How Do 2 Golden Retrievers Get Along With Each Other?

[Nekhbet]

How do I that? Normally what i do is say 'Max' in my stern voice and he looks at me and then leaves Jenna alone... but sometimes he just doesn't listen. That's when I go over and try to intervene. Jenna doesn't like him stealing her bones either but she knows hes top dog and eventually (after a lot of baring her teeth but not making a noise) just lets him have it. Neither of them hurt each other to get it because jenna just ends of giving up.

I hate seeing Max take stuff of her because I think she is entitled to it as much as he is. ESPECIALLY if she got it first

You're going to have fun when Jenna reaches maturity. She's still a pup but the crap she's taking off Max and not reacting too wont last forever.

You need to start bootcamping that male of yours ASAP. If you've already contacted K9 Pro, get into the training now.

I think there's a few people in this thread that simply mistake rude, bratty behaviour in their dogs for 'dominance'.

[GoldenGirl85]

Nek got any pointers for me? Im away for 9 hours of the day and no I cant separate them, I go crook on her when she does this to Lexi but it doesn't seem to have much of an effect on her behaviour

Gayle...yes she comes when called...if she wants to lol, recall has always been our weak point unfortunately, she knows I cant catch her

[dandybrush]

I've got 4 dogs...2 of each gender, and I can have any combo of them together and they are fine. But I do not tolerate bad behaviour and I don't tolerate any bullying, food stealing, toy possessiveness etc.

can i ask gaylek that possessiveness of any kind can be bad, how would you go about correcting a dog that was showing toy possessiveness

i have a new pup and am currently teaching her it is not ok to go and take food of her bro when he is given a treat, he is good and will leave her alone when she has food (when they abandon the item i allow a free for all) atm they play with toys fine play tug she can approach him and grab his toy and vice versa, im just curious if he was to growl and say this is mine how you would go about correcting it before it became an issue?

also can i say in answer to the thread starters question that 2 dogs are def good for each other, i would say go the boy/girl combo, i would prob do 2 boys, but to save myself any possible probs i dont think i would ever go 2 girls, i want a family that is easy to live with not one that takes constant work (that being said my baby girl is the first girl dog experience i have)

[Gayle.]

Toy possessiveness, I take the toy away. In fact, any possessiveness gets the item taken away. I have no idea of the psychology behind that, but it seems to work. They get the item back later, but any more bad behaviour sees it taken away again.

[dandybrush]

ok thanx for the reply

[Curlybert]

I'm a bit late off the mark with this thread but I consider myself an expert because I have two Goldens curerntly, have had them in the past and have much experience with the breed as a pet.

My two Godens adore each other. Both desexed females - Billie is nearly 10, and Rebel four. I've had Billie since she was six months and when she was 18 months I got an ex-show-dog with a mild heart murmur (who could not be bred for that reason) That was Willow - she's my avatar. She was the same age as Billie and they ADORED each other from the moment they met. Willow died suddenly aged 6 from a ruptured renal artery. Thought I'd never get over it. Anyway two months later I got Rebel who was then 14 months. Rebel was terrified of Billie at first because she had lived with alpha females and was always bossed around. She thought things would be no different here. Finally she realised Billie just wanted to play and she warmed to her. Now when they're not sleeping, they're playing. What a life!

I love my girls and I love their relationship. I say go for it!

[poodlefan]

I'm a bit late off the mark with this thread but I consider myself an expert because I have two Goldens curerntly, have had them in the past and have much experience with the breed as a pet.

My two Godens adore each other. Both desexed females - Billie is nearly 10, and Rebel four. I've had Billie since she was six months and when she was 18 months I got an ex-show-dog with a mild heart murmur (who could not be bred for that reason) That was Willow - she's my avatar. She was the same age as Billie and they ADORED each other from the moment they met. Willow died suddenly aged 6 from a ruptured renal artery. Thought I'd never get over it. Anyway two months later I got Rebel who was then 14 months. Rebel was terrified of Billie at first because she had lived with alpha females and was always bossed around. She thought things would be no different here. Finally she realised Billie just wanted to play and she warmed to her. Now when they're not sleeping, they're playing. What a life!

I love my girls and I love their relationship. I say go for it!

