I am on my third golden and looking to breed him or get another pup about January of next year (his replacement).
The first two were outside dogs and not allowed in the house very often. However both of them were trained to run field trials and to hunt. They were trained just about every other day (retrieving stuff) and every day on some sort of obedience. Even if it was only five minutes (it counts). When I worked on something outside they came out of the yard and "helped". Under a watchful eye and not allowed to stray.
The third one is an inside dog and a constant companion,excellent burglar alarm and early warning system. He has rules and boundaries and he knows what they are and knows when he breaks them..Usually when I'm not watching!!! Just like a kid and they generally act just like em.
The point of all this is any dog will be only as good as you make him and as much time as you spend with him.
Any retriever breed is a high performance dog, and I believe intelligent, an eager to please. They were bred to work.
If you just want him to sit in front of the fireplace or the couch and look pretty and not put effort into exercise,training, and bonding with him you will be sorely disappointed and it won't be his fault.
All of these dogs were an integral part of the family.
Another .02 if you get a puppy you need to think ahead of him and you will save a lot of grief.
PS: They all hated cats [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img] Good Boy!!
Mike
Another factor to consider with goldens or any other popular breed is that they are considered cash crops by unscrupulous individuals who capitalize on the public's ignorance of what a good breeding program should be.
We have a fellow just across the border in Quebec who advertizes "farm raised goldens since 1967." The problem is that pups raised in a barn without human contact are not well socialized, and tend not to bond to humans as well as their more appropriately raised brothers and sisters. This fellow turns out several litters each year (his breeding bitches don't leave the barn -- in fact, one bitch we managed to get from him had not seen sunlight in years!), and the pups sell well because, like all golden puppies, they're cute! But we have seen so many medical and behavioral problems coming out of his breeding "program" that we no longer accept his dogs into our program.
Not all backyard breeders are that bad, but in the popular breeds they are numerous enough that you'll want to check the history of their program and past litters. Before buying Tuppence the Wonder Pup, our only non-rescue companion, we researched breeders for two years...then went on a two year waiting list! When Tuppence came into our home she was in perfect health, had a perfectly golden personality, had regular vet checks, was groomed every day of her life and had her claws trimmed twice weekly. Anyone who has had a long-haired breed in the country knows how important grooming is, and what a pain it can be if the dog doesn't like it! With Tuppence, I pick up a brush and she's parked in front of me in a perfect sit. She can turn the lights on and off, brings me basic tools when I'm under the tractor (she knows wrench, but not which size; screwdriver, but not Standard or Phillips; and ratchet, but not socket). She knows to jump onto the tractor only when invited, and then only from the left side to avoid the HST pedal. She fetches firewood with me, or will carry pieces from the woodshed to the house one at a time if it's too cold for humans to venture outside in bathrobes. Best of all, she'll have a good, long, healthy life.
Contrast that with the aggressive, disobedient, destructive dogs developing hip dysplasia and cataracts within five years of birth coming from our "friend" up north.
If you're not sure what to look for in a breeder, send me an email or visit our Website. But rememer, the more popular the breed, the more unscrupulous breeders you'll find.
I feel your pain. I asked a puppy question out here and got lambasted by one member (and I had done much research). I completely disagree with anyone who told you that cats need to be inside. I am hugely opposed to providing a cat a litter box and keeping it clean daily, etc. My cats live outside (actually in the garage with a cat door to the great outdoors). The cats will go to the bathroom wherever they want but it's always under some mulch or moveable soil type area. No big deal. These cats appear to be very happy to be outdoors - they are good hunters and get along great with the kids.
I have a 9 month old female Rhodesian Ridgeback (this is a dog if you didn't now) that is now my constant companion when I'm outside. She is allowed in the house only at night when my two youngest kids are asleep. She is too big for them and loves to play. My overall intention is to have her being in the house all the time but that's just not possible right now. We have mastered potty training and she has not gone in the house for months. She also never goes crap on the lawn but goes out in areas where I could really care less. I bought this particular breed because they are short haired and shed little (necessary for being in the house), known only to bark when something bothers them (almost never at this point), and are great family and also watch dogs.
I think you should absolutely give a dog a try if you are willing to:
1) Spend as much time as possible with your new companion. This will require tireless patience, training, etc. dogs are very smart and can be tought anything given a patient teacher.
2) Do some research on the breed you might be interested in to find out that breeds quirks (both good and bad).
3) Are willing to keep a constant eye on the dog through puppyhood and adolescence. It isn't much different than having young children areound the house.
4) Are willing to overlook some digging in places where you might not need holes and if you get a puppy be prepared for chewing of almost anything.
Sorry for being so long winded - but I took the plunge and got the puppy anyway and while I won't say it hasn't been a tremendous amount of work - right now I would say it has been great.
Best of luck!! [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
Dear Mosey,
I find it hard to believe you could not make a cat "work out".
What did you expect from the cat? They are independent creatures but some are more lovable than others too. We have Max who is almost 7 and is such a mush, but does not like to be held.
On the other hand, your children are a little young for dogs and I agree with the other folks, dogs need to be around people especially if you want them to behave well around your children. Dogs are social and if kept in a pen outside, will be noisy, and destructive and wild when you finally let them out to play with the children. Consider a medium sized dog you can keep indoors. My border collie mix does go in one area of the yard, not all over. After getting her, she was 10 months old from the dog pound, we took her where we wanted her to go and she now goes there on her own, even if off leash. Keep your dog on a leash when you take them out and they need play time. It's a long term investment and can be costly, but if well worth it with the love you get in return. Daisy was an abused animal when we took her into our home, but she was used to being outside as a stray and housebroke herself very easily and is now very protective of me as her owner. Please think about it carefully and do not get a dog for the holidays, too stressful for them and you.
Good luck
A pet lover
Laura
We have had dogs for years....and now we have 3(and 3 cats and 3 horses), but in the future will limit to 2 at a time just for convenience sake(when trying to travel, etc). If you have a fairly small area that the dog is doing it's "business" in then it will eventually settle on an area for all "business".....we live in the country and let our dogs run loose....2 of the 3 go in different places...our St Bernard seems to like the woods for this function(and I think he likes to go on adventures too!). We have always had indoor dogs(even Rocky..the St. B. stays on the enclosed porch with a cat) and have never had a problem with continued barking...they will let us know when something/somebody is near the house though. We have found that medium size dogs tend to have better attitudes toward training, etc....that's not to say that other size dogs have bad attitudes though...you'll find that..just as cats do...each dog has their own personality. We have found that mixed breeds tend to be healthier than pure breeds, not sure if this is coincidence or a problem with the mass breeding these days. We will always check our SPCA on future pets...maybe if more people did this there would be less puppy mills? Now, if you ever get 2 dogs and 1 of them is a mature dog the training is so much easier...seems the pup learns quickly from the mature dog....and after they become buddies the younger dog helps keep the older dog active and "younger".
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