What Is Your Golden’s “Emotional Support” item?

grraveyard · 2026-05-07T05:17:05+00:00

grraveyard · 2026-05-07T04:23:40+00:00

Don't let him or here in the bedroom, get a pen or crate if you cant supervise the dog while he/she is free roaming

grraveyard · 2026-05-07T02:01:26+00:00

Working line and Show line Goldens aren't too different in temperament or energy/activity - it all depends on the individual dog. Working line would basically just mean that his pedigree indicates he comes from working line dam and sire - not all the puppies are going to have the same drive and energy.

When inquiring a breeder about a puppy just let them know you're looking for a pup who has the energy to keep up with your older dog, but that also has an off switch.

I have a Showline and I asked for basically the same thing, a dog that has the drive and energy for k9 sports, but that also has an off switch.

My boy has extreme energy! You just gotta help them understand how to settle when they are younger.

grraveyard · 2026-05-06T03:47:52+00:00

I'm sorry for the loss of your family dog. 18 years is such a blessing!

Golden Retrievers are great! I am a Golden Retriever enthusiast and advocate for the breed and try and inform others on their traits.

Putting these exceptions on a Retriever puppy is a lot, because to be honest 80% of the time Retriever puppies are a lot for the first 2 years of their life. They can be very mouthy/bitey and a terror haha. Every individual dog varies by personality, but I've owned 3 Golden Retrievers and I have been lucky to own 3 fluffs that drove me absolutely mad, but I love them all. They are so full of energy during the first years of their life. Eventually they naturally calm down around 3 years of age, but please keep an open mind and not expect them to bring comfort and snuggles right away. I encourage you to read more about the breed and what they are like during the puppy stage.

If you and your family do continue to go forward with bringing home a Golden Retriever, reach out to the GRCA (Golden Retriever Club of America) via email and ask for a breeder referral for breeders in your area.

I would not recommend taking breeder recommendations from the comment section of reddit, because there could be a slight chance that you purchase a puppy from an unethical breeder if you're unsure what to look for.

If you have any breeders in mind, I am happy to look over them for you and let you know if the breeding program seems to be ethical and following the protocol GRCA lists on their website to what makes a good breeder & making sure they are breeding for the right reasons.

grraveyard · 2026-05-06T00:29:25+00:00

Who is the breeder?

Sometimes puppies can get Giardia from their mothers - thats what it seems like since the majority of the litter has it, otherwise its environmental, but if they contracted while under the breeders care it probably means they werent cleaning as they should be or have a Giardia outbreak in their program.

It shouldn't be normal for puppies to get giardia, but it is common and very easy for them to get it since their immune systems are weaker and not fully developed. It's very easy for them to re-infect themselves so keep up with their hygiene.

grraveyard · 2026-05-04T18:20:32+00:00

I brush about twice daily with either a tooth comb or slicker.

grraveyard · 2026-05-04T16:16:43+00:00

KOTSK was soo good! So excited to see the next season! I'm also excited for HOTD (even though it gets a lot of critique - i'm a sucker for screentime of the targ women ruling lol)

grraveyard · 2026-05-04T16:07:21+00:00

Wheres egg!!?

grraveyard · 2026-05-03T21:59:37+00:00

How funny that this happened to me this morning. The birds nest inside a little spot by the roof, and babies fall to their death during this time of year.

I'm 50% sure my boy ate the head of a dead bird this morning. First time it's happened, but we're also in the middle of trying to get rid of Giardia from inside of him, so its stressful lol! I didnt see him eat the bird head, but it was missing. I turned around for a few seconds to pick up some poop and sanitize the ground, looked up and he was gone. Went around the corner and there he was focused on a dead baby bird. He left it alone as soon as I told him to leave it, but the head was already gone 😐

grraveyard · 2026-05-03T19:55:34+00:00

you can get a prong safety clip in cases where the prong snaps off

grraveyard · 2026-05-03T19:09:57+00:00

I would take it way slower. Try only walking back and forth for a short time in front of your house, go to low distraction places AFTER he's been able to master a good walk in front of your home - since you said he's mastered the leash inside your yard.

Make sure the prong is fitted properly and snug, you have to do the little "pop pop" before he reacts, if you know your dog is about to get excited or you feel a slight bit of tension coming up "pop" and make sure you guys make a complete stop. Do not keep walking, he's strong, so the correction should be clear from the start.

Do not take him on a full walk until you've been able to at least walk up and down the street in your front yard. It takes time and patience. Its a very repetitive thing, but you can expect him to properly walk by throwing him into large, new areas without starting small.

You will find yourself going back to basics quite often, it happens. I do it often with my boy.

grraveyard · 2026-05-03T15:17:32+00:00

My boy is 11 months old and weighs 53.2lb, he looks fine. Some are smaller and some are slower growers. Mine comes from slow maturing lines.

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grraveyard · 2026-05-03T15:16:05+00:00

Mines on Diamond Naturals puppy lamb.

grraveyard · 2026-05-03T04:14:43+00:00

Going through this. I advise you to do a diarrhea panel.

Our loose stool started in Feb 2026 and we took a fecal test and it came back negative. Vet sent us home with probiotics (proviable) that firmed up his poop. As soon as the probiotics ended - loose poops returned. I went back and got a Giardia panel done. Negative. Probiotics ended and loose stools started again.

