Many people would like to own a Golden Retriever, but have neither the time, inclination or patience to fight their way through the puppy stage. For people who fall into this category, help is at hand in the facility to adopt an older dog. As a breed, Golden Retrievers are renowned for their even temper, so they make excellent family pets. A mature dog has no growing up to do, so what you see is usually what you get. However, before adopting any dog, see if you can spend some time with the animal before you agree to take it on. This is especially important if there are children in your home.

Potty training a dog
Sometimes, breeders will offer older animals for sale. This could mean that the dog in question was a show dog for example, but have now outgrown that task. Or perhaps they were a breeding dog, and have retired. There could be any number of other reasons though, but whatever the reason, a breeder is always a good port of call for an older dog to adopt.

Dog Training Tips
Ask about the dog’s heath and find out if there are any issues that you should be made aware of. Vet’s bills are pretty expensive, so you need to know if there is going to be any additional costs before you take the dog home. If you get your dog from a reputable source such as a breeder or an adoption agency, they should be able to provide you with vet’s reports to ensure that the dog has a clean bill of health.

Training a dog to line
Older dogs will, in all likelihood, be housebroken, which is a massive advantage if you are not keen on dog training. The other side of the coin is of course that they may have been trained differently than you would have liked, but an older Golden Retriever will be nothing if not adaptable. Dogs are not too dissimilar to children, and will react favourably to love and attention. Just be patient as you would with any new member of the family, and everything will work out fine.,

When you meet your new dog for the first time, ask the current owners about the animal. Find out about it’s character and its likes and dislikes. Find out about its temperament and diet. Find out if the dog is used to a particular routine and try and accommodate the animal as much as possible. Some places will allow you to take the dog for a walk, and that would be a great time to get to know the animal properly.

Once you take on an older Golden Retriever, give the dog some time to find its way about your home, and let them know where everything is. What will be of special interest will be the sleeping arrangements, and other daily points of interest. Give it time to get to know where everything is and, once again, be patient.

Any dog craves attention, and Golden Retrievers are no exception. Make a fuss of them from the start and you should have a very happy and contented pet for many years. Exercise them regularly (as you would with any dog of course) but play with them whilst you are doing it.

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