So what happens if the OP ends up in this situation? I appreciate that the risk of serious dog to dog issues between GRs is low, but its not non-existent and having a dog of each gender lowers the risk further.

Golden Retrievers aren't teddy bears, they're dogs. They can have dog to dog issues as some posting here know only too well. Some folk seem to have convenient memories. Not every pairing results in happy ending - you've said as much above.

Assurances that two GRs of the same sex will get on like a house of fire aren't always backed up by facts. I can think of a number of rehomings that would suggest an element of caution is called for in matching dogs. I'm not sayinig its common or that it results in bloodshed but it does happen. You'd be wanting to look at the individual character of each dog too. My personal view is that, while acknowledging that the risk IS low, I'd advise the OPnot to take the risk if they're happy to have a male. It seems most of those with the breed beg to differ but its not you who'll face the heartache if it doesn't go to plan. This advice has been given and ignored before and I can think of at least one occasion where the risk flagged did eventuate.

Edited May 4, 2011 by poodlefan

[Curlybert]

I should have added that my dog lived with a registered breeder who had six female dogs, all entire. It was not a normal backyard family-type situation. Far from it in fact. I still say go for it, OP!

[toy dog]

Hi,

I am just wondering how two golden retreivers get along? I currently have a 13 month old female and am considering getting another one in 6 months (also female). I am hoping that getting another one, they will become friends and she will be less clingy to me. She loves other dogs and we have never seen her growl or snap or show her teeth in a nasty way.

Any insight in to having 2 goldens would be very much appreciated!

thanks.

my brother has 2 goldens, a boy and a girl. he got the girl pru first, these are his first dogs he's owned on his own from a family of breeders/exhibitors in a number of breeds.

Pru was about 4 when he got her, so i advised him to get a younger dog possibly a male. So he got a rescue GR named "Sam". Sam was around 18 months old and very much still a puppy.

Pru, we got her from a person on here on the DOL forums who entrusted her to us. She had always been the only dog in the household there and the owner had to give her up because her grandchild was allergic to dogs from memory. I think James has had Pru for about 3 years now.

he said to me do you think i should get another female and i said make sure she is younger to minimize the risk of them not getting on and even better if you could get a male.

Some bitches do get on it some very much don't. depends on the individual dog whether they are dominant or submissive in nature really.

with our dogs we sell, we always stipulate the dog is on trial to also help with situations where the dogs might not go together which can happen. So perhaps make sure you get a breeder that is with you every step of the way and helps and is willing to take back if it doesn't work out after the trial period. we usually say about 2-3 weeks trial. by then you should know if your dogs are going to get on or not.

GOOD LUCK goldens are a very beautiful breed and since my brother james has gotten his 2 dogs i am very much inlove with the breed

cheers

toydogs

ETA: picture of Pru, 1st pic, 2nd pic is pru and sam watching their fav show "its me or the dog" these dogs are absolutely idolised and spoilt rotten lol

Edited May 4, 2011 by toy dog

[mumtoshelley]

Here in this household there are 2 golden retrievers 1 male Buddy my mums golden, Shelley my female golden. Then there are my aunties 2 dogs a male chihuahua and a female jack russell cross fox terrier. The 2 goldens and chihuahua get along very well no isscues at all with them. The jack russell cross fox terrier is alright but shows alot of dominance towards Buddy and Shelley, She shows more dominance towards Shelley more so then Buddy. The problem isn't the JRT cross its the owner she will not tell the dog off or step in at all, If She does step in her JRT cross growls at her which makes her back down. My aunties JRT cross and Shelley have gotten into 2 fights already 1 fight ended up with a punture wound to the JRts cheek, Shelley had a bone and my stupid BF took it off her gave it to the JRt which just went and burried the bone,Shelley went to go grab it and the JRT run up to her barking and snapping. The other fight happened cause the JRT cross wouldn't stop humping Shelley so she snapped at her.

If it were me i would always go 1 male 1 female route,But if you already have that combination and looking for a third or fourth dog i would add males not females. I know my Shelley is happy to play and live with other females her size, BUt cause of this JRT cross she now doesn't like small dogs very much.

