Rosoe - Golden retriever?

Golden retriever?

I might get a golden retriever. Are they good dogs? Any stuff I should know and training tips?

Public Comments

I love them - they're friendly, smart, and loving. On the downside, they are VERY active, like to dig (most of them) go through a long puppy hood (mentally ... about 2+ years!) They are hairy and shed. They do have a bit more "doggy' odor than most ... even though I feed my dog home cooked food (no bad stuff that is supposed to magnify the problem) I still notice it. I have hair on my sweatshirt right now and bet I ingested a few with my dinner. And I live with someone who vacuums every day! I just want you to be prepared - if you need a clean house or are a couch potato, be honest with yourself and keep looking for a more compatible breed. They're not for everyone! Also, they are pre-disposed to certain health conditions. Pass right by the pet store puppies AND the backyard breeders and find yourself a REAL breeder. Insist upon health clearances for BOTH parents ... if the first pup you see doesn't have them, do NOT believe that "the parents are healthy ... the pups will be fine." Too many times that ends in monstrous vet bills, early deaths, and distraught owners. INSIST upon health clearances.
they are definatly good dogs but they are very high strung and tend become obese. definatly dont feed your dog free choice, give him limited portions and limit table scraps. they can be bull headed sometimes but they are very smart, loyal and sweet, so just make sure you are diligent about training. there are a lot of good books at petco or petsmart that tell you good tips on training, its just too much to type here.
I had a golden retriever growing up and we just got one, she's now 4 months old. They are great family dogs. Great w kids. But a little doopy. Mine growing up used to like to bark at the moon. My puppy now digs everywhere! She ate my flowers, dug up my flower beds, pooped in them, too. (my beagles who I've had for 10 yrs never did these!) My mom says our golden retriever growing up did all this, too. But I forgive all this because how she is w my kids. I have 4 young children and she's great w them and she's such a sweet dog. She has such a good disposition as did my other dog.
You MIGHT get a Golden Retriever...as opposed to what other choice??? If this is the only breed you are considering, the all I can tell you, as a professional groomer.... 1) GOldens tend to be puppies until at LEAST 2-3 years old so get ready to gear up for that. THey need LOTS of exercise and mental stimulation. WIthout the exercise, they get FAT (I really mean it!) and without mental stimulation, they get bored and then watch out for chewed slippers, carpets, etc. 2) MOST (not all) Golden pups are really super active and you need to channel that energy into some type of training...the WILL need basic obedicnce but ehy also excel at retrieving and rally-obedience and agility. 3) SHED SHED SHED...MATT MATT MATT....BRUSH BRUSH BRUSH....or you will end up with matts the size of you fists!!! Uncomfortable for the dog and impossible to demat without shaving 4) CLEAN THE EARS!!!! Most of the Golden odor comes from wet and uncleaned ears. THey get many ear infections so take care of them please! 5) Having said all that...THEY ARE A FABULOUS BREED...one I am considering for the future....THey are loyal, smart and fantastic with kids....they do tend to get obese though, so feed carefully...NO FREE FEEDING FOR THEM!!! Good luck See ya
I love the goldren retriver, they are wonderful dogs, they are heavy shedding breed, they loves kids, I would not say they are high strung or doopy-they are intelligent, sometime clownish, I have a crossbred, Lab x golden retriver, and she relatively calm breed, they are energetic breed though and do require a daily walk of at least 30mintues daily, won't grow up until around 4yrs old! Mine still at 9 1/2 sometimes acts like a 3month old puppy including chewing her toys now!. I do not find my dog barks as a normal greeting, there only one person she bark&HOWLS at & its not me, its my best friend, Sherema, my dog adore her, yet my friend doesn't like dogs.they do drool, but most large breed drool anyway! They are great dogs, but are not the breed for ever family. Temperament: Golden Retrievers are loveable, polite, and highly intelligent. They exude charm and confidence. They are sweet, eager to please, and devoted family companions. They do not do well if left alone for extended periods of time or they will become mischievous and destructive. They have a tendency to be overly exuberant and distractible. They are always gentle and patient with children. They are friendly with other pets. In fact, they are friendly with everyone. They tend to bark as a form of greeting. The Golden Retriever is not well suited for a two career family as they require an inordinate amount of human interaction and companionship. Health problems that may occurs but not neccessarily Prone to hip dysplasia and congenital eye defects,heart problems and skin allergies. Grooming is daily for golden retriver, if you don't groom daily, knots wll forms and hurt the DOG, they tend to knot especially under the leg areas! REMEMBER NEVER BUY FROM A PETSTORE, BACKYARD BREEDER,PUPPY MILL OR NEWSPAPER, PLEASE DON'T BUY FROM NEXTDAY PETS OR DOG BREED INFO, ADOPT FROM A SHELTER AND SAVE A LIFE! If you are looking for an alternative a similar breed the Labrador is average shedding breed, similar nature, during spring & summer, there grooming twice weekly brushing is all that should be neccessary, during autumn & winter daily brushing . , they tend to knot especially under the leg areas. 10 REASONS TO ADOPT AN ADULT DOG 1. Have you really thought about what getting a puppy means? • Pour cold apple juice on the carpet in several places and walk around barefoot in the dark. • Wear a sock to work that has had the toes shredded by a blender. • Immediately upon waking, stand outside in the dark and in the rain for at least 20 minutes saying, "Be a good puppy, go potty now - hurry up - come on, lets go!" • Tip over a basket of clean laundry, scatter clothing all over the floor. • Leave your underwear on the living room floor, because that's where the puppy will drag it anyway. (Especially when you have company.) • Jump out of your chair shortly before the end of your favorite TV program and run to the door shouting, "No no! Do that OUTSIDE!" Miss the end of the program. • Put chocolate pudding on the carpet in the morning. Don't try to clean it up until you return from work that evening. • Gouge the leg of the dinning room table several times with a screwdriver - it's going to get chewed on anyway. 