[Kitchen Cottage]

10 years ago it was £600 for 3 weeks residential retraining, plus about £120 to collect him.  I picked him up.  I don't know what prices are like now. 

[in the hills]

I think a rescue is the better option rather than advertising in any 'gundog' magazine etc. Please be careful if you look at rehoming as a 'gundog'. If he doesn't come up to scratch as a working dog he would be passed on in a flash again by most people who are seriously looking for a worker.    Not all retrievers are suitable for working especially as Jim may not even be working line.

He may well benefit from gundog training .... channel his energies positively, high level of obedience, good exercise but to advertise him as such would IMO be a big mistake at this stage.

[SallyintNorth]

I do understand where you are coming from, Old Shep, but...

It's an incredibly hard thing to do, to admit that one is beaten by a dog, and can't see a way out.  And it happens, with the best of intentions, to experienced people too.  One of the reasons I support organisations such as the Dogs Trust is that they are there to turn to.  Not just for the street cur, but also for good people with good hearts who find themselves unable to cope with a dog. 

If they really can't cope, what happens to that dog?  It may have only been a bolshy teenager but now, unfortunately, its owner having failed to handle it, it does have problems that will take some expertise to overcome - and will need an experienced new owner who can cope with that background.

If the current owner feels that they can't approach a rescue organisation, be it the Breed Soc or Dogs' Trust or whatever, what will be the outcome?  Most likely the dog gets locked up, chained, goes mad, bites someone, gets PTS.   Or escapes and ends up - now a worthy occupant of a kennel space - in rescue - but now a much harder problem to solve and without the owner's story to inform and help with its rehabilitation.

(Or escapes, chases sheep and gets shot, of course.)

So, as I say, I do understand where you are coming from.  Too many people get a dog that looks nice or is seen as some sort of status symbol or fashion accessory, and it is galling that they then pass this animal onto a charity to sort out - and probably then go and buy the next fashion animal. 

Hopefully the organisation to which they take the animal suggests what would be a reasonable donation to cover the costs of rehabilitating and rehoming

Ladygrey is hardly in this category.  She has tried, and is admitting that this dog is beyond her.  As far as I can see, she isn't asking for anyone else to pay for the mistakes she has made (just because one takes a dog to a rescue org does not mean one doesn't cover its costs), and is trying her hardest to act responsibly and come up with the best outcome for the dog, its future owner, her other dog, her other livestock, and herself.

[Ladygrey]

How old is Jim?  He sounds like just a pup.  He will only know the manners that you have taught him, and if he still does not know his manners you need to teach him a different way.  Are you thinking he has been born bad?  Sorry but this country is full of dogs abandoned by their owners because they haven't bothered to put in the training. He is a young dog - train him, get help to train him,  or get the breeder to take him back.  Don't expect your money back - why would they refund you??? He is not in need of rescue. Dogs on deaths door in the pound are in need of rescue, not dogs who need training. Sorry to be quite terse and blunt, but when you spend time helping in rescue somehow you lose your tact and subtlety.....  If you take up a rescue space for him ,a pound dog will die - FACT.

Jim is now 13 months old, I got him when he was 10-11 months old, im sorry but he came with a whole hoard of "manners" which I did not train into him, so how can you say he will only know the manners I have taught him?

I have tried and tried a few ways to teach him and yes he seems eager to please but I think he is simply too head strong and large for me, I never said he was a bad dog and I never said he was born bad, he is a happy dog who loves to fetch a ball but he is not suited to being on my farm and I do not want him to get hurt or cause an accident, also I cannot offer him a lovely life which would be fantastic for him

The reason why I asked for money back was after three days of having him it was like a living nightmare, they had said they would take him back and refund me if it did not work out, isnt this grounds to ask for my money back? they then turned around and said they wouldnt take him back full stop

Please dont chat rubbish to me about helping in a dog rescue, my family and I have rescued dogs and fostered dogs for rescue's for years, please dont tar people who give dogs in to rescues all with the same brush, everyone has different circumstances, what if I want to find Jim a lovely home and do the best for him? something I cannot offer him

I only posted on here to ask for any contacts, you have no idea how much your post has upset me

[Ladygrey]

Thankyou everyone else with all of my heart for all of your help and guidance

I will let you know the outcome when/if we can find Jim the home he deserves

edit: he is most definitely not gundog material, very showline shaped and built with a very hard and strong mouth

Jess

[Old Shep]

Sorry LG I thought from your post that you had Jim from being a young pup, but see you have had him 8 - 12 weeks thats all. 


