Congratulations, you have done your homework, and decided a Golden Retriever is for you. You have accepted that they are a large dog, that needs plenty of company and exercise and moults regularly. Now all you need to do is decide on whether to have a dog or a bitch and find a litter of puppies.
It is preferable to buy from a specialist dog breeder, not a pet shop, dealer, commercial breeder or puppy farmer. Plan in advance, be prepared to wait, you may well have to put your name down on a list long before they are born to get exactly what you want. Don't impulse buy and always see the mother with the puppies. Some breeders will have the father of the puppies as well, although this is not always the case.
Most breeders will only breed after very carefully choosing the right dog for their bitch, being mindful of temperament, and after the necessary hereditary checks have been carried out under the KC/BVA schemes currently in place. They will provide you with a Kennel Club registration, pedigree, diet sheets, advice and ongoing help once the puppy has left the breeder.
Contact your local Breed Club's Puppy list co-ordinator (listed on this site) who will give you details of their members who currently have puppies available. Or you can speak to people who own a golden about their characteristics, and ask where they bought their dog from.
If possible speak to the breeder and possibly visit before the puppies are born, this way you can see the mother's personality, size and demeanour beforehand. Once the puppies are born, breeders will not normally let you see the puppies until they are 2/3 weeks old, in order to avoid possible infection.
Ask as many questions as you can, especially if you have not had a dog before. Be prepared for the breeder to ask questions of you, they will want to know all about your family and lifestyle. Please appreciate whilst you are trying to ensure the puppy is good enough for you, the breeder wants to make sure you are good enough for their puppy!
Puppies normally leave the breeder at 7-8 weeks of age.
Contact your local Golden Retriever Club for more advice and details of current litters: http://www.goldenretrieverbreedcouncil.co.uk/pge.php?page=13
Caring for a new Puppy
Once you have bought your puppy, the first hurdle is the journey home. The puppy may be sick but this is not unexpected. The period of change from the security and familiarity of the breeder to your home is very traumatic for a puppy, and this initial time with his/her new family is very important. Please don't have too many visitors for a couple of days, allow the puppy to get used to its new environment and its new family. You should have a diet sheet among the many papers you received from your breeder. Please, please stick with the diet your breeder has suggested. The puppy will have been very carefully raised on this feeding regime. Consult the breeder if you have any problems.
The first few months of a puppy's life are very special. This is the time when his or her temperament, character and fears are formed. For the first two weeks the puppy should feel warm, secure and loved in their new environment. Please do not have too many people or children in to see the puppy, and ensure the puppy is left to sleep when it chooses.
It is advantageous to have the first inoculation as soon as possible. Once this is done, take your puppy out and about, not walking yet, but out in the car for short journeys. Even if you go shopping take him with you. Walk down to the school or local shop with him in your arms, let him get used to traffic noise, but from the safety of your arms or your car. Sit at the front gate with him, let him meet the postman or the dustman. The more things you can get your puppy used to in these early months, the less likelihood of him being nervous or frightened. Let people make a fuss of him. This is NOT a guarding breed, and should be friendly to all.
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Exercise
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Play at regular intervals provides much of the exercise your puppy needs but long walks should be avoided too soon. Having been fed, a little walk outside to relieve itself and then back to sleep. Jumping up and down stairs, onto and off chairs, is not to be encouraged. This can do untold harm to young bones.
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Worming
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Your Breeder will have told you of the worming regime the puppy has been started on. It is important to continue worming the puppy, consult your breeder or Vet for advice.
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Grooming
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This should be done every few days, this way one keeps an eye on the puppy's skin and any minor ailments can be dealt with before they become major ones. Make the puppy used to being handled, touch his feet, wipe his eyes if necessary, clean his ears with cotton buds, check for knots in the coat, especially in the long fur on the neck and back legs. This can save a lot of fuss at the Vets while being examined. Make your grooming period a special time.
