Golden Retriever expert needed.

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Biglets Mummy

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Without going into a long and very very sad story I have taken my dear friends 7 month old Golden Retriever bitch into my home. My friend is very very ill. Its all been so sudden and we are all reeling from the shock.
She is worried sick about her pets so we have all rallied and spent the past week getting horses,cats and dogs to safe and permanent homes so she can pass without the worry of their fate. Its just the most awful time.
So I have a new addition to my family and she is a joy. Very well behaved lovely puppy but she has a few probs that I could do with a little advice as I have never had a GR before although had dogs all my life.
She gets very very car sick.....Apparently always has. I have had her in the car a few times over the weekend and she has been violently sick everytime even without eating before hand. Anything I can do to help her as its not an option just not to take her in the car.
Also she likes poo.....I have watched her like a hawk and have stopped her every time but would be interested to know why she has the urge to do this. She has a very sensitive tummy as well so is only fed chicken,rice etc
Thanks everyone xxx
 
Oh bless her - it's good she has you, and I'm so sorry your friend is so unwell. But it must be a comfort to her to know her dog will be cared for.

On the car sickness front:

Very, very common for all sorts of puppies, first of all so try not to worry too much! You can try a few things:
1. Continue to starve before travel as you are doing.
2. That said, a ginger biscuit may help to settle her tummy - maybe try giving her half a one before travel.
3. Look at how your car is set up - she may prefer to be in a crate with a cover over it so she can't see out of the window as some of them make themselves ill looking out of the window!
4. Try and take very short journeys, even just around the block or less if that's too much, so she doesn't come to associate the car with nasty experiences. You can build it up over time.
5. If she's already being put off the car, try and make it a nice place by giving her her food in the back - while stationary on the drive of course. Once she's happy with that, you can leave the engine running so she builds a happy association with the noise and feeling of the engine going.

Try not to worry, she will almost certainly grow out of it! Of course if you are concerned, speak to your vet :)

On the poo front:

You don't say if it's her poo or other poo? If it's her poo, I've heard that pineapple added to her food may put her off, though I've never had cause to try it.

If it's other poo - well, dogs are pretty gross and I think they very often just like the taste... Mine certainly does, the horrid little toad! A good solid 'leave' command will be your friend, and a good trainer will help you to get one in place. I would always recommend a class if at all possible, as even for very experienced owners there are advantages to socialising a puppy around lots of other people and dogs :)

Good luck and let us know how you get on :)
 
Thank you so much Spudlet. that's a brill idea re the crate and cover it. I am going to try that tonight as we are going to try a short journey and see how she is. Ginger is good idea as well...As for the poo...Its her own,my 2 dogs,the neighbors dogs....Gross little girl ! She is responding really well to a strict firm command but I did wonder about puppy classes. I am going to research that now.
Thank you for taking the time to help..Shes so lovely. I will let you know tomorrow how she went.xxxx
 
What are you actually feeding as random poo eating may just be hunger or habit. She should be on two meals a day.

Have you contacted her breeder?
 
s4sugar said:
What are you actually feeding as random poo eating may just be hunger or habit. She should be on two meals a day.

Have you contacted her breeder?
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Hi ,
Got a feeling this is habit...She has 2 meals a day.She has been on a home cooked diet since she went to my friend so she has been having chicken,rice etc so I have continued this. She has only been here a few days. Poor little thing.She responds very well to a firm No when I see her lurking towards the poo.Good plan to contact the breeder. Will ring. Thanks for replying s4sugar x
 
Maybe switch to naturediet so you know she is getting all the nutrients she needs. Carrying pepper to season any piles if you can get to them first can break the habit.
 
You can get tablets called stool repel from good pet shops to help with the poo eating, they dont always work but may be worth a try.
Ginger for the car sickness.
 
Stool repel works like pineapple but only on the dogs own poo.

Ginger for car sickness is tried & tested. I use a teaspoon of ginger marmalade rather than ginger biscuits.
 
Biglets Mummy said:
Hi ,
Got a feeling this is habit...She has 2 meals a day.She has been on a home cooked diet since she went to my friend so she has been having chicken,rice etc so I have continued this. She has only been here a few days. Poor little thing.She responds very well to a firm No when I see her lurking towards the poo.Good plan to contact the breeder. Will ring. Thanks for replying s4sugar x
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If you haven't done so already it's probably no bad idea to pop her to your vets to register with them, check her body condition and pop her onto the scales to make sure she's at a good weight :)
 
oh what a heartbreaking situation :(

i would get her on a properly balanced diet as chicken and rice is not enough for any dog, let alone a growing puppy. You can buy balanced raw feeds from Nutriment, Nature’s Diet, Natural Instinct... or a good quality dry kibble which would still be better for her. She may be lacking in nutrients hence the poo eating OR she may just be one of many dogs who loves to eat poo and you will just have to manage it. Good luck, I have one of those and she is now 7, we tried everything but she will still do it if she gets the chance yuk .

