Hi,

New to these forums, but have a question for you experienced dog owners.

We have a golden retriever mix (Chester) who is now 4.5 (adopted him at 1.5). He is just the sweetest dog ever, but lately he just seems needy. He is an indoor dog and I feel like we give him lots of attention, but he just seems a little lonely. We are thinking maybe we would get another dog....not a puppy, but a grown dog that needs a home (like what we did when we got Chester). It will probably be a golden retriever. He loves to play outside with the kids, so maybe he would enjoy another furry companion to play with. My fear is that he will get jealous or maybe even mean to another dog who he felt was taking away our attention. He is VERY attached to me (always has been, but more lately) and is rarely more than a few feet from me when I am at home. We have two cats, but he is never really around other dogs...other than our neighbors' golden through the fence. I have owned more than one dog before, but those were always closer in age and the new dog was introduced when the first dog was younger. We have also never had an "only dog" for so long. Maybe he really likes being the only dog and I should not worry about it. Any advice??

Thanks!

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Kim

Chester....Golden Retriever Mix (mom was a Golden, dad was a Border Collie)
Molly.......Golden Retriever Mix (mom was a Border Collie, dad was a Golden)

The first question you need to answer is do YOU want another dog? Instead of immediately thinking of getting another permanent dog, maybe you could set up some playdates with a friends dog that you know is dog friendly and see if your dog enjoys spending time with them.

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I would LOVE another dog That is a great idea about getting a doggie play date together. Maybe I'll ask my neighbor to see if his golden would like to come over. He is an "only dog" too.

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Kim

Chester....Golden Retriever Mix (mom was a Golden, dad was a Border Collie)
Molly.......Golden Retriever Mix (mom was a Border Collie, dad was a Golden)

I am one of those that feel a dog needs a buddy. You might try looking for a female of any age and arrange a playdate or visit your local shelter and speak about it with them. Many shelters will allow days you can bring a dog home to try and see how it goes. Just remember that a new adult will feel insecure and not know the rules of your house, they may have been mentally or physically abused. Understand you can't expect a strange dog to have the same manners as your own dog, but the idea is to see how your dog relates to having another dog around and if the personalities are compatable.

I do think many dogs benefit from having another dog (no matter the size) as a friend and you would be saving another from a potential death sentence. Very good thing.

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I am one who always has at least 2 dogs. I want them to have a buddy to keep them company when I am at work. Marilyn is 7. I've had her since she was a baby and she has always lived with other dogs. I think she would be too lonely without one. My son's chocolate lab lived with me while he was going to college and when he graduated and took her I was down to just Marilyn. I contacted Companion Golden Retriever Rescue in West Jordan (they have a web site) and was matched with Helo who is about 8 years old now. Marilyn has always loved all other dogs so I thought nothing of bringing a new dog into my home but she did not like Helo at first. It was very puzzling to me but he is SO easy going and goofy and never got upset when she growled at him. He just walked away and let her get used to him in her own time. I think she was grieving over her BFF Zoe leaving. She really was depressed when Zoe went to live with my son (2 hours away). Finally after about 2 months she came around and now she gets along great with Helo and grooms him like she did with Zoe.

If you want to get an adult dog (and a golden!) check out CGRR. They are great people. I don't know where in Utah you live but I live 2 hours from West Jordan and I know they adopt out even to other states. I also think it is good to have one of each sex. The first 2 dogs I had were both males and they fought over me a lot.

Oh, Helo is VERY needy and wants a lot of attention. Marilyn was slightly jealous at first but she hasn't growled at him in over a year so it just takes time for them to adjust to each other. Play dates with the neighbor dog would be a good indication of Chester's interest in having a buddy!

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Marilyn and Helo

I've always had only one dog at a time and I was perfectly happy that way. However, since I got Bentley and I see how both dogs benefit, I will never have only one dog again.

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Then I say yes get another dog! See if your current dog enjoys being with another dog and then find you both a new family member!

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If you want another dog too, I say absolutely yes!! My hubby and I had had two dogs for the last 26 years and it has been wonderful.
Consider offering to foster a Golden Ret. for the rescue near you and that way you can tell how they get along and then you can adopt if the rescue lets you.
I would make sure that your dog meets the dog you are considering!
In one case though, we picked out a Samoyed at the shelter and then brought her home to our male Samoyed. They loved one another.
Our dogs have usually been 11 mos.-16 mos. apart.

http://www.grca-nrc.org/localrescues.html

Are you near Best Friends in Kanab, Utah?

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Tonka & Tucker

SNOBEAR at the Bridge
Dec. 23, 1999-March 27, 2010


SMOOCH at the Bridge.
Feb. 14, 1999-Dec. 7, 2010

Thanks for the replies!

Leslie- I am in Logan, so about 2 hours from West Jordan as well. I have checked their website and have also been keeping my eye on KSL. There was 4yo golden posted Friday on KSL in West Jordan. She sounded so sweet, but I am still undecided. I should have gone and gotten her because she was gone the next day. We got Chester from KSL. Seems like there is always someone needing to rehome their adult dogs, so I will keep looking

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Kim

Chester....Golden Retriever Mix (mom was a Golden, dad was a Border Collie)
Molly.......Golden Retriever Mix (mom was a Border Collie, dad was a Golden)

I think you should consider it. I recently got a female Golden as a playmate for my male, and he so much happier and less needy. The one thing is, you need to make sure that your current dog likes the newcomer, and that the newcomer fits your family well. When we were considering Bella, I took all the dogs and family to meet her. It was evident from the start that they were great together.

in reality you could probably get a chihuahua or Great Dane and your dog would be happy. But I like having them the same breed because their play styles are the same and they seem to understand each other really well.

Be sure to come back let us know what you do. You might look on GRF once in a while--dogs needing re-homing often pop up on here. That's how I found Bella, and another family recently adopted a pair of dogs.

Good luck!

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Kathleen, mom to one human, age 17, three canines, and a bunch of fish.