# Serious resource guarding in our 15 week pup



## islandmomof5 (Aug 23, 2020)

I'm new here and looking for advice. This is long, so thanks if you read to the end. We got our sweet puppy Barley when he was 7 weeks old. We gave him a raw hide to chew that first week that we had him and he growled and snapped when we went close to him. That was the first time we saw him guard something and it was a total shock to me and shook me that my sweet adorable puppy could do such a thing. I have never been a dog person, grew up petrified of dogs in fact but slowly overcame this fear (for the most part) as an adult. I'm still leary of strange dogs. I didn't want a large dog, but my husband (a huge dog lover who grew up with many dogs) and my five children (ages 8,9,14,16,18) all have had their heart set on a golden retriever so I agreed. Barley has won my heart and I love him dearly. We all do.

After that incident with the raw hide, we worked on conditioning him to enjoy having us near his food. I had already been hand feeding him from day one but started getting him to sit and wait for his food and only giving him some food then expecting a sit then giving him the rest of his food and so on. My kids do this as well. I also approached putting treats in his bowl with no problems. We did switch his food one and that day he growled when I came near him while he was eating, something he had not been doing before. Now he's fine again with his food. 

A few weeks ago he had a childs toy in his mouth and my 14 year old took him out of his mouth and he bit her. It didn't break skin or anything and she has been used to all his puppy biting (while playing) but this was a ferocious kind of bite. I made the mistake of only minutes later seeing he had grabbed another very small toy, and I went up to him and pried it out of his mouth out of fear that he would swallow it. He snarled and tried to bite me but didn't succeed. I then knew we had something serious we are dealing with and told the family we are never to take anything out of his mouth. We have been trading him for everything and it's been working well. We don't leave anything lying around (that day he got the two toys, he jumped up and reached a bin that he had never noticed before) but that being said, in a busy household there are things that fall down or things that will be left out at times. I have five kids. Another factor here is I manage a daycare part time, two days a week in our home. He has shown no problems around little kids, but since his resource guarding has become serious, I no longer allow him around young children unless he is on a leash. Fortunately my husband is working from home for now (covid) and has been able to take care of Barley while I work those two days, so Barley isn't around the daycare children. Barley used to be okay with us taking things from him when he was little but now I don't chance it, we trade either with a treat or some other toy/object. He doesn't really know drop it yet, I've worked a little bit with him on that but know we need to focus more on it. We have been very stressed at times over this. Had no idea our golden retriever could act this way. 

A week and a half ago we had family over and we were all sitting on our deck and Barley was laying down with a stick but not really paying attention to it (he had never guarded it before). My 8 year old daughter was sitting near his back end patting his legs. My 9 year old nephew was leaning over him patting his face. They did this for at least ten minutes when what seemed totally out of the blue Barley growled and snapped at my nephew but thankfully no bite. The next day he was laying down again with all of us sitting around, this time nothing in his possession. My 9 year old was close to him but not touching him, and again Barley snarled and snapped. I was so shocked that he would behave this was unprovoked. We went to a trainer who met Barley and said he is clearly not an aggressive dog. He absolutely loves everyone, but is timid around other dogs. He almost failed an assessment for play school when he bared his teeth at the other puppies and the trainer. But since then he has been enjoying being in with the older dogs who give him space. Dogs we've met on walks have been no problem, he is a little unsure at times but warms up within minutes and wants to play. The trainer said the kids need to give Barley his space when he is laying down. 

Then last night after we attended puppy kindergarten we came home with a kong wobbler (as the trainer suggested we all use) to feed Barely his food. He seemed a little disinterested when he couldn't get the kibble out easily. My husband put a few bits of bread inside which is a very high value item to Barley. The Kong got kind of stuck between something so my husband moved it out with his foot. No problem. A few minutes later Barley seemed really frustrated, barking, couldn't get anything out. I bent down and moved the kong and he looked at me and seemed happy for the help. I went to grab it again and he snarled and bit my arm twice as I tried to stand up. It left punctures and shocked me. Hind sight I should have know better. It is so hard to realize I can't let my guard down and need to treat every situation as though it could possibly lead to an attack. 

