Butterball Bentley

Profile

It is my pleasure to introduce Butterball Bentley. We can explain the name further if you are curious. Just know it was given with much love by two young boys. Butterball is a big, sweet 7-month-old puppy. He is a Golden Retriever mix. His mom was a purebred Golden Retriever and I would guess that his dad was a Great Pyrenees or a similar breed. Butterball has four dew claws and at 7 months weighs 63 pounds. Our vet guessed he will weigh between 90-100 pounds fully grown. He is neutered, current on vaccines, microchipped, and on heartworm preventive.

Butterball is very good with children. He likes to play games, but doesn’t get overly excited and seems to know children are more fragile. He may have a bit of a herding gene, as he tries to herd them sometimes. He jumps in their beds to say goodnight and greets them in the morning. He loves his routines, especially taking the boys to school. He loves to greet everyone and every dog. He gets along with our two resident Goldens. They play and he reads their cues for when play is over, although I think he could play twice as long. He loves Kongs, bones, and tennis balls. He will retrieve the ball, but hasn’t quite learned to drop yet. He has a very gentle mouth and will let us take it. Smart boy! He gets to fetch more.

Loves Bones…Beautiful Eyes

Butterball comes up to our bed for cuddles evening and morning, but sleeps on the floor next to our bed. He gets too warm in the bed. Currently, we use a baby gate to keep him in the bedroom at night. He usually respects them, but if he has to go out at night and we haven’t woken, he will climb over. We wake up at the noise and let him outside. He usually is fine through the night.

Butterball has had some issues with his wire kennel. It was definitely new for him, as he was an outside dog the first 5 months of his life. We've been working with him on tolerating his kennel. He's a chewer (puppy), so we can't give him freedom to roam the house when we're gone. It’s not safe for him. He was anxious to the point it wasn't safe for him in his kennel (actually bent the bars), so we puppy-proofed the bathroom once and the bedroom another time, and he scratched up both doors trying to get out. He didn't like being confined. We slowed down and received great advice from another RAGOM volunteer. We moved the kennel to an area that our family spends most of our time together. We left the crate door open and played games where he received treats in his kennel. Our resident dogs took naps in the kennel. He has begun associating the kennel with a positive place – love and treats! He can now spend a couple of hours in his kennel and he’s happy when we return. He’s making a lot of progress. I think he would do best in a family that is home often.

Sleeping in his kennel

Butterball is content with baths, toenail clipping, the blow dryer, and brushing. He trusts people.

Waiting for breakfast – Butterball on far left

He does have a gentle mouth. He sits for his treats and meals. He’s still working on stay and down. He’s appears so proud of himself when he sits. When I say OK, he eats. He has no food aggression (or any aggression of any kind).

Dare you to move, leaf!

He is very interested in squirrels and rabbits when he’s outside. I’m not sure how he would do with cats. Butterball likes to chase and play. For this reason, I think it would be best for Butterball to have a physical fence. The reason he was surrendered is because he did not respect the underground fence. He liked to explore and visit the neighbors. The shock he received did not deter him. He is a bit independent, but can be brought back to compliance quickly.

That doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to please. He has the Golden please gene. He’s just a puppy with impulses. He will benefit from obedience training. He is very family oriented and has learned much over the past two months. It didn’t take long for Butterball to learn how nice it is to live in a house. He is 100% housetrained. He rings bells on the door to let us know he has to go outside. He comes when called about 75% of the time. He walks well with a Gentle Leader, but will benefit from more training. He loves to be outside and he loves the cold!

No school…We can Play!

He loves to have his belly rubbed. He soaks up human attention. A Golden Retriever’s temperament is described as kind, friendly, and eager to please. A Great Pyrenees’ temperament is described as devoted to family, loyal, and obedient. Both are described as calm, great family dogs, and gentle with children. This is how I’d describe Butterball. He’s going to grow into a loyal part of a family.