Would you reccomend a golden retriever as a pet for the elderly?

Question

Would you reccomend a golden retriever as a pet for the elderly?

Answer 1

I would say not, unless they lived on a farm-type space when the dog can run and exercise freely. Otherwise, I don't think they would be able to give it all the exercise it needs. Not to mention the chance a dog that size can knock them over. They might be healthy and active now, but not so much in ten years, probably. So you need to be thinking ahead as well.

You want to aim for a smaller dog that won't need too much exercise. Have a look here for breed ideas: http://www.findoutaboutdogbreeds.com/Bes...

And another thing to avoid is a puppy. Pups require such constant monitering and attention. And most breeds have that puppy activity until they are past 1-2 years old. So adopting a dog at least 3 or older would be most suitable.

Answer 2

depends on how the person can get around

Answer 3

Nope, because they need to be walked daily around 30mintues+.

Most elderly people can only do short walks.  Never buy from a petstore, backyard breeder, puppy mill or newspaper. Please consider adopting from  a shelter or pound. Also note most puppies are going to outlive elderly people or elderly people end up in nursing home-which means those that are owned by elderly people and are resuced, will most likely end up back at a shelter as an adult of 2yrs+.

So therefore the best thing is to consider a dog around the

age of 5yrs+ there alot calmer and easier to handle and lot less boisterou.

Breeds that are good for the elderly but do require a short walk.

Bichon Frise

Griffon Bruxellois

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

Chihuahua

Chinese Crested

Coton De Tulear

Japanese Chin

Maltese

Papillion

Pekingese

Pomeranian

Pug

Shih Tzu

Silky Terrier

Yorkshire Terrier

West Highland White Terrier

Dachshund

Bulldog

Lhasa Apso

Tibetan Spaniel

Tibetan Terrier

Scottish Terrier

Not good for elderly

Australian Cattle dog

Australian Shepherd

Bearded Collie

Belgian ShepherdTervuren

Border Collie

Bouvier Des Flandres

Cardigan Welsh Corgi

Pembroke Welsh Corgi

Collie

German Shepherd

Norwegian Buhund

Shetland sheepdog

Afghan Hound

Bassethound

Beagle

Bloodhound

Borzoi

Italian Greyhound

Greyhound

Irish Wolfhound

Norwegian Elkhound

Rhodesian Ridgeback

Whippet

Boston Terrier

Sharp-Pei

Chow-Chow

Dalmation

French Bulldog

Keeshond

Schipperke

Japanese Shiba Inu

American Cocker Spaniel

Brittany Spaniel

Chesapeake Bay Retriver

English Cocker Spaniel

English Setter

English Springer Spaniel

Flat coated retriver

German Shorthair Pointer

German Wirehair Pointer

Golden Retriver

Gordon Setter

Irish Setter

Labrador Retriver

Pointer

Hungarian

Weimaraner

Welsh Springer Spaniel

Airedale Terrier

Australian Terrier

Border Terrier

Cairn Terrier

Dandi Dinmont Terrier

Glen of Imaal Terrier

Kerry Blue Terrier

Bull Terrier

Minature Schnauzer

Giant Schnauzer

Standard Schnauzer

Norwich Terrier

Parson Russell Terrier

Fox Terrier

Soft coated wheaten Terrier

Staffordshire Bull Terrier

Welsh Terrier

Japanese Akita Inu

Alaskan Malamute

Bernese Mountain Dog

Black Russian Terrier

Boxer

Bull Mastiff

Doberman

Great Dane

Pyrenean

Hovawart

Mastiff

Neapolitan Mastiff

Newfoundland

Rottweiler

St. Bernard

Samoyed

Siberian Husky

10 REASONS TO ADOPT AN ADULT DOG

1. Have you really thought about what getting a puppy means?

• Pour cold apple juice on the carpet in several places and walk around barefoot in the dark.

• Wear a sock to work that has had the toes shredded by a blender.

• Immediately upon waking, stand outside in the dark and in the rain for at least 20 minutes

saying, "Be a good puppy, go potty now - hurry up - come on, lets go!"

• Tip over a basket of clean laundry, scatter clothing all over the floor.

• Leave your underwear on the living room floor, because that's where the puppy will drag it

anyway. (Especially when you have company.)

• Jump out of your chair shortly before the end of your favorite TV program and run to the door

shouting, "No no! Do that OUTSIDE!" Miss the end of the program.

• Put chocolate pudding on the carpet in the morning. Don't try to clean it up until you return

from work that evening.

• Gouge the leg of the dinning room table several times with a screwdriver - it's going to get

chewed on anyway.

2. Puppies are not housebroken! Most people work during the day and are gone for 8 hours or more at a

time. Puppies need to go out on a regular schedule so they have frequent opportunities to eliminate

where you want them to. Puppies can't wait for the boss to finish his meeting or the kids to come home

from school. Adult dogs can "hold it" for longer periods, and may already be house-trained.