I"m contacting our trainer later today. My husband and I feel so sad and discouraged. Were wondering if this behavior is something that can ever go away or will we have to manage it forever, and is that something I can live with. I want to be able to trust my dog around my children. Children are a huge part of our lives. My kids have friends over often, we have lots of friends with really young children and one day there will be grandchildren in the picture. We can't imagine having to rehome Barley and are going to talk to our trainer and continue to do everything we can to help us all be safe. But I'm just wondering if anyone has any advice, feedback, experience with a dog that is a serious resource guarder. Barley doesn't just growl. He goes straight to the snarl, snap, or bite. He's only 3.5 months now and I am very concerned for when he will be fully grown. Because of my fear of dogs, I need to be able to trust mine. I"ve read on this forum of some resource guarding dogs who have later in life bit a small child and had to be put down and this makes me so fearful. I wish i knew what the best path for us is. Would appreciate any constructive advice.


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## Dunmar (Apr 15, 2020)

luckily he is young and I think with a good trainer or behavioral therapist, you can succeed in overcoming this


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

Have you reached out to Barley's breeder? The breeder needs to know what is going on and be part of the discussion. From what you've said, I think Barley is probably not the right dog for a family with 5 children. He is probably a full time project for a family with no kids and a lot of dog experience. If this were happening at my house, he would be back to the breeder he came from before he is beyond being reformed. I know that sounds harsh especially since you love him. Some of this is normal dog behavior but the fact that this is escalating and he's left puncture wounds is every bit as serious as your gut instinct tells you it is. Not all Golden puppies act like this. There are people who will insist that you can work through this, and that may very well be true. But that is not guaranteed and the risk in your situation is great because of your life, given that you have a home with children who visit - whether they are family, your childrens' friends or day care kids. 

I've been down this road, it happened with my 2nd Golden puppy. I had plenty of experience and had raised a Golden puppy before. I had dog training experience and did everything 'right': we had him socialized with everyone, my kids were never allowed to bother him when he was eating or take things from him, we worked on obedience training daily ( I had him so well trained by the time he was 8 months old my 3 year old daughter could put him in a down/stay while she fixed his food, he would wait until she placed it on the floor next to him and wouldn't move until she released him to eat) But he couldn't be trusted with children. Our first incident was when he was about 14 weeks old and I finally returned him to his breeder at about 18 months. It was probably one of the worst things I've ever been through in my entire life (and I've been through a lot) but my kids were 3, 8 and 12 at the time and I simply couldn't bear the thought of being responsible for managing a dog I couldn't trust with children. We live in a neighborhood with neighbors and friends of my kids in and out and there was no way I could ensure that there might not be a time when children would come in and I didn't know about it. I didn't think I could live with myself if he bit one of my children or one of their friends. The breeder took my puppy back and placed him with her ex husband where he did fine living with as an only dog with one adult. It took my heart a while to heal, but I look back now and realize that I made the best decision I could to make sure that the dog I loved had a chance at living a long life and not ending up being euthanized for biting a child.

My heart breaks for you, but there are some Goldens who appear to have a genetic tendency toward this kind of behavior and according to the veterinary behaviorist I consulted, it's not the fault of the owner, it's the way the dog is wired. Please feel free to message me if you want to talk. I'm so sorry for how this has worked out for you, your husband, your family and for the puppy.


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## gdgli (Aug 24, 2011)

I would recommend that you work very closely with your trainer. It sounds like you are doing the right thing. For the record, I am very cautious with kids around dogs. I in fact do not permit kids around my dogs unless I am right there. I also teach kids how and when to pet a dog.


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## islandmomof5 (Aug 23, 2020)

Thank you for your suggestions. We are not taking this lightly. Were not sure what we will do yet. Our boy is such a love in so many ways, he loves all people. Every time he has an incident I am stressed but then a few days later I am reminded what a lovely pup in every other way he is and I resolve to keep trying. I think for now we will keep working with our trainer and give him a chance to see if we can help eliminate his resource guarding. Most things he picks up he does not guard, but, that being said, we are in the habit of always approaching him with a treat or enticing him to play, and he happily drops whatever he has. His guarding has mainly occured when we have either pried something out of his mouth (lesson learned!) or let our guard down and grabbed a high value food item that he has. At the end of the day I want to be able to fully trust him since kids will be around and I guess we have to decide if this is something we want to manage for the rest of his life. It's hard to find a lot of success stories out there.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

You need to return him to the breeder. He is not safe around kids, and will eventually do serious damage to someone. This will not go away, and will be a lifetime of management. It can be managed with very conscientious, constant attention, and careful handling, but it is not easy, and requires adults handling him always, never children who won't know what not to do. I seriously do not think this is a puppy that should stay in your family. 

