Puppy vs Adult dog

dudmis

Hi,

I am going to buy a golden retriever (female) in the next 3-6 months and am looking for some advice on whether to buy a puppy or an adult dog.

I have 3 children under 5 and am at home all day with them. I would be able to do one good walk a day with the dog. We have a large enclosed garden where the dog could play.

I'm undecided on whether to go for a pup or an adult dog as I have never had a dog before and I'm not sure how much time is involved in training a puppy (my husband grew up with dogs but wont be the primary carer as such ;-). I'm happy to do obedience classes with the dog but I've read alot of horror stories on this site and they are scaring me a bit

One of my children is pretty hyper and can be a bit rough playing so I'm not sure if a puppy would be too small for this - or maybe an adult dog wouldn't put up with it for long if she wasn't reared with it? (btw the kids wont be left alone with the dog at all).

Any advice appreciated, thanks D

marley123

Hi Dudmis,

Honestly given the age of your children I would think a Retreiver 12mths+plus would be your best bet. Young retreiver pup can like all pups be very very active & tend to thrive off childrens energy which makes them a bit hyper. Also with the puppy phase you have to be prepared for the chewing, puppy biting, toilet training etc & with 3 children under 5 this may be a bit tough going...

Have you had dogs around the children before - especially around the "hyper child" to see how they interact?

With children you do need to be firm & put bounderies in place regardless whether you have a pup or an older dog - No going near the dog when eating & sleeping, do not physically try to take toys etc out of dogs mouth, no pulling tails/ears or climbing all over the dog.

P.S - PLEASE consider Rescuing - quite a lot of Retreivers have been in rescues lately... We do have a young retreiver out in Fostercare at the moment but she is too bouncy to have with young children.

dudmis wrote: »

Hi,

I am going to buy a golden retriever (female) in the next 3-6 months and am looking for some advice on whether to buy a puppy or an adult dog.

I have 3 children under 5 and am at home all day with them. I would be able to do one good walk a day with the dog. We have a large enclosed garden where the dog could play.

I'm undecided on whether to go for a pup or an adult dog as I have never had a dog before and I'm not sure how much time is involved in training a puppy (my husband grew up with dogs but wont be the primary carer as such ;-). I'm happy to do obedience classes with the dog but I've read alot of horror stories on this site and they are scaring me a bit

One of my children is pretty hyper and can be a bit rough playing so I'm not sure if a puppy would be too small for this - or maybe an adult dog wouldn't put up with it for long if she wasn't reared with it? (btw the kids wont be left alone with the dog at all).

Any advice appreciated, thanks D

dudmis

Thanks for your advice - I am starting to think an older dog would be better - esp as I don't have alot of experience with dogs.

But how do I make sure that they would be good with the kids? and have no behavioural problems?

Initially I wanted a rescue dog (cause my heart breaks when I see some of hte lovely dogs looking for homes out there) but when we went to Dogstrust they said that we shouldn't get a rescue dog as we wouldn't know its history.

D

ps I think I know the GR you are talking about (Mica?) -she was adorable - I was this close to calling about her but then I saw that she's for kids that are 8 years and up !

Shammy

I'd always go for a pup , like you i had 2 under 5 when i got my female pup , and its a great learning experience watching them grow up with each other.:)

kylith

If you're going for an older youngster, so to speak, maybe it would be worth your while checking with the Guide Dog people. Not every puppy makes it through training, so they may occasionally need to find permanent homes for some. They'd be very well socialised too.

marley123

Honestly you can't be 100% sure ! Dogs trust wouldnt rehome a 12mth old dog to us despite us being very experienced dog owners as we have young children - they would only consider puppies ..

TBH every rescue has diff rehoming policies- ideally if you would maybe expand the breed you are looking for it would give you more choice - Labs also make great family pets & there are many rescues that may consider putting the dog into "fostercare" with you with a view to adoption & this may be a very good route for you to consider going down to see how a dog will fit in with your family.

@ Shammy - depending on the kids & dog yes puppys can work well BUT with a boistrous child who may be a bit " rough " it is possible that the puppy can become very very scared.. for example 2 mths ago we had a Retreiver pup surrendered to us who was in a nutshell TERRIFIED due to kids being very rough..

dudmis P.S - not saying your child would be the extreme of above but just giving advice based on what I think would be best for your family:)

dudmis wrote: »

Thanks for your advice - I am starting to think an older dog would be better - esp as I don't have alot of experience with dogs.