[poodlefan]

I think possibly the biggest dog fight I've ever seen (no serious bloodshed but a hell of a lot of sound and fury) was between a large group of Golden Retrievers at a local pet owner get together. Those owners took the affability for which the breed is renowned for granted in a situation with a big crowd of dogs (10+) who didn't know each other well offlead near a lot of food around a picnic table.. and were visibly stunned and shaken at the result. I can't think of too many other breed owners that would have been quite so complaisant. I'm glad the dogs stopped the fight because I'm not sure any of the owners knew how to.

GRs are great dogs and nearly all I meet are very amiable but they have all the instincts of other dogs and IMO it pays to manage them not for what they usually do but for what they might possibly do. Selecting the best possible match for an existing dog is one example.

Edited May 4, 2011 by poodlefan

[RoxyNHemi]

Im coming in a bit late too

My mother in law breeds/bred Goldies... when I first started going out with Hubby, she could have up to 8-10 Goldies running together at one time, mixed bunch of entire males, bitches with a few steralised bitches. They all got fed on the back verandah together, supervised of course. They all knew the routine. When the bitches came in season they would be seperated of course.

Generally they would be seperated during the day at work - have a kennel each, or sometimes two to a kennel, with a few of the oldies on the back verandah together.

Just food for thought.

[goldielover]

You are absolutely right Poodlefan. Whilst generally most people i know have had very few issues with their goldies, there are the exceptions. What i find frustrating as a breeder is that people just assume they are the perfect family dog, buy one, then 6 months later have a 20 odd kg uncontrollable monster on their hands. They need a helluva lot of work put into their upbringing/socialisation/training particularly in the first year. I rarely will even consider selling a puppy to a family with young children unless i am totally confident that the family can deal with a young golden plus kids. Even as adults, not every golden is 'low maintenance'. I get a lot of comments out and about as to how well behaved my older girl is - it took me 3 years to get her there LOL. She was a total nutjob as a pup/young dog! I had another who's needs i could just not fulfil - a very intense golden who i had to rehome. Now, at 6 it sounds like she has finally slowed down a little

Mind you, i have to admit that i've been fooled once myself. I was walking my entire boy on lead and a goldie was on the street playing with his family. I was a little wary but generally i trust that people who have aggressive dogs would not let them off lead! He charged at my boy and i was a bit shocked and had a few choice words to say to the owners, but also partly my fault as i just made that assumption that he was friendly.

Edited May 4, 2011 by goldielover

[Curlybert]

I think possibly the biggest dog fight I've ever seen (no serious bloodshed but a hell of a lot of sound and fury) was between a large group of Golden Retrievers at a local pet owner get together. Those owners took the affability for which the breed is renowned for granted in a situation with a big crowd of dogs (10+) who didn't know each other well offlead near a lot of food around a picnic table.. and were visibly stunned and shaken at the result. I can't think of too many other breed owners that would have been quite so complaisant. I'm glad the dogs stopped the fight because I'm not sure any of the owners knew how to.

GRs are great dogs and nearly all I meet are very amiable but they have all the instincts of other dogs and IMO it pays to manage them not for what they usually do but for what they might possibly do. Selecting the best possible match for an existing dog is one example.

It's a bit of a stretch to equate this scenario to what is proposed by the OP - ie getting a slightly younger GR as company for her existing one. She's not talking large-scale picnics with complacent GR owners.

A number of people with two GRs have posted on this thread saying that their dogs get on famously and have suggested the OP go ahead.. I really don't understand why you are so opposed to the idea, Poodlefan. There is surely an element of risk with two of any dog not just two GRs.

[poodlefan]

You are absolutely right Poodlefan. Whilst generally most people i know have had very few issues with their goldies, there are the exceptions. What i find frustrating as a breeder is that people just assume they are the perfect family dog, buy one, then 6 months later have a 20 odd kg uncontrollable monster on their hands. They need a helluva lot of work put into their upbringing/socialisation/training particularly in the first year. I rarely will even consider selling a puppy to a family with young children unless i am totally confident that the family can deal with a young golden plus kids. Even as adults, not every golden is 'low maintenance'. I get a lot of comments out and about as to how well behaved my older girl is - it took me 3 years to get her there LOL. She was a total nutjob as a pup/young dog! I had another who's needs i could just not fulfil - a very intense golden who i had to rehome. Now, at 6 it sounds like she has finally slowed down a little

I find it both unsurprising and sad that GRs are up the top of the bite stats in Canada where they are also the most popular dogs. The breed's reputation for brilliant temperament seems to lead some owners (not folk here) to conclude that the decision to buy one is all that's required to create a perfect family pet. They also seem to expect that the dog will tolerate being tormented by children without issue.

