Tell me all you know about golden retreivers pretty please

[Hairydogs]

As the title says really! Would really appreciate the lowdown on golden retrievers, the good the bad the ugly, specifically realistic exercise needs and separation anxiety. Our ideal dog is a whippet but I have many cats and we have decided on balance and advice to very sadly rule them out. If it helps we are looking for a family dog with an excellent temperament, we have 3 small children and 4 cats! We are active but not madly so and I work from home 2 days a week and 3 days from 9 - 2, with flexibility. We have a small garden and don't want a dog who needs hours upon hours of exercise. Considering a goldie! Thanks v much in advance.

These posts are making me smile as they are bringing back memories of our golden boy. As others have mentioned our boy was too lazy to retrieve, if you threw a ball he was like WTF?
We had to replace our fridge (it was old anyway) because he was able to open it and lick the butter and help himself to little snacks when he fancied.

Best dogs ever!
What everyone else said and...
They do shed a lot but its long and soft like human hair and not short and spikey that sticks into everything. We have a roomba that runs twice a day, no problems. Also brush daily.
Mine cannot take being spoken to sternly, you can see it in his face. Positive reinforcement all the way. He just want to please.
Needs mental stimulation, i hide his toys in the house and he ‘go find’
Training trainig training. It is really worth putting in the time. I socialised ours to the american guide dog assoc socialisation list, everything except trains. He is bombproof in terms of noise, cars, trucks, fireworks, other dogs. Doesn’t like kids much though, he gets up and walks away. Be mindful of how little kids behave around puppies! I think thats what put mine off kids for life.
Get a great breeder with all the proper health checks. They are expensive pups and training, food, insurance, time invested etc costs a lot.
Ours are not allowed on furniture or upstairs. I slept downstairs with him for 3 weeks when he was a baby. No sep anxiety, he has never chewed up anything in the house that is not his toy, not a digger, he NEVER barks.
Gundog training (i just did the first level) is worth it. I didn’t continue as I didn’t like the trainer.
Research food and neutering very well.
Mine has gone some days without a walk. We just do mental games at home. Saying that, he will swim in all weathers, even snow!
Apologies for the essay 😳

Funny enough, I have found retrievers are NOTHING like as greedy as labradors.

They are loyal.

As young dogs, they are mud magnets. They will go and wallow in any pile of mud or puddle until all you can see is the whites of their eyes.

On the plus side, they don't have a coat like a collies that goes matted. The mud brushes out easily.

They also have the ability to self-soothe (unlike a collie).
They care if you're cross (unlike a labrador).
Far and away the easiest breed I have owned. However, some people find their sheer goodness too easy. I don't understand.

I second the idea that you need to put the training time in when they're young. After that, they're too laid back to take you seriously.

My gr is ace. He is half show, half working - so the best and worst of both sides! Like other posters' retrievers, definitely does not do retrieving. Thinks it's a daft activity.

Upsides: handsome, friendly, silly, cuddly, loving, cheerful, loyal, gentle (can go on forever)

Downsides: very, very, very hairy. Hair in everything. No meal is complete without a few hairs in it. Clothes constantly covered. Very, very muddy as he loves a dunk in any water, the smellier and more viscous the better. Thieving and eating. Several vet trips for a stomach pump... And pet insurance is high as golden retrievers are liable to various ailments.

Dog was also a real handful as a puppy and teenager. You see golden retrievers about and they're oh so calm and placid. I don't know what happened with mine but he was a maniac and at five years old is still mistaken for a puppy. Even with a personal trainer (we left dog training "by mutual agreement" [we were thrown out] ) it took a long time to get him on track. And he needed castrating as he was rampant , even eyeing human females with intent.

But he is the heart of our home and the love of my life (as evidenced by £££ spent at Orvis!).

Thank you so much for all the replies, they sound like truly wonderful family pets, which is what we would hope for. Off to champdogs for a browse........

Ours came through Champdogs. I contacted the Golden Retriever Society for my area for advice, and they recommended a stud dog lady (!) from Champdogs who in turn suggested a litter that was forthcoming from one of her dogs. I must say my dog's father was very handsome indeed, but I noticed that he had not even achieved Bronze level obedience - should have told us something... (His brothers were all grinning pictured with their gold awards and there was dog's dad with a teddy bear!)

Retrievers malt.... ALOT!!! You really need to keep up with the grooming.
Whippets though have a high prey drive if you bring them up with the cats from a puppy then you should be okay.

In addition to ALL pp's, mine is a shit magnet. If there is a muddy puddle, fox poo or dead seal, he can sniff it out from a mile away. And roll in it. Luxuriantly.
Cow pats, the fresher the better give him a dilemma though. Lick or roll?

