Offered a three year old golden retriever .. we've just met him ..

[goshwhatnow]

And he's divine ! Huge though, mouthy and affectionate.
This will be a rehomed dog as family situation is not suitable for a dog and the dog needs so much more than the family can cope with at the moment.
The dog is from a. Reputable breeder, kennel club , microchipped, vaccinated, wormed etc. I've seen all the paperwork.

When we met him, he was in a small area surrounded by a child safety gate.
He had not been out for his walk but had been out in the garden for
Most of the day.
He was extremely excited, mouthy... pulling at my sons sleeve and hand and actually put a hole in his sleeve. He was dying to get out and knocked through his safety gate. And big! He is so tall also when completely upright.
This is where he spends his evenings as kids are very small.

We are dying to have him as part of our family but need to know that we are a good fit for him and he is a good fit for us.
We are a family of four. Very calm, quiet and relaxed home. Plenty of room but normal sized garden, side passage with a large shed.
What would you advise here ?
Some More training or is this just the way grs are at this age and stage and f development ?

Ahhhweee I have no idea but he sounds amazing! I’m sure you will get some good advice but hope it goes well whatever you decide

If you are experienced, are willing to invest time and money into force free trainers to help with his general manners and ideally for him to, have a job - obedience/agility/hoopers/scenting….

He’s not going to be grateful for his new home. It will be hard, hard work.
He needs firm but kind boundaries.
They are sensitive souls, but willing to please.

If a private rehoming do not trust what the exisiting owners are saying about the dog.

I would not expect excessive mouthing with a 3 year old dog to cause damage to clothing. GR love to carry things in their mouths but not to be pulling at clothing at this age.

Are they actually walking the dog? I wonder if the poor thing is just going stir crazy.

I'd retrain him as if he's a puppy, back to basics. Crate train so your family and the dog can have peace from each other, for example. Establish a good routine, get professional advice and support. Avoid leaving the dog and children alone, even for a moment. Good luck!

The reality is you're unlikely to know from a single visit in these circumstances

My current dog on our initial walk (round a field with no one else in it) we were allowed to foster for two weeks where she mostly hid under a table. So we said yes, but knew we hadn't met the dog she would be.

We hadn't met the stupidly affectionate, blanket hog side of her, or the wicked smart smashed through agility grades side. We also hadn't met or seen any of her challenging side, the shoe stealing or annoying adolescent

It's really hard. Id say assume he is at his best and wont change and if you can cope with that then you are off to a good start!

Nothing screams red flag. I'd expect a young golden retriever to be excitable and mouthy, and would expect as long as you're okay with it for a period, that with training and the right stimulation it would decrease. But not promises

I'd also want to see what he was like out of the house but it's possible that wouldnt be a true reflection as he might be underwalked and over excited so rowdy or equally overwhelmed and unsure so quieter

How much do you trust the people? Ask them about anything that's important eg any reactivity, seperation or specific issues but take their answers with a grain of salt. I've known lovely dogs be rehomed as a menace and dogs with a bite history being rehomed as the perfect family pet

The reality is it's always a gamble unless there is a real foster period in a better set up

It's also worth saying that dogs that miss the important first bits can struggle long term

Do you suspect the dog is properly socialised and if not are you able to manage that?

My dog is my world, but she will be forever marked by her puppy years

My gut tells me that he hasn't been walked regularly and has lived in a. Home of excessive noise and chaos.
This is it a judgement. Their family life is very difficult which is why we are now in a position to offer this puppy a calm home which I think he has never lived in through no fault of his or the family's.

