Quick Facts:
- Breed: Golden Retriever (purebred?)
- Gender: Male, neutered
- Age: 18 months young!
- Size: 60 (ish) pounds
- Good with…
- Dogs? Yes! (but am possessive of toys!)
- Cats? Unknown
- Kids? Yes! 14+
Hello! My name is Bentley and I am a very friendly, exuberant, enthusiastic young Golden Retriever!
History
I was adopted as a puppy by my family, but circumstances have prevented them from being able to keep me. Luckily, Cayuga Dog Rescue was able to take me into their foster program, my former family was happy to surrender me, and the wonderful owners of the Bed and Biscuit Kennel were happy to foster me at their kennel! I am very happy, everyone is being so nice to me and I get to run and play in their big fenced yards like I always dreamed of being able to do! The only thing missing is a wonderful new family, but they tell me that my people are out there waiting for me and it shouldn’t be too long before we get to meet and start our new adventure of love and fun!
Personality
I am a very friendly boy! I have a big smile on my face almost all the time, and I LOVE getting positive attention! Since I am still so young, and have been cooped up in a crate for most of my young life, I am mostly about “Let’s play! Let’s run! Let’s chase toys!” The rescue folks tell me that this is quite expected for my breed and age, and that they promise to find me a new person or family who will want to play with me lots, take me for runs or hikes or fast walks, and who hopefully will have a fenced yard for me to play in!
I so want to learn things! I seem to be a smart pup, and have a sense that maybe I don’t know all of the things that a dog of my age usually knows, and I want to catch up! I’ve had too much negativity directed at me, so really need someone who knows positive reinforcement training to teach me all of the good things that will help me build up some impulse control and some ability to calm myself. The one thing that I do know is how to wait and do my business outside! Yes, I am housebroken! This might be the only thing that my former owners taught me, and it’s a good one!
I am quite enthusiastic about being around other dogs and want to play!-play!-play! with them, but I need some help learning to be a great dog buddy. There are 2 main things that I need help with. 1) I don’t seem to read other dogs’ social cues very well (which makes sense since I have had little to no opportunity to socialize with other dogs until now). I can’t tell when they want me to make my play more gentle for them or when they want to take a break and rest. I just want to keep playing with my very rough-and-tumble play style on and on and on, and this can feel not so fun for the other dog. 2) I am bonkers for toys and currently growl like gangbusters if another dog approaches me when I have a toy, which can also be off-putting for the other dog. Good, clear, and positive guidance on these things is crucial if I am to become the wonderful dog buddy that I so very much want to be!
I am enthusiastic! Energetic! Exuberant! We Goldens need a lot of physical exercise and mental stimulation throughout our lives but especially when we are young. And boy, do I ever! I will become my best self and be your best companion if I get plenty of daily exercise and also lots of mental stimulation. I hope for an adopter who will teach me lots of things (like fun tricks!), will take me for runs or hikes, and who will be happy to spend lots of time throwing a ball or toy for me in the yard! I am not good at bringing balls or toys back, I much prefer playing “keep away” when I get the ball or toy, but you can teach me that giving it back to you is the best way to play, because you will give me a treat each time and then throw the ball/toy again! I might also really love doing positive training classes and sports like agility, but group classes will have to wait until I learn some calm and self-control because right now being around a group of dogs is way too stimulating for me.
Cohabitation
I seem to really, really like people! Because I am so exuberant though, I am not a good fit for a home with kids under 14. I would probably accidentally knock over younger kids!
I seem to love dogs, but would be too much for an older dog with all of my jumping around and wanting to wrestle. I might be a good fit for a very well-socialized and friendly, playful, youngish dog, but you would need to be good at helping me learn how to play nicely with your other dog, so I don’t tire or stress him/her out with my exuberant play style. Also, because at present I resource guard toys, all the toys would have to be put away until your dog and I get to know each other well. Like, for the first few months. Only when your dog and I are great friends, could you bring out a toy again, but my behavior would have to be very carefully monitored. I might be able to learn to be ok having toys in another dog’s presence, but then again, I might not. To be determined over time!
I have not lived with cats nor have I been observed with cats, so we have no idea how I would be with cats!
Favorite Activities
Right now, my favorite things are playing exuberantly with toys, wrestling exuberantly with other dogs, not being in a crate, and not being yelled at for jumping up on you!
My Ideal Home/Person
- You know and love my breed and understand that I need lots of physical and mental stimulation
- You have at least some experience with positive reinforcement training
- You want to throw balls and toys for me! And you will feel happy (and have the time) to teach me all the good things that I need to learn!
- You are patient and understanding. Learning takes time and it takes a teacher who knows how to teach clearly and who makes the learning fun!
- You either have a fenced yard or you truly love to walk fast or run on most days!
Medical
I’m a healthy boy! Neutered and up to date on vaccines! No medical issues!
Summary
I am a great, full-of-life pup who hasn’t had a very helpful early life, but I am so deeply looking forward to finding a person or a family who will love and value me for the happy, joyful dog that I am, and who will help me learn to be the well-mannered and considerate companion to people and other dogs that I of course want to be!
If you are interested in adopting me, please fill out an online adoption application and live close to Ithaca, Syracuse, Binghamton, Rochester, or Elmira. We do home visits on every applicant, and can’t do home visits where we don’t have local volunteers.
