😢 A home is never the same without a Bichon or two ❤️

Imagine that there are dogs in rescue? Who knew? 🤦🏻‍♀️

the op can buy a puppy if she likes! These threads always go the same way and as pps have said it's not so easy to regime when you have children.

having said all that - don't get a golden retriever if you don't want moulting 🤣🤣

there are quite a few owners on here so you can search and you'll find some answers. My daughter has one and he's lovely but a swish of a tail or a zoomie can take small kids off their feet very easily. Or my glass of wine 👀

Border terrier

Have a look at Yappy Ever After dog rescue. They have a lot of young dogs (less than a year) that might suit you - labradors etc. All the dogs have been in foster and been properly assessed. There is nothing “wrong” with them, they’ve just been bought by people who didn’t think it through 🤦‍♀️ And honestly, having had more than 35 dogs I can absolutely confirm that a puppy is much harder work than a “rescue”!
And actually, if you have never had a dog, don’t discount the mighty chihuahua. All mine can and do happily walk 10k or more but on the days it is pissing down or blowing a gale force wind? They are equally happy to stay in doors. We have other, bigger dogs that we have to walk regardless, but if you only have one, it might be nice to stay in when the weather is truly terrible!

www.mumsnet.com/talk/the_doghouse/5152955-honesty-please-getting-a-puppy www.mumsnet.com/talk/the_doghouse/5152955-honesty-please-getting-a-puppy]]]]

May be worth reading through this thread about the ‘joys’ of puppy-hood.

It's in the news today that there is no quantifiable evidence that mixed breeds are healthier.

Look for a standard poodle ( they do come up in rescues too) can be a bit bitey as puppies but I haven't had house destruction of any type, worst was the heel of one of my shoes. Really lovely dogs. Do need grooming but with a sorter cut it's easily managed.

If ever you see a “I don’t think I can cope with my puppy” thread on MN, it’s usually a golden retriever.

I had a golden retriever puppy. I say had as she is no longer a puppy. Definitely not destructive what so ever, although was mouthy when excited as a pup. We live rurally so I think our walks help with her shedding, she loves to run through the heather! She is happy spending the day dozing in the garden or she can go walking for miles. They are incredibly easy going.

How long would you be walking for on a daily basis as an hour is an average dog walk really not a long walk . I wouldn’t get a Goldie with young children as they can be very mouthy as pups and also can knock smaller people over . Border terriers are lovely and if you get them hand stripped regularly there won’t be much hair .

@Meem321 maybe not. But 25 years of experience with 35+ dogs shows to me that they are. Plus, have never once met a breeder that wasn’t just in it for the money. Even the KC registered (which isn’t worth the paper it’s written on) and Crufts showing ones. None of them care about the dogs.

A golden retriever is actually the worst breed for you. Sweet natured yes. But very mouthy as puppies, chew everything (all puppies do!) And sheds enough to stuff a sofa.

A dog with little moulting and a golden retriever are not compatible. At all.

Be aware that you won't be able to just leave a puppy for 3 hours within a couple of weeks, they need to build up to that gradually.

Also 3 hours alone isn’t going to be possible for a while and some dogs never adapt to being left alone.

poodles would be good for you in many ways but they can be very prone to separation anxiety.

Good rescues are unlikely to rehome a puppy to you with primary aged children and if you are intending to be out the house from the start.

and people are correct when they say goldens are tricky around young kids. They will mouth (actually biting, be under no illusions). They particularly like boisterous flappy younger household members. When they are grown up they are wonderful but the first months are a challenge.

I have a two year old golden retriever and from
what you described that would not be a suitable breed - as others said they shed all year round, they are relatively high energy, need 1.5h+ good exercise a day as adults preferably off the lead. And they are extremely bitey as puppies, my legs were covered in bruises until my goldie was 6-7 months old. You probably want a smaller, lower energy dog, not a golden, lovely as they are

We have a retriever puppy. She is magnificent and, in my opinion, the world's best dog. However. For the first 7 or so months she was unbelievably bitey - our kids were scared of her as she was constantly jumping on them and biting their skin and clothes. We had to replace their coats and loads of uniform as the dog bit holes in everything. The biting has calmed now but she sheds very heavily, is constantly muddy, takes ages to dry when she gets wet (which is every walk as she is obsessed with water) and is really hyper and always 'on'. She is cuddly and affectionate but she doesn't relax much yet. On the plus side she slept through the night from the first week she came home, she can be left for a few hours, rarely barks, manages long walks and is very tolerant of the general noise and rough and tumble of the kids. Now she's got her adult teeth she doesn't nip and bite any more and is very clever and easyish to train. She loves everyone, humans and dogs alike and I can see that in a year or two she'll be a calm, easygoing pet. They don't start out like that though!

I have a 12 month old Golden and she has been nothing but a joy. Yes she has destroyed the odd item, but it has always been my fault for leaving things out. She will shred paper and cardboard for fun but is so beautiful I forgive her. She has had one of my old trainers for the whole time we've had her and not damaged it, I could wear it tomorrow. She has loads of toys and has never harmed one. Her recall is great and she is a pleasure to walk. I try to keep on top of grooming and tend to brush her outside, I like to think of all the birds having cosy nests lined with golden fur, when she is shedding it's hell, it's like tumbleweed. You will hoover but think that you imagined it. You will never wear black again but so what, it never suited me. She is often left for 3-4 hours at a time with no problem. She chewed my hand until 9 months but was so gentle that it never hurt, Goldens as a breed are meant to have soft mouths so they don't damage game retrieving it. I have had loads of dogs (goldens and other breeds) over the years and she is the easiest by far. I never worry about her behaviour with people or other dogs, she is bombproof.
The only downside is that I don't think I'll be able to have a wee alone ever again.
I realise that not all dogs are the same and that you get out what you put in, her litter brother who lives nearby is an a**hole.
I am so looking forward to the next 10+ years.