I've always wanted a Golden Retriever some day. Talk some sense into me!

[ElspethFlashman]

A couple of years ago we moved to the countryside and since then I've been surrounded by Goldens on all sides! I reckon there's 3 within 200 yards of the house.

So that's brought my childhood passion for them flooding up again! I keep fantasising about getting one in 2 or 3 years time.....

Tell me it's crazy though. I need some sense kicked into me.

We live in the countryside surrounded by sheep and cows, but our walls are very low and are traditional piled stone. In other words, not too easy to raise and what height would they even have to be anyway?

We don't have a gate at the moment (literally no need) and would have to get one - but the gatepost are only 4 foot high! (and the walls are even lower).

So that's a problem. One of the neighbours has installed a dog run to keep her Golden in but she still has much higher walls. I think it's more to contain the dog in the garden when they go out on errands. In other words the dog has the full use of the garden when they're at home. But surely our walls are too low for free range?

On the plus side one of us is at home all the time, but on the downside we have kids who are still fairly young. I don't even know what age we would have to wait until. 8/10?

Oh and whilst we have a big house, Goldens are really big. Where would it even sleep?? Our utility is too narrow and that just leaves the playroom really.

On the plus side we're both good walkers but we used to have a JRT that needed an hour twice a day and tbh it half killed us. I don't know if we'd have the energy for that going into our 50s tbh. At the moment we each would do about 5/6km a day but that's all. I honestly don't think we could do more. There's a Goldie owner up the road who seems to be forever walking the dog, every time you look out!

Are these dealbreakers? Give me a kick up the bum and tell me we'd be better off with a toy breed!

Awww @averylongtimeago and @Cacacoisfarraige they are sooo beautiful

Is Champdogs still any good as a resource for breeders? Because I did find some within an hour or so.

How long in advance does one need to put their name down?

And what do you even say? We always had rescues so I've never approached a breeder before.

We had one. She was not typical temperament as she was quite high strung, quite dark ginger and slim (came from a reputable breeder, ginger is a more typical colour in the US). She was easy to contain though - in fact I think my parents were crazy as we had no gates and a busy road and she was outside a lot. Post man would drive in and bribe her with a donut.
Shed everywhere (mother used to joke she didn't know she was getting shag carpets when she got the dog).
She was probably walked about 3 miles a day and had run of huge (over an acre) garden.
Other goldens i knew were much calmer, much heavier and certainly didn't get walked more than you say you will.

@ElspethFlashman

Is Champdogs still any good as a resource for breeders? Because I did find some within an hour or so.

How long in advance does one need to put their name down?

And what do you even say? We always had rescues so I've never approached a breeder before.

You make an appointment to visit the breeder and see their dogs. Any reputable breeder will want this, as they will want to meet you. Seeing their dogs will answer a lot of questions you have.

I would love a goldie too but sense prevails, even though I walk miles a day.

I’ll just having to keep chatting to the ones I do meet on my walks

Oh OP, I hear you! I felt the same for AGES! To me, there's not a better breed for a family dog. However, I knew I didn't want a puppy and wanted a rescue, but all the dog homes locally confirmed that there are very very few Goldies that end up needing to be rehomed in the UK.

I did a LOT of research and we ended up connecting with a charity who specialised in caring for and rehoming goldies from Turkey where goldies are a status symbol and they get given up when they become adult dogs and are less cute. The charity was really thorough and matched us really carefully and we had video calls with them almost daily in the couple of months we had to wait for her. We've had our girl for two years now, and she's an absolute treasure. She arrived aged 2ish, and she's the gentlest, calmest, most docile creature you can imagine. Everyone loves her, even friends who's children are scared of dogs.

She's not at all slobbery, we're very careful around mud (!) and as one of the other posters says, we have two periods a year when the moulting is insane but it lasts 10 days or so and the rest of the time you barely notice it. She loves her walks, but is just as happy with a 30 min trot around the block as she is a 3 hour trek. Our kids spend a lot of time leaning on her, lying across her and it's safe to say that she's the most adored member of the family.

Oh OP I want one too and to be honest this thread isn't helping!

@Thatsmycupoftea Your youngest must've been the same age when your dog arrived as my youngest is now, how did you find it having a toddler and a puppy at the same time?

@LeopardPrintKnickers Would you be able to share the name of the charity? We've always had cats which I would never consider NOT getting from a rescue, obviously dogs are very different but I would be interested to look into this too.

@ElspethFlashman

Is Champdogs still any good as a resource for breeders? Because I did find some within an hour or so.

How long in advance does one need to put their name down?

And what do you even say? We always had rescues so I've never approached a breeder before.

I've had two - my first dog 30yrs ago, and my current girl. I don't recognise the "need for lots of exercise" either. We had a small London garden when we got our first and so yes, two good long walks a day, but we moved to almost an acre of land, I was working from home with small children, so she and our other dog ran round to their hearts content. One decent walk then free access to the garden for zoomies and play the rest of the time. Having two dogs helps, when I've only had one then I've done a late afternoon walk as well.

The age of the dog will determine the length of walks - until they are fully grown you mustn't overdo the exercise or you'll create joint problems later. Then you have a period of 6+yrs of full adulthood and good long walks, then they often slow down, can't take the pace, so your walks get shorter. My old boy is just getting to the "can't take the long walks" stage as my younger two are reaching their prime, so it looks like I'll be switching to a shorter walk and dropping him home then continuing on with the others.

