(Part 2) Top products from r/goldenretrievers

Congrats!! If you've never had a puppy before, my #1 recommendation is to get a trainer who will come to your house and work with you. They are more for you than for the dog. We did that and while it was really expensive, it was a blessing!

One thing our trainer told us is to let the puppy have access to only a little bit of the house at a time. A crate helps with that, but we didn't want it to feel like punishment and we wanted to be able to let him play around just as a dog in a controlled area. So we bought this playpen and zip tied it to the crate. You can also get linoleum to put underneath the playpen area, but make sure it's all one sheet (otherwise he'll chew on the ends). That also helps clean up potty mistakes!

Speaking of potty, we got a little bell to put on the door. We made him nudge it with his nose or paw (basically picked him up) every time we went out. Then when we finally let him explore more, he knew how to let us know he had to go. Of course, he also used it just as an excuse to go outside, so there's that.

You mentioned you're good to go on crates--did you get one that is life stages and lets you adjust how much room is available? Not a huge deal if not, but if you did, make sure you use it. They don't need a whole lot of room in the crate because they'll just pee on one end and sleep on the other.

For grooming, you don't really need a lot for a puppy (at least in our experience, and our older dog grew up to be a HUGE fluffball). You're more likely to hurt him and turn him off. For our grown up guys, we use a pin brush, a rake brush, a de-matting comb, grooming scissors, and dremmel. We also do your normal ear cleaning solution (we get ours from the vet, so I don't remember the brand offhand, it's the same thing as online) and shampoo. This is what we used when they were puppies. Another essential is puppy wipes for pesky danglers and muddy paws.

For a puppy, though, I really wouldn't use all that stuff. We used a little kong brush to get him used to a brush on his fur, but we didn't even use that until his fur was a little longer (but still too short to use the other brushes). The big thing with grooming a puppy is getting him used to you touching him EVERYWHERE. Stick your fingers in his ears and mouth, rub all over his paws, make him lay down on his back in your lap, etc. Definitely start on nails asap--even if you don't actually trim them, just holding the dremmel up to their nails and getting them used to it helps A LOT. Also the ear cleaner is an essential for golden puppies. Our trainer and vet both told us to drop it in their ears, let them shake their heads, then use q-tips in all the nooks and crannies.

Other essential products are LOTS of toys. You'll figure out real quick what your guy likes. Our first dog was more of a casual chewer, so fabric toys worked, but our second dog LOVES to eat fabric so we had to go with hard toys only. I highly recommend toys by West Paw! As you know, golden puppies will chew on LITERALLY EVERYTHING so you need a backup distractor toy at all times to replace the flavor of the minute. Keep in mind that if you give up trying to stop them chewing on something (say, for example, your computer chair), they will think it's ok to chew on that for the rest of their life. :(

We also got a slow-feeder bowl because our guys gobble down their food like it will disappear if they don't. And if your guy is really annoying with the water bowl (i.e., repeatedly knocking it over), don't worry too much--he'll grow out of it. I recommend keeping a towel under it until he learns all he wants to know about water!

Have fun with your little guy!!!! I'll add anything else I can think of later but feel free to ask if there's anything else you're curious about!

I don't think Golden Retrievers have any specific nutrient requirements that are different from other dogs, so general dog advice should suffice here. One thing I would point out though is I don't think there are any vegan dry kibble puppy foods — although I believe most foods are advertised as complete for all life stages. If you had a puppy, you may want to identify how the nutrient profile in puppy food differs from normal food and add supplements. If you were using a food mix like Vegedog you might be able to modify it more easily, but I don't have experience with that.

I have three dogs that have been on a vegan diet for most of their lives: a German Shepherd/Chow mix that is around 9 (on the vegan food for 7-8 years) and two Husky/Malamutes that are 13 1/2 (on the vegan food for 10-11 years). They haven't had any health issues attributable to diet and in general have been quite healthy (full disclosure: one of the Husky/Malamutes recently got SARDS, but that isn't known to be affected by diet).

I've fed my dogs mostly Evolution as a staple supplementing with other foods for variety — V-Dog, AmiDog, Natural Balance, etc. I also supplement, and I'd consider it advisable to do so. I add about 1g each of taurine, l-carnitine and canine digestive enzymes (this is what I use) to their food.