Wondeerful, wonderful dogs. My current one is as thick as mince, but very loving.

Always had labs and retrievers, got one of each at the moment and cannot recommend them highly enough 😊

I grew up with golden retrievers and I love them as a breed, I have a toller now but I would like to foster a golden in the future.
They do shed, but it can be kept on top of with regular hoovering, I kept a lint roller in the car to keep my clothes hair free.
They are easy to train, food driven and very eager to please I also found mine to be intelligent and be able to use their brain to work out what you want. He didn't fit the 'air head' stereotype!

When looking for a breeder please check the health testing that they've had done.

I have terriers but if the ones I know FOOD, Fur and MUD. Plus those tails can knock things of pretty high tables!

Lovely dogs:)

According to my very experienced dog trainer, the difference between grs and labradors is the fact that grs can be very stubborn. I agree! They are very lovely, but if they don't want to do something, they're not doing it. And have the size to win. For example, upon arriving at the vet's, dog will lie down and pancake himself on the ground, all four legs spread out. For his annual injections, two vet assistants and a vet had to manhandle him inside - and then ran and hid. Unfortunately he is known at the vet's...

My dog is not food orientated - at least not dog food. He detests dog treats. He is highly moral as he is unable to be bribed

I don't know if this is typical or not, but he is also a poor traveller and looks green after a 15-minute car journey. After 20 minutes he starts drooling and yawning and any longer and he's sick or has emergency diarrhoea when he gets out. Ah, the joys of dog ownership...

That's interesting IrmaFayLear. My experience has been the opposite. A labrador does what it wants and grins at you. A retriever can't stand the disapproval. But maybe that's a trained one.

I keep tearing up reading about everybody’s wonderful goldens. Makes me miss out so much. They are just such good souls

But maybe that's a trained one

Miaow !!

Our girl is 2 years old now, beautiful, excitable when the DC are excitable, loyal and very obedient almost all of the time. She was wild and nippy as a pup but it hardly lasted any time at all. She is of show dog lines but is very bright, in my opinion at least! I think if I had the time/knowledge to do more training with her she'd have a lot more potential.

Shedding is not tooo bad although we may have just got used to it. She loves her family and her walks. Spends all morning sat in her favourite spot on the stairs staring longingly out of the window until it is walk time. She is exceptional at guarding the house and will bark a couple of times if any stranger comes to the door.

Not fussed over her food but loves our food. So affectionate!

Guarding?! I did read before getting a gr that they make useless guard dogs. I would agree. My gr is quite likely to invite a burglar in and show him around.

Dog's favourite food is hot buttered toast and - on special occasions - a crumpet

The only dog I've ever lived with was a golden retriever. My mum had her when I was about 14. She was very sweet natured and affectionate. I remember she would always rest her face /muzzle on my lap under the table at meal times (and drool) and I would sneak bits of food down to her. She didn't live that long though. I think Mum had to have her put down at about 8 yrs because of some disease (can't remember what).

I'm more of a cat person so have never subsequently lived with a dog although I do love them. If I was a dog person and had the space I would certainly consider a GR.

Oh yes, reading Irma's post reminded me that mum's GR was dreadfully car sick!

We took her with us on a UK holiday once and had to stop about every 30 miles for her to be sick / get fresh air / clean the car. Not a pleasant experience. I wonder if they can be treated / take medication for this?

IrmaFayLear Er...no . There's nothing clever about training a retriever. I would struggle to train a lamp post.

My retriever travels well...last dog (different breed) didn't.

They might not be the best guard dogs as they generally love everyone but as they are big they have a nice deep bark so people might not realise they are soppy Retrievers by sound alone
Also, ours is everyone’s friend but there have been a few instances ( one justified) where he went into protection mode and stood in between me and the dc and a perceived threat and barked quite aggressively.
When I was about 13 my Mum became ill and had to be taken away by ambulance our Goldie we had then went ballistic and it was onjy by putting myself between him and the paramedics ( I was his favourite) did I stop him attacking them so although they don’t generally “guard” they can protect.
Ddog gets distressed by the dc crying and will go and put his head on them if they are upset, they are very empathetic dogs

This thread is really cheering me up. I am right in the middle of puppy blues with a 4-month old GR. It's been very hard so far with lots of tears so reassuring to read all it these positive things about the breed. I've been feeling a bit conned - we chose this breed because they are apparently great with children but, instead, we have a bitey, crazy thing that is growing fast. She is definitely starting to calm down and is incredibly bright and trainable (and a little bit stubborn too). She's currently resting in her crate mostly to give me a rest. It's been lovely to read this thread and made me feel much more positive.