# GSD puppy with Golden Ret.



## Pytheis (Sep 23, 2016)

So I have been offered a a free WGSL puppy "whenever I'm ready" from a breeder here in CO. This thread is not a debate on the breeder, but whether or not I should get another puppy from any breeder with my current dog.

I posted a little while ago about my almost 7 year old golden retriever that has been having some health and temperament issues. She is better health-wise, and her behavior issues have been almost completely fixed. She is still not "my dog" (meaning something is still off mentally), but she is much better. That being said, and this is not a new thing, she does not like other dogs. By that I mean, she is not aggressive. She is not fearful or reactive. She just wants nothing to do with them. I only know of two dogs that she is willing to play with at all, and she only plays with them for literally 45 seconds at the most, then she is done. She just prefers people.

When we brought Forrest (my previous GSD puppy) home in November, 2016, we had major issues with them. He attacked her outright for no reason, and this is a common occurrence with Brooklyn and other dogs. We had to very carefully introduce Brooklyn and Forrest. Within a month they were able to be together just fine, but she still did not like him. She did not want to cuddle, play, spend any time with him at all. However, when Forrest was put to sleep after having him for five months, she clearly mourned him. She just hates having to share her people and space.

As I said, she gets bullied constantly by other dogs for no reason that I can tell. They just immediately freak out and harass her. She does defend herself and tell them off right away, but they just never let up on her. I am afraid to bring another puppy home and have this happen again. I feel like it isn't fair for her to have to be so miserable in her own home. That being said, I do not want to have only one dog for the next 6+ years. She is not even a dog I honestly enjoy. She hates walks, will not play fetch, is not interested in playing with other toys, won't do agility or anything else. She's more like a cat to me. I want a dog that I can actually do things with.

Am I crazy for considering bringing a puppy home when it seems to stress her out so much? If I do decided to get another puppy, should I get a softer, less-dominant breed to hopefully help with the issues of her getting attacked? I thought that I could take her with me to the breeder's place to meet any potential puppy beforehand, and I could probably keep the puppy and adult separated for the most part for a week, but I do want my dogs to be able to live together.

Do any of you have any suggestions on how to make Brooklyn more comfortable with a new puppy and to keep the puppy from driving her absolutely insane other than crate and rotate? Do any of you suggest I just accept the fact that Brooklyn needs to be an only dog for her peace of mind?

Thanks!


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## cdwoodcox (Jul 4, 2015)

I say if you want a pup from the breeder get a pup from the breeder. I don't recall reading your previous post so I'm not sure about the history. But the pup annoying the Golden too much would be a training issue.


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## Armistice (Oct 12, 2017)

Honestly, I wouldn't bring in another dog to your home. Why do you want to stress your golden out and why would you want to put stress on yourself worrying what could happen?

I think you're in "only one dog" territory and need to come to terms with it. Save the stress on your dog and yourself


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

I have 7 dogs--3 are GSDs and 2 are goldens. My older golden does not play with toys(except his monkey--that is the only toy he has ever loved) or fetch. I very rarely see him play with the other dogs, he will sleep with them though. He is probably the best dog I have ever had, generally just always happy. Then there is my younger golden. He is high energy, high prey, very ball driven(I think he thinks he is a gsd). He even tried killing my cat. Never saw that one coming. He will sleep and play with the other dogs but he prefers fetch and interaction with me. 

This will all depend on training and temperament of the puppy you bring in. Some dogs bond and some don't. Sometimes it's being there without interaction is enough for some dogs. I think GSDs and goldens compliment each other well for the most part.


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## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

This is a pretty good description of my female too:

"She did not want to cuddle, play, spend any time with him at all. She just hates having to share her people and space."

Also, my girl has a bit of a temper sometimes. I brought home my boy as a baby puppy with her when she was nine I guess. Or the end of 8? Anyway. She tolerated him but didn't really want anything to do with him. I did stuff with them separately. He became best bros with my older male dog and the two of them were a unit. The boys would have yard time together then I would put them away and take her out alone with me. I am it for her, I am her whole world, and no dog or person is going to distract her from that. She was an only dog with me until she was about 3, which may be partly why.

The old male died when the boy was almost a year, and only then did she consider really interacting with him. Probably because his friend was gone so he tried harder to get her attention. By then he was adult sized and adult coated and I figured if she did anything he could handle it. But there has never been a real problem, there has never been a fight. 

They play a little, they get along fine. Mostly I have to break it up because he wants to play more rough and tumble than she can handle at her age, and she can't stop him because he is not afraid of her. This is interesting because she has always been a bit of a bully and could intimidate every other dog she lived with but not him. Probably due to age--he was a fearless and rambunctious adolescent when she started really losing her vigor to old age and she just doesn't have the juju to intimidate him. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, because there were times in the past I had to really be on her to be sure she wasn't mistreating the other dogs.

I'm glad I encouraged their separation from each other when he was very young. Everything has worked out totally fine for them.


