Need Advice: Looking to add another dog, Golden Retriever

wvuwhat

wvuwhat

macrumors 65816
So, I got a Golden Retriever when I was a Jr. in college with my ex-girlfriend. He's since become my best friend. He has a huge yard to run in, 1 acre+ fenced, while I'm staying at my parents house. He and I have been here for a little over a year, but I've now found a job I start November 1st.

I'm looking into 3 apt complex's to move to when I get settled in the new job, they all allow a maximum of 2 pets, each 80 pounds. I figure I'll save up and move when I feel comfortable, which if things go well, will be February of next year.

I have to think that this dog, Brady, would enjoy a buddy while I'm away during the day. And, I can't think of a better time, while I'm at my parents house with the yard and my step-mom being able to watch the new puppy while I'm working, to adopt/purchase a buddy for him. If I were to jump on a puppy soon, it would give me ample time to potty train him, train him, and basically get him able to be out during the day with Brady while I work, next Feb.

Any thoughts from the collective minds of MR? I know you'll probably say 2 goldens in an apartment is a lot to handle, but I plan on being able to spend about and hour and half a day walking both these dogs, as both apt complex's have walking trails. And, worst case, I'll only be 5 miles away from my parents house, where they could enjoy the fenced backyard with my parent's dogs and if I know I'm going to have a long day, my step-mom would be more than happy to watch them both.
 
While I love golden retrievers, I would recommend a nice lemon Beagle. Yes they bark but are small up to 15 inches and if you do get it, requires walks to release the energy built up from an apartment like any dog would. Try your local dog shelter for any beagles before you buy a "brand new" dog
 
I know this may be a fluke, but I got my dog now, because Golden's aren't known to bark a lot. Honestly, he has let out a bark 3 times in the last 3 years and all 3 times were warranted.

I know beagles are good dogs, but I really want to stick with Golden's.
 
wvuwhat said:
I know this may be a fluke, but I got my dog now, because Golden's aren't known to bark a lot. Honestly, he has let out a bark 3 times in the last 3 years and all 3 times were warranted.

I know beagles are good dogs, but I really want to stick with Golden's.
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In that case, why not switch it up and get a small black lab, my friends have a few of those and they are amazingly awesome?>!!
 
Golden Retrievers are great dogs. Me personally I like to stick to German Shepards or Black Labradors.
 
My parents have three goldens, the space for them as well. The first one came to us after a German shepard mauled my then 18-month old nephew, 181 stitches to his face. He was essentially acquired by someone else, the dog not my nephew. Then we got another for my nephew's birthday. He needed a friend and we got another but then they needed a friend and along came the third.

They're the best dogs really. Though I'd go with a Jack Russell myself, goldens are amazing and seem to adapt to their surroundings well.

Since it seems you've made your mind up already on make and model ;), why not just go for it? Any reason you would not look for a youngin' at a shelter? There are so many that people lessee behind because they're bigger and people move; they think moving somehow means they have to get rid of their pets. Just a thought really. :)
 
My folks have a golden, and he's a great, great dog. I don't know that I've ever heard anyone say anything negative about a golden retriever.
 
jessica. said:
My parents have three goldens, the space for them as well. The first one came to us after a German shepard mauled my then 18-month old nephew, 181 stitches to his face. He was essentially acquired by someone else, the dog not my nephew. Then we got another for my nephew's birthday. He needed a friend and we got another but then they needed a friend and along came the third.

They're the best dogs really. Though I'd go with a Jack Russell myself, goldens are amazing and seem to adapt to their surroundings well.

Since it seems you've made your mind up already on make and model ;), why not just go for it? Any reason you would not look for a youngin' at a shelter? There are so many that people lessee behind because they're bigger and people move; they think moving somehow means they have to get rid of their pets. Just a thought really. :)
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I don't have a problem adopting one, as per my first post. I'm just thinking that there aren't a lot of g. retriever puppies' available. I know that before I got Brady I couldn't find but one under 4 years old on the Eastern seaboard. Not to mention I would like an 8 week old to train, it's so much easier. Even though I really support adoption and rescues. But, honestly, after researching this before I got my first one, I would prefer to find a breeder to supply me another great dog.

And, no, before anyone asks, I will not get one from a puppy mill or a pet shop. I absolutely hate those places and will either be getting one from a decent breeder or like previously mentioned, a rescue/adoption.
 