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Inoculations
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Contact your Vet right away, as they vary on the age to start the course of inoculations and also the amount they give. Start the initial course as soon as possible.
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Toys
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Do give your puppy some sensible toys to play with that can be chewed, this will save any furniture or treasures you do not want your puppy to have from being chewed by those sharp needle like teeth.
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Retrieving
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Not surprisingly the retrieving instinct in the breed is quite incredible. The worst thing you can do is try to break the puppy of it. Your puppy will almost certainly greet you with a favoured toy or any article it can grab quickly, socks and slippers are favourites. Please, please do not scold for this; just take from him with the command you have chosen (see bones section) and praise him. DO NOT play tug with him as he will not understand the difference between playing tug with his toy and your slipper, sock or whatever. It will also make him very hard mouthed, which is not typical of the breed.
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Bones
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Raw beef marrow bones or sterilised bones ONLY. It is a good suggestion that you teach your puppy to give up its bone on demand. This can be achieved by giving the puppy the bone, letting it take it off for a minute or so and then gently taking it away. Once the puppy has let you take the bone without growling (which may happen the first time and MUST be scolded for) give it back with lots of praise and leave him in peace to enjoy it. If it is a raw bone, plunge it into boiling water before giving it to the puppy. This will kill any bacteria on the bone.
This particular piece of training is most important and MUST be started early, you never know when your puppy is going to pick up things you do not want it to have and want to take away. Use one command for this and stick to it. eg. Give, Drop or Dead. Always praise your puppy when it has done what you want it to. NEVER, EVER, GIVE - CHICKEN, LAMB OR PORK BONES
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House Training
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House training starts instantly. The puppy will not soil its bed but cannot be expected to be clean all through the night. It is helpful to put some newspaper down but during the day, the puppy must learn to 'make puddles' outside. It is easy to toilet train, if you can put the time to this and this alone in the first week. As soon as you see your puppy stir from sleep, take them outside and as soon as they go, give lots and lots of praise. If you wish, it sometimes helps to use a word for the puppy to associate with going to the toilet. All sorts of words can be used puddles, pennies, some people use the word quickly. This will entice him to perform when you use the word. However as with all learning much repetition is needed.
The puppy should also be placed outside as soon as a meal has been finished. You will usually notice when a puppy wants to relieve itself, it will become very busy and often agitated. Take them to the door and make a big fuss about how clever they have been.
If the puppy has made a puddle in the house and you have not noticed DO NOT tell him off, it is too late and he will not know why you are cross; but if you catch them in the act, tell them off by using a deep voice.
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Training
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Training starts the moment you get home! Where the puppy is allowed to go and where not. Whether they are allowed on the furniture or not. Consistency is the key. Do not confuse the puppy by allowing something one moment and not the next. Formal training should be started as soon as he can go out. Find a training class near you that will take puppies early. DO NOT WAIT until he is 6 months old before you start. Bad habits are hard to break. Training classes are fun and you will find dogs there which are much naughtier than yours!
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Some thoughts about Growing Up and When to start what?
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7-8 weeks
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This is the time that the puppy goes from the warmth and security of the nest to see the outside world. New smells, new sights. It will all be very strange to puppy to start with; he may not venture far in the garden on his own. He may spend pennies etc just outside the door. Confidence will soon be built up and he will explore more and more during the first weeks. He may also seem afraid to go out in the dark, this is quite normal. Try not to have too many people or children to see the puppy during the first week, let him associate life is fun with your family first. He will also be learning his name and this must mean that when he comes to you something nice happens. Never call your dog and then scold him. If a telling off is necessary go to him and do it. Cuddles, praise and warm security are vital at this time.
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8-9 weeks
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By now he will have been to the Vets and had his first inoculation. Now is a good time to try his collar. Get a little nylon one at this stage and then a larger one when he grows a bit more. Put it on and leave him, he will scratch and worry it for a bit and if possible leave him to sleep with it on. About an hour to start with is enough.