He will always be a risk. He is already escalating from snapping to trying to bite, to successfully inflicting a full bite. You are not at fault for doing something as simple as picking up a toy, he is not right. Unless you have serious management rules in place that every single person in your family follows always without fail, he will become more dangerous as he gets older. He is also already unpredictable when he will snap or bite, and that is even more dangerous. I'm afraid he will become more dangerous regardless of what you do to manage this. This is a dog that will need strict management for 10 to 12 years. 

Please seriously consider, do you want to keep him and risk a bite on your child like what he did to you?


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## islandmomof5 (Aug 23, 2020)

mylissyk said:


> You need to return him to the breeder. He is not safe around kids, and will eventually do serious damage to someone. This will not go away, and will be a lifetime of management. It can be managed with very conscientious, constant attention, and careful handling, but it is not easy, and requires adults handling him always, never children who won't know what not to do. I seriously do not think this is a puppy that should stay in your family.
> 
> He will always be a risk. He is already escalating from snapping to trying to bite, to successfully inflicting a full bite. You are not at fault for doing something as simple as picking up a toy, he is not right. Unless you have serious management rules in place that every single person in your family follows always without fail, he will become more dangerous as he gets older. He is also already unpredictable when he will snap or bite, and that is even more dangerous. I'm afraid he will become more dangerous regardless of what you do to manage this. This is a dog that will need strict management for 10 to 12 years.
> 
> Please seriously consider, do you want to keep him and risk a bite on your child like what he did to you?


Thank you so much for your input. Have you had a dog that resource guards? It’s hard to know what to do, because from things I read (and according to our trainer) it sounds like it can be trained out of him. We feel completely sick about this. 
tonight I took him on a walk with some youth and he found a stick he decided he loved (after not caring for three other sticks he found minutes before). When I pulled him on his leash away from it he growled very aggressively at me. It’s so baffling Because he can be the sweetest dog, everyone who meets him just loves him. And anyone who sees the growling tells me it’s just a puppy thing. Most people have no idea the seriousness of it and I’m a stress case now. 
I just can’t help but think we should try to work with him to see if we can train him not to guard, before we make the decision to give him up. With my kids going back to school that will make it much easier to manage. I just feel sick inside, my husband is heart broken, my son was sobbing tonight when he heard we might not keep Barley, and I don’t know if I can make the call yet. He’s still so young. We are doing everything we can to keep kids safe.


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## cwag (Apr 25, 2017)

I am sorry you are going through this because I can tell your family loves him Barley but no one should have to be afraid of their dog. There is something called a certified veterinary behaviorist who is highly trained to help with these kind of issues. Here is a link to see if there is one near you





American College of Veterinary Behaviorists


certifying board for veterinarians who are specialty trained to advance the behavioral health of animals through clinical practice, research, and science-based behavior education



www.dacvb.org


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## bigblackdog (Jun 14, 2013)

I have to agree with the other's. This is something that will have to be controlled for the rest of his life. You can manage the guarding, but you most likely will not eliminate it. You have children. Having a dog that has to be 'managed' is not an easy life...hard enough if it was just you, and your husband...impossible with 5 kids, and their friends around.

Who is Barley's breeder?? Have you talked to your breeder?? Was this an COE breeder?, or a BYB?? Discuss this with the breeder, and see what they have to say. I know it's heartbreaking to return him....but it will be heartbreaking sitting in some ER having one of your kids stitched up in 7-8 months also.


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## islandmomof5 (Aug 23, 2020)

bigblackdog said:


> I have to agree with the other's. This is something that will have to be controlled for the rest of his life. You can manage the guarding, but you most likely will not eliminate it. You have children. Having a dog that has to be 'managed' is not an easy life...hard enough if it was just you, and your husband...impossible with 5 kids, and their friends around.
> 
> Who is Barley's breeder?? Have you talked to your breeder?? Was this an COE breeder?, or a BYB?? Discuss this with the breeder, and see what they have to say. I know it's heartbreaking to return him....but it will be heartbreaking sitting in some ER having one of your kids stitched up in 7-8 months also.


