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If you're thinking a golden or lab or possibly a poodle why not a cross. Labradoodles and Goldendoodles are both really great dogs. We have a new mini goldendoodle that is adorable. He really tends to have the best of both breeds.
If you have your heart set on a Lab or Golden, check out the Lab and Golden rescue groups. They'll tell you the truth about each dog's behavior because they dont want the dog to be adopted and then returned. The dogs live with foster families and are neutered and housebroken before being adopted out. The dogs have also been checked out by a veterinarian and treated for any health problems.
Many retrievers are given to rescue groups once they get past the cute puppy stage and owners realize that retrievers have a lot of energy. If that energy isnt addressed, it can become a problem. For example, young, and even adult, retrievers chew -- they were bred to use their mouths and, if they arent given something to do, they can chew on things you dont want (like a/c condenser hoses, wiring, furniture, etc). So the dogs in rescue are often 1-2 years old. (Some are older than that; personally, I adopt older dogs (7-8 years old) because they're calmer and more suited for my current lifestyle.)
I agree that adopting a mixed-breed from a shelter can be a very rewarding experience. However, those dogs are living in an artificial environment and you probably wont get an accurate assessment of the dog's personality. For many owners, and many dogs, that doesnt matter. But, if you're looking for a dog who will be good with kids and not so rambunctious that he knocks them over, etc, try the rescue groups.
You've gotten very good advice here. If you're not an active person, a Lab or Golden, especially a puppy, is not the way to go. They'll need lots of daily exercise. And as a first time dog owner, a dog of 2 years old or more would be much easier. Puppies chew, need to be housebroken and learn many things. They're lots of fun, but lots of work. Our first dog was a puppy. We loved him to pieces but, looking back now after many years of dog ownership, there were a lot of things we could have done better. We had a lot to learn as dog owners, and with puppies there's more to know. And now, in my 50's, I love puppies, but just the thought of owning one makes me tired.
I think the dog chooses you, you will have the feeling with your dog right away when you see her/him.
I think this is very true. We've had 2 dogs that chose us, one that we chose. The one we chose, was very loved and she loved us, however she was never completely trusting of us. She was never interested in what we were doing. She was more interested in doing her own thing. She was super sweet, and we still mourn her loss, but it was just different with her.
The 2 that chose us, which includes the puppy we now have, were and are completely trusting of us and completely and instantly at home in our house and with our family. We had a friend 30 years ago who was a dog trainer and who gave us great advice for picking a puppy. She told us to take a ball or toy with us when we went to see the puppies. If the dog is more interested in you than the toy, then that's the one you want. With our current puppy, we didn't take a toy, but we sat in the room with four puppies and the breeder. The puppies were all going crazy running and playing. The puppy we have was more interested in us. He came and just crawled all over us, and couldn't get enough of us. The others would come and check us out, put go back to playing. Our boy was just so interested in us. He just stayed in our laps the whole time. As soon as I looked in his eyes, I knew. He was the one for us.
With our first one we tried the same thing and it worked too. We found one puppy that we really wanted to get, but no matter what we did, he just wasn't into us. The next litter we looked at, we tried the same technique and we found the perfect puppy. Eight puppies all going crazy. We would roll the ball and seven of them would go after it, our baby just crawled in my lap and wouldn't leave. That was it. We were sold. He was the most loyal dog I've ever known.
It's touching, next time when we want another puppy, I'll do your way, now I learn another experience for choosing puppy, thank you for sharing your story.
My story is a little bit different, when we came to the Animal Rescue, my husband and I both want Golden Retrieve (even it's a large size dog and we live in a townhouse) I saw a vigorous yellow Golden Retrieve, then a white beautiful Samoy, and another majestic Siberian Husky with the blue eyes but I didn't pick any yet... at the end of the aisle, the last kennel, there was a small skinny lonely 3 months old Sheltie, he came out and looked at me with his naive puppy's eyes, I felt in love with him right away, and I told my husband I don't want anything else but him. When we're in the consulting room, they took the dog to meet us, he jumped around like a Bambi, he jumped to my lab, licked my finger, then jumped to my husband, and ran around the room very excited, and my clothes got all his hair and I burst in tears....
I have always chosen a pedigree puppy from a breeder. However, when my Aunt had to have her GSD pts last year, she needed the companionship of another dog. We both knew at 85 year young a puppy was out of the question.
My Aunt wanted a GSD she hasn't owned any other breed and registered with a dog rescue centre called the Dogs Trust. They telephoned her one Sunday to say they were bringing a dog in that they believe would be suitable for her. He is a black Cocker Spaniel, he's was overweight at 18.75kg almost a year later he now weighs 14.5kg.
He is a beautful dog loves people including children, thrives on attention. Perfect partners.
Don't rule out a rescue dog. Zac has opened my eyes, not all rescue dogs come with excess baggage, he didn't - Zac is a credit to his breed.
I think it is myth that rescue dogs /shelter dogs come with excessive baggage. Not all rescues are abused dogs or even unloved. People die and other events happen that force people to give up great dogs. I even have known some dogs that were abused yet in a new loving home they were fantastic dogs seeming to have left their past behind. Unlike humans dogs do not dwell in the past.
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