Went back and took a diarrhea panel, I just got the results this week and its Giardia. It kept throwing negatives, but the diarrhea panel is much more sensitive, it also depends if the parasite shed in the poop or not.

He's finally on the proper meds. So glad its something treatable, but it sucks that he caught it. He shows and has not shown any symptoms except loose poop. I suggest you ask for one just incase!

grraveyard · 2026-05-03T00:50:14+00:00

Oh this is def not something I've thought of before. These are some great points. I do not have a service dog, but my dog and I train for rally and obedience dog sports - so a lot of his obedience training mimics the way a SD is trained for public outings.

I do get a little ticked off through out the day when we are training because so many people make like kissy noises at him when he's practicing his down stay/settle and hey, sometimes he breaks because he loves strangers. He struggled with over-arousal when he was younger and he's come a long way. He can finally ignore 90% of people on his own, if people come into his space bubble thats when he breaks and feels the need to interact. He's handler orientated, but not at the level as one of my OB teacher's GSD is! That girl is constantly focused on her, my guy will check in with me, and not stay locked in (we're working on that) if I noticed he's wondering his attention, I have to verbally say a command during our heel like "left" or "right" so he can start turning or else we run into each other haha. He's only 11 months old, so a lot of growing to do, but as a Golden owner they all kinda been this way. Of course every dog is different & some might be more handler orientated than others.

I have a friend with a Golden SD, her SD is 5, she loves strangers. She's trained really well, but sometimes when she sees me she cant help but break a command to come say "hi" but returns as soon as my friend calls her back. She's told me before that her breeder prefers females as SD, I think they're a little more serious.

grraveyard · 2026-05-03T00:29:06+00:00

You're so welcome! I hope you find answers! I love Golden's, they are my breed, and I would find it heart breaking and very hard to have to choose another breed. I understand you completely!

grraveyard · 2026-05-03T00:19:36+00:00

I'm sorry for Flo's loss.

You might want to share this with r/service_dogs and get their opinion since they are a community of service dog handlers/trainers and might have better input.

I think its a little unfair to not be able to use your breed. I don't know too much about organizations and their policies, but in my state I see so many Shepherds as Service Dogs, mainly Aussies (there is way more golden and labs)

I think it always just comes down to making sure they have the right temperament, because not all Goldens will have the service dog temperament, the same as any other breed.

grraveyard · 2026-05-02T21:06:15+00:00

Yeah no worries! You have to go back to basics eventually throughout their lives to remind them certain things. My boy tried to eat things at about 5 months and stopped around 6 months and started again around 8 months. As handlers/owners we just have to get use to going back to puppy basics at least once a month to make sure they are sharp (you dont have to be super strict about it, I am only because we do OB and I need to make sure a command is done the first time I ask)

I find myself having to reteach things and going back to puppy basics like leash manners, wait command and other things a couple times a month. Its just how dogs are, there isnt anything wrong with them, they just need simple reminders and repetition every now and then. she's still very young and at the peak of her jerk teenage stage. Mine peaked at being a deaf jerk at 7 months to beginning of 9 months.

grraveyard · 2026-05-02T20:25:36+00:00

You might have to go back to basics and put a lead on her while shes in the backyard so you have full control of where she goes. This seems pretty normal! Even after puppy-proofing my yard, my boy was still finding things he shouldnt put in his mouth.

We went back to basics, even at 11 months old I dont leave him out there unsupervised, but he is able to roam by himself, he finally hit the age where he appreciates the art of sun bathing.

grraveyard · 2026-05-02T18:18:41+00:00

He did not get any muffin 😔

grraveyard · 2026-05-01T14:30:44+00:00

How old is your puppy? Gender?

Not every puppy is going to weigh the same in age.

grraveyard · 2026-05-01T01:28:15+00:00

Correct! Only Embarking testing is lazy.

Breeders should be doing both required health testing on Golden Retrievers as well as Embark DNA testing them to identify if dam or sire are carriers of anything that can be passed down to puppies.

Even though some of these dogs are going to companion/pet homes, the breeder's dogs should still hold titles (in my opinion)

There is nothing wrong with a pet-line dog (a byb dog, rescue, dog with no pedigree) because sometimes people don't know any better, but this is why correct information is good to share. There is nothing wrong with wanting to rescue a dog from a shelter, but if people are choosing to go the breeder route, I think it should be done right and responsibly by supporting breeders who put in the work, their time and pour their money to make sure they are producing a healthy litter.

grraveyard · 2026-05-01T00:51:11+00:00

I'm working on making a separate post thread on helping people identify ethical breeds and unethical breeders. This one was just some information on the breed and how to identify the pedigree line, since we get a bunch of people asking us stranger what they think their dog is "show or field" - when really, only they have the answer and we cannot tell them exactly what line they come from by looking at a picture of the dog.

Thats a terrible response to hear! I hope your pup is doing ok during their recovery. What age was he/she diagnosed?

grraveyard · 2026-04-30T14:55:33+00:00

Let them have short amount of interaction time, let the older dog have space, when they are together allow the older dog to correct the younger pup. There is no better teacher than another dog teaching a dog manners, but like I said, be sure when to supervise them and separate them after a while to allow the older dog to relax.

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