My wife and I met Nola while she was still living with her family. She was 4 weeks old. We took her home at 8 weeks old because we wanted Nola to get another 4 weeks with her mother. Nola’s early training as a Golden Retriever puppy with her mom was very important to her development.
The things dogs learn with their mom in the first eight weeks are really important though I believe she had some trouble with her siblings because when she came to live with us she was quite a bit more assertive than I expect a Golden Retriever to be.
Her mom had a litter of 10 pups which is definitely a large family, so I’ve always felt that her assertiveness was due to having to fight for space to get enough to eat. It started out to be a bit of a challenge but frankly, as we worked on her training, her personality developed in some really good ways. Since she’s a Golden Retriever, she has a built-in desire to please, and I just love her personality. When she meets other dogs, she has fun with them. She’s not aggressive, but she doesn’t allow anyone to take advantage of her either. She has a way of telling aggressive dogs to back off with no if , and’s, or buts. Unless the dog is beyond redemption they pay attention.
Our First Visit with Nola
On our first visit we had a color coded collar put on Nola so we could get the right puppy at 8 weeks.
Nola enjoyed another month with her first family
In her first year, Nola pulled me down to my knees twice while she was on a leash. Once on an icy parking lot, and once in a meadow. She was very sweet and trainable, but she had huge pent up energy. As she got bigger, she got MUCH stronger, so I was behind the power curve for awhile.
When she was a puppy she was a handful, but the important things like potty training and not eating our furniture was solved early on. She has been a fantastic addition to our family and I don’t know how I could possibly part with her.
We started walking with friends who were also dog owners which became my weight loss routine. After the first two and a half years she hardly ever needs a leash. She can stay home alone without concern that something will be destroyed or that she will poop or pee in the house.
I have even taken her on cross country trips to Seattle and to Key West from Ohio. She’s a super traveling companion. It’s really nice that when I make a wrong turn, she doesn’t complain. That puts her a step ahead of humans.
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