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 ?

This is true, sadly. That goldens can be very challenging can surprise people.

I had one who could become aggressive to other dogs in an instant, also stubborn as hell and possessive. Course he had some fabulous traits and my life and home meant that I could manage him well, and enjoyed having him, but no way on earth could I have rehomed him to a family home. Just too unpredictable.

If you have all the papers have you looked into his breeding? And why is the breeder not taking the dog back? A responsible breeder will insist, likely in the sale contract, that they should be contacted if a rehome situation comes up.

I get bad vibes and like others it feels you’re not getting the full picture. I actually disagree with other posters in that I think taking him a walk would be helpful, but again it’s suspicious that the owner won’t allow it.

Certainly sounds like you’re going to give whatever dog you get a wonderful home though.

You should be prepared to give him a lot of exercise.
Our retriever has as a minimum a good hour’s walking in a morning, preferably with running off lead. Another shorter walk mid day and then at least an hour’s walk later in the day, again with time off the lead, and lots of running.
He is intelligent and needs interesting walks, plodding around suburban streets wouldn’t satisfy him.
If he doesn’t get out enough he gets into mischief.
Even our small dog needs at least one long walk a day with lots of off lead running.
If you are prepared to put the time in and to train the dog properly you will have a wonderful companion.
I imagine it won’t be easy after he has had such a poor start in life. I hope he finds a home, whether yours or another, where his needs are met.

It's unusual to find a golden for re homing who doesn't have issues.

Our local golden retriever club runs a rescue, they barely ever have any dogs in and if they do they have complex needs and still get snapped up fast by experienced owners.

If this dog came from a good breeder the breeder would be taking him back (it's in both of mine's contracts that I must give back to the breeder). The current owner could also contact the breed club for support on re homing, I expect they are not because they don't want to show themselves up for being shit owners.

Walk away OP, I wouldn't take on a rehomed golden with children, and I got my last as a puppy when my daughter wasn't even 2 (with full support from breeder as I'm an experienced golden owner who works from home etc). I'm not afraid of a challenge but his history is unknown and you can't trust what the guy says. Too risky with children.

He's a lockdown puppy, when prices for pedigrees were at their peak and he wants to give him to you for FREE without a test drive?! (sorry, using the used car analogy PP said!)

He's hiding something from you, and it's massive. I'm sorry. I'd probably be like you and talk myself into it, but you will regret it.

As others have said, if he's from a reputable breeder he should have gone back to that breeder, not rehomed by the owner.

Also, have you seen him around food? Resource guarding can be an issue with some Goldies.

Dogs are adaptable to who they live with even on a temporary basis. Their aim is to please and be rewarded with kind words. Plus little treats work well.

When my daughter's dog stays with me sometimes, she will often say, "he doesn't do that with me." No, that's because she's giddy playing with him whereas I'm older and quieter so he is too when here.

Your Goldie won't adapt straight away of course, he needs time to figure it out and how your family works. I wouldn't rush him into training sessions straight away, if ever, let him settle in. The only time any of my dogs went for training was to do flyball and agility.

I always know when the balance is right when the dog does what you want, a second before you ask it to.

You are very lucky to get this chance as they are lovely dogs.

I agree with people who are saying there's a reason he won't let you take the dog for a walk. It probably explains why the dog doesn't get walked.

Reactivity will be the issue. Almost certainly it is aggressive around other dogs and with a Goldie - given their size - it’s the last thing a novice owner needs. Possibly nervous to. Poor socialisation and a shit owner (oh what a surprise with a private rehome).

No one should be getting a dog through private re-home as the risks are just ridiculously insane. But absolutely no one should be getting a big dog through private rehome.

OP - let’s be honest, it’s because the dog is free isn’t it? You’re too stingy to pay for a rescue or a puppy, and this free dog from a ‘family friendly’ breed has popped up and you think it’s your lucky day.

It’s not. There is a reason this dog is free. There is a reason this guy won’t let you walk him. There is a reason that he won’t take him to a breed specific rescue or back to the breeder. There is a reason he’s saying he has lots of interested people (because he’s pressuring you to get rid of a problems dog). If he loved his dog, he would do this properly. He doesn’t love his dog. He wants a problem gone.

