Puppy vs 11 month old (trained)

[Anonymous]

Ok, OP, then if you want the 11mo - what’s the question? I would suggest asking a LOT more questions about why it’s there still and what “trained” means. The puppy year is critical for social development - did it live in the house with the breeder? Was it socialized with other dogs? What training methods did she use? What willl she be providing you in terms of training for you and your family to keep up the training? Etc.

Also I would say be totally prepared to fly there, meet the dog, and say no. I would be worried that I would get all the way there and fall in love, even if it was apparent it was not a good match or something was off.

Anyway the whole thing just sounds sketchy and I’m really curious why you want a golden retriever puppy only and only right now. Seems like a set up for misery.

[Anonymous]

Not having a fence and not having experience with dogs shouldn’t rule you out. Which rescue groups did you reach out to?

[Anonymous]

There are tons of golden retriever rescue groups. Here is one: https://www.sunshinegoldenrescue.com/adoptable-dogs.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are probably getting a Golden Retriever puppy. The kids are dying for a puppy and have never had one. It seems daunting and also cute.. my kids are 14 and 16. There is an option to get an older puppy mostly trained and good temperament but fairly pricy and about 1k more than a puppy. Also not local so we would have to fly to meet it and see and cancel a puppy deposit. The puppy breeder isn't my favorite but ok... that's another story. The trained puppy is almost grown so looks like an adult.. beautiful but not puppy like. She said she is stoic.. a few things still need correcting..but sounded minor.

My daughter has been begging for a puppy. I know we are the adults so who cares but I will be so upset if got this older one and my kids didn't bond or were constantly sad they never had a pup to raise. I almost would prefer an adult like a 3-4 year old instead of 11 months. I also like we could mould a puppy but we have never had a dog.

Curious your thoughts on either.. I realize trained is amazing but it's a flight, expensive and then a little bit of letdown..

How old are your kids? How many do you have? Are they in a lot of activities? Be aware that kids are notorious for begging and promising they will do more with the dog and then they lose interest very quickly. Are you prepared to have this dog for potentially 15 years? I got a puppy and they are a LOT of work and expense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are probably getting a Golden Retriever puppy. The kids are dying for a puppy and have never had one. It seems daunting and also cute.. my kids are 14 and 16. There is an option to get an older puppy mostly trained and good temperament but fairly pricy and about 1k more than a puppy. Also not local so we would have to fly to meet it and see and cancel a puppy deposit. The puppy breeder isn't my favorite but ok... that's another story. The trained puppy is almost grown so looks like an adult.. beautiful but not puppy like. She said she is stoic.. a few things still need correcting..but sounded minor.

My daughter has been begging for a puppy. I know we are the adults so who cares but I will be so upset if got this older one and my kids didn't bond or were constantly sad they never had a pup to raise. I almost would prefer an adult like a 3-4 year old instead of 11 months. I also like we could mould a puppy but we have never had a dog.

Curious your thoughts on either.. I realize trained is amazing but it's a flight, expensive and then a little bit of letdown..

How old are your kids? How many do you have? Are they in a lot of activities? Be aware that kids are notorious for begging and promising they will do more with the dog and then they lose interest very quickly. Are you prepared to have this dog for potentially 15 years? I got a puppy and they are a LOT of work and expense.

They're 14 and 16 but I would regret if I didn't t get one. I think it could be nice for our family. My DD has anxiety and mild
Depression at times as do I. They're great w animals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are probably getting a Golden Retriever puppy. The kids are dying for a puppy and have never had one. It seems daunting and also cute.. my kids are 14 and 16. There is an option to get an older puppy mostly trained and good temperament but fairly pricy and about 1k more than a puppy. Also not local so we would have to fly to meet it and see and cancel a puppy deposit. The puppy breeder isn't my favorite but ok... that's another story. The trained puppy is almost grown so looks like an adult.. beautiful but not puppy like. She said she is stoic.. a few things still need correcting..but sounded minor.

My daughter has been begging for a puppy. I know we are the adults so who cares but I will be so upset if got this older one and my kids didn't bond or were constantly sad they never had a pup to raise. I almost would prefer an adult like a 3-4 year old instead of 11 months. I also like we could mould a puppy but we have never had a dog.

Curious your thoughts on either.. I realize trained is amazing but it's a flight, expensive and then a little bit of letdown..