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## Nurse Bishop (Nov 20, 2016)

It sounds to me like you are kind of seeking to see what people think of you rehoming the Golden Retriever and getting a WGSL German Shepherd. You mentioned the GR is not 'my dog' mentally and

" I feel like it isn't fair for her to have to be so miserable in her own home. That being said, I do not want to have only one dog for the next 6+ years. She is not even a dog I honestly enjoy. She hates walks, will not play fetch, is not interested in playing with other toys, won't do agility or anything else. She's more like a cat to me. I want a dog that I can actually do things with."

I don't think it would be a bad thing to rehome your dog to a one dog household that wants a beautiful older pet. Lots of people whould love to have a dog like that. She might be happier and you could have your new puppy without worries or distraction. Have you consdered rehoming the GR?


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## Pytheis (Sep 23, 2016)

No, I definitely won't rehome Brooklyn. She is an amazing dog. Literally the easiest dog I have ever met. That being said, she is more like a cat, which is partly why she is so easy. When I said that she isn't "my dog" I meant that her personality changed when she developed all those health issues, and she still isn't the same way she was before July 2017. She is scared of things now when she has never been scared in her life. I swear people will think we beat her, because when we go to pet her and she doesn't expect it, she flinches and runs away. I have absolutely no idea what changed, but my old fearless, loving girl is quivering in her boots, so to say. She isn't the dog she was before, but I still love her to death. I just wish she was more interested in things that I want to do.

It's like... You get annoyed with your best friend sometimes, but you can't stay mad and within a few hours you're best friends again. I love this dog so, so much. I brought Brooklyn home when she was 8 weeks, and she will die in my arms. BUT I want a dog that I can do more with, hence the question about another puppy. Nobody else gets to benefit from all my hard work with her. 

Thanks though!


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## cloudpump (Oct 20, 2015)

Get the puppy. Keep the golden. Obviously.


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## GypsyGhost (Dec 29, 2014)

I was in a similar situation before I got my first GSD puppy. My (now gone) older girl had zero interest in other dogs, at best. I just made sure to spend lots of quality time with her, just the two of us, after I got the puppy. She eventually warmed up to him, after she realized he would basically do her bidding, haha. I wanted a second dog to DO things with. My older girl was wonderful, but she was more content on the couch sleeping than out hiking. It worked out fine. Just make sure to spend time with each of them, doing the things each of them enjoy. Don’t try to force them to be friends, and make sure you keep the puppy at bay so he doesn’t annoy her too much.


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## Bramble (Oct 23, 2011)

I have heard that diet can cause anxiety issues. A few months back I listened to a podcast about a white GSD that had a lot of anxiety and fear issues. Although various things were done to address those issues the thing that made the biggest change in the dog was switching over to a raw diet. It did not "fix" everything, but the owner saw an immediate improvement in the dog. If you are interested in listening to the podcast I can send you the link.

There is a link between gut health and mental/emotional health. You can look it up and find plenty of info on it.


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## Femfa (May 29, 2016)

Pytheis, I think you're more than capable of properly handling the situation. I'm pretty sure you know, just as well as we all do, that you'll take the interaction between them slowly and chances are it will generally be a crate and rotate style life until they eventually tolerate each other (if ever).


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## Pytheis (Sep 23, 2016)

Bramble said:


> I have heard that diet can cause anxiety issues. A few months back I listened to a podcast about a white GSD that had a lot of anxiety and fear issues. Although various things were done to address those issues the thing that made the biggest change in the dog was switching over to a raw diet. It did not "fix" everything, but the owner saw an immediate improvement in the dog. If you are interested in listening to the podcast I can send you the link.
> 
> There is a link between gut health and mental/emotional health. You can look it up and find plenty of info on it.


That's interesting. I would like to listen to the podcast.

One of Brooklyn's health issues was also food intolerance. Food that she had been on her whole life suddenly wasn't doing it for her. She became absolutely starving. So much so that she was getting into the trash and eating cat litter, which she had literally never done in the 6 years of her life before. She was also not having consistent stools anymore either. We have been trying various food brands to try to find one that works with her now. It's been quite the chore!


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## Pytheis (Sep 23, 2016)

So it looks like most people think I can make it work. Would you guys suggest keeping them separated by baby gates and the puppy in the kennel most of the time, and only have them together for short periods? It will be very difficult for Brooklyn to learn that she can't be with me 24/7, but maybe that's just the way it's going to have to be for a while. I'm just trying to think of ways to keep her stress level down as much as possible.


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## Bramble (Oct 23, 2011)

Pytheis said:


> That's interesting. I would like to listen to the podcast.
> 
> One of Brooklyn's health issues was also food intolerance. Food that she had been on her whole life suddenly wasn't doing it for her. She became absolutely starving. So much so that she was getting into the trash and eating cat litter, which she had literally never done in the 6 years of her life before. She was also not having consistent stools anymore either. We have been trying various food brands to try to find one that works with her now. It's been quite the chore!


I will pm you the links. It was a very interesting case.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Was she medically checked out? Thyroid?


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## Pytheis (Sep 23, 2016)

llombardo said:


> Was she medically checked out? Thyroid?


Yes, we went to the vet five different times. Thyroid was checked. According to them, she is perfectly healthy, but may have "allergies" which she has never had in her life either. Go figure! They seem to want to blame age for all her new issues, even though she isn't even a senior yet! She will turn 7 on the 30th.


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