A Puppy Thread

[TxRedMan]

My Aunt and Uncle have two AKC golden retrievers, one male and one female. They hadn't planned on breeding them, and since they're separated the dogs hardly ever were around eachother. The male weighed 130 LBS at one point, which was heavy for his frame, but he's one of the biggest golden's anyone has ever seen. Male golden's usually weigh about 75-80 LBS. Stanley is a big boy. Very smart, too, and ultra laidback. They put a life preserver around him during the summer and he spends hours floating in the pool.

Well, they had pups.

I didn't think I was going to get one at first, but about two and a half weeks ago my Aunt called me and said there was one male left. He was 8 weeks old, and was certified in every area. Not that I really know what that means, but I guess it means he's a good dog as far as the AKC is concerned. He's laying next to me while I type this post.

Of course, his name is Tex:



Very blonde for a golden:




Miss Precious still doesn't like him:










It's been two and a half weeks. He weighs around 20 LBS.

He's nearly house broken, and knows 'sit' 'no' and is now learning 'down', as in lay down.

I took a lot of time off work the last two weeks to spend with Tex. I tried using the crating method but he threw a fit and i'm a big softy for animals so I just watch him like a hawk. I can honestly say that it is exhausting raising a puppy if you do it correctly. I think Tex has really matured in the last two weeks, moreso than a normal pup, because I've been with him basically non-stop. He now runs to the door when he needs to go outside. He doesn't have the bladder control/size to hold it overnight, but he uses his 'wee-wee' mats very well.

He's made my life brighter. I had wanted a dog for a long time. I take him to work with me, and if I'm going out of town for the weekend I can leave him w/ my parents who absolutely adore him.

The cat still doesn't like him. I'm sure with time she will, but as for now she doesn't. She was homeless when I adopted her, but she had been de-clawed and obviously well cared for at some point, but she must have had some dogs chase after her b/c she's not nearly as friendly as a lot of my parents cats were with our dog when I was growing up.

They say golden pups dont like to fetch until they're adults, but Tex likes to play fetch.

When I get up in the morning and let him out of the bathroom it's like a yo-yo that's wound up and ready to rip. He can't stand to miss any action. I'm socializing him with people and pretty soon will take him to a dog park that's about five minutes from my place.


Any suggestions? Anyone w/ experience w/ goldens?


If you like dogs and have the time, I highly reccomend getting one. It's a lot of work but for a single guy this little puppy is an awesome companion.



-Tex & Tex

[React1oN]

cute dog

[daryn]

i'm also looking for puppy training tips if anyone is interested in sharing their knowledge

[1C5]

awesome dog

make sure the cat doesn't hurt him.

i don't trust cats. they are evil. just look at the cat, she looks evil.

[Bork]

If he wasn't so clean he would blend in perfectly with the carpet and sofa.

[1C5]

and one thing, i took my dog to a dog park once and he got sick, he got kennel cough from one of the dogs there.

i wouldn't take a young pup there and actually my 3 yr old will never be going back, who knows if the dogs are healthy or not, most owners at dog parks do not care for their dogs like i do.

[TxRedMan]

[ QUOTE ]
and one thing, i took my dog to a dog park once and he got sick, he got kennel cough from one of the dogs there.

i wouldn't take a young pup there and actually my 3 yr old will never be going back, who knows if the dogs are healthy or not, most owners at dog parks do not care for their dogs like i do.

[/ QUOTE ]

tex has his kennel cough shot.

the dog park by where i live is pretty exclusive and is managed very well by dog lovers in the area. it's on white rock lake, which is in my backyard so to speak, and it's sort of in a very affluent part of dallas, so it's not like you have riff raff running around. lots of diehard dog people there. one time i was driving down the street that runs by it and a dog escaped from the fence and ran in front of me and got stuck under my corvette. the people from the dog park and myself and some firemen saved that dogs life. i felt bad about the whole deal, it REALLY sucked for me, b/c there was NOTHING i could do to keep from hitting the dog. he belonged to a very old man, and it actually really tore up the fiber glass in the front of my vette, which never got fixed right and subsequnetially wound up putting me in the showroom buying a 2006 Z-06 that i wish i had never bought, and i never went aftet the old man for my deductible b/c he was so old and probably nearly senile.

but to the best of my knowledge the dog lived!

[JJSCOTT2]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
and one thing, i took my dog to a dog park once and he got sick, he got kennel cough from one of the dogs there.

i wouldn't take a young pup there and actually my 3 yr old will never be going back, who knows if the dogs are healthy or not, most owners at dog parks do not care for their dogs like i do.

[/ QUOTE ]

tex has his kennel cough shot.

the dog park by where i live is pretty exclusive and is managed very well by dog lovers in the area. it's on white rock lake, which is in my backyard so to speak, and it's sort of in a very affluent part of dallas, so it's not like you have riff raff running around. lots of diehard dog people there. one time i was driving down the street that runs by it and a dog escaped from the fence and ran in front of me and got stuck under my corvette. the people from the dog park and myself and some firemen saved that dogs life. i felt bad about the whole deal, it REALLY sucked for me, b/c there was NOTHING i could do to keep from hitting the dog. he belonged to a very old man, and it actually really tore up the fiber glass in the front of my vette, which never got fixed right and subsequnetially wound up putting me in the showroom buying a 2006 Z-06 that i wish i had never bought, and i never went aftet the old man for my deductible b/c he was so old and probably nearly senile.

but to the best of my knowledge the dog lived!

[/ QUOTE ]

"Hey! Old man, your dog hit my car...Jesus, I'm never going to be able to get these blood stains out, this is just a [censored] great day already."

[LockForward]

First off, have your aunt and uncle take their dogs to the vet and get them fixed if they haven't already.

You need to get back into the crate training for Tex's own benefit, and stop with the "wee wee pads". You're making housebreaking much harder on both you and Tex than it has to be. And stop being "a big softy" with your dog. A permissive household causes the worst behavior problems. I've worked with abused dogs with cigarette burns on them and former bait dogs, but none of them were as bad as dogs who always got their way.

Don't take your puppy to an off leash dog park. Dog parks are simply horrible places, especially for a puppy. Find some other people you know who have well behaved dogs, and walk the dogs together. Dog parks are risky and provide very little benefit.

Socialization is very important at this age. Take him for car rides, go busy places like shopping center parking lots, places with different sights and sounds, and where he can meet different people. Now when meeting people, keep them from going "OH MY GOSH! WHAT A CUTE PUPPPPIIEEEEE!" and scooping him up or petting him a lot. He just simply needs to be around people, and maybe get a pat on the head now and then when he is sitting politely.

If you have anymore questions about puppies, dogs, or training, feel free to PM me. I'm a professional dog trainer and have come across just about any problem you could have. You can also check out Leerburg they have tons of free training articles and podcasts.

[4 High]

I definitely need to work on my puppy a little more. Shes about 7 months now, shes fully house broken and is very well behaved around me and the wife and usually friends. However she gets very excited around new people. also sometimes we have problems putting her in the crate at night, she gets very upset and defensive. Is it too late to correct any of this? I need to fix the walking as well as she is still leading in the walks not me. Ive tried pulling the collar up on her neck and such but it doesnt seem to work.

Shes a Bepherd (Beagle/German Shepherd mix)