3. Intact Underwear. Puppies chew! You can count on at least 10 mismatched pairs of socks and a

variety of unmentionables rendered to the "rag bag" before a puppy cuts all its teeth. Shoes? yes,

puppies like to chew them also. Expect holes in your carpet (along with urine stains), backs and pages

missing from books, stuffing exposed in couches, and at least one dead remote control. No matter how

well you watch them, it will happen. This is a puppy's job! An adult dog can usually have the run of the

house without destroying it.

4. A Good Night's Sleep. A puppy can be very demanding at 2am and 4am and 6am. Puppies naturally

miss their littermates and a stuffed animal is not a substitute for puppy pile with littermates in the dark

of night. Prefer peace and quiet? An adult rescue dog usually sleeps through the night.

5. Finish the Newspaper. With a puppy loose in the house, you will NOT be able to relax when you get

home from work. Do you think kids ever really feed the dog? Clean up the messes? Walk in the pouring

rain every hour to get the dog housetrained? If so, you probably have a severe case of denial. An adult

dog will generally sit calmly beside you as your workday stress flows away and your blood pressure lowers

as you pet it.

6. Easier Vet Trips. Puppies need a series of puppy shots and fecals, then a rabies shot, then surgery to

spay/neuter them, and generally a trip or two to the emergency vet after eating something dangerous.

(All of this usually adds up to substantially more than you paid for the dog!) When adopting an adult

dog, the adoption fee should get you a dog that has been altered, is current on vaccinations, heartworm

negative and on a preventative, at the minimum.

7. What You See Is What You Get. How big will the dog get? What will its temperament be? Is it easily

trained? What will its personality be like as an adult? Will it be hyperactive? Adult dogs are, to steal a

term from internet lingo, WYSIWYG (What you see is what you get.) All of your questions are easily

answered, because the dog is already an adult. You can pick large or small; active or couch potato; goofy

or brilliant; sassy or sweet. Further, the shelter adoption counselor, or rescuer and/or foster homes can

help guide you in choosing just the right match for you. (Rescues are FULL of puppies who became the

wrong match as they got older!)

8. Unscarred Children (and Adults). If a puppy does not teethe on your possessions, it will teethe on you

and your children. Rescuers often get calls from panicked parents sure their dog is about to seriously

injure their children. It usually turns out the puppy is just doing what puppies do, i.e., mouth or nip.

Parents, too emotional to see the difference, just want to get rid of the dog. A growing puppy is going to

put anything and everything in their mouth.

It must be taught bite inhibition. As the puppy grows, the puppy's jaws become stronger and adult teeth

replace its puppy teeth. The mouthing and nipping it did as a puppy now can have serious consequences.

Far better to get an adult dog that has "been there, done that, moved on."

9. Matchmaker Make Me A Match. Puppy love is emotionally appealing. They are so cute! But, in

reality, cute is not a sufficient reason to get a pet, a pet that will probably live 15+ years. It may be

cute, but cute can grow up to be hyperactive. It may be not want to share your home with anyone else,

including your spouse, children, or other animals. It may want to be a couch potato, when the main

reason you got the dog was to run with you every day.

Pet/owner mis-matches are the MAIN REASONS owners "give-up" their pets. 60% of the animals in

shelters nationwide are there for this reason. Good shelters and rescuers extensively evaluate dogs and

applicants to insure both will be happy with one another until death do they part.

10. Instant Companion. With an adult dog, you have a dog that can go everywhere and do anything with

you NOW. You don't have to wait until the puppy grows up and hope it will like to do what you to do

with it. You select the adult dog most compatible with you. You can find one that travels well, loves to

play with your friends' dogs, has excellent house manners, etc. You can come home after a long day's

work and spend your time on a relaxing walk, ride, or swim with your new best friend rather than

cleaning up after a small puppy.

11. Bond – Rescue/Shelter Dog Bond. Dogs that have been uprooted from their happy homes or have

not had the best start in life are likely to bond very closely to their new owner. Yes, dogs that have lost

families through death, divorce or lifestyle change can go through a mourning process; however, once

they become attached to their new family, they seem to want to please as much as possible to make sure

they are never homeless again! Those dogs

that are just learning about the good life and good people seem to bond even deeper. They know what

life on the streets, life on a chain, or worse, is about, and they revel and blossom in a nurturing, loving

environment. Most adult shelter or rescue dogs make exceptional, extremely loyal companions.

Sadly, some people seem to think dogs that end up in shelters or rescue groups are genetically or

behaviorally inferior. In reality, rescues and shelters get dogs that have outlived their novelty with

impulsive owners who really did not have the time, energy or willingness to shoulder either the

responsibility or expense required to be a good

dog owner. They end up sticking the dog out in the back yard and ignoring it until they finally turn it in

to a shelter or rescue because they don’t even want to have to feed the dog anymore