So many things have to be taught to any dog and its a tragedy to see a great pup's potential ruined by lack of socialisation and training. Not that GRs have a monopoly on that situation.

[poodlefan]

I think possibly the biggest dog fight I've ever seen (no serious bloodshed but a hell of a lot of sound and fury) was between a large group of Golden Retrievers at a local pet owner get together. Those owners took the affability for which the breed is renowned for granted in a situation with a big crowd of dogs (10+) who didn't know each other well offlead near a lot of food around a picnic table.. and were visibly stunned and shaken at the result. I can't think of too many other breed owners that would have been quite so complaisant. I'm glad the dogs stopped the fight because I'm not sure any of the owners knew how to.

GRs are great dogs and nearly all I meet are very amiable but they have all the instincts of other dogs and IMO it pays to manage them not for what they usually do but for what they might possibly do. Selecting the best possible match for an existing dog is one example.

It's a bit of a stretch to equate this scenario to what is proposed by the OP - ie getting a slightly younger GR as company for her existing one. She's not talking large-scale picnics with complacent GR owners.

A number of people with two GRs have posted on this thread saying that their dogs get on famously and have suggested the OP go ahead.. I really don't understand why you are so opposed to the idea, Poodlefan. There is surely an element of risk with two of any dog not just two GRs.

The scenario is people advising that two bitches will get on like a house on fire because that's what GRs do. I can certainly think of a few examples where assumptions about breed result in shock for owners and gave the best one I had for this breed.

I'm interested in lowering the risk of conflict as far as possible with judicious selection of the next dog. Basic rule for lack of conflict between dogs is don't have two dogs similar in age, size and gender. The OP will match size and age won't be that different. Other than gender, what else is there to change? Why would you advocate an exception to the rule for Golden Retrievers if you wouldn't for other breeds? I woudn't do it for Whippets either and they're another breed with a reputation for lack of conflict between dogs.

People are saying that the temperament of the breed is brilliant and that two dogs of the same sex won't have issues. That's a generalisation that I'm arguing isn't always borne out in fact. It seems at least one GR person agrees with me. They don't come out of a cookie cutter and temperament is variable. At least one poster in this thread saying that two dogs will get on fine knows damn well from personal experience that two GR's of the same sex aren't always a recipe for success but has chosen remain silent on the issue. I know they know otherwise. So be it.

The risk of conflict between dogs of this breed is low. I acknowledge that they're great dogs but they're not infallible. I dont' see the need to pretend otherwise. 99/100 pairings will be fine but call me risk averse

The OP had assumed a bitch would be a better bet to go with her existing bitch. I choose to advise otherwise.

Oh and thanks for the correct spelling of complacent - I KNEW it looked wrong

Edited May 4, 2011 by poodlefan

[toy dog]

I think possibly the biggest dog fight I've ever seen (no serious bloodshed but a hell of a lot of sound and fury) was between a large group of Golden Retrievers at a local pet owner get together. Those owners took the affability for which the breed is renowned for granted in a situation with a big crowd of dogs (10+) who didn't know each other well offlead near a lot of food around a picnic table.. and were visibly stunned and shaken at the result. I can't think of too many other breed owners that would have been quite so complaisant. I'm glad the dogs stopped the fight because I'm not sure any of the owners knew how to.

GRs are great dogs and nearly all I meet are very amiable but they have all the instincts of other dogs and IMO it pays to manage them not for what they usually do but for what they might possibly do. Selecting the best possible match for an existing dog is one example.

It's a bit of a stretch to equate this scenario to what is proposed by the OP - ie getting a slightly younger GR as company for her existing one. She's not talking large-scale picnics with complacent GR owners.

A number of people with two GRs have posted on this thread saying that their dogs get on famously and have suggested the OP go ahead.. I really don't understand why you are so opposed to the idea, Poodlefan. There is surely an element of risk with two of any dog not just two GRs.

