Owning a Golden Retriever
"Whoever said you can't buy happiness forgot little puppies." Gene Hill
"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion."
Owning is dog is a big responsibility. Many people who have had dogs before feel that by having a dog it restricts what you can do in life. Getting a dog is going to change your life. You're going to have to plan ahead. You have to know you're going to get up earlier if you have a dog. You're going to have to do some exercise. You're going to have to feed and make sure this dog's needs are taken care of, both physically and emotionally. Getting a dog is a commitment.
Time
Many hours are spent walking, training and grooming. Having a dog means that spending a whole day shopping is unlikely unless you can find someone to look after the dog during the day. This is because a dog cannot be left alone for hours during the day, they are social animals and become destructive if left to their own devices. Holidays therefore, need to be carefully planned.
Expense
Dogs are regulars to the vets, be it for an injury sustained out walking or for annual vaccinations. Each trip to the vet can easily amount to £100. Therefore it is wise to get insurance for your dogs. Insurance is expensive, and only become more expensive as your dog gets older. Good food for your dog is also expensive and being Goldies they love to eat. Bedding, toys, leads, brushes are all necessities and regularly need replacing as they break or the dogs needs' change. Dogs are a black hole for ever growing expenses.
One of the responsibilities which is rarely given a second thought is whether you have the ability to create a stable pack for your dog to live in. When purchasing a dog you cant solely think as to whether a dog will fit into YOUR lifestyle, the question really is whether you can fit into THEIR lifestyle. This is because a dog is not a tiny human. A dog is a completely different species to us and in no way does it share our goals, aspirations and dreams. There is no such thing as a real Lassie. For us to own a dog we need to understand them to give them the best life possible, which is what they deserve in return for giving us happiness.
From Cesar Milan:
Dogs have found themselves in an odd predicament by living with humans. In the wild, they have a pack leader, work for food, and travel with the pack. But when we bring them into our world, we need to help them achieve balance by fulfilling their needs as nature intended them to be.
How does this work? Through my fulfillment formula: exercise, then discipline, and finally, affection. As the human pack leader, you must set rules, boundaries, and limitations and always project a calm-assertive energy.
exercise
discipline
affection
When you fulfill your dog on a primal level as nature intended, and put your dog's needs first, and take responsibility for our dog's state of mind. Only then will you experience all the love your dog has to give!
Once you have read all this information and believe that you are the right person to own a dog and you feel that your current situation allows for one you should first consider getting a rescue. There are many different dogs in rescue homes that need our help. Quite often there are Golden Retrievers available too. There is nothing wrong with a rescued dog, in many respects it may be easier to get a rescue than a puppy because you already know what they are like as adults and whether they would fit into your life style.
Please follow this link to the Golden Retriever Breed Council which have a list of Golden Retriever clubs divided in to regions of the UK. Most of these clubs have contacts for people who run rescue centres.
Once you have a firm reason not to get a rescue then the following links are a guide to bringing up a golden retriever puppy.
Taking your puppy home for the first time