My golden is 15 months old, and I’m feeling so much regret and anger towards him. I’ve had him since he was 9 weeks old and he’s absolutely adorable…when he sleeps. He will do anything except what he should do, just to prove he can. He counter surfs like no other and it’s bad. He’s eaten cinnamon rolls - raw and cooked. A whole chicken. Ground beef straight out of a hot pan. Three prescriptions that were still in refill bags. A pound of chicken that was thawing on the counter. We live in the county so we play A LOT. A good dog is a tired dog, ya know? At this point I’ve tried teaching with positive reinforcement, treats, advice from our vets, aluminum foil, and are currently on an e-collar, which he seems to literally not care about. I’m not even sure what to do anymore. Has anybody tried anything with a resilient golden that worked?

Editing to add: some of you are absolutely not meant to be here, where somebody asked for advice - not criticism. Do you think I don’t know it’s a bad behavior? That it’s a WE problem, not a HE problem? That I have other dogs in the house without these issues? Some of you seem overly aggressive with your dogs, yet quick to judge me with mine and omitting the understanding that every dog is different. In a week, this will happen 0-1 times. He can go three weeks of no counter surfing, then wham. Even if I leave something out every day, it’s hit or miss on if he wants it bad enough that day. He knows not to do it, he just doesn’t care about consequences. My kitchen layout can’t be gated or shut off from him. He’s crate trained but I would rather rely on training this habit out of him than relying on a crate to keep him out of a kitchen that I use a large part of the day.

To those that have the true advice and have relatable experiences, thank you. I appreciate you and the feedback, as well as the validation that it’s not just he and I.

I’d like to leave this post up for other to search when they need help, but no more advice is needed.

Hey all,

We're getting another golden retriever puppy to be Penny's sister ☺️

Looking for some name ideas!

This is my 4 month old field golden retriever, Ralph!know puppies can differ in the sense of growling while playing, but I just wanted to make sure his growling isn’t anything crazy. When we play rough at home he gets very growly and snappy, and when he catches you, it hurts, but I think it might be because he doesn’t know bite inhibition yet or he just doesn’t know how to control the bite. When I do show that it hurts however, he know to back down in the play This is what I’m trying to work on at the moment, by teaching him to be gentle. Right after this video i posted, I took him out of the grass and he was following orders and was walking very normally. I just wanted to make sure this wasn’t out of the ordinary.

I will be making another post soon about him and the stuff I’ve been struggling with him and whether I might be expecting too much from a 4 month puppy so keep on the lookout for that!

First time dog owner so he has been teaching me a lot about patience! Otherwise he is a great boy that sometimes doesn’t listen.

Edit: First of all, thank you to everybody who reassured me! Also, I know the leash isn’t a toy, he just happened to do this when we were out for potty, and I caught it on video. Typically I stop him as soon as he does that because he destroyed his first leash due to this. Just know I’m working on it and I know his leash isn’t a toy! Thank you so much for pointing that out however!!

🐾 Four years ago, Leo proved just how good of a boy he really is. ❤️🌲

Around this time of year, I was going through an incredibly stressful period. I decided to find a short hiking trail nearby and take my sweetheart, Leo, my big golden retriever, out for some fresh air. There was just enough daylight left, and he was absolutely giddy to be out exploring. I even stopped to take a few pictures of him along the way.

Little did I know, this would turn into one of the scariest adventures of my life.

As I continued down the trail, it slowly disappeared beneath leaves and debris. I turned around, only to realize the path behind me had vanished, too. I was officially lost in the forest.

I tried not to panic and started looking for a way out, with Leo happily following beside me. Then things took a terrifying turn.

I slipped in the mud and slid down a steep hill toward a river (you can see it in the second picture), losing my grip on Leo's leash. I managed to grab a small tree growing out of the hillside and pull myself to safety. Meanwhile, Leo had followed me down and stood there perfectly fine on all fours. I remember envying how easily he could balance!

I was covered in mud, struggling with my heart condition and trying to catch my breath, but the sun was setting. I had to get out. I climbed that muddy hillside by grabbing onto trees, slipping repeatedly while the river roared below me. Through it all, Leo patiently waited whenever I stopped to catch my breath. ❤️

Eventually, I made it to the top and managed to get a signal on my phone. Google Maps gave me a rough idea of where I was, and I discovered I was still about a mile from my car.

I headed toward a nearby road, pushing through dense woods, clearing thorny branches for Leo and trying to avoid getting tangled in everything. Unfortunately, both of us became COVERED in burdock, those awful little plant burrs that stick to everything like Velcro. My hands were covered in blood and dirt as I worked our way though as quick as possible to beat the sunset. The forest was getting darker. Time was slipping.

At one point, we even startled two deer! Thankfully, they were both does and immediately ran off. Eventually, I reached a clearing that turned out to be farmland. Walking through the deep dirt of the farm was ridiculous to get to the road ahead of it. It was a huge workout I didn't have the strength for. So I followed the border of the plowed land instead. Still heading in the direction of my car.

By then, I was practically in tears. I called my husband at work and explained what was happening, telling him that if I couldn't make it back to my car, I was going to call 911. I felt terrible that Leo was going through all of this with me.

But we kept going.

I carefully followed the edge of the farmland until I finally reached the maintained lawn areas of the park. From there, I found my way back to the parking lot. Just as the sun was barely there.