But how do I make sure that they would be good with the kids? and have no behavioural problems?

Initially I wanted a rescue dog (cause my heart breaks when I see some of hte lovely dogs looking for homes out there) but when we went to Dogstrust they said that we shouldn't get a rescue dog as we wouldn't know its history.

D

ps I think I know the GR you are talking about (Mica?) -she was adorable - I was this close to calling about her but then I saw that she's for kids that are 8 years and up !

dudmis

Marley - no offense taken - all advice is good - and I'm tending to agree with you - while I would love a pup, I think that my well intentioned son would be a bit much for them.

It was a great idea re: the Guide Dogs - but apparently alot of people have already thought about it - their waiting list is closed at the mo and wont be opened until next summer!

DBB

dudmis wrote: »

It was a great idea re: the Guide Dogs - but apparently alot of people have already thought about it - their waiting list is closed at the mo and wont be opened until next summer!

The IGDA charge a reasonable chunk for dogs that haven't made it to completion of their training.

Dudmis, Dogs Trust tend to have to be more cautious when rehoming their dogs because they (a) don't have a history on many dogs (all rescues are in the same boat), and (b) as their dogs are kept in kennels, they cannot truly assess what they're like around children, or indeed how they are in a domestic environment. they can do one-off assessments, but that's all they are, one-off, and they don't necessarily truly reflect what a dog is like in "real life".

However, there are a number of rescues who take dogs from owners/pound etc and place them into foster care, where they live in a home environment and are truly assessed on what they're really like to live with 24/7, what they're really like with kids, what they're like with dogs, cats, vacuum cleaners, postmen etc etc. In addition, with dogs that are surrendered by their owners, it is possible to get quite a good history on them, and it may be known that X dog has had an exemplary record around children in the long term.
There are so many fantastic rescue dogs out there who you can adopt in the knowledge that they seem bombproof and reliable as family dogs.
This is a great option for someone like yourself who'd like to rescue, but is worried about taking on problems with a "second-hand dog". What's more, a good rescue will support you throughout the adoption, and if things go wrong, they will take the dog back. This is a last resort of course, but it's nice to know that support is there.
Retrievers are quite common in rescue, but as has already been posted, if you're prepared to broaden your horizons on the breed/type front, you'll open a lot more doors for yourselves.
I do feel that a young adult dog is a far better option where there are such young children: raising a pup is rewarding if all goes well, but it is VERY hard work when also trying to combine it with rearing 3 such young kids. It's like having a new child, but this one has sharp teeth!
I can PM you a few options if you'd like to go down this route:)

planetX

Are you prepared for puppyhood - I'm going through it, puppy is 6 months old and it's been a real shock to the system. Weeks and weeks of cleaning up, constantly mopping the floor, pee soaked into skirting boards. And months of chewing, ripping, stealing. Add to that all the entertaining, exercising, training. Now I think puberty is beginning:eek: I'm exhausted, I have no free time and my house is a wreck - but then my pup is no golden retriever:(

dudmis

Thanks DBB - I have been keeping a close look at the rescue webpages just in case a suitable dog comes up - and prob going down the foster, then adopt, route is the most practical - at least then we can all (dog included ;-) decide if we get on.

planetX - thanks for sharing your experiences with a pup - that was what i was afraid of - I'm not quite ready for another baby in the house.

So I think a one year and up doggie is the way to go. We're not in too much of a hurry so can wait to see if a dog comes up over hte next few months.

If anyone hears of an adult goldie (rescue or surrender), I would be interested in knowing! thanks for all the comments.

crally

Hi i have 3 dogs. first dog i got as a pup, never again, be ready for eating everything inc the couch, peeing everywhere. i got a 3 year old rescue, female, neutered, used to kids, great on the lead, great recall. you can tell a rescue what you want. lots of dogs are being surrendered and lots of them come from homes and are used to kids are housetrained and you can see the personality of a dog but when you get a pup you dont know till they mature a bit. Best of luck with it.

verywell

I have a retriever and although now a handsome 6 yo, he was v boisterous and full of energy as a pup. I 100% that an older dog would be best. Be aware though mine was at least 2 before he calmed down. HTH

seefin

Cork dawg have retriever on their site. the ad says hes good with kids. They really try to find the best dog for the person and because dog is fostered while waiting to find a home, they have assessed how he is with kids etc. I know they rehome al over country and help arrange transport etc.