Looking to buy a golden retriever puppy this summer.

[FlamesGirl]

^^^great post.

If you're looking for a dog that will have a minimal impact on your schedule, look into getting older dog, like 2 yrs and up. They're calmer, generally need less exercise, already house-broken and usually crate-trained, can be left alone longer and have outgrown/been trained out of puppy antics like chewing everything in sight or left on the ground and nipping and biting constantly. You may not know that golden retriever pups are generally known as "landsharks" due their incessant nipping and biting while growing up.

Another bonus with older dogs is that their personality is already established so what you see is generally what you get (but you can fine-tune with obedience training). If you want a less vocal, child-friendly, less active dog, you can find one in a shelter/rescue and there's little to no guess work.

If you really want a golden retriever, a puppy frm a breeder isn't the only route. There are lots of purebred goldens in rescues and some rescues are golden retriever specific.

http://adopt-a-golden-retriever.adoptapet.com/

http://www.grcab.com/Golden_Retrieve...en_Rescue.html

Check out the Calgary Humane Society - they had an older golden retriever there 2 weeks ago. Because goldens are more popular, they pop up in the shelters more often just due to their numbers alone.

[LGA]

Originally Posted by SeeBass

I have lost my best friend of 15 years a little while ago.

I have cried a little or a lot everyday since.

Sorry to hear that. I lost one of my dogs not too long ago too (just over a month and a half now).

She was an awesome dog, and makes me highly recommend Doberman's as a breed to people. Super loyal, smart and obedient, plus every dobie I've ever met loves to cuddle. There's something awesome about a dog that'll bark to tell you that your stupidity led to you forgetting something in the kitchen and burning it, who sits down with you to watch TV and all those other things good dogs do.

I'm thankful for my other dog every day though, he has become much more outgoing and attention seeking, it's like he's trying to fill some of the gaps she left.

[afc wimbledon]

Just spent an hour trying to fish my Jack Russel out of the crawl space when it worked out where I was trapping the squirrels. If you think a squirrel makes a bit of a racket in your crawl space try a 30 pound Jack terrier cross chasing it!!

[SeeBass]

Originally Posted by LGA

Sorry to hear that. I lost one of my dogs not too long ago too (just over a month and a half now).

She was an awesome dog, and makes me highly recommend Doberman's as a breed to people. Super loyal, smart and obedient, plus every dobie I've ever met loves to cuddle. There's something awesome about a dog that'll bark to tell you that your stupidity led to you forgetting something in the kitchen and burning it, who sits down with you to watch TV and all those other things good dogs do.

I'm thankful for my other dog every day though, he has become much more outgoing and attention seeking, it's like he's trying to fill some of the gaps she left.

I lost mine about that long ago too. I still have another one like you but different breed. The lone dog has realized the absence of the more dominate dog and has started to be more attention seeking too. I noticed she is more fussy about what treats she gets now and she eats her food whenever she feels like it now as there is no fear of losing it.

It was only this week that it finally sunk in that he won't be coming back. It has been a lousy 5 weeks and the dreary skies haven't helped either.

[Rerun]

Originally Posted by Ace Handy

Before you get a puppy, know this...... they are a pain in the a$$ and will change your life. You won't be able to crash at friends after a night of drinking, you will have to consider what you're going to do with the dog if you want to go away for the weekend/week, and you will lose countless shoes, jackets, etc. Not to mention when company is over and the dog comes running in with the wife's thong in her jaws (actually pretty hilarious).

In many ways they're harder than a baby. Babies can go with you wherever you go, babies can't disappear for 2 seconds and before you know it you've lost an entire 24 pack of toilet paper. I'm not saying dogs are harder to raise than children, I'm saying for the first year they are in some ways harder.

Getting my dog was one of the best decisions of my life and I'm not trying to dissuade you from getting a pooch. However, you really need to consider whether you are prepared for it. By the sounds of it, you may be better off with a rescue dog, something more mature that can handle long stretches alone and down time. Something less rambunctious. Not to mention they are waaaaay cheaper than a breeder will charge and you'd be doing some wonderful dog a service.

Good luck!

Thanks for the advice.

Since I originally posted this I have done a lot of research.

My wife and I are in our early 50's so going out boozing at night and crashing on somebodies couch isn't and issue....

We don't go away for the weekend a lot but if we do we will either take the dog with us or have friends or relatives babysit (daughter, brother-in-law...thats what your kids and other relatives are for right?) The daughter (24 years old) lives in Calgary and the bro-in-law lives in Okotoks.

