Picture taken from www.i-love-dogs.com
From the desk of Sharda Baker.
Hi and Welcome Everyone!
This is Sharda with another Golden Retriever newsletter!
Let’s start!
In making a decision between an adult Golden Retriever and a puppy, there are several questions you should ask yourself:
- How comfortable are you in training a puppy?
- How much time do you have to set aside for training?
- Can you spend time with the puppy for the majority of the day and night?
- Do you have patience to work with young animals?
I will discuss the positive aspects and the difficulties of buying a puppy or an adult Golden Retriever. Thinking your options through will help you determine the best choice given your situation and environment.
The Benefits of a Golden Retriever Puppy
Anyone who has ever seen, held or played with a puppy can quickly tell you the biggest benefit of getting a puppy. Their cute, loveable and energetic personalities are wonderful, and they bring a smile to everyone’s face.
Puppies are great for families and individuals that want to spend time with the young dog, to bring it up and train it specifically as the family wants and needs.
Raising a puppy allows the owners to provide the training and socialization to make the puppy into a happy, healthy and well-behaved dog.
Buying a Golden Retriever puppy from a reputable breeder or shelter ensures that the dog will be with the family for the longest possible time, as the owners can provide proper care, nutrition, and veterinary treatment for the life of the dog.
Watching the puppy playing with its littermates may also give an indication as to its temperament as an adult dog. Puppies in the litter that tend to be more aggressive and assertive are more likely to be independent, and potentially more difficult to train as they grow.
The puppies that stay more isolated are usually more quiet and shy as adult dogs, and may have difficulty socializing and interacting with strangers and in strange situations.
The Difficulties with a Golden Retriever Puppy
While the opportunity to train a puppy is a benefit, it can also be a difficulty for some people. The time and effort needed to successfully train a puppy is more than many individuals can manage, especially if they already have a family to raise and a job to go to every day.
Raising a puppy is a lot like having a baby in the house, especially for the first few months. It is a twenty-four hour, seven day a week responsibility.
Besides training in the house it is important to socialize the puppy to new people, new environments and other animals. Puppies, just like children, go through difficult stages, and may damage or even destroy household items. It is important to be able to puppy-proof your home as much as possible, particularly during the chewing stage.
Housebreaking is another difficulty on the horizon with a puppy. Housebreaking can be easy or difficult, depending on the type of training, breed of dog, and time that the owner has to spend with the puppy.
Many trainers now recommend crate training for housebreaking puppies, but this still requires consistency and time to complete.
When you are getting a Golden Retriever puppy from a shelter or other pet adoption service, you may not be one hundred percent sure of the breed or history of the puppy.
There is always a chance that the puppy described as a Golden Retriever may not be pure bred, and may grow to be a larger breed than you are able to keep. This is an unfortunate situation that is difficult for the dog as well as the family.
That’s it for today.
I hope you learned something from today’s newsletter.
I’ll be back for more about Golden Retriever.
Until then!
All the best and take care
Warmly,
Sharda Baker