So there's the personal anecdote. As for very solid evidence, there's a fair amount of research on how digestible various vegetable-derived ingredients like CGM (corn gluten meal) are since many commercial foods use it. Vegan/vegetarian dogs aren't exactly mainstream and there isn't a lot of demand for research on that topic, so you aren't going to find anything like a nationwide study with millions of dogs.

Here are some links you might find helpful. (Not intended to be exhaustive, and you certainly could find some more information combing the web if you were so inclined.)

Extracted from another post, so may be slightly redundant:

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1. http://oldortovet.bioetica.info.ro/mesaje/Dog_Health_Survey.pdf — Survey of 300 vegetarian/vegan dogs (done by PETA).
   
   
2. http://www.une.edu.au/staff/wbrown/brown-huskies-bjn-2009.pdf — Study of a meat free diet for sprint racing sled dogs.
   
   
3. http://www.vegepets.info/diets/veg_canine.html — General compilation of information on vegan canine diets from Andrew Knight. His credentials: DipECAWBM (WSEL), PhD, MRCVS, FOCAE, European Veterinary Specialist in Welfare Science, Ethics and Law, Fellow, Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics.
   
   There is of course also considerable anecdotal evidence from the people that have vegan pets. I don't think I've heard many stories about people who had an issue — most of it has been positive. Note: Could be confirmation bias.
   
   Furthermore, canine nutritional needs are pretty well understood as is how digestible various substances are. I'll point out that many commercial non-vegan dog foods derive most of their energy from plant-based ingredients.
   
   There are vegan/vegetarian dog foods that meet AAFCO standards — AAFCO is the organization that designs animal feed guidelines in the US. Those foods are nutritionally complete based on AAFCO standards.
   
   There are also veterinary prescription vegetarian/vegan foods that are used for dogs that cannot tolerate meat for whatever reason: it's unlikely those foods would exist if they were severely nutritionally deficient.
   
   ***
   
   I'd definitely recommend at least trialing the food, with monitoring and health checkups it can be done with minimal risk. You could likely reduce the risk still further by waiting until the dog is fully mature.
   
   Even though I don't find it very palatable, I think it is justified to take at least some risk: the alternative is to sacrifice the life of a creature that likely is just as significant as a dog's. For the pig/cow/chicken/whatever that would be killed to make dog food, their death is a fact: not a risk.

I'm in the same boat you are, just 6 months in. Never had a dog before, always a cat person. Here's what I've learned (so far).

1. All they want is to be with you. If she's not with you, she probably into something.
   
2. They're smart. So smart that you'll realize you're not as smart as you thought you were. I bought ours this, filled it with treats, then anxiously awaited as he tried to solve the puzzle. He just picked the whole thing up and flipped it over so that all of the treat covers fell out. "Problem" solved.
   
3. It took ours a couple months to get the "retriever" part down, but once he did.. man he brings us everything.
   
4. Give him lots of toys that he can "work" at. Kong toys with treats in them, maze balls, etc. I'm thinking of picking up something like this for ours next.
   
5. Be ready to walk. Cold, hot, doesn't matter. Golden's need exercise and love to run. On that note...
   
6. Get him out to a dog park or visit with other dog-having friends as much as you can! Not only is it great for socializing the dog, but she'll be tired out from all of the playing.
   
7. Try to curb jumping up as soon as possible. we didn't do this, and now we're kicking ourselves.
   
8. Get some training books and start as soon as you feel your pup is ready. Ours looooves being engaged and figuring out what he's supposed to do.
   
9. When she picks up something she's not supposed to, don't chase after her. Again, this is our boys favorite game now. "Oh, daddy is trying to work? I'm just going to grab this pillow and run!"
   
10. Remember that it's always your fault. Any bad behavior is the result of the dog not being told what is allowed. Positive reinforcement is always the better option!

My solution is to not leave tennis balls or ropes laying around since they are easy to be picked apart/destroyed. I use those toys when I am actively playing with my dog (about 2 years old). Anything that can't fall apart with ease can stay out and about.

Pick him up one of these Nylabone Chew Toys. They last for quite some time and my dog LOVES chewing on it. Just don't step on it or watch out for your pup dropping it on your feet!

Their patience is amazing!
We picked up a game from the book "A Dog Called Scholar" which we've taught to all of our goldies over the years. "Not Bought, Paid For" and they're just the best at it. Treat/toy/other desirable object and the command "Not Bought," they don't touch it until you declare it "Paid for!" No matter how long that may be. Goldens have the patience to be great at this one.

