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OFF TO A GREAT START
With Your Rescued Golden Retriever
In the interest of making your adoption experience a most positive one and in
making your newest family member as comfortable as possible, we would like to
make a few simple suggestions.
We are all dog owners. We are not trainers, but we have a good amount of
interest in and experience with all things canine. We would like to share some
of our "hands on" knowledge and recommendations with you.
- DO: Take your dog for obedience training. Give him/her a couple
of weeks to settle in and then go to school! The experience of a good
beginner obedience class will help you bond with your new friend and make it
easier for him to figure out his place in your pack. It will give you basic
knowledge of canine behavior (especially if you are a novice dog owner.) Dog
school will also give you weekly access to a professional trainer, who will
be happy to answer your "New Dog Mom/Dad" questions and offer advice if
problems should arise.
- DO: Read! There are many great books in bookstores and in the library.
Become an informed Pack Leader/Parent. Brian Kilcommons' books are among our
favorites, as are "Mother Knows Best" by Carol Benjamin and "Golden
Retrievers for Dummies."
- DO: Supervise children around your new pet. Young children are
especially exuberant and unpredictable. This could frighten their new best
friend, who may not yet be secure in his new home. Kids need to be taught
how to approach their Golden buddy. Pet by scratching gently under the chin
and along the sides of the neck. Always pet in the direction that the fur
grows.
- DO NOT: stare directly into your dog's eyes – the dog sees this as a
challenge.
- DO NOT: allow kids to hug your Golden until he has been in your home
for a couple of weeks (an overhead approach could also be seen as a
challenge.) Golden Retrievers are WONDERFUL family dogs and are generally
incredibly tolerant of small kids' behaviors. However, we feel it is better
to take a cautious approach in the beginning.
- DO: Exercise restraint and caution while your dog is eating. Steer
clear of both your dog and his dish until he is finished eating. If you want
to give him more food, wait until he is completely done and away from his
eating area.
- DO: Give your dog safe treats & chewies (toys that cannot be ripped
apart and ingested.) We recommend large size Nylabones (not Gumabones),
thick sterilized beef bones from the pet store & Kong toys that can be
stuffed with cheese or peanut butter for a special treat. PLEASE DO NOT give
your new Golden any type of high value (in the canine world) treat such as
rawhide or pig ears until you know him better. Some dogs are fine about
giving these luxuries up, while others will growl, bare their teeth and
possibly even snap if you get too near to their doggie equivalent of filet
mignon.
- DO: CALL US AT LIGRR RIGHT AWAY if you have any concerns about your
dog's behavior. We can make recommendations & if necessary, have a volunteer
observe your dog's behavior at home. Very often, little problems can be
alleviated before they become BIG problems. We want your golden adoption to
be a success. We are here to help you and your pet.
- DO: Exercise a little restraint and "doggie common sense" in your new
pet's first few weeks in his new home. It could mean the difference between
a failed adoption and the happy placement both your dog and your family
deserve. Take it slowly, quietly and calmly with your new buddy & he will
repay you with his undying devotion, in the typical Golden manner.
PLEASE REMEMBER: Your LIGRR Golden has been tested for Heartworm &
(unless we have notified you otherwise), he is Heartworm Negative. He needs to
go on Monthly Heartworm Medication IMMEDIATELY. Please see your
Veterinarian as soon as possible.
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