More about Marlow
🐾 Marlow – 5 Year Old Golden Retriever x Border Collie 🐾
Marlow is a desexed, fully vaccinated 5-year-old Golden Retriever x Border Collie who is looking for a carefully matched forever home. He is a deeply loved dog with a big heart, strong bond with his people, and a whole lot of personality.
He is crate trained for both home and travel, affectionate and people-focused, and loves nothing more than pats, chest rubs, toys, balls, and spending time near his humans. He also has an independent side and is just as happy relaxing on his own when needed.
Marlow is on the lower end of exercise needs for a Border Collie type, but still enjoys daily activity and mental stimulation. He thrives in open spaces like beaches, lifestyle blocks, and wide parks. Narrow paths, tight trails, or crowded urban environments can overwhelm him, so he is best suited to a more spacious, calmer lifestyle.
He is very intelligent and highly trainable, knowing all basic commands and loving games, learning, and problem-solving activities. He responds extremely well to positive reinforcement training and enjoys working with his people.
Marlow has been a much-loved family dog and has lived a full, structured life with us. However, more recently he has shown increased nervousness and discomfort in situations involving young children who are mobile and unpredictable in their movements.
On one occasion, during a moment where his space was unintentionally not managed as intended, he reacted by snapping when feeling cornered and overwhelmed. While this is not typical of his behaviour, and he has no history of unprovoked aggression, it has highlighted that he is not comfortable or safe in a home with young children.
After consultation with our vet and a behaviourist, it has been advised that Marlow is best suited to a child-free home where his environment can be calm, predictable, and appropriately managed.
This decision has been made with his wellbeing and future stability in mind, as he is still a young, healthy dog with a lot of love and companionship to give the right home.
❤️ His Personality
Marlow is affectionate, clever, sensitive, and very bonded to his people. He loves learning and engagement but can become overwhelmed if pushed too far in uncomfortable situations. He does best with calm leadership, clear boundaries, and people who understand canine body language.
He has grown up in a structured home environment and is used to being part of everyday life, including sleeping inside and having access to both indoor and outdoor spaces.
🐶 Social & Behaviour Notes (important)
Marlow has lived with another dog his whole life and has had excellent feedback from kennels and daycare. He is generally social off-lead in neutral environments such as beaches and kennels. However, he can show leash reactivity around unfamiliar dogs and should be managed on-lead in more stimulating environments.
He can also show resource guarding behaviours with other dogs inside the home (food, bones, high-value items, resting spaces, hose), so he is best suited to a single-dog household unless carefully and with experienced management.
He can be wary of unfamiliar people at first (especially men in hats/hi-vis), but settles well once introduced properly. He is not suited to a busy home with frequent new visitors or high-chaos environments.
🏡 Home Requirements
✔️ Adult-only home
✔️ Calm, structured environment
✔️ Experienced dog owners (or very dog-savvy handlers)
✔️ Single dog household preferred
✔️ Space to roam (lifestyle block or large section ideal)
✔️ Someone home often or able to transition gradually
❌ Not suited to homes with babies or young children
❌ Not suited to high-density urban living or busy households
❌Not suited to a home with a cat