I hope to god that this poor young dog gets someone who will train him and let him have a happy ever after which can be counted in years not days. It sounds like he's overdue some good luck.


My views remain the same, which I won't reiterate, and I'm sorry if your are upset by them, but rest assured Jim will be even more upset, and the pound dog whose place he takes will hopefully drift off into the next world peacefully.

[doganjo]

And here I go again!!! 

Breeding should be licensed and controlled!     For ALL breeds or non breeds of dog!

At least then there would be some reduction in all these poor souls that end up dead because the  rescues/pounds couldn't find enough homes.

I have pedigree dogs now, and at 71 it's unlikely I'll have any more, but if I was able to live my life again I'd have at least one from a dogs home.

[honeyend]

Most of my dogs have been rehomed from about 10 months, my first bless her was a hyper active collie, a steep learning curves as I was 21 and newly married, trying to do up a house on a budget. She had been shut in a flat not house trained, getting her home in the car she took the skin off my hands and then proceeded to destroy anything in front of her if left alone.
 I am really sorry but I feel more sorry for the dog than you. Its trying to make sense of its new home and learn the rules and this takes time and a lot of effort.
  I made a lot of mistakes with my collie, I blame reading Barbara Woodhouse for most of them and my basic inexperience but what I did do was spend lots of time with her, gave her structure, lots of exercise, I am talking miles and persisted. For a long time. When she destroyed yet another pair of shoes, whose fault was that, mine. We she dug through a bed, it was not her fault, when she growled at me it was anxiety. I can not say really I trained the dog, she trained me. When she died at 18, she was my dearest companion and the best 2/6p I had ever spent. When my rescue lurcher used to run off and take hours to catch, it was because it was afraid of the beating that some b*****d had given him not because he was naughty.
 When you take on an older dog the chances are you take on problems, if you are lucky they are quickly sorted. My new rehome, she was 10 months, has been an angel but I bet there is a tale of why they got rid of her as through FB I know they have a new dog, she is a RottiX and needs to know her place.
  On the positive side there are people who would love dog like yours, I have a friend who rehomes working dog types, one a lab was literally shoved through the door at her and the door shut. In the mean time I think you need to think how you manage the dog, if you have horses you will know if its not working try something else.  I would electrify the fence or only take him outside on a lead and somehow inflate the other dogs dominance and yours. I know you have rehomed other dogs but to me he sounds like a normal young dog who has a poor start.

[Old Shep]

Some things you may want to try (if you haven't already) in the meantime:


Pulling on lead - try a K9 bridle, or Gentle Leader type head collar, or a fleece figure of 8 sold by Mad Spaniels online shop - don't try to just put it on and expect him to accept it - you have to desensitise him to it first.


Guarding toys - remove all toys and only let the dogs have them when they are on their own.


Guarding food - feed in separate rooms.


Escaping from the garden - don't leave unsupervised, or if even then he escapes, keep him on a lead or long line.


Separation anxiety - he needs a safe place of his own, where he is fed, where no other dog goes, where there is nothing to destroy, like a stable, under stairs cupboard, or try again with a crate and desensitise him to it.  One foster dog of mine was only really chilled out in my van - so that's where he spent lots of time!


Destroying things - he needs a safe pace of his own...


Have you thought of an outdoor kennel for him? with a sleeping box, galvanised bars and a roof?


I have dogs which between them have all of the above problems and more, (well until last week when I lost my beloved Lucy) and management is the key.  You have to work with the dog "in front of you" not hang onto the "ideal" dog you maybe thought you were getting.  You may be think you can't give him the "wonderful life" you think he deserves - but anyone working with this dog will have to do the above in order to cope with him.  He will never be a dog that can be left to roam around a smallholding (not many can, and even less SHOULD!) so he needs containing safely.  BTW dogs need 16 to 17 hours of sleep a day apparently so don't think its cruel to shut him in somewhere for a sleep!

[farmvet]

Why not give the dogs trust a call? There are several centres not too far from you. If they took him you could be pretty sure he would get properly assessed, training he needs and eventually rehomed to a suitable place.

Its no disgrace to give up on a dog. Sometimes they just dont match your personality, lifestyle or whatever. Much better to pass him on now & see if he suits someone else. Also I wouldnt worry about taking up a space in a rescue centre, the majority of "rescue" dogs are "rehome" dogs like Jim

[cuckoo]

Try these - I see you are in Basingstoke
http://www.goldenretrievers.co.uk/application/rescue/index.php?iClubId=1

[Kimbo]

ladygrey I really feel for you.
I know you've  seen local Lab rescues but have you tried contacting them? The NW Lab Rescue does take retrievers so maybe the one near you might too.