Golden Retriever/Siberian Husky Mix
AKA a Goberian.
When I learned about the breed, I turned to Google to find out more and that was when I learned that there are people who are purposefully breeding Goberians. On one site, I read that people are trying to get the personality of a Golden Retriever with the beautiful eyes of a Husky. We were confused because we couldn't figure out how a breeder can guarantee that this is all you'll get with a breed mix?
Oh well, it doesn't matter. A dog needs a home and we're going to do our best to provide him with a safe, happy, healthy home.
His name is Apollo.
Transitioning a Puppy to Raw Dog Food
I love Golden Retrievers, but I don't love the high rate of cancer we see in this breed and since we're not raising a puppy from a natural rearing (or what one would call 'reputable') breeder, I believed that it was important that we transition him to raw right away and he had his first raw meal, including duck feet, when he arrived at his new home.
He did great, he loved it, and I'm glad that we got over that hump.
The one change that I will be making to his diet will be to add more bones to support his growth. Apollo is a big puppy and will soon outweigh all of our dogs. He's also slightly overweight and we hope to see him trim down to a healthier weight by the Fall.
Day One with a New Dog
Scout and Sydney liked Apollo pretty quickly. They weren't singing camp songs, but they didn't have a problem with him. Zoey wasn't a fan and it took all afternoon and a pack walk for her to warm up to the puppy. Rodrigo was our wild card. He has bitten puppies in the past, including Scout and Zoey, and we were worried about how he'd react to the new dog.
But one thing that gave me home is that he once took a jaunt down to a neighbor's house to play with their dogs and they had a great time - no fighting, no dominance. That was when I realized that his behavior may be connected to me. By keeping my distance, Rodrigo and Apollo were able to meet with little issues.
It helped to have a professional dog trainer helping us.
