Golden retriever, one or two?

Question

we are moving soon and would like to get a golden retriever. we have an 11 month baby and are soon having another baby.

we were wondering if one golden retriever would be ok or if its best to get two?

thanks in advance

Answer 1

With baby crawling, she/he will crawl stright into wee or poo!! Toys that baby will have will be puppy's too. It really isn't the right time. Pleas ewait until they are at school and you have time to devote to each, as they deserve that, babies and puppy. Pups often end up outside lonely and distraught. AND your having another. Puppy's are really really hard work and so are babies...Why not wait until you have the time to devote to all concerned.    

Answer 2

wow, i dont know if u know what two retrievers mean. how would u take care of the baby?do u know how much time dogs take from u. they need attention at beginning just as much as babys do.one is enough.

Answer 3

Congratulations on the babies!! So cute!! Retrievers, labs, etc are all the type to not get lonely. So having one is your best bet. Plus two makes it so much harder than trying to train one, because they follow each others leads on things. For example if you are paper training them (which I doubt you will, but just as an example) and one has it down packed but the other not so much and has a habit of using somewhere other than the paper, the good one will start to do the same. But if you start with one then get another later after the first is completely house broken then it will help train the puppy.

Also just a thought to think about, with having a baby and one on the way you might want to consider adopting an older dog, probably 2 years or more. The reason for this is, dogs like that grow very fast in size but they still have the mentality of a puppy, And this could be an issue for the babies. Which is exactly what happened to my aunt, she had exactly like you, two babies, one about a year older than the first, and a lab puppy. And the dog was still very young and unaware of his strength or size, plus he was pretty clumzy. One day I was watching him and the boys and he went to sit down, not realizing his size and sat right on the boys' play pen and almost collapse the whole thing. Another time I was baby sitting I was putting the youngest down for a nap and since he was not getting attention he came in the room, the baby had just closed his little eyes so i could not scold the dog in fear of startling the baby, and he began to rub his whole body against the newborn's cradle, nudging it with his nose, just looking for attention, and because of his size, he almost knocked the cradle right over! Neither of these were really his fault, except getting into the baby's room, it was just he was so big and didnt know it.

If you decide to adopt these dogs have grown into their size and are more accustomed to handling themselves in a more graceful manner. You are already going to have your hands full with two beautiful babies, adding a puppy to that will definitly drain you completely!  

Answer 4

I'd say wait a few years until the kids are old enough to play with the dogs.  Your hands will be full with 2 kids, retrievers need walks and lots of attention.  However if you really want one now, I would say get two (boy and girl) as puppies, because you'll be so busy with the babies that the dogs will have each other for company & can play with each other when you're too busy and tired.

Answer 5

you're already getting acclimated to having an 11 month old baby, you're soon to be having another. congratulations! but, i wouldn't get 2 at a time at this point. introduction 1 golden would probably work best. later down the road when you're ready i would suggest then would be the time to get another dog. but i would allow 1 puppy to become situated in such a large family first.  

Answer 6

Honestly, as everyone else has said, you shouldn't get any dogs or puppies right now.  With moving and then two babies, that is enough work without adding a dog into the mix.  Unless you plan on leaving it outside 24/7 and in that case, what's the point?  You have plenty of time to get a dog or two when the kids are a bit older.    

Answer 7

I would start with one at first. Then if everything works out OK and you can afford it, then get a second one.  

Answer 8

With an infant in the house already and another one on the way it would be best to stick with one dog for now.  Dogs are a lot of work and you've already got your hands pretty full with raising children.  Regardless of your life situation I always recommend adding a second dog AFTER the first dog is reasonably well trained because dogs do learn from each other.  This works to your advantage if your dog is well behaved because the first dog will help teach the new dog the "rules of the house" and make training much easier for you.  However, it can also work to your disadvantage as a new dog can just as easily pick up any bad habits the other dog has and then you have two dogs driving you nuts and it will take you longer to work with each one individually to undo this bad behavior.  

Also, I would strongly urge you to consider adopting an adult dog instead of getting a puppy.  Puppies are nearly as much work as a human child and with a new baby on the way it will be very difficult for you to give a puppy the attention it will need.  Also, golden retrievers are very active as puppies and young adults and often don't realize their own size.  Young golden retrievers are among the worst offenders for accidentally knocking toddlers to the ground (and as an adult who has been run into by a dog of that size who wasn't paying attention to where they were going I will assure you that it hurts).  An adult dog that is known to be good with kids adopted from breed rescue on the other hand is often a "ready made" pet...already housebroken and past the puppy chew stage where they will chew on everything at hand.  Many adult dogs waiting for new homes in breed rescue even have a head start in obedience and manners training.

Answer 9

congrats on your babies :) i recommend one dog first it may be two much having two doggies and two babies to begin with.  new pups are like new babies hard work lol :)

anyway good luck ;)

Answer 10

With all you have going on I would suggest you wait until your baby is born and see if you have the time to even care for 1 pup let alone 2.  

I never recommend a new owner get 2 pups at the same time.  Potty training 1 pup is a full time job and you would have to double your efforts.  Plus with a 11 month old who is crawling a pup would not be the right thing for you at this time.  Golden's are a wonderful choice for a family but they need training and time to do that in too.  

Your heart is in the right place but I think your timing is way off.  The right Golden pup for will still be there for you when your life settles down a bit more.

I'd wait until after the birth of your second child then get your schedule set.    

Answer 11

With a new baby on the way, I'm surprised you want even one, let alone two.  It may be a good idea to wait until your children are old enough not to need your constant attention.  

Regardless, it's never a good idea to get two puppies at the same time.  Getting two puppies at once is much more work and makes it even more difficult to train each dog.  The dogs will associate with each other more than they associate with human family members.  

Read this article for more information:

http://leerburg.com/2dogs.htm

Answer 12

I think you are going to have your hands full with a toddler and a new baby to even contemplate having a dog, let alone two, just now.

Puppies are a full time job and with two babies in the house it will be difficult for you to housetrain the puppy and see to its needs.  They have to be fed 4 times a day when you first have them and that in itself is time consuming without the potty training.

I never let my puppies go to new owners with very young children for this reason.  In the past I have had puppies returned after 10 days because the wife can't cope with the demands of two tiny children and look after a puppy at the same time.  People just don't realise how much work is involved in having a puppy.   You will be losing sleep as it is with your infants and you may think you can perhaps sleep when the babies sleep but with a puppy constantly demanding your attention, take it from me, you don't want to put yourself through this stress.

I would advise you to wait until you see how you are coping with the children first and then maybe consider getting a puppy when they are a little older.  

Golden Retrievers are very boisterous as puppies and grow very quickly.  They can very easily bowl over a crawling infant or a toddler.

So many puppies end up in Shelters when the new owners cannot cope because of having a small family.  They don't stay puppies for long and before you know it that sweet little furry puppy has grown into a teenage hooligan which needs a lot of  handling and training.   Enjoy your babies first and then once the children are able to understand you will all be able to  enjoy a new puppy together.