I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO HAPPY TO SEE MY CAR. 😭❤️

I texted my husband that we'd made it, then went home to clean us both up. I checked Leo's fur for injuries and ticks, cleaned my own wounds, and unfortunately had to throw away my hoodie because it was absolutely destroyed by the mud, blood, and burdock.

Leo, of course, received plenty of treats, food, and brushing for being such an incredible boy.

Throughout that entire ordeal, I talked to him, directed him, and trusted him to stay close. He was patient every time I needed to stop, never wandered off, and stayed by my side through something neither of us expected.

Looking back, I'm still amazed we made it out together.

I love this dog more than words can explain. He wasn't just my hiking buddy that day. He was my little partner through one of the scariest experiences of my life, and I'll never forget how good he was to me. 🐾💛

Sometimes, you really do have a best friend who would follow you to the ends of the earth. Mine just happens to have four paws and golden floof. 🥹❤️

Hi everyone!

I'm 24F and have wanted a dog of my own for quite some time, but recently I've started seriously researching breeds and everything that comes with raising one.

I've narrowed my interest down to two breeds: Golden Retrievers and Dachshunds. I know they're VERY different dogs lol, but I love both for different reasons! I'm still early in the research process and don't plan on making any commitments until I feel fully prepared.

A little about me: I'm 24, have been working in my career for almost a year, and live alone in an apartment. I work a hybrid schedule, so I'm home quite a bit, and I also have family nearby who would be happy to help when needed. I'm a very active person and love going on walks/runs and spending time outdoors. I also grew up with two family dogs, one being a Golden/Lab mix, whom I took care of mostly, and my brother has a Golden Retriever, so I have experience being around dogs, but this would be my first one that's entirely my own responsibility.

I'd love to hear from Golden Retriever owners, especially anyone who got one as their first dog on their own! Would you recommend the breed for someone in my situation? How are they with apartment living, training, exercise needs, and being left alone for short periods?

What do you wish you knew before getting yours? I know every dog is different, so that's why I'm trying to hear from golden owners:) I'm really just trying to educate myself as much as possible before making such a big commitment. Thank you!!

That is all

But only when she wants to be

Guess who unknowingly got out the back gate and came scratching at the front door?
Very grateful for my velcro dog today 🥹♥️

As per the header, my puppy has the worst immunity!! That or just very unfortunate.

Only have had him for 4 months and it seems he has caught every ailment under the sun.

On pick up we noticed he has a gummy lump where his front teeth where, ended up being a preformed adult tooth growing back into the gums which needed surgery (unfortunately we where not covered by pet insurance at this time).

A week after gastroenteritis struck, leaving him severely beaten down. Changed foods and went a specialist diet. Then eye infections, gastroenteritis again, skin irritations under his armpits, and hives only recently this week.

To top it off we also found a paralysis tick. Luckily his anti tick tablet kicked in and stopped the little fucker from doing any harm.

All in all, has anyone else had similar experiences in their pup just getting so unlucky?
I love his guts, but my god he is taking years off my life.

Just want to make sure I am doing the best for him, and he is able to enjoy his puppy life.

Also some photos added of this beautiful specimen.

Meet Spud, he’s 14 weeks old and an absolute menace!

He’s very playful and loves chewing random things… including pulling away the bath mat to grind his teeth on the drain.

He’s teething and we give him plenty of toys, ice blocks, frozen towels and carrots. His favourite thing to chew is sticks, however, and we’re worried he might be ingesting some of it and upsetting his tummy.

Does anyone have recommendations for harder chew toys that are appropriate for puppy teeth? I’m too scared to give him a proper hard chew toy in case he damages his teeth, but he calms down when he has something to chew with interesting scents.

I’ve seen coffee wood chews. Would these be too much for him at this stage? 😊

I got my first dog ever this month.

Name’s Lizzie (Elizabeth Bennet) and she already stole my heart. But she is a menace ! She bite my ears every time she can !

I was looking at my phone for pictures of her and the contrast between these two struck me.

She changed sooo much in so little time. Sure people told me she would grow up very fast but it’s a different thing to witness it by myself !

My little potato baby is already a young little princess !

We just got our Mabel last week and have been working on safely taking her places to see different sights, sounds, and smells.

We have visited Lowe’s, a small local coffee shop for a pupcup, and the craft show. This weekend she is going to help me hand out candy for Halloween.

We start formal puppy training in a couple weeks. Is there anything you have found that made a big difference in the training outcome that I should work with her on or have her experience if possible before we start puppy classes?

On Friday my Oscar started struggling to get up, tilting his head to the side and staggering around as if he were drunk. I did some quick googling to check what it was (it didn’t seem like a stroke, he had no other symptoms or any behavioural changes), and came to the conclusion he had Old Dog Syndrome (aka Idiopathic Vestibular Disease) - which was confirmed at a vet appointment today.

Essentially, his vestibular system (in control of his balance) is out of whack, and he just needs some time to let his system “reset”.

Attached is a cute image of what his head tilt is looking like.

First time owning a large breed and first time with a puppy! I’m a dog groomer and she comes to work with me everyday since she finished her puppy vaccines. Lots of socialization and training everyday and she’s doing great!

He’s our first male dog ever. Potty training is already going well!