Stable Goldies are that age do NOT appear on gumtree or pets4homes or whenever you found this guy. They just don’t.

And the people saying you should go for it - which let’s be honest you’re going to, because you’re clearly ignoring everyone whose said this is a bad idea - are twats. This will end in tears and probably with a serious bite.

He is a rehoming through our local animal sanctuary. You're wrong. This is not a money issue.

Then if he’s doing it through a local sanctuary, they should be involved and the people wanting the dog should be properly vetted and you should get more than a short meeting to decided.

BUT ignoring that. Everything else I have flagged? That’s not wrong, is it?

I'm rooting for this poor dog but there'd be no chance that I'd risk the health and wellbeing of my dc and unsuspecting other dogs (plus they their owners) they'd encounter on walks by taking on this particular dog. The whole transaction sounds questionable. If you do end up taking him on, I'd be genuinely interested in updates. I hope this poor pup will find a suitable home but not with children.

I'd have only contempt for the current owner though, as let's face it, the dog has been abused in this home.😢On that basis, I wouldn't trust him. It's hilarious that he's trying to force your hand by saying there is a huge queue of people wanting to give the dog a new home. It's a sleazy estate agent tactic, totally immoral way to go about rehoming a dog.😡

@Killingoffmyflowersonebyone what are you talking about??? You're not wrong about what???
I don't even know this dog but you certainly don't so I've no idea why you think you have some type of superiority on my decisions and reply like you have some sort of authority on this situation.
I asked for advice which I'm reading very carefully . I'm doing the homework and research. That's why I'm here.
As it stands I feel I'm being lied to which is why I'm Ringing the vet this morning and will also ring the sanctuary.

Golden retrievers are large powerful dogs, and while they are nowhere near a pitbulls reputation, they have mauled owners and children to death before.

You know how you see stories of people 'adopting' large powerful adult dogs like rottweilers and German shepherds (and not from a proper rescue), then hear the story of someone in the family being bitten, and you think to yourself 'well, that was stupid'....

Unless you are a professional dog trainer, I would be very cautious. Especially as you have a son still living at home. You cannot trust what the owners are telling you, you do not know the dogs history (and are unlikely to see it's worst behaviour at the first meeting).

Most people wouldn't do this. For a very good reason.

You keep saying about papers - this means bugger all. If he has such a long list of people waiting and you're hesitant, why is he putting pressure on you to take the dog?

There are a lot of alarm bells ringing on this one, you should walk away, although I suspect you won't.

Ahh poor thing. I wouldn’t take him as the owners response to your very reasonable requests is very suspect. I’ve had two golden retrievers and they are gorgeous dogs but exceptionally strong (mine would pull you over at the sight of water) and usually very food orientated. Another one of ours would rip out bins and got quite possessive over food which can be a big problem unless it’s nipped in the bud early. A golden rescue is the best bet for him where they can assess the issues and place him in a suitable home. In my opinion as well, anyone that tries to offload a dog for free is trying to cover up some major issues.

Also big resource guarding problems in GR lines currently

I would say this is a typical lockdown dog, untrained, unsocialised and the owners want to offload it and make it someone else’s problem. I have a friend who has a dog like this and it’s very hard going.

It doesn’t sound like a particularly reputable animal sanctuary if they’re not vetting potential owners properly or allowing you to take/see it on walks. Most rescues I’ve known want to do everything they can to make sure the new home is adequately set up to handle the dog’s needs and a good fit for them to minimise seeing the dog bounce from home to home. I’m also surprised they don’t charge a rehoming fee.