How old are your kids? How many do you have? Are they in a lot of activities? Be aware that kids are notorious for begging and promising they will do more with the dog and then they lose interest very quickly. Are you prepared to have this dog for potentially 15 years? I got a puppy and they are a LOT of work and expense.

OP again. And my kids are so busy and social. Ugh lol. But I'm hoping me and my husband love it and I wonder why I didn't sooner. That's why I'm leaning towards the 1 year old with the known chill temperament.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are probably getting a Golden Retriever puppy. The kids are dying for a puppy and have never had one. It seems daunting and also cute.. my kids are 14 and 16. There is an option to get an older puppy mostly trained and good temperament but fairly pricy and about 1k more than a puppy. Also not local so we would have to fly to meet it and see and cancel a puppy deposit. The puppy breeder isn't my favorite but ok... that's another story. The trained puppy is almost grown so looks like an adult.. beautiful but not puppy like. She said she is stoic.. a few things still need correcting..but sounded minor.

My daughter has been begging for a puppy. I know we are the adults so who cares but I will be so upset if got this older one and my kids didn't bond or were constantly sad they never had a pup to raise. I almost would prefer an adult like a 3-4 year old instead of 11 months. I also like we could mould a puppy but we have never had a dog.

Curious your thoughts on either.. I realize trained is amazing but it's a flight, expensive and then a little bit of letdown..

How old are your kids? How many do you have? Are they in a lot of activities? Be aware that kids are notorious for begging and promising they will do more with the dog and then they lose interest very quickly. Are you prepared to have this dog for potentially 15 years? I got a puppy and they are a LOT of work and expense.

They're 14 and 16 but I would regret if I didn't t get one. I think it could be nice for our family. My DD has anxiety and mild
Depression at times as do I. They're great w animals.

You might regret it more when you get it too. Please do not tale this lightly. You do not want to jave to re- home a dog and I can't stress enough how much work they are.

[Anonymous]

As someone with anxiety and mild depression, I can’t tell you how much a puppy exacerbated those conditions. A puppy is every single day, every couple of hours when they’re younger and every single day, 3-4 times a day even when older. There is no I don’t feel up to it today when you’re down and the neediness and dependency of a dog really made my anxiety significantly worse. I had to do some major work on managing anxiety related to having a dog, which I’ve come through. But it was tough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As someone with anxiety and mild depression, I can’t tell you how much a puppy exacerbated those conditions. A puppy is every single day, every couple of hours when they’re younger and every single day, 3-4 times a day even when older. There is no I don’t feel up to it today when you’re down and the neediness and dependency of a dog really made my anxiety significantly worse. I had to do some major work on managing anxiety related to having a dog, which I’ve come through. But it was tough.

Yikes- I can see that side too (for me, not my kid) which is why I am more into the older one. I don't mind walking the dog, feeding, taking it to places, and think once it settles it will be nice. It's the biting, aggressiveness and up all night that I don't want. A newborn seems easier-- at least I could stay in bed and nurse lol
Would you feel an older dog would have been much easier for you and your anxiety vs a pup?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As someone with anxiety and mild depression, I can’t tell you how much a puppy exacerbated those conditions. A puppy is every single day, every couple of hours when they’re younger and every single day, 3-4 times a day even when older. There is no I don’t feel up to it today when you’re down and the neediness and dependency of a dog really made my anxiety significantly worse. I had to do some major work on managing anxiety related to having a dog, which I’ve come through. But it was tough.

Btw, what breed did you get and how did you manage to get through it? Kittens seem cute! HA!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As someone with anxiety and mild depression, I can’t tell you how much a puppy exacerbated those conditions. A puppy is every single day, every couple of hours when they’re younger and every single day, 3-4 times a day even when older. There is no I don’t feel up to it today when you’re down and the neediness and dependency of a dog really made my anxiety significantly worse. I had to do some major work on managing anxiety related to having a dog, which I’ve come through. But it was tough.

Yikes- I can see that side too (for me, not my kid) which is why I am more into the older one. I don't mind walking the dog, feeding, taking it to places, and think once it settles it will be nice. It's the biting, aggressiveness and up all night that I don't want. A newborn seems easier-- at least I could stay in bed and nurse lol
Would you feel an older dog would have been much easier for you and your anxiety vs a pup?