The scenario is people advising that two bitches will get on like a house on fire because that's what GRs do. I can certainly think of a few examples where assumptions about breed result in shock for owners and gave the best one I had for this breed.

I'm interested in lowering the risk of conflict as far as possible with judicious selection of the next dog. Basic rule for lack of conflict between dogs is don't have two dogs similar in age, size and gender. The OP will match size and age won't be that different. Other than gender, what else is there to change? Why would you advocate an exception to the rule for Golden Retrievers if you wouldn't for other breeds? I woudn't do it for Whippets either and they're another breed with a reputation for lack of conflict between dogs.

People are saying that the temperament of the breed is brilliant and that two dogs of the same sex won't have issues. That's a generalisation that I'm arguing isn't always borne out in fact. It seems at least one GR person agrees with me. They don't come out of a cookie cutter and temperament is variable. At least one poster in this thread saying that two dogs will get on fine knows damn well from personal experience that two GR's of the same sex aren't always a recipe for success but has chosen remain silent on the issue. I know they know otherwise. So be it.

The risk of conflict between dogs of this breed is low. I acknowledge that they're great dogs but they're not infallible. I dont' see the need to pretend otherwise. 99/100 pairings will be fine but call me risk averse

The OP had assumed a bitch would be a better bet to go with her existing bitch. I choose to advise otherwise.

Oh and thanks for the correct spelling of complacent - I KNEW it looked wrong

i totally agree with you poodlefan, i think people should always judge each dog individually and what possibly can happen rather than judging a whole breed and what is expected to happen.

not every dog no matter what breed will get on famously, with Pru my brother did have another dog that was of another breed saved from the RSPCA that went to a great home, his name was Patch and he was a dominant bugger and used to annoy pru and try to hump her all the time.

he was very protective of james and use to growl at visitors who wanted to sit on the couch. So i said to him don't allow him to do this, then he was growling at james in the end but he soon put a stop to that. it was his couch NOT.

then i brought my dog over one day (GSP cross rescue boy) and they were playing okay until Patch decided he'd had enough and went to growl at Jake then Jake growled back and it got nastier and nastier until the point where we had to seperate them to avoid any damage to both dogs. after that we didn't let them socialise with each other as they couldn't be left together. the fact that they'd been 2 adult males around about the same age and both had recently been desexed so i got told that Jake was going to be used for breeding and we didn't know whether patch was in the same boat, so being undesexed and been used for breeding makes them more dominant especially around females. We thought that Patch was defending Pru as Pru was "his" female. so those 2 males together didn't get on.

so it can happen just like people, some dogs just dont' get on while others do. but just because the breed is known for their docile natures doesn't mean each and every GR are this way though, it also depends on how they are brought up, what training they've had and a whole range of issues combined. i mean you could have a badly bred GR from a backyarder that has been poorly trained and then you have a recipe for disaster.

i think poodlefan is just trying to say err on the side of caution which is justified here really. I advised my brother the same way. it took 2 go's to get the right dog combo.

Edited May 4, 2011 by toy dog

[Kirty]

I have ALWAYS had multiple female dogs and never had an issues - until just recently. I've always known there is a greater risk between females but I guess because I had been so lucky in the past I became a bit complacent. My 18mo old Great Dane decided that she was going to kill my 15mo Greyhound. The first attack was the most serious, but she managed to get her another two times (we kept them seperated after the first fight, but there was the odd occasion that they were together). After the third attack, we had the Dane PTS (she had some serious health issues as well unfortunately).

In the future, if I had just two dogs I would ALWAYS opt for one of each sex.

[goldee]

Hi Everyone,

thank you for the replies and advice.

At the moment we are still thinking about the possibility about getting another one, but wont be at least for another 6 months, and quite possibly even a few years. I had assumed a female would be better, mainly just because i have a female now. I hadn't done much researching in it at all, which is why i posted here too.

I am happy to get a male and i am sure my partner would be thrilled with a boy pup! (He wanted a boy originally!).

I think my girl would be ok with another dog - male or female, but rather not take any chances. She is quite placid and almost too friendly! I would like her to have a friend at some stage.

Thanks again.