As for the thong issue... my wife refuses to wear them .... damn. So not a problem.

In the first year, and perhaps longer, I'm thinking about taking the dog to work with me and to doggy day care (good for us and good for the dog re socialization). Both my wife and I work and are gone from 7:15 am to 5:00 pm and I now now that this is way too long to leave a pup alone. As for where the dog would spend time when he's older... doggy day care will probably continue as well as leaving the dog at home in the house. We have a house with a finished walk out basement with two large windows (8 ft x 5 ft) and one smaller window which provide lots of light. Because its the basement, our older furniture is down there, so if there is damage done its not a big deal.

My wife also wants to get a cat... maybe even two... and the cat(s) would definitely be company for the dog during the day at home. Raise them together and hopefully they would be best of buds.

As for walking the dog daily thats not a problem. I joked in my original post that maybe the dog would force me to get out more... but between me and my wife the dog will get plenty of exercise. I might even take up hunting again (I've never tried pheasant hunting and would love to get into it). I'd look forward to going to retrieval classes with my new best buddy and learning the ropes together. I've been looking at the Wild Rose Hunting Retreiver Club website ... http://wrhrc.com/ ... very interesting and looks like a lot of fun.

I'm also a bit of an outdoor off-roading enthusiest and I know the dog would have fun doing that. I have a friend who has a dog... a lab... and he would bring the dog out on the trails and the dog would run for miles with us.

We also live in Okotoks... actually right on the edge of one of the residential areas (Sheep River Heights) and the river is only a 10 minute walk from the house so there are lots of places for the dog to run free while we're out for a walk.

I also plan to go to obedience class with my new pup. Hopefully I won't be to difficult to train and I'll pick things up quickly...

[FlamesGirl]

Aw, sounds like any dog would love living with your family. Not sure if it's still the look of a golden you're going for or just a hunting dog in particular...but there's a pup up for rescue on AARCS. Sounds like his dad was a golden retriever, but "Jefferey" looks more like a lab...here's the link to his page:

http://www.albertaanimalrescuecrew.c...Page=adoptions

Also, looks like Misty Creek has some labradors and an older golden retriever who'd probably be grateful for a better life:

http://www.mistycreekdogrescue.com/dogs.php

Oops a Dazy has a few golden looking pups too: http://www.oopsadazy.com/index.php?c...17_sectionid=2

So does Pawsitive Match: http://www.pawsitivematch.org/Dogs_for_Adoption.php

Hopefully that gives you some options...if you're still wanting a purebred, go to www.goldenretrieverforum.com and visit the breeder, rescue, and puppy (up to 1yr old) forums. Lots of info on what to look for in choosing a pup AND a quality breeder.

[Rerun]

Just a quick update....

My wife and I are going to be parents!!!

We will be picking up our pup at the end of August from Wendy Petkau of Auburnmist Kennels. Thanks Traditional_Ale for the heads up about Wendy and her great goldens. Wendy not only breeds her dogs for show, but she is also heavily involved in Agility Trials, as well as operating a boarding kennel, daycare, and a training facility. She is also a certified show judge. I have no idea where she finds the time to do it all.

In the past few months I've learned a lot. Buying a purebred CKC registered pup is expensive! I've been quoted anywhere from $1000 to $1300 for a pup.... and thats for a dog which is sold on a non-breeding contract!

My wife and I will be heading over to Auburnmist (www.auburnmist.com ) this weekend for the first time to look at the new litter of pups. It was quite an experience to even get approved to purchase a new pup. A lot of breeders request that you complete an extensive questionaire before they will even talk to you. ie... http://tyneheadretrievers.com/wp-con...tionsurvey.pdf

Wendy of Auburnmist didn't ask us to fill out a questionaire. She did however want to meet with us, after e-mailing back and forth a couple of times and talking on the phone another couple of times, we ended up meeting for the first time and talking for about half an hour about all sorts of things. I've learned that the quality breeders (you generally won't find them advertising on Kijiji) are very particular about who they sell their puppies to.

Frankly I wanted to go the CKC registered breeder route because of the fact that all reputable breeders will supply the medical documents with your puppy certifying that both the sire and the dam are healthy and have passed their hips, elbows, heart, and eyes check (those are the main things I have been told told to make sure I get before purchasing a pup.) Most sellers on Kijiji cannot supply this documentation.