thank you for weighing in. We have not spoken to our breeder. I don’t know exactly what makes a back yard breeder but she fits the description. Her puppies never set foot in her house and we’re kept in a shed. The mom was quite shy (something I didn’t even notice since I’m not a dog person) but my husband did and told me after we picked up Barley. I have it on video, I filmed her and the puppies. Mom hid behind the owner when my husband went to pet her. I now know this is a red flag. I’ve learned a lot. I had been researching breeders before we got a puppy and wanted to go with a reputable one in town but there were no puppies available anywhere and my husband was very anxious to get a pup as soon as possible. I’ve never had a dog and am completely inexperienced here. We made a rash decision that I wasn’t really comfortable with but got caught up in the excitement and wanted my husband to have his puppy. We drove 9 hours to get him. I would not feel comfortable giving our pup back to this breeder, we would need to rehome him ourselves, and of course would ensure it is a home without children. The whole thing is heartbreaking, we are doing everything for him, and it’s so hard to give up on your pet that you love when it will cause everyone grief. But the state of my anxiety right now is so high, it’s causing everyone a lot of stress. I am such an overprotective person with children, more so than most people, and I do not take any of this lightly (I still have anxiety when my almost ten year old crosses our street and like to watch him to make sure he’s safe) and safety is my number one priority as well as being able to be happy. 
it’s hard because our trainer told us she is training a handful of puppies right now who all resource guard and part of me feels really bad if I don’t at least put in the effort to see if we can eliminate the behaviour. But that being said his resource guarding is very serious and I’m grateful for everyone’s advice here.


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## Emmdenn (Jun 5, 2018)

I was mauled by a dog when I was 7 years old. I was at a holiday party with my family and other family and friends. The hostess of the part had a shepherd mix dog, and I remember her saying “Harry isn’t good with kids just stay away from him.” Now.....as an adult the first thing I would have done as this dog owner would have been to put the dog in an back room until the dinner party was over.

My sister and I were playing a board game and a piece of the game fell under the couch. I was crawling on my knees over to retrieve the game piece and the dog came out of nowhere and attacked. My face was about eye level with his so he got me in the face. It was traumatizing. Luckily I just needed stitches in a handful of places on my scalp and face.

Having been through that, knowing what I know now as an adult dog owner and knowing how absolutely guilty my parents felt for not advocating that dog be put away while we were there (shame on the owner of the dog for not knowing).... I would NEVER keep a dog that I couldn’t trust around children.

Your puppy was not raised correctly or socialized with children or really anyone before you bought him. He grew up having to fend for himself and certainly didn’t learn social skills from his mother who clearly was not temperamentally sound either. He would do best in a home without children now. God forbid one day he seriously hurts your child or another child and you have to put him to sleep instead of rehoming him. It is in his best interest and your family’s though I completely empathize with the tough decision you need to make.


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## bigblackdog (Jun 14, 2013)

Thanks for more information. I suspected that your Barley came from poor circumstances...and living in a shed, and lacking socialization, and most likely....pups that had to fight for food.. When BYB's breed their dogs with no idea of what a well bred, both mentally and physically Golden should be...you often end up with a problem pup.

I agree...don't bother returning your pup...they will most likely sell him to another unsuspecting home, or use him to breed in the future. With pups so hard to find now....the BYB will make a nice profit to resell. I would get in touch with a Golden Retriever Rescue...they will be able to screen homes, and do a great job matching the dog to the right home. What province are you in?? Puppies can be a pain....but it should be bringing you joy and happiness...not anxiety. A well bred Golden Retriever puppy that has been raised properly...should be a happy time. I've fostered for rescues for many years...different breeds...and found that guarding can be managed...but often not eliminated. Controlling things is about the only way to do it...with kids in the family...I would draw the line.


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

This is useful input - this is from someone who has many, many years of rescue experience with dogs as well as her own. She has a good idea what she's talking about and I agree with her based on personal experience, 110%.


mylissyk said:


> ...*..He is not safe around kids, and will eventually do serious damage to someone. This will not go away, and will be a lifetime of management. It can be managed with very conscientious, constant attention, and careful handling, but it is not easy, and requires adults handling him always, never children who won't know what not to do.* I seriously do not think this is a puppy that should stay in your family.
> 
> *He will always be a risk. He is already escalating from snapping to trying to bite, to successfully inflicting a full bite.* You are not at fault for doing something as simple as picking up a toy, he is not right.* Unless you have serious management rules in place that every single person in your family follows always without fail, he will become more dangerous as he gets older.* He is also already unpredictable when he will snap or bite, and that is even more dangerous. I'm afraid he will become more dangerous regardless of what you do to manage this. This is a dog that will need strict management for 10 to 12 years.
> 
> Please seriously consider, do you want to keep him and risk a bite on your child like what he did to you?


