So it's no secret that Layla is a huge part of my blog. Again, I make no apologies because the little bugger makes me happy :) But, I get a lot of questions about her and figured this would be an easy way to just condense the most common ones.
1. What kind of dog is she?
Layla's a Golden Retriever! Which kind of leads into the second one.
2. Is Layla pure Golden Retriever? Why is she so light?
As for her coloring, I can't answer specifically since that's all genetic. I do know that she is purebred, there's a fancy little certificate that proves it but I could care less about that! Both her parents were very light in coloring so I think that contributes to it. People always ask us if she is a specially bred white Golden but she's not! Just lucked out with the gene pool :)
3. Why would you get a dog from a breeder when you can rescue?
Layla is the first and probably only animal that I will ever get from a breeder. Nothing against breeders or people who go to breeders! I just prefer to rescue animals because I know it's hard for so many to find good homes. All of our cats and previous dogs were rescue animals.
There was one major reason as to why I caved and agreed to go with a breeder: my mom. We needed a dog that could be molded to our lifestyle with my mom. I know that a rescue dog could as well and believe me, we tried! I couldn't tell you how many dogs I looked at but there were too many that just didn't suit our needs. I actually found one dog and we brought her home but it was a disaster. The dog turned out to be nothing like we had been told. She was territorial, had no training, and extremely aggressive with the cats. It was way too stressful and Amanda came to me, pleading to get a puppy because she needed a dog that she could start with at square one to raise with our lifestyle.
So I finally agreed once we sat down as a family, and both my mom and sister voted for a puppy. And we knew there was only one place we would go which is where my aunt got her golden, Lola six years ago. She's absolutely perfect and what we were looking for in a dog. When we found out a puppy from one of the newest litters would be half-siblings with Lola, we were sold! Yeah, we paid a pretty penny for a purebred but I wanted everything that this breeder is known for: family dog, friendly, even temperament, smart, easy to train, loveable, loyal. I mean everything that is true to a Golden Retriever's nature and this lady has perfected specially breeding those characteristics!
I have no regrets because Layla has turned out to be exactly what my family needed. She is so loving and gentle, and my mom absolutely adores her! She is the perfect snuggle buddy for my mom, and keeps her company during the day. I also trained Layla to adapt to my mom with simple commands since my mom still uses her cane to walk. It's not always necessary now though since Layla has learned to be conscious of my mom's movements.
I'm not going to lie, it's been a pretty neat experience raising a puppy. It's a different kind of bond than what I've had with my other dogs because Layla regards me both as her leader but also has a blind trust in me that older dogs can have a harder time developing with people. I'm not saying it's impossible for them to do that, but since Layla has only known love, she's trusted me and all other people completely since day one.
4. How big is Layla?
She's not yet full-grown but she was 6 pounds when we got her at 2 months old and now she's pushing 70 pounds...and still growing!
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The first day when we picked her up! She was such a tiny bean!
5. How old is Layla?
She just turned a year old in December! She was born December 14th, 2013
6. Is Layla your dog?
This one can come off as confusing because I do live with my mom and sister so Layla is technically a family dog. However, it's pretty clear that I have a very close bond with her. I'm not home during the day as I work full-time but when I am home and on the weekends, she's by my side constantly. She even sleeps in my bed! She has plenty and I mean PLENTY of love to go around, though, so she's always sweet and loving with everyone. She just happens to be my little side kick :)
Hahaha I always laugh at Cosmo's face in this picture "no, no, no I do NOT want to be your pillow right now"
7. How did you train Layla?
I did a lot of research on raising puppies and training them in the months before we got Layla. We had plenty of time to prepare because we put ourselves on the list in November and had until February until we actually picked her up. I read some books on both training and behavior, Googled a lot of stuff, created a whole Pinterest board (#lolz), and watched YouTube videos. I had never raised a puppy before and wanted to be prepared.
Let me warn you: nothing can ever fully prepare you for it if you've never raised a puppy. It's a lot of work. Completely worth it but a lot of work!
The most helpful books that I got out of the library were:
Caesar's Way
Be The Pack Leader
How to Speak Dog
The Other End of the Leash
For the basic commands, I just watched a lot of YouTube videos! They were also great for learning how to teach bite inhibition, how to stop chewing, and socializing. I made sure to expose her to as much as possible from the start so that she would learn to be comfortable and confident in any situation. I think that also helps a lot with developing trust because if a dog can see that you will properly lead them and guide them through new experiences, they'll trust you more. I don't want to baby her but if I see if she's nervous, I might give her a reassuring pat or a simple command to give her something to do to increase her confidence. Just so that she can see it's nothing to be afraid of, even if it's something as silly as the vacuum running. That way if she's confronted with a situation where she's unsure, her response will be more likely to look to me for guidance rather than potentially result in fear aggression. I'm not saying it's a proven method or will work for all dogs, but it works for Layla!
With potty training, we did crate-train her for this one. I used to be adamantly against crates of any kind but Layla hasn't used hers since she was 6 months old. Our breeder recommended crate training and it's what my aunt did with Lola and there's no denying it's efficient and effective. I only had to take Layla out in the middle of the night the first night she was home and once when she was 4 months when she had diarrhea. Other than that she sleeps through the night and has never woken me up to go outside. I think that when used properly and effectively, crates are fine for potty-training young puppies. She doesn't need it now because from day one we set healthy boundaries with Layla and taught her what was appropriate to chew (her toys) and what wasn't. She doesn't need a crate when we're gone because she doesn't get in to things she's not supposed to. Her bag of dog food is even right in the dining room where she could easily rip into it but she doesn't touch it!
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Always looking to play!
Overall, my biggest piece of advice: consistency! Affection is definitely necessary but discipline needs to be a bigger priority or your dog is going to try to run the household. I will be the first to admit, Layla is spoiled BUT she is not in charge. She knows who the boss is and that is the result of consistency.
About 10 months old here.
8. How did you train her to run with you?
I'm working on that post! Like the rest of her training it just took patience and consistency. I'm no expert at dog training but I'm happy to share the tips that I found most useful when introducing her to running. Remember, though, not all dogs like to run! Layla happens to love it so it was easier to train her since she enjoys running with me.
I hope this answers a lot of your questions!
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