Re the car sickness, just keep at it, lots of short journeys, like every day if you can.
 
Thank you so so much for all the advice. I think I will get her on a different feed and see how she goes on that as I do think she is a little thin.Shes curled up with my 2 GSP at the mo. I hope she isn't too stressed by all the panic and upheaval over the weekend. We are going for a little trip in the car tonight with the crate and will get her down to the vets asap. Thanks again everyone xxxxx
 
Biglets Mummy said:
Thank you so so much for all the advice. I think I will get her on a different feed and see how she goes on that as I do think she is a little thin.Shes curled up with my 2 GSP at the mo. I hope she isn't too stressed by all the panic and upheaval over the weekend. We are going for a little trip in the car tonight with the crate and will get her down to the vets asap. Thanks again everyone xxxxx
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I'm sure she's fine, they are resilient little creatures! She'll be ok, it might take her a little while to settle, but she'll be right as rain. Having another friendly dog to babysit her will be a huge help too, I'm sure :)
 
The circumstances surrounding this dog and the sadness (to say the least) that you and your family must be feeling right now, could possibly be having an impact on the dog. Changing to a more fulfilling diet might help, as already suggested. However, I have to tell you that I have a fabulous Lab bitch now 3 years old, she has learned the revolting habit of eating other dogs poo by her best buddy, another Lab. I've tried bananas, Keepers Mix, pineapple (only works if they eat their own poo), but tried it in case.., a firm leave works if I see her, but she's become crafty and goes out if sight, into undergrowth, then comes back licking her lips. Now I'm told by vets that this is something that dogs do, but I hate it. I don't know what she's in jesting. I feed my dogs a good raw and nutritional diet, so she's not lacking anything. It simply is a horrible habit learned. If I take a ball on a walk, she's so focussed on it, that she doesn't bother with poo. Ggggrrrr. I have finally conceded and now muzzle her on walks or keep her on a lead, neither of which she seems to mind. At least then I don't worry about her eating poo.
 
Hi everyone. Please accept my apologies for not thanking you all earlier but been a bit low after recent events. I really appreciate you all taking the time to help this dear little girl who beside her slightly yukky breathe has wormed her way firmly into all our hearts. She has settled well and is finally filling out a bit. Her toilet training started well but we have hit am impasse so I will post separately about that. What has stunned me most is how my 2 elderly dogs have taken to her. I would never have contemplated another dog at their time of life but circumstances and all that here she is and she has given them a new lease of life. They are so wonderful with her that it gets me a bit weepy even writing about it. Thank you so much for all your help. My friend passed knowing that her beloved animals were all homed and loved. xxxxx
 
So sorry to hear of your friend passing. It must have been an enormous relief to her to know her beloved pets were being so well cared for. I think animals pick up on situations and atmospheres. Who knows, maybe the new arrival has confided in her 2 new friends as to how sad she is by the tragic turn of events, and they are trying to comfort and reassure her in their own way, and making her feel welcome in her new home...
 
Saneta said:
So sorry to hear of your friend passing. It must have been an enormous relief to her to know her beloved pets were being so well cared for. I think animals pick up on situations and atmospheres. Who knows, maybe the new arrival has confided in her 2 new friends as to how sad she is by the tragic turn of events, and they are trying to comfort and reassure her in their own way, and making her feel welcome in her new home...
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Thank you Saneta ! You are right they do seem to know.....They are all curled up together now. I just snuck down to check !!
 
Travel sickness is very common with golden retrievers. Have you got a cage that you can travel her in? Sometimes containing them can help. Otherwise try ginger biscuits before travel and start with short journeys and build up.

Eating poo can be a number of reasons. If she didn't do this in her previous home I would put this down to stress, although the age she is she may be due a season. Clear up all poo to prevent opportunity.

Golden retrievers are sensitive dogs so give her plenty of time to settle. Good luck and enjoy :)
 
So sorry to hear of your friend passing away, what comfort she must have felt in her final moments knowing that her lovely animal friends were all being looked after.

You have acquired a lovely new addition to the family it sounds, Goldies are fab dogs, we have had ours for 14 years and she has been a delight.

She too suffered terrible car sickness when she was a puppy, we literally could not take her anywhere in the car, we had booked a holiday in Cornwall one year and I was concerned about the sickness so took her to the vets. Vet said there wasn't really much we could give her to stop the sickness, that she would grow out of it, and she did, took a couple of years though I'm afraid.

With regards to the poo eating, maybe habit, maybe stress, she may just a greedy/dirty little monkey. You will have to be on poo watch and a sharp no Eve time she goes near it.
 
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