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

islandmomof5 said:


> Thank you so much for your input. Have you had a dog that resource guards? It’s hard to know what to do, because from things I read (and according to our trainer) it sounds like it can be trained out of him. We feel completely sick about this.
> tonight I took him on a walk with some youth and he found a stick he decided he loved (after not caring for three other sticks he found minutes before). When I pulled him on his leash away from it he growled very aggressively at me. It’s so baffling Because he can be the sweetest dog, everyone who meets him just loves him. And anyone who sees the growling tells me it’s just a puppy thing. Most people have no idea the seriousness of it and I’m a stress case now.
> I just can’t help but think we should try to work with him to see if we can train him not to guard, before we make the decision to give him up. With my kids going back to school that will make it much easier to manage. I just feel sick inside, my husband is heart broken, my son was sobbing tonight when he heard we might not keep Barley, and I don’t know if I can make the call yet. He’s still so young. We are doing everything we can to keep kids safe.


I have been involved in Golden rescue for 15+ years, and seen all kinds of dogs with all kinds of behaviors. This can not be fixed, he is "wired" wrong. It can only be managed, and he will always be a serious, and increasing, risk. 

One other poster referenced finding a Certified Veterinary Behaviorist. That would be the only route to take with this dog at this level of aggression. If you are keeping him you don't have a choice, you have to find a CVB now and get on their waiting list for a consultation. Most of them have a 3 month waiting list. 

Someone else mentioned turning him over to rescue. Rescues won't take dog with a serious bite/aggression history.


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## Ripley16 (Jan 26, 2012)

This is a tough one. My girl did do a bit of resource guarding over high value items like bully sticks when she was very young. When she showed these signs, I stopped giving her those items until we had trained her out of the problem. For me, consistent routine worked and her resource guarding stopped quite quickly. I see that you were already making him sit and wait for his food. Is the food on the ground in the bowl when you are doing this or do you have it up on the counter? If the latter, I would try to put the food on the floor, make him do a sit stay while making eye contact with you until you tell him it is okay to eat his food. When she was young I also would often sit right beside my girl and pet her as she ate, sometimes putting my hands in her bowl to get her to eat right out of my hand. To this day, she still does a sit stay and wait for permission before she eats. Trained habits will last if you are consistent, but the training doesn't happen overnight unfortunately. If you continue to struggle with resource guarding, I would defiantly contact a trainer/animal behaviourist to work one on one with him to help solve the issue. He is still quite young, so there is a high chance he can be trained out of this. I am not an expert by any means, however this is what worked for me!


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## OscarsDad (Dec 20, 2017)

Thread moved and merged with duplicate original post.


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## islandmomof5 (Aug 23, 2020)

We are broken hearted today as we said goodbye to Barley this morning. His guarding was escalating and he bit my teenage daughters hand last night. I was a wreck. It’s so hard to reconcile the part that loves this adorable loving puppy who can just be the happiest thing when he is with us yet who also has such an awful side that I fear.

My mother in law is friends with a women who trains dogs to be service dogs with veterans who have PTSD. I spoke with her and she was so happy to take Barley into her home. She is a single woman who has dedicated her life to helping dogs and veterans. She reassured me she has trained dogs like Barley and I explained his behaviour and she didn’t seem concerned, rather optimistic that she could help him. She has an extensive training program (dogs and veterans are trained together for a year) it’s called Operarion freedom paws. My mother in law fostered some of the dogs who have gone through her training.
I don’t know what the outcome will be but we couldn’t have asked for a better situation for our boy. 
My poor husband is gutted, he and Barley shared such a special bond. And I have spent the day crying looking at the pictures and videos of my family with our adorable fluffy boy. It wasn’t supposed to turn out this way. 
thank you everyone for your advice and support.


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## cwag (Apr 25, 2017)

I'm so sorry your family has had to go through this but I think you have done what had to be done. I hope sometime in the future you will be able to find a well bred and well started puppy for your family.


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## Ffcmm (May 4, 2016)

I'm very sorry you had to make this difficult choice.