2. Puppies are not housebroken! Most people work during the day and are gone for 8 hours or more at a time. Puppies need to go out on a regular schedule so they have frequent opportunities to eliminate where you want them to. Puppies can't wait for the boss to finish his meeting or the kids to come home from school. Adult dogs can "hold it" for longer periods, and may already be house-trained. 3. Intact Underwear. Puppies chew! You can count on at least 10 mismatched pairs of socks and a variety of unmentionables rendered to the "rag bag" before a puppy cuts all its teeth. Shoes? yes, puppies like to chew them also. Expect holes in your carpet (along with urine stains), backs and pages missing from books, stuffing exposed in couches, and at least one dead remote control. No matter how well you watch them, it will happen. This is a puppy's job! An adult dog can usually have the run of the house without destroying it. 4. A Good Night's Sleep. A puppy can be very demanding at 2am and 4am and 6am. Puppies naturally miss their littermates and a stuffed animal is not a substitute for puppy pile with littermates in the dark of night. Prefer peace and quiet? An adult rescue dog usually sleeps through the night. 5. Finish the Newspaper. With a puppy loose in the house, you will NOT be able to relax when you get home from work. Do you think kids ever really feed the dog? Clean up the messes? Walk in the pouring rain every hour to get the dog housetrained? If so, you probably have a severe case of denial. An adult dog will generally sit calmly beside you as your workday stress flows away and your blood pressure lowers as you pet it. 6. Easier Vet Trips. Puppies need a series of puppy shots and fecals, then a rabies shot, then surgery to spay/neuter them, and generally a trip or two to the emergency vet after eating something dangerous. (All of this usually adds up to substantially more than you paid for the dog!) When adopting an adult dog, the adoption fee should get you a dog that has been altered, is current on vaccinations, heartworm negative and on a preventative, at the minimum. 7. What You See Is What You Get. How big will the dog get? What will its temperament be? Is it easily trained? What will its personality be like as an adult? Will it be hyperactive? Adult dogs are, to steal a term from internet lingo, WYSIWYG (What you see is what you get.) All of your questions are easily answered, because the dog is already an adult. You can pick large or small; active or couch potato; goofy or brilliant; sassy or sweet. Further, the shelter adoption counselor, or rescuer and/or foster homes can help guide you in choosing just the right match for you. (Rescues are FULL of puppies who became the wrong match as they got older!) 8. Unscarred Children (and Adults). If a puppy does not teethe on your possessions, it will teethe on you and your children. Rescuers often get calls from panicked parents sure their dog is about to seriously injure their children. It usually turns out the puppy is just doing what puppies do, i.e., mouth or nip. Parents, too emotional to see the difference, just want to get rid of the dog. A growing puppy is going to put anything and everything in their mouth. It must be taught bite inhibition. As the puppy grows, the puppy's jaws become stronger and adult teeth replace its puppy teeth. The mouthing and nipping it did as a puppy now can have serious consequences. Far better to get an adult dog that has "been there, done that, moved on." 9. Matchmaker Make Me A Match. Puppy love is emotionally appealing. They are so cute! But, in reality, cute is not a sufficient reason to get a pet, a pet that will probably live 15+ years. It may be cute, but cute can grow up to be hyperactive. It may be not want to share your home with anyone else, including your spouse, children, or other animals. It may want to be a couch potato, when the main reason you got the dog was to run with you every day. Pet/owner mis-matches are the MAIN REASONS owners "give-up" their pets. 60% of the animals in shelters nationwide are there for this reason. Good shelters and rescuers extensively evaluate dogs and applicants to insure both will be happy with one another until death do they part. 10. Instant Companion. With an adult dog, you have a dog that can go everywhere and do anything with you NOW. You don't have to wait until the puppy grows up and hope it will like to do what you to do with it. You select the adult dog most compatible with you. You can find one that travels well, loves to play with your friends' dogs, has excellent house manners, etc. You can come home after a long day's work and spend your time on a relaxing walk, ride, or swim with your new best friend rather than cleaning up after a small puppy. 11. Bond – Rescue/Shelter Dog Bond. Dogs that have been uprooted from their happy homes or have not had the best start in life are likely to bond very closely to their new owner. Yes, dogs that have lost families through death, divorce or lifestyle change can go through a mourning process; however, once they become attached to their new family, they seem to want to please as much as possible to make sure they are never homeless again! Those dogs that are just learning about the good life and good people seem to bond even deeper. They know what life on the streets, life on a chain, or worse, is about, and they revel and blossom in a nurturing, loving environment. Most adult shelter or rescue dogs make exceptional, extremely loyal companions. Note; I think poster Borders Rock is confusing a border collie with a golden retriver! NOT the same breed. Golden retriver do have a chance of nfections in ears, but they DON'T require loads of mental stimulations-they do enjoy the activities that this poster mentions though chasing balls is just as much fun& other toys, where as border collies require 4km daily walks-2km twice daily & loads, loads of mental stimulation& need to do those activities such agility, hearding sheep, chasing balls etc. Both labradors and golden retriver have a tendancy to get fat, so I do agree with NO FREE FEEDING! i DO AGREE YOU SHOULD CONSIDER OTHER DOG BREEDS NOT JUST THE GOLDEN RETRIVER, OR LABRADOR. YOU MUST train it the basic commands such as sit, drop & stay & come!
The Golden Retriver is a great dog, their smart too, I had one as leader dog. they usually love people and make great swimmers, you will have to brush the dog weekly at least because they shed alot,and try to buy Frontline flea treatment to keep him or her free of fleas. generally they are easily trained. and love kids. good luck April