Re-homing a Dog

You are not being selfish, you are overwhelmed. I know he's not a puppy but could you take him to obedience classes? Is there a neighbor kid who might want to take him for his daily walk? Yes, hubby should step up a little more, he's his dog too. Could a family member or friend take the dog for awhile? Maybe when the baby is a bit older you could take him back.

We had a similar situation. We have two mutts, who we love dearly. After moving to a rural house with land, we thought our dogs would be loving life. Well, the in-ground fence was completely useless, since the pain of shock was worth pursuing whatever they were chasing. They ended up on cables, tied to trees in our yard. Then, we had a surprise baby and I could not handle the amount of dog hair on the floor when the baby was crawling. Stuck to her little fingers like glue. Ick. They started sleeping in the garage, on beds,with a heat lamp when it was cold. They were neglected(by attention standards, only), in all honesty, for months. That was NOT the life we had intended for them. We decided that we needed to do something and had them trained. It was money well worth it!! Now, they are the most well-behaved dogs! They stay on their beds while in the house and except for an occasional lapse, they stay with us when we are outside.(dang rabbits, LOL!)
Ok, so the trainer said they needed to be exercised every day. I stressed about that quite a bit, since winter was coming up, and how do you exercise a dog in 5 feet of snow, with a toddler?? The trainer said that even mental exercise counts. So, just giving the dogs a few commands and having them have to "think" about what they are doing will count as mental exercise. It takes way more ambition than I have to get them outside for an hour of exercise every day. It just cannot happen with our lives. But, anytime we go outside, the dogs come with us. I throw the ball for the one who LOVES to fetch. Given that yours is a golden, he will probably fetch? Throw the ball for him, while your son plays outside. Even when the baby comes, he/she can be in the stroller while you play fetch for a while.
Also, since they are trained, we go for walks and they stay right with me. I can run, walk or rollerblade and it's great exercise for them. My kids have no problems handling them, because there's nothing to handle! They know their commands and will come, sit or go to their "place" (bed) when told to.
I know how hard it is to give dogs the attention they need. Believe me. If you know of someone who would give your dog a great home, then maybe it would be the right decision for now. I understand that. But, maybe it would be worth your while to look into training. It's not just about heeling or not jumping up on people. It's a real mental breakthrough. I don't want to say it makes them more lovable...but, it makes them easier to handle, therefore, less frustrating and less work. Instead of being super hyper all the time, my former hyper dog is way more calm and seems to be proud of himself for being so well behaved. Sounds silly,I know. We have had many people be astonished at the turnaround. I wish you the best of luck!!

Why not take him to a daycare 2 times a week? I have an 11 month old great dane (so much larger than a golden) and she can go crazy if she doesn't get enough exercise. So, she goes to three half days of dog daycare and just runs around and plays with the other dogs for 5 hours a day.

You have received some great information about training and rescues options. He's young and if you haven't properly trained him or don't dedicate the time to him, this is what will happen you will have a hyper dog. Please do not be tempted to get your son or the new baby another dog unless you can provide for them and be their "forever home".

I think that by doing that you are doing what is best for the dog.....I say go for it.....

I love dogs but if you find a good home, you're not being cruel. Our dog is a rescue so somehow he lost his first home but he seems very happy now. I'm not sure dogs are so "deep" that they won't get over a new home if they're actually having more fun than they used to. Only thing is the message it sends to your 8 year old and how he'll feel about it. Won't he be really sad? I see a few other suggestions for this but how about a dog walker? We have one even though my dog also gets to run for 45-50 minutes a day - and really run - bc he's just much happier. Any place you could take him that your son could throw a ball and he could fetch? That'll tire him out.

In no way do I want to suggest you stick it out if you are not able to do what you need to. But when weighing out what to do, also keep in mind that he is young yet. Seriously. Our GSD (granted, different breed... but still) was a hyper thing right up until about... 3 years old. At first I attributed it to our having moved to a new home around that same time... but really... she was just maturing, finally. :)
Not saying that your dog won't still need plenty of exercise. He will. But with the proper training, and his new maturity, he could easily become easier to manage on those walks and around the house. Like GSDs, retrievers also like having "a job". You could get him a backpack and let him carry your baby supplies for you when take your little one on stroller walks. :)

But re-homing would not be cruel if you don't expect to actually follow up with any training.

If you can't give a dog the time, attention, exercise and training they need ... find a better fit for them. Don't feel bad about it. It's what's best for both the dog and the family.

If you choose to get another dog in the future however, do a TON of research on breeds to know what will fit with your families lifestyle best. There are also some programs online that will help determine the breed that suits your families lifestyle.

If you really want to keep the dog, look into training. It may not be too late. I say may not only because my brother once had a dog that was just totally wild-adopted from a shelter-and 2 different trainers were not able to help. They had to take him back. I have seen dogs though that once they were shown the right way to behave, they totally turned around. It would definitely be money well spent. For walks, maybe hire a dog walker mid day until the dog is calmer. Hubby might not feel comfortable walking the dog if he has that much energy. We had a doberman a long time ago and he was just as you describe. I hated taking him out more than a few minutes.

You could hire a good professional dog walker to make sure he is getting plenty of exercise! Or take him to doggy day care 3 times a week to see if the socialization relieves boredom and gives him some activity. You could even give it a try for just awhile to see if it helps - than you will know if lack of exercise is the issue and you will also know that you made that effort and it will also demonstrate to your son the responsibility of commitment to a pet. And remember, the dog will calm down more and more as he ages - 3 yrs is pretty young for a golden retriever. But if you don't think you can afford a dog walker or doggy day care, than work with a breed specific rescue to rehome him while he continues to live with you until a home is found. It's actually difficult for me to say that because it's hard for me to imagine rehoming one of my animals (except for maybe an aggression reason) and I don't think it's necessarily a good experience for your son to lose his dog but responsible rehoming is certainly way, way better than dumping him at the shelter. I'm glad you are giving it lots of thought.

If you can find a good home, don't feel guilty. It sounds like you are thinking about the dog's welfare. I do get upset with people who buy/adopt animals that they cannot deal with, but you are trying to fix the situation for the dog's best interest. I don't know how easy or hard it might be to find a new family for him -- please be sure it's a family with lots of space, attention and energy for exercise.

Just wondering if your dog has been fixed yet? They usually calm down alot after getting snipped. Also, your dog is still pretty young - he should mellow at least a little as he gets a bit older. Is there any type of doggy day care in your area where he can run around and socialize a couple of times a week? Have you looked into obedience classes for him (Petco has them on a regular basis). He is definitely not too old to train, but it does take time, patience and commitment, not just from you, but all the members of your family. It CAN get better! If you're not willing to work on it, then you are right to try to re-home him, as opposed to taking him to a shelter (ask your vet for suggestions, or try Petfinder.com or a golden rescue group). I hope you can find a good and loving home for him, if that's the route you decide to go. Good luck.

Yankee Golden Retriever Rescue works at finding new homes for Goldens in New England. Here is their info:

http://www.ygrr.org/

Good luck!

You're not being cruel by wanting to find him a new home. I think it would be cruel not too. The dog deserves more attention, time, and exercise than you are currently able to give him. He sounds like a good dog that is loving. He's jumping on people because he's excited to see someone. He wants attention.
I recommend you contact a dog rescue organization, explain your situation, and they will help find him a good home.

Don't feel like a jerk. I think you are being a responsible dog owner by doing what you know to be best for your dog.