I do think an older dog would have been better for me personally than a puppy. Though I know older dogs have challenges too, of course, it was the absolutely constant need with a puppy that made me have daily anxiety attacks. For me personally, it was a bad decision. Because someone else asked, we got a rescue puppy - he’s a mix of beagle and lab, according to DNA. But honestly I don’t think it would have been any different with any puppy. Puppies are a lot. He is one year old now and still a lot. Actually the hardest age was like 9-12 months. And he’s still a lot - we take him on 3-4 walks or play dates or runs in the yard every.single.day plus a few little training sessions all throughout the day. It’s a lot.

[Anonymous]

OP, I think what people are responding to is that it really doesn’t sound like YOU want a dog. It sounds like you want to provide the experience of having a dog for your kids and that they have been begging for one and you love them and are looking for the easiest way to give them what they want.

This is an absolute set up for failure. They are 14 and 16, which means gone in a few years, which means they are super busy with school and activities and friends. My kids are great with our dog - when they’re around. Which is rarely. And they certainly don’t change their lives around to care for the dog around the clock - that is up to me.

Your kids will adore the dog at first, and then in a few weeks they still will of course, and that will be heartwarming. But count on them playing with him for a few minutes a day, giving him some cuddles, maybe a walk a day if their schedules allow. You will be the one doing the constant care and worry and scheduling and vet visits and training. And you will have a dog for many years when they leave for college.

Some people go into that and want one anyway because they really want one too. You just don’t seem like that’s true for you (maybe I’m wrong).

Can you foster or babysit a friends dog or something first?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I think what people are responding to is that it really doesn’t sound like YOU want a dog. It sounds like you want to provide the experience of having a dog for your kids and that they have been begging for one and you love them and are looking for the easiest way to give them what they want.

This is an absolute set up for failure. They are 14 and 16, which means gone in a few years, which means they are super busy with school and activities and friends. My kids are great with our dog - when they’re around. Which is rarely. And they certainly don’t change their lives around to care for the dog around the clock - that is up to me.

Your kids will adore the dog at first, and then in a few weeks they still will of course, and that will be heartwarming. But count on them playing with him for a few minutes a day, giving him some cuddles, maybe a walk a day if their schedules allow. You will be the one doing the constant care and worry and scheduling and vet visits and training. And you will have a dog for many years when they leave for college.

Some people go into that and want one anyway because they really want one too. You just don’t seem like that’s true for you (maybe I’m wrong).

Can you foster or babysit a friends dog or something first?

You're mostly very right

But part of me does want a pet and feel it will help me mentally and my kids. But I'm scared of change and unknowns. If I knew the dog would be good and chill I'm not opposed to walking it and caring for it. When I'm an empty nester maybe I would like it? I don't want to deal with a lot of stress but I see some friends with dogs and wish I took the plunge. I'm so indecisive but my DH is more
Of w dog person. I don't know if I don't want a dog or I don't want to regret it and I'm scared. Two friends in my position felt the same but love their dogs now. Both smaller dogs.

It does seem soothing to have a sweet dog chilling nearby

[Anonymous]

I’ve dealt with a lot of breeders over the years, and I’ve never heard of a breeder keeping a puppy for “training” to sell at a 50% markup.

Girl, run away. That’s scetch as hell.

The 1-year-old puppy should be cheaper; 8-week-old puppies are in high demand.

You don’t really know how well that dog is trained. Also, the dog wasn’t trained by you, so you don’t know what you’re dealing with.

Get an actual puppy and watch YT videos about how to train a puppy. You’ll be better for it.

(I have to dogs—both from reputable breeders.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve dealt with a lot of breeders over the years, and I’ve never heard of a breeder keeping a puppy for “training” to sell at a 50% markup.

Girl, run away. That’s scetch as hell.

The 1-year-old puppy should be cheaper; 8-week-old puppies are in high demand.

You don’t really know how well that dog is trained. Also, the dog wasn’t trained by you, so you don’t know what you’re dealing with.

Get an actual puppy and watch YT videos about how to train a puppy. You’ll be better for it.

(I have to dogs—both from reputable breeders.)

What do you mean? There is a demand for trained dogs. I spoke with a breeder trainer today who said she gets annoyed when people want a discount on older trained dogs. She said she should charge 10k. This person is charging 4K. She sold two others. I think if the puppies don't sell she trains and sells as a trained dog. Why is that weird? Genuinely curious. She obv isn't some top of the line breeder with waitlists.