Retriever Rescue

Whilst not wishing to put any possible future adopter off from having a rescue Golden, I just wandered how stuborn other member's dogs, past or present have or can be.

Ginnie will only jump into the back of our car when having visited the vets. Ever since we had her, it's front feet on the bumper and a look that says, ' go on lift the rest in'.

Gemma would never walk on the metal utility covers in the footpath, and then instilled it in her daughter Jade, I can understand this, as they are cold in the winter and hot in the summer, it could look like you were both drunk, weaving from side to side of the foothpath.

We thought Jade was being good taking her tablets, until we found a pile of them under Mum's sideboard, sneaky eh.

Our first Ben was 'opinionated' I like to call it - he didn't do water, full stop end of subject!! He wouldn't go out in the rain unless he was absolutely bursting, stand in puddles and as for swimming? forget it!! When we went on the beach with Anna (who was a stubborn black lab) and she went in the sea for a paddle, he would go beserk!!

Amber is a stealthy sneak and as for Alex - she was just a genteel lady!!

xx

Ella has a problem when it comes to getting in the car, not her fault, something in her past we think. She will bring all her toy's to bribe us and then disappear back into the house. My husband has to climb in the boot first then maybe she will jump in.
If that does'nt work, it's lead on, shout "walkies", then set off at a jog. Then she see's the car and the breaks go on, and as we all know, when that happens, they will NOT be moved. All to the amusement of the neighbours who I'm sure think we've lost the plot
So it's the same as you Lynda, feet on the boot and heave the rest in.
We've just bought her an "upstairs bed". She loves it so much that she will sit on it all day if we let her. Again, breaks on, so unceremoniously, she gets "tipped off".
But in spite of all this, we would'nt be without our ...stubborn...mucky...deaf when she want's to be...beautiful girl

Gemma didn't like swimming, people think you're fibbing when you say you had a golden who wouldn't swim, up to her belly and no more, her daughter Jade you couldn't keep her out, she even swam a slurry pool at the age of 12, after a long walk and a swim in a lovely clean pool.. it was April 1993 with a biting wind and the little madam ran off from us and you know that look they give you over their shoulder, and she just slithered in like a crocodile, and the dirty little s*d swam around and around, a bottle and a half of wash and go before she was clean enough to come back into the caravan.

Willow is definately a girl with a mind of her own. When I take the dogs around the village, she knows which way we normally go, and woebetide anything any different One route takes us into the main road and up to the park(left). Try and take her right, on go the brakes, then a look of sheer defiance. We DO NOT go that way, PARK left. Try convincing her otherwise, no chance. When we do go left, it's like taking a Shire horse, shoulders at the ready, hind quaters in overdrive. Into the park gates and everything returns to normal, aren't I the little sweetie

I agree with Ella'a Mum, gorgeous Gordon can be severely deaf at times, but rattle the biscuit box and he'll be there in a second!! I once tried for over half an hour to get Gordy in the back of our Land Rover, including trying to get him to use the 'most expensive' ramp in the world that we had just bought - but forget it. We were on holiday at the time, and a new family were just arriving to their apartment, and they thought it highly amusing that whilst they were backwards and forwards with their cases etc, I was still trying to get this stubborn dog into the car. Since then Gordy goes everywhere in the car, as it is easier for me to lift him into it. Seems to be a trait of Goldies to stick their paws on the bumper, and wait for a lift in!!!