Although puppy cannot go out for a walk yet, try to take him out either in the car when collecting children from school or local shopping. If it is possible to carry him down the local High Street or similar this will pay dividends. It will get him used to noise, hooters, lights, loud music and people. It is guaranteed that if you take a puppy in your arms to the shops, you will be accosted by people dying to give them a stroke.
You may find the puppy is jumping up to you and it is becoming a problem. Now is the time to curb this singularly annoying habit. The puppy is so pleased to see you, but if you make the mistake of picking him up, this will only encourage him to jump up more. Push him down gently from the shoulders, then get down to his level and make a fuss. He may be only small now but a six month old weighing 50+lbs is another matter.
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10-12 weeks
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By now the puppy should feel secure in their surroundings, be quite happy to be left and your house training should be well underway. You may find them starting to leave some food. If this is the case the last meal at night can be dropped and tea given slightly later. This will also help with being clean all through the night.
The collar should be staying on for longer now and it is a good time to try the lead! Try clipping the lead onto the collar and allow the puppy to run about with it on. Supervise carefully, and take care not to tread on the end as he speeds past you being followed by he doesn't know what. After a little while pick up the end of the lead and very gently pull him towards you. Lots of praise must be given when doing this. You can then try walking along, not on a tight lead but with plenty of encouragement. If all goes well, try it outside. You may well get the 'bucking bronco' act, with the puppy jumping and pulling against the lead. Again, lots of encouragement is needed and praise for the smallest of steps. Bribery with titbits can also help.
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12-16 weeks
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By now the learning programme should be well underway, short walks on the lead are permissible but be careful. If you have a safe area near you, it is an ideal time to let the puppy off the lead but perhaps take someone with you the first time. Go laden with biscuits and when you let him off the lead make a big fuss and then walk on slowly. Hopefully he will follow, he will be unsure of going off on his own to start with. Encourage him to take a few steps on his own away from you and then call him back and give him lots of praise, a biscuit and a cuddle and repeat the process. Although this may seem early to do this, it is much easier for the puppy to learn that coming to you is normal behaviour, rather than leaving it until 5 or 6 months of age when they can run much faster than you!
Try to find an obedience class near you who will take a puppy at this age, if you wait until he is 6 months (as some classes insist) many bad habits have started and the puppy is very strong which makes correction far more difficult. Sitting and waiting can be started when feeding and the waiting time can be lengthened gradually.
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16-20 weeks
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You may find that your puppy urinates when you come home having left him, this is due to the excitement of seeing you and will quickly be out grown. About this time the teeth are starting to change and teething, much the same as in babies, can be painful.
Another habit that can start about this time, is eating their own faeces, a disgusting one to say the least but perfectly acceptable to the puppy! The simplest answer is to clear up after the puppy straightaway and really scold them if they are caught in the act.
Jumping - about this time they will try to jump on furniture, attempt the stairs etc. The puppy must learn what is allowed and what is not but be consistent; it is very confusing to allow the puppy to sit on the furniture one day and not the next. A baby gate is quite a useful item of equipment to have available. If they are constantly trying to follow you upstairs, a gate across the bottom will stop them. You may also find it a boon if you wish to confine the puppy to an area, perhaps if they are wet or muddy.
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21-26 weeks
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By now your puppy will be getting quite big and new coat will be coming through thick and fast; and, they should be getting more obedient and trustworthy. Don't forget, that although they are nearly fully grown physically, mentally they are still very much puppies and it is all too easy to expect too much sometimes.
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Lastly
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We live in a world where circumstances and situations can change dramatically. If you find yourself in a position where you can no longer give your Golden Retriever the love and attention they need, always contact your breeder first for help and advice.
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For a list of Golden Retriever Puppies available on the Kennel Club website:
https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/services/public/findapuppy/Default.aspx?id=Retriever+(Golden)