Hi Op. My daughter has an absolutely gorgeous 13year old Golden Retriever. This is very old age for this breed but get says he is doing very well for his age. Even now he loves everybody, loves life and greets us like a puppy when we visit.
They are big dogs so if you take him you need to be aware that he will need lots of training to walk properly on lead and make sure recall is solid. DDS dog goes deaf as soon as he's near water though pretty obedient apart from that.
Most importantly they are amazing family dogs. They love everybody and are totally sure that everybody loves them. DD's gorgeous one really thinks even other dog walkers have only come out of the house to pet him and will sit for ages being adored by adults and children alike while DD talks. He did mouth quite a bit as a puppy but as he's a retriever it was quite easy to get him to 'go fetch a toy' which he happily did instead.
Big issue is lots of moulting so constant brushing of coat and hoovering of floors and if he is 3 and hasn't been socialized much you will jet lots of loving, consistent training but I I do believe you won't find a more loyal, loving family orientated pet than a Golden Retriever if you decide to go ahead. 🐕‍🦺🐕😃

• this is not a judgement .

You cannot suddenly decide to crate a 3 year old dog if it has not been crated. It will go berserk and either injure itself or bite someone 🙄

Any decent breeder would have it in the contract that the dog is returned to them rather than privately rehomed. Is there a reason this isn't happening?

I think it's fair to have a proper think about the environment he grew up and lives in and be critical of it

It's not necessarily about judging why. For example a dog that's shut away, might be a dog that has had to be protected from overly proddy kids and might have learnt to resource guard. It's worth being honest about how often you think for example he's been walked for or exercised because it's you that will be dealing with the fact that he can't car travel for example

There's no perfect dog, just about what you can tolerate and have the set up for

For example
I'm fine with no toilet training, I'm fairly confident in my abilities and have a good set up

I absolutely struggle with barking because it annoys me.

I need a dog that's good at car travel but others don't care

If he stays mouthy and bouncy is that OK?

They are the best dogs but need exercise, ours will walk for miles and never be tired

It is also very true that a chaotic joke life with few walks ext will make him a bit overexcited to to take out at first. Our own small labradoodle was a rescue from a chaotic home so I know that, as another poster said up thread he will take a bit of patience to train. But lots of rewards/praise will have a gradual improving effect and he will try so hard to please you.A calm loving home sounds just right for him but please be sure you are committed to giving him a forever home. A second move would be awful for him

How honest do you think the current owners are?

Thats why she said crate train

Home life ...not joke life ...clumsy fingers but doesn't seem to far from the truth 🤔🦮😃🐕

How old is your youngest child op? Dog and toddler is HARD. My youngest is 2 and a half and you really can't relax fully for a minute, the supervision needed is insane.

Dogs are also super expensive.

I'm not saying don't do it but that's just what I wish people had told me. Google the amount of walks he'll need daily and think long and hard if you can commit to it.

Are there any good dog parks in your area that you can hire privately? They are a game changer as your dog can go berserk for an hour and you know another dog isn't going to pop up or whatever, the space is yours. We take our greyhound to one for 30 mins a week, £6.

If you do go ahead can I recommend investing in a couple of tall dog gates. We have a large breed and gates are essential.

Why isn't he going back to the breeder, is that not in the contract when they brought him? I would be very cautious, he basically sounds totally untrained and you don't really know anything about his history, only what this family are telling you which may not be the truth. How much money are they asking for him?

I understand what you mean. I think this is why professional support would be really helpful. Crate training can be done very slowly, in small increments with lots of treats and rewards, rather than letting them get scared and worked up. Crate training can be hugely beneficial for the right dog as it allows them some peace from the household, their own space, etc.

I would have thought a 3 year old male GR described as huge is too big for crating in a normal sized house...

(FWIW, giant breed, never crated)

Also, as soon as that dog had grabbed your child’s arm, you should’ve said no get a treat and when he stopped, then give him a treat because he is going to see it as a big game. It isn’t a game with a dog that size you need to understand right from the very start you have to be in control.

I think his current owners should surrender him to a shelter where experienced people can assess his needs and provide initial training. If they're trying to sell him to you, they're not going to be honest.

I think it's a risk - he's 3, not a puppy.