want to get a pet

Snapdragon

Gosh this is scary, never posted before! Been lurking for a while, picking up lots of valuable info but never felt I had anything to offer.

However having bought an 8 week old golden retriever, 5months ago, I can warn of some of the things to expect based on recent experience.

Like yourself I work from home and thought I'd have the time to cope with the demands of a puppy. He looked cute and adorable at 8 weeks and whilst obviously I knew they got big, I didn't realise how quickly! At 7 months he's enormous and VERY strong. He requires a LOT of attention. He can already reach everything on the kitchen work-surfaces, so nothing is safe. What he can eat, he'll wolf down as soon as your back is turned so don't leave your toast unattended while you get the butter from the fridge and if he can't eat it he'll chew it to bits.

I couldn't agree more with the comments about the hairs, they get everywhere and cling to your clothes, so don't expect your home or yourself to ever be neat and tidy again with a GR around.

The cost is also far more than I had anticipated. About £1000 in 5 months and that doesn't include the £550 to buy him.
I thought I did quite a bit of research before making the decision to get him but nothing could have prepared me for the reality. After our experience I would have to advise, think very carefully, its a BIG commitment.

HTH
Snapdragon

Dora_the_Explorer_5

I'm sure things will get better Snapdragon - your big lad sounds rather like an unruly teenager - have you thought about dog training classes? It's said that if you want to own a cat or a dog, prepare to keep your decent clothes in the garage or look like a Yeti.

tipsychick

You're post brings back some (not so fond) memories Snapdragon!

When our GR was a puppy, every morning we'd come down and he had grown! When you're chosing a puppy it's worth looking at the size of their paws. Our GR had huge paws at eight weeks and he definitely grew into them!

GRs do have enormous appetites and no self-control! (They always say owners look like their dogs and I certainly bonded with my GR on that one!) Ours stole an enormous truckle of cheddar cheese one Xmas and charged off behind the Xmas tree to scoff it! My mum was found mad and screaming, on her hands and knees, bottom in the air, desperately trying to retrieve it amid great flying clumps of blonde fur and tinsel!

Definitely agree about how strong they are. My mum ended up with a frozen shoulder from desperately trying to hang onto ours. They aren't really a dog for life in the city. They need loads of open space and long walks.

They do eventually calm down a bit. You could always get him neutered. We did, on the advice of the vet and it did make a lot of difference.

Not sure if this is typical GR behaviour but ours was appalling in the car. He had to have the window completely wound down and would stand bolt upright, almost completely out of it. Mind you, he was having uncontrollable diarrhoea at the other end at the time, so we all understood why!

Snapdragon

Actually tipsychick/dora a fair bit of that expense was training costs, special collars/harnesses & vets bills. We had him neutered on the advice of the trainer who said it might help to calm him down, but it didn't seem to have any impact.
We had no choice but to opt for extra training, after the puppy socialisation classes because he was so strong and so wilfull, he practically took your arm out of the socket when trying to take him for a walk!
Our trainer said in 18yrs of training he'd never come across such a strong willed character. Not really what you want to here when you are a total beginner with dogs.

Nile

Hello Snapdragon


Welcome to the MSE site.:wave:

catkins

I have 2 cats and a dog. The dog is much more of a tie. Luckily I am home all day (I work evenings so that my dog is not left alone). As much as I love my cats, I am more attached to my dog as they are much more dependent on you. I walk him for 2 hours every morning and then an hour in the afternoon. He doesn't moult so I only have cat hair problems. There are several breeds that don't moult and it may be worth looking at these. I am not that houseproud (don't think you can be with animals) but I know I personally could not have a dog that moulted. As much as I love dogs, when I go to friends' houses and see the amount of hair around and the amount that ends up on my clothes!

Dogs need a lot of exercise regardless of the weather - you can't tell a dog you're not walking it because its raining/snowing/whatever. They can be destructive as puppies, need a lot of time spent on training etc. A rescue dog can be good in that it may well be housetrained, not chew anymore etc but as someone who has had 7 rescue dogs in the past, they often come with their own set of problems, especially if they have been illtreated in the past. I was never able to let any of the rescue dogs off the lead as they had not been trained to come back and as they were large dogs it was difficult trying to give them enough exercise. Having said that, I know people with rescue dogs and most of them have had no problems at all, particularly ones with greyhounds.

One final note, I disagree with a previous poster with regard to male dogs. I have had males and females (all of whom have been spayed/neutered) and I personally have found the males to be more affectionate. I have never had problems with them being aggressive and they certainly don't wee up every post or tree

Dora_the_Explorer_5

Our trainer said in 18yrs of training he'd never come across such a strong willed character. Not really what you want to here when you are a total beginner with dogs.
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Oh dear - and no help whatsoever unless they came up with an action plan to teach the dog manners. The TV program It's Me or the Dog is excellent, it shows what works and how things go wrong. I'm not sure if Victoria Stillwell has written a book, but suspect there might be one in the offing to tie in with the program.