You’re ringing the vet because you think you’re being lied to?! The vet can’t tell you about a dog it doesn’t know and hasn’t seen? They’re not there to advise people about buying a dog 😂And if the vet does know the dog, they certainly should not be telling you about any issues it has - that’s just so wrong on so many levels - at least not without the owner present. The sanctuary, likewise, will not be able to help because they very rarely know the full history of a dog (something that anyone who fosters knows - every time you take a new dog into your home as a fosterer you are taking a risk because no one knows how the dog will react) or how it will react in a new home. They can give a best guess - which will have relied on total honesty of the owner and given you’ve already said you feel you’re being lied to, he’s almost certainly lied to them - but even then they will not know how the dog will react in your home. And given the sanctuary hasn’t vetted you, I wouldn’t trust a single word they say anyway. They sound grossly irresponsible

Lots of other people have said the same thing as I have - just not as honestly. But I am being honest because I think you need someone to do it with no frills and no ‘it may work out.’ This dog is probably close too or over 40KG with an incredible bite force - you need someone to be honest. I do have more authority (I.e experience) than you on this situation - 20+ years as a vet and 10 years as a fosterer - because I’ve seen it hundreds of times, you have not. So, I do know what I’m talking about when I say this dog will have serious issues, the owner is irresponsible and doesn’t care for their dog and anyone who takes this dog will end up regretting it unless they are experienced. And if this dog does have issues and reactivity or aggression, then if you are bitten it will be serious - life changing.

If you don’t want to take my advice because it sounds superior or because it’s eloquently written (which I think is what you meant) then that is fine. Ultimately, I’ve given good advice to try and help - if you don’t want to take it then that is on you.

I can see the point that this person is making and believe me, she really does know what she's talking about.
However, I do feel that you would be a safer option for this dog than a completely unsuspecting family with younger children would.
You do seem to be willing to consider that this dog may have issues but whether you are equipped to deal with them will depend on the severity, and this is something you may not actually find out until the dog is actually in your home.
It is a big risk and ideally it would have been better if he could have been taken on and properly assessed by GR Rescue before being rehomed.

It is perfectly possible that this dog has no “issues” what so ever, other than under walked and under socialised. No on here can say “this dog will have issues” vet or not, because none of us actually know. He might, he might not. One of my own, literally bomb proof and extremely placid rescues would go absolutely bananas if he was never walked and locked outside constantly. That is no life for a dog.
And yes, I am very experienced. We’ve adopted almost 40 dogs, some without ever having met them. But we have the time and space to manage any issues and they have all, every single one, turned out fine.
Having said that, it is unusual if this dog is being rehomed via a dog rescue, that he hasn’t been assessed? I am part of an assessors group so go out and visit the dogs that people want to rehome and look at their behaviour (and what the owners might be hiding. In the overwhelming majority of cases, they’ve bought a dog without thinking it through and now can’t be arsed or can’t afford to look after it) In all the assessments I have done, there was only one where the dog wasn't safe to be rehomed, due to extremely severe aggression. The rest have been successfully rehomed and gone on to live happy lives with new owners.
I would ask the dog sanctuary to arrange an assessment (it’s a free service) because that always includes walking the dog and seeing how it behaves in a variety of situations. That will tell you what you need to know.

I am ringing the vet to confirm that the dog has no poor health history as told and that he is fully vaccinated etc. I don't understand the laughing emoji at this suggestion?
I have contacted the sanctuary to
Ask about the dog, his history etc.
I am dubious about not being allowed to take the dog for a walk or spend a little time with us to ensure we are all a good fit and there is no way that I can in conscience take a dog home when I have been told all information solely from an owner who clearly wants rid and fast .

Would you marry a man showing red flags that you didn't really know?

Would you take on a second hand car with the warning light on, without knowing what the light was for, no test drive?

I know that this seems like a good idea and it's pulling on the heart strings, but using your head only, this dog is an absolute problem. The owners have something to hide for sure, I would steer well clear of it. Other dogs are available, just like other men/cars etc

I’m sorry but a smart vet will not share that information with you - not without the owners consent, which should be written and specific in what they are willing to have divulged - it’s confidential. They could lose their jobs if they do.

I know you won’t believe me so; https://www.rcvs.org.uk/setting-standards/advice-and-guidance/code-of-professional-conduct-for-veterinary-surgeons/supporting-guidance/client-confidentiality/

Edit: to correct ‘good vet’ to ‘smart vet.’

Now comparing the dog to a marriage 😂😂😂😂

I doubt this man is going to send a violent dog your way without disclosing! In that case he would just get the thing put down

Only on here would people make up such crazy theories