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## dtl126 (Sep 5, 2020)

islandmomof5 said:


> We are broken hearted today as we said goodbye to Barley this morning. His guarding was escalating and he bit my teenage daughters hand last night. I was a wreck. It’s so hard to reconcile the part that loves this adorable loving puppy who can just be the happiest thing when he is with us yet who also has such an awful side that I fear.
> 
> My mother in law is friends with a women who trains dogs to be service dogs with veterans who have PTSD. I spoke with her and she was so happy to take Barley into her home. She is a single woman who has dedicated her life to helping dogs and veterans. She reassured me she has trained dogs like Barley and I explained his behaviour and she didn’t seem concerned, rather optimistic that she could help him. She has an extensive training program (dogs and veterans are trained together for a year) it’s called Operarion freedom paws. My mother in law fostered some of the dogs who have gone through her training.
> I don’t know what the outcome will be but we couldn’t have asked for a better situation for our boy.
> ...


I'm so sorry you had to go through this. We actually are going through the same thing--said goodbye to our boy on Thursday night. I have four kids and it's been so hard. Sending hugs to you and your whole family. <3


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## islandmomof5 (Aug 23, 2020)

cwag said:


> I'm so sorry your family has had to go through this but I think you have done what had to be done. I hope sometime in the future you will be able to find a well bred and well started puppy for your family.


thank you so much. Our house is a little too quiet and calm now. I am already looking into getting another puppy from a good breeder with a wait list. I realize this is not something to rush, good things are worth waiting for. Not sure we will/can do another Goldie but hoping we can find a good breed for our family.


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## islandmomof5 (Aug 23, 2020)

dtl126 said:


> I'm so sorry you had to go through this. We actually are going through the same thing--said goodbye to our boy on Thursday night. I have four kids and it's been so hard. Sending hugs to you and your whole family. <3


thank you so much for your kind words. I am so sorry to hear you are going through the same thing. Big hugs right back to you.


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## Tagrenine (Aug 20, 2019)

islandmomof5 said:


> thank you so much. Our house is a little too quiet and calm now. I am already looking into getting another puppy from a good breeder with a wait list. I realize this is not something to rush, good things are worth waiting for. Not sure we will/can do another Goldie but hoping we can find a good breed for our family.


Goldens are a good breed when done right  It takes as long as it takes, but good luck in your search! There are some great Golden breeders in Canada. If you need any help, or have questions about a particular breed, feel free to ask questions here  

I'm sorry this happened, but there is no shame in rehoming. You did what was best for everyone.


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## islandmomof5 (Aug 23, 2020)

Ffcmm said:


> I'm very sorry you had to make this difficult choice.


thank you.


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## islandmomof5 (Aug 23, 2020)

Thank you everyone


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## islandmomof5 (Aug 23, 2020)

Tagrenine said:


> Goldens are a good breed when done right  It takes as long as it takes, but good luck in your search! There are some great Golden breeders in Canada. If you need any help, or have questions about a particular breed, feel free to ask questions here
> 
> I'm sorry this happened, but there is no shame in rehoming. You did what was best for everyone.


Thank you! I had wanted a multigenerational medium sized labradoodle before we got our Barley boy, we may go that route, but my husband can’t think about another dog right now. Have to save up again, so much money down the drain. I think Golden retrievers are the cutest and so sweet but I don’t know if we will do that again. I’ve never been a big dog person (because of childhood fears) and after this awful experience I’m a little scarred for now. But it’s still so fresh. I may reach out with questions, wasn’t sure if this forum is only for golden retriever related posts.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

I really am sorry you went through this experience with him. It's sad all around. You did the right thing for your family, and sounds like for him as well. 

I hope you will start talking to some reputable breeders and find one that will help you get the right puppy for your family. I know this was disheartening, but it really can happen. I would suggest you reach out to some of the board members here who are reputable breeders that can point you in the right direct. Prism and DanaRuns would be good people to talk to.


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## bigblackdog (Jun 14, 2013)

islandmomof5 said:


> Thank you! I had wanted a multigenerational medium sized labradoodle before we got our Barley boy, we may go that route, but my husband can’t think about another dog right now. Have to save up again, so much money down the drain. I think Golden retrievers are the cutest and so sweet but I don’t know if we will do that again.


I am so glad that you have rehomed your pup, and the stress of having a pup that did not have the Golden temperament is gone off your shoulders now.
One world of caution....do NOT get a labradoodle or a goldendoodle, or any other kind of doodle...no ethical breeder breeds these mixes. There is no consistency in these breeds either, with their looks, or with their temperaments. If you want a well bred Golden reach out to the people on this forum...they can help you...or adopt a rescue mix.


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