How old is your current dog? Get a rescue if you can. I got a yellow lab at 16 weeks from a breeder, and when he was 3 I got a second lab from a rescue who was about 1 and a half at the time and is by far the most well behaved, problem free dog me or my friends have ever known. My original lab is a diva and has lumps and ear issues. But the rescue is perfect. I'd recommend getting a dog a little younger than your current one so there's a chain of command so to speak, but 2 large dogs is really a handful...so be careful.
 
wvuwhat said:
I don't have a problem adopting one, as per my first post. I'm just thinking that there aren't a lot of g. retriever puppies' available. I know that before I got Brady I couldn't find but one under 4 years old on the Eastern seaboard. Not to mention I would like an 8 week old to train, it's so much easier. Even though I really support adoption and rescues. But, honestly, after researching this before I got my first one, I would prefer to find a breeder to supply me another great dog.

And, no, before anyone asks, I will not get one from a puppy mill or a pet shop. I absolutely hate those places and will either be getting one from a decent breeder or like previously mentioned, a rescue/adoption.
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Breeders can breed problem dogs too you know? Of the three goldens my parents bought for a great deal of money they were all pure breeds. Two came from the same father and those two have hip issues, one has seizures. The other came from another set of parents and he has over sensitive skin. None came from a breeder who is a puppy mill, the hip issue apparently was not prevalent in the father, the gene is from him they believe, and yet there they are. Still the best dogs ever though.
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That's exactly the problem with backyard "breeders" who don't do their due diligence and research to make sure the parents are from far apart genetic lines. Too many "purebreds" are actually inbred and have reoccuring issues like hip dysplasia, skin issues, and eye and ear problems. This is why from now on I'm getting lab mixes, not pure labs unless I know the breeder is a professional and I'm willing to pay $3k+ for a puppy. Rescue is really the way to go.
 
^ She was investigated, the breeder, and found that it was not within her control. The father is hers, the mother was not but the grandfather was where this came from I believe. It's some long-winded story really. As far as the breeder goes, it was determined that she could not have known. The price for the dogs was quite high but not $3k per.
 
jessica. said:
^ She was investigated, the breeder, and found that it was not within her control. The father is hers, the mother was not but the grandfather was where this came from I believe. It's some long-winded story really. As far as the breeder goes, it was determined that she could not have known. The price for the dogs was quite high but not $3k per.
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Oh, I wasn't accusing her directly, but it's very common to have those problems with breeders who don't know what they're doing. Sometimes it IS just out of their control, but far too many "breeders" don't have a clue what they are doing.

Oh, and stay away from beagles...they are loud, obnoxious, and extremely stubborn sometimes...stick with retrievers.
 
MovieCutter said:
Oh, I wasn't accusing her directly, but it's very common to have those problems with breeders who don't know what they're doing. Sometimes it IS just out of their control, but far too many "breeders" don't have a clue what they are doing.

Oh, and stay away from beagles...they are loud, obnoxious, and extremely stubborn sometimes...stick with retrievers.
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hey hey I like beagles.

Now what you said is very true. They are loud and stubborn but they do make great door bells. My parents had a beagle that for the 8 years before she died she was our doorbell. for a while after she died it was common for us not to hear or even respond to the door bell because we would listen for the dogs bark.

Now that being said I never want another beagle.

Problem with purebreed dogs (big time for popular ones like the different retrievers) is breeders have so inbreed them that it has almost killed the breed off.

Goldens are among the worse.
 
Would you consider just putting Brady in doggie daycare a few days a week while you're at work instead?

I ask because having two dogs is a lot of work. I have a 6-year-old Great Dane who is the best dog in the whole world, if I may say so myself. ;). He's very easygoing and is a piece of cake to take care of for the most part. Since we love the breed so much, we decided to get another Dane via rescue this year. She's also great but it honestly feels like more than double the work with her around. Some of this can be attributed to the fact that she's deaf, but not much at this point since we've trained her and she's nearly as obedient using hand signals as our older dog. She's a little over a year old now so she's not in the wildly-energetic puppy stage anymore, either.

Anyway, what I'm trying to suggest is that getting another dog is not the only way to keep Brady happy and exercised while you're at work. I used to take our older dog to daycare 3 days a week when we were at jobs where we worked fairly long hours. Daycare tired him out enough that he just slept all day the next day so 3 days each week was more than enough.

Calculate how much buying a new puppy would cost you (the puppy, vet visits, food, toys, etc. for the first year and each year after) and then compare it to the cost of doggie daycare in your area. Hopefully there are a few options for you to choose from since they seem to be cropping up more and more these days.