[FlamesGirl]

Good for you for getting your pup from a reputable breeder and not supporting the backyard breeders who breed their dogs because they can or for other stupid reasons, like "Fluffy wants a boyfriend!" or whatever.

I highly suggest you check out http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com/ and look through the puppy forum. There's tons of threads and good advice from trainers helping people with normal golden retriever puppy issues and threads like "What do I need before bringing my puppy home?" "Ten Essential Puppy Supplies", etc. It's a great informative site that is breed specific. Lots of posters are trainers and have champions in obedience, agility, conformation, etc.

Have fun with your pup!

[Jetsfan]

Great choice!

[pylon]

Aw jeez, some please adopt this dog.... what a good looking animal. I would be all over it if I had the space for him:



This is the first dog from flamesgirl's post.

[greyshep]

Looks like I am a bit late into the party here, but since we are talking goldens, rescues and cross breeds, I figured I needed to share...

Here is my fairly recent rescue dog from pets for life. We were fortunate enough to get Max in November. (He turned 1 in May) He isnt a purebred golden, but its definitely his dominant breed in whatever mix he is. Absolutely amazing dog, I highly recommend rescue dogs!

[Jayems]

my sister and her husband got their chocolate lab about a week ago. good god, cute as hell but crazy rambunctious. needs a lot of training at that age. lots, and lots and lots of work.

[Zevo]

Originally Posted by greyshep

Looks like I am a bit late into the party here, but since we are talking goldens, rescues and cross breeds, I figured I needed to share...

Here is my fairly recent rescue dog from pets for life. We were fortunate enough to get Max in November. (He turned 1 in May) He isnt a purebred golden, but its definitely his dominant breed in whatever mix he is. Absolutely amazing dog, I highly recommend rescue dogs!

Nice looking dog! From the markings and the eyes it looks like he definitely has some border collie in him.

I'll bet he is one smart cookie.

[socktape]

Originally Posted by greyshep

Looks like I am a bit late into the party here, but since we are talking goldens, rescues and cross breeds, I figured I needed to share...

Here is my fairly recent rescue dog from pets for life. We were fortunate enough to get Max in November. (He turned 1 in May) He isnt a purebred golden, but its definitely his dominant breed in whatever mix he is. Absolutely amazing dog, I highly recommend rescue dogs!

Max looks a lot like our rescue dog Henry. Almost the exact same coloring pattern although Henry is a touch darker and a little more Collie in him than Max. It is almost like looking into the future.

[greyshep]

Originally Posted by Zevo

Nice looking dog! From the markings and the eyes it looks like he definitely has some border collie in him.

I'll bet he is one smart cookie.

Nice catch there. Actually the rescue organization suggested he may be crossed with a border collie too.

Yes he is a pretty sharp nut, he picks up tricks quite quickly. Quite a goofball as well.

[JustAnotherGuy]

I have a rescue dog. She is not that smart. She always loses the tennis ball. But she is very loyal and likes her pack. I never have to worry about her getting out of the yard.

[Rerun]

Just a bit of an update....

My wife and I went out to Auburnmist Kennels last Sunday to look at the new golden retriever puppies. There are two litters... one litter (10 pups) was born July 3 and my wife took a picture of one of the pups..



This is the mother (Zoomy)



The other litter (7 pups) was born on July 7... didn't take a pic of any of the pups but here is the mother...



The father (Tim) to both litters is here...



Looking forward to getting our pup around the end of August / beginning of September. Don't know which pup we will get or from which litter but we have been promised one and it will be a male. Right now we've been stocking up on all the stuff you need to buy for a new puppy.

I suspect that the month of August will go by very slowly.

[Cowperson]

Originally Posted by Rerun

Just a bit of an update....

My wife and I went out to Auburnmist Kennels last Sunday to look at the new golden retriever puppies. There are two litters... one litter (10 pups) was born July 3 and my wife took a picture of one of the pups..




Looking forward to getting our pup around the end of August / beginning of September. Don't know which pup we will get or from which litter but we have been promised one and it will be a male. Right now we've been stocking up on all the stuff you need to buy for a new puppy.

I suspect that the month of August will go by very slowly.

Looks like this evil little terrorist from almost 12 years ago.



Cowperson

[Rerun]

Thought I'd drag this thread out to post a couple of pics of the new addition to the family.

His name is Ryley and he's almost nine weeks old now. The pics were taken last weekend.

[Kybosh]

^^^Yep, that's what they look like before they rip something apart. Congrats on the new addition.