The more darker golden is Lola, she is 4 years old! The younger light color is Odis, this little monster is 7 months old! He's high energy. For toys, for these two. Ropes seem to work. These are all Canadian prices and on the Canadian Amazon

https://www.amazon.ca/Benebone-Wishbone-Durable-Aggressive-Chewers/dp/B00IK243R6/ref=mp_s_a_1_21?hvadid=74766848054309&hvbmt=be&hvdev=m&hvqmt=e&keywords=dog+toys&qid=1570538665&sr=8-21

https://www.amazon.ca/JW-Pet-Company-Chompion-Middleweight/dp/B0002DJWS6/ref=mp_s_a_1_123?hvadid=74766848054309&hvbmt=be&hvdev=m&hvqmt=e&keywords=dog+toys&qid=1570538806&sr=8-123

https://www.amazon.ca/Dogit-Striped-Cotton-Spiral-18-Inch/dp/B001B7U0C4/ref=mp_s_a_1_194?hvadid=74766848054309&hvbmt=be&hvdev=m&hvqmt=e&keywords=dog+toys&qid=1570538881&sr=8-194

Puppies will like to chew on everything because of the teeth are coming in and they hurt. Anything tough should help. My pups like sticks from the yard😂. If they help then hey, why not.

You should look into an Easy-Walk Harness. The leash clips at the chest and it prevents the dog from pulling. They work really well, and without it (just using a collar), my Golden will pull me down the street- and I'm a big guy. He's very prey driven too (squirrels, chipmunks, etc.). It's like walking with a totally different dog when he's not wearing it.

Its your dog and you can do as you wish, but a lot of people (myself included) aren't big fans of those pronged/pinch collars. They are painful and if not used correctly, can cause harm.

In any case, I'n not here to start a controversy, he's a beautiful dog. Enjoy him!

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edit: clarity

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009ZD3QY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_UmQYBb6RFCGGD

That’s the link to it! Definitely a simple option and it works pretty well!

If you discover that she likes to catch or fetch balls, these ChuckIt balls are the best we've found. Our golden will chew a tennis ball into little bits in about 10 minutes but these things are nearly indestructible. They also float if Penny has a place to play in the water.

My favorite is the Oster undercoat rake. Its very efficient and my dog loves being brushed with it. I have a slicker brush and FURminator and they're both decent, but they are more time-consuming and my dog has mixed feelings about being groomed with them.

He actually stinks? That shouldn't really happen if you are bathing him several times a week. The fur you really just need to vacuum all the time. Basically no way around that. For the smell you could use a scented dog shampoo. I like this as it smells really good if you put it on heavy and its formulated for dog use. If he's still stinking I was make sure he doesn't have any skin folds that aren't getting enough air when you wash him. I had a friend who had a fat bulldog who smelled like shit until they figured that problem out.

1. Brush him daily
   
2. Vacuum daily
   
3. Bathe him with something good smelling
   
4. Make sure hes 100% dry before finishing.

It’s seasonal, so it won’t be this bad forever! I find this gets a good deal of that undercoat they shed this time of year out: undercoat rake I like it better than the Furminator because it doesn’t cut the fur at all.

We used to add a bit of canned pumpkin on top of our dogs regular food with some glucosamine in it. Once you open the can you can keep it in the fridge for about a week I think, and they were like 1.50$ or so for a large can. Pretty economical, tasty, and good for the dog's digestion. Just make sure not to get the pumpkin pie filling, because it has added spices and sugar, but just the plain pumpkin puree.

Sorry to hear about your golden showing signs of hip problems :(. If you got your dog from a breeder it might be worth mentioning it to her/him just so they are aware of the problem if they are still breeding. And I'm not sure if your vet has told you (ours didn't) but there are a lot of little things to do around the house to help keep your dog's hips in better shape. Things like adding mats to any slippery wood or tile floors (less stress on the hips than if they were slipping), adding stepping stools if your pup jumps up on the bed or couch and beds similar to this one which are supposed to put less stress on the hip when the dog is sleeping.

http://www.amazon.com/Premier-Pet-Products-Gentle-Leader-Headcollar-Large/dp/B00074L4W2

Multipet Mallard Migrator Bird Plush Dog Toy https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00027ZVLY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_90xTyb0KQ0SM6

Most dogs hate gentle leaders, get an easy walk and be done with it.

No. Just no.


https://www.amazon.com/When-Things-Fall-Apart-Difficult/dp/1611803438