I know Goldens are great family dogs and they are reasonably active, as I understand it and two of them in an apartment may be a bit much. When you start working, there WILL be days when you work late or won't be able to spend that 1.5 hours each day with them dogs consistently (and your family may not always be available to help take care of them). Two dogs spending 9 or more hours alone with each other 5 days a week in an apartment does not necessarily mean that they will entertain each other and get enough exercise and interaction to keep them happy and out of mischief while you're at work.
 
Dogs sleep all day anyway. Leave him a bone to chew on and tell him you'll be back later. I can't imagine walking 2 golden retrievers or keeping up with the shedding.
 
wvuwhat said:
I know beagles are good dogs, but I really want to stick with Golden's.
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My neighbor has a Chocolate Lab, and he is the best and most loving dog I have even seen. He gets along fine with their Boston Terrier, and they probably have a fenced acre.
 
Maybe

I know this will probably be met with "BOOO"s, but consider a cat!

I grew up with twocats and one dog (Purebred female Husky) and the cats really seemed to entertain her, as well as kept her "in line" lol.

I take it you are pretty young based on your initial post, so I would really advise against filling your apartment with animals other than yourself.

But if you are dead-set on a dog, a golden would be great, Jack Russel Terriers are a hoot, and we never had any training/obedience problems with our Husky either.

But really, consider a cat!
 
After a number of very expensive 'purebred' pets that had plenty of genetic problems we've now got a German shepherd mutt from the pound who is healthier and more robust than most purebreds (I think they call it 'hybrid vigor'). Plus she cost $50 vs $1k+! Nothing beats a bit of backyard romance! I wouldn't have considered it before, but I definitely plan on getting a mutt when I get my own place.
 
r6girl said:
Would you consider just putting Brady in doggie daycare a few days a week while you're at work instead?

I ask because having two dogs is a lot of work. I have a 6-year-old Great Dane who is the best dog in the whole world, if I may say so myself. ;). He's very easygoing and is a piece of cake to take care of for the most part. Since we love the breed so much, we decided to get another Dane via rescue this year. She's also great but it honestly feels like more than double the work with her around. Some of this can be attributed to the fact that she's deaf, but not much at this point since we've trained her and she's nearly as obedient using hand signals as our older dog. She's a little over a year old now so she's not in the wildly-energetic puppy stage anymore, either.

Anyway, what I'm trying to suggest is that getting another dog is not the only way to keep Brady happy and exercised while you're at work. I used to take our older dog to daycare 3 days a week when we were at jobs where we worked fairly long hours. Daycare tired him out enough that he just slept all day the next day so 3 days each week was more than enough.

Calculate how much buying a new puppy would cost you (the puppy, vet visits, food, toys, etc. for the first year and each year after) and then compare it to the cost of doggie daycare in your area. Hopefully there are a few options for you to choose from since they seem to be cropping up more and more these days.

I know Goldens are great family dogs and they are reasonably active, as I understand it and two of them in an apartment may be a bit much. When you start working, there WILL be days when you work late or won't be able to spend that 1.5 hours each day with them dogs consistently (and your family may not always be available to help take care of them). Two dogs spending 9 or more hours alone with each other 5 days a week in an apartment does not necessarily mean that they will entertain each other and get enough exercise and interaction to keep them happy and out of mischief while you're at work.
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I was thinking along the same lines. You saved me a heap of typing.

Goldens can have a tendency to gain weight if they're not properly exercised. Having two won't make up for that and they are likely to still be lonely without someone there or some outdoor access.

senseless said:
Dogs sleep all day anyway. Leave him a bone to chew on and tell him you'll be back later. I can't imagine walking 2 golden retrievers or keeping up with the shedding.
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What a perfect username you have!
 
Golden Retrievers are awesome dogs, I had one as a kid and I have one now (as well as a Chocolate Labrador).
As you may know they can be destructive (chewing) if they get bored, so make sure they have plenty of chewable toys, especially as puppies. And plenty of exercise, my dogs have two 40 - 60 min walks a day, longer on weekends.

Here's my GR Loki:
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MovieCutter said:
Oh, and stay away from beagles...they are loud, obnoxious, and extremely stubborn sometimes...stick with retrievers.
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My beagle was sometimes loud when she was a bit younger. She would bark at deer in the backyard or try to run after a squirrel when we were walking her, and yes, she can be stubborn, but she is the nicest, sweetest dog you'll ever meet.
 
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