Golden Retriever or...?

[ElenaSummer]

So we are looking to get a puppy in the next year or so and have spent time researching and think a golden retriever would be a good fit for our family - 3 young children, one of us will be in the house except for school runs , like long walks and being out doors , currently have an older cat and would consider a kitten to grow up with the puppy!

We have had rescue dogs in the past before kids although would want a puppy this time to know its history and be brought up with the kids.

However , DH can be ocd about the house , and while used to fur from the cats the only thing putting us off is the shedding with a GR.... is there any other breed similar in traits and as lovely , but with less fur?!

If your DH is a real neat freak, no dog is going to be suitable. Even the ones that don't shed hair left, right and centre will get muddy/dribble/ nibble their toys and leave little whisps of stuffing everywhere. Not to mention the extra wear and tear on carpets or wooden floors from their claws

We have a pretty regular grooming, hoovering, paw wiping at the front door and indestructible toy regime, but it is still obvious a dog lives in our house..!

If you like long walks, you will be dragging a degree of mud and leaves back into the house, and goldies also love water, so expect a few non-sanctioned swimming trips when you are looking the other way.

Goldie coats are obviously long and fine, so need a degree of upkeep. And they are big dogs, so have more hair than a smaller dog.

The smaller retrievers such as tollers will have slightly less hair, but need a firm training regime, as would cockers and labs.

Bitches tend to 'blow' their coat twice a year, where you have 2 weeks of hell but then more manageable shedding for the rest of the time, vs dogs who tend to have a slow and steady shed, with a blow in spring.
But there is no guarantee with any dog. Genetics play a part in it, as does environment - dogs kept in cold utility rooms shed less than ones kept in warm bedrooms.
Diet also has an impact. Dry coats will snap as well as shed, so you need to feed something high in oils - anecdotally, I think my bitch stopped shedding as much when I moved her onto the raw diet, but I don't know if that applies to all dogs.

Thanks sparechange - no issue with the general mess the dog will bring, it was more the shedding only as we both wear alot of dark clothes for work etc and in the past we had a long haired white cat which was also a bit of a nightmare for this.

I think we will go with the GR idea but was looking for any other recommendations incase I had missed another breed . My heart it set on a GR so far and I am prepared for the mud and cleaning up required :)

Ah ok, I misunderstood.

Black lab? Someone said to me recently that the choice between a black or yellow lab is the choice between white hairs on your clothes or black hairs in your butter..!

There is definitely a hereditary aspect to how much they shed, so it would be worth asking the breeder how moult-y the parents are compared to average, but it will also depend on where they spend most of the day. So a dog that is described as not bad at shedding but lives in a cold room could be a nightmare in a warm house.

Are you looking at working or show strain?

Flat coat retriever is worth considering for black coat.

Have a look at flat coated retrievers. Like holders, but black/brown!
(And more attractive IMHO)

Jinx lonecat

Goldendoodle???

Holders? Did you mean Goldens? I'm biased but they're not more attractive - they have a much longer nose with barely a stop. Goldens have beautiful faces . Anyway, it's not a beauty parade I guess. The hair from our GR is pretty unbelievable but he makes up for it by being so lovely.

Catalan sheepdog. Gorgeous dogs, don't shed, slightly smaller than goldies. Great with kids and other animals. Not many in the uk, but a few breeders around and there is a slow but steady stream of rescues from abroad.

If you wear a lot of black suits for work, you'll definitely get hair on them. Our GR molts a fair bit, and there are a lot of balls of dusty hair in the hoover!

They really do like mud and puddles, and nothing is better than lying down in a filthy black puddle. You will need a hose. We dry our GF off afterwards too, if we don't he smells very very "wet dog".

We also had cats before the dog, and there has never been any problem. The cats are most definitely in charge of the dog.

I would maybe suggest a Labrador for less shedding?

The only time I ever went out the front door at my MILs was the day I had a huge opening event at my work & needed to be fully suited & booted (normally it was a jeans & fleece type job). She didn't want me to risk running the gauntlet that was a Yellow Lab, GR & Saint Bernard.

I find the hair from my St brushes easily off everything except leggings.

I'll add my vote for a Flat Coat too as they really are wonderful dogs

Toller!!! Smaller than a GR and although their fur looks superficially similar it's got a completely different feel to it - it's much softer and they don't shed as much on a day to day basis- they do blow their coats twice a year but you get the bulk of the shedding over and done with then

Ours loves children and as he's smaller and lighter he doesn't knock them over as easily or pull them off their feet if they're walking them on the lead

Ours is a really happy dog - he trots along with a permanent smile on his face

Here he is

If your not fussed about mud I would go for a springer. I have one and they are wonderful as they as they are trained. An contrary to belief they don't need exercised for hours

Trying to persuade you if the way of the Catalan sheepdog...

I am not taken with the flat coat retriever otherwise this could be good.

I like the look of the working side however the show ones do have lovely colours , we would be looking to do lots of training classes etc to ensure dog is kept mentally stimulated as well as lots of exercise .

Noitsnot I think I remember your pic from another thread, gorgeous dog but are they not quite hard to find?

NoItsNot
Having been a lifelong working gundog owner (with a small foray into rescue Staffies, but that's a different thread), the more I lean about them, the more I'm really taken with tollers
We've got our hands far too full with our current girls but I might pm you for some info on them for future ref
Have they split into working vs show lines, or are they all still from working stock?

Elena,
My SIL has a flat coat and while he is lovely, he doesn't have any of the 'zing' of a lab or GR
I don't want to write of a breed on this one boy but he leaves me a bit flat! And he is biig

Not taken with a Flatcoat how very dare you
They can be quite hard work. I think GRs are a bit more laid back
I love my Flattie though

Nothing really to add to thread (I have a very barky mini schnauzer,whoI love to bits, at least he doesn't shed)
Just wanted to say that Science that is a gorgeous dog!

That is one gorgeous flattie!
Ok not relevant.
Goldens are mad shedders!!!

I would've taken the Catalan Sheepdog for a Bearded Collie. I'm not up with the more rare breeds that are coming through.

Honestly OP, you want a Goldie really don't you?

I posted this pic of our boy on another thread. He's just the loveliest dog you could imagine.

There are a few more breeders around now elena - if you could get to Crufts you could meet the main ones. They're obviously a bit harder to find than a lab but if you're not in a massive hurry you'd be able to get one in a fairly reasonable timeframe

spare there's no split between working and show lines - they should all be able to turn their paw to anything

Because they should be athletic they're very good at all the dog sports, they love to retrieve (and so much the better if water is involved), they live people and are very gentle so make great therapy or assistance dogs and they love learning new stuff

They're definitely not just small goldies though - they have quite a bit more fizz and they don't like repeating things ad nauseam so you need to be inventive and have a sense of humour when training

Lovely dogs, but the health problems would really put me off. A stupidly high percentages of goldies die from cancer.