Adopting a Senior Golden Retriever

Many a person longs to own a beautiful Golden Retriever but understandably has second thoughts when they consider how lively a puppy is. Perhaps you are one of these people? Well the answer might well lie in adopting a more mature Golden, one who will easily adapt to your family and lifestyle, and one that will not be as disruptive as a puppy.

Where do you find an older Golden. Well your first stop should be your nearest breeder because strange as it may seem they often do have older dogs for sale. It may be a retired show dog, or a dog which has produced several litters and will not be needed again. There is a whole host of reasons why they might have a mature dog they wish to find a home for, so, give them a call and enquire.

When your mature Goldie comes to you they will already have been house trained, and so adjusting to your particular family lifestyle will be a lot easier. It won’t be easy, just easier, and you must expect a period of re-adjustment during which you will need to shower him or her with plenty of tender love and affection, something which, believe you me, it will not be hard to do.

Before actually making that decision to adopt a Golden,do give the matter some careful thought. Meet the dog first, and find out as much as you can about him or her. Find out their eating habits, and whether or not they get on with children, and old people, and do they enjoy going for walks in the country or in the town and so on. Ask if you can take them out for a walk, and make sure that you introduce him to the other members of your family, so that they too are happy about the decision.

If you had a guest staying with you in your home you would of course take some time to show them where everything is, where the bedroom is and the bathroom and so on, and it is just them same when you introduce an older dog into your family. Allow some time in your busy schedule to ease them in to your home and routine, and this will pay dividends in the long run.

People often ask me how long it will be before your new Golden is comfortably settled in to your family routine, and I would like to suggest that it takes about a month, give or take a week or so. After this do consider taking them to a dog obedience training class somewhere because you will find that this pays handsome dividends. Yes, they will probably have been trained already before they came to you, but this will act as a sort of ‘top up’ training.

All Golden Retrievers, regardless of their age, love attention. Older Golden’s on the other hand, may have medical problems that you aren’t aware of. You shouldn’t let this stop you from getting one though, simply because the rewards that you’ll find are far greater than any cons that may come to mind. Although many people don’t give a lot of thought to getting an older Golden Retriever - they are perfect for families who don’t want to put up the time and troubles of raising a puppy.

About the Author: Before you buy any other obedience training aids make sure you visit John Charles excellent obedience training website