So the dogs lifecycle will also dictate walk length - and if you do something interesting with them, like obedience, then you can mentally tire them out, both of my Goldens have done obedience and LOVED it.

As for mud - their nickname is swamp collie 🥴 my first would take a mud bath at every opportunity, and roll in Fox poo. Current girl avoids mud (unless a ball is involved) and has never rolled in anything.

get on a few Golden Forums, contribute along the lines of "planning for a few years down the line, want to find out as much as possible first". Go to some dog shows when they start again, chat to people, not just the show lines, look out for obedience and agility people. Some will be friendly, others not.

I'm still in touch with a breeder (not golden) I met at a show 35yrs ago - we had one of her pups, and took on an older dog that was returned to her when the owners situation changed.

I 'met' my current dog's breeder in a FB forum - I was on her waiting list for a year as she only breeds when she wants a bitch for herself. She had grandma, mum and mum's brother - she works her dogs, so temperament, trainability & health far more important than looks. Be willing to wait for the right dog.

@LeopardPrintKnickers would love to hear more about that charity! We’re really keen for a GR in the future but they are absolutely few and far between in rescue centres (which is obviously a good thing!)

If you’re happy to share info please PM me!

@onlythewildones we didn't get our girl until she was 8 months ish so not had her long or from a 'puppy puppy' stage. Obviously she's still a puppy coming into the teenage stage. Its been fine to be honest as her temperament is amazing and she puts up with the kids. Her and my 3 year old are best friends. Their bond is something else its actually heartwarming. The only issue we have had is 3 year old will get dog excited in a non aggressive playful puppy way she goes a bit bonkers and will cause chaos and knock her over. she weighs 29kg so is too big to be doing this now. She calms down easily and we are teaching 3 year old to respect dog and read dog body language etc.. its only happened a couple of times when 3 year old will run around with dog both acting crazy. We ate luckly as my dh takes dog to work when he wants or needs to and she is a delivery dog there and I'm at home and work part time out and about but can manage my own schedule so training and time has been fine.

Do it you'll be grand.

What do you mean where would it sleep ? Dogs usually sleep in the kitchen on its bed or in the lounge. They are lovely natured dogs but they shed loads of hair all the time it's very hard to stay on top of

Oh just get one OP you know you want to

Oh me too OP and when the times right for us hopefully we will. I've joined all the forums and read everything I can possibly get my hands on.
I've actually been in touch with a breeder to introduce ourselves and we have been put on a 'list' when the times right for us we can get back in touch and see when there might be a litter available to us.
I'm interested to know your opinions on the male vs female, I've read a mixture.

Or a springer spaniel....

Springer Spaniels are far more hyper than a Goldie.

Stop! Don't do it!

These dogs are not for the faint hearted. They are absolutely snuggle monsters with faces so damn cute you would have to be stone hearted to refuse them anything. All they care about is having fun and being friendly and spending lovely time with their people. They are far, far too loving for any normal owner. They require specialist fussing involving scratches behind the ears and chest rubs - I doubt you are qualified for this, tbh. It requires years of training to get it right.

Agree - golden retrievers are excellent at training - training their owners....

@BigHairyPaws

Stop! Don't do it!

These dogs are not for the faint hearted. They are absolutely snuggle monsters with faces so damn cute you would have to be stone hearted to refuse them anything. All they care about is having fun and being friendly and spending lovely time with their people. They are far, far too loving for any normal owner. They require specialist fussing involving scratches behind the ears and chest rubs - I doubt you are qualified for this, tbh. It requires years of training to get it right.

Totally agree, very few have the commitment for the training. We are currently undergoing intensive training to get bum scritching right with our 12 month old and he still feels we have a long way to go before it's right...

My friend has a 2yr old one. She's a first time dog owner but my goodness does she have that giant ball of hair trained to an incredible standard. I'm always a bit lost for words! She does spend a massive amount of hours training with him though, she's very dedicated.

Next door neighbour has one, he is lovely but v boisterous, jumps up and almost has me down, he has to have a run off lead 3 times a day, comes back blathered in mud and always goes in the stream. So needs drying and washing numerous times a day. He likes to be in the garden all the time so their door is always open even if it’s minus
He is beautiful though 🤣

All the ones I know are gorgeous

Why not break it down into problems.

Problem one: garden security. So your first task is to get a fencer out to find out what's possible and costs. You can do that without being committed.

Problem two: breeders/waiting lists/puppies. So look on the KC assured breeder page, and/or champdogs, and/or ask your neighbour where they got theirs. The last is probably best, because you can say, "Joe Bloggs recommended you..."

Problem three: where it will sleep. The reality is, your house is going to end up covered in mud and golden retriever hair. So, what changes do you need to make to your living areas to make that acceptable for you? For me, that's hard flooring, dark-coloured bedding, and lowering my (already fairly low...) housekeeping standards. What changes do you need to make to accomodate a shaggy shedding mud-monster? Are these a deal-breaker?

Problem four: tiring the fucker out. Home all day is really good! But are there options locally for dog walkers and/or training classes which might help?

(I reckon you should do it.)

You cannot be houseproud with a gr. Adverts show someone running a Hoover around with minimal effort, when actually you need an industrial leaf blower and a rake to begin to touch the volume of hair. Plus a few shakes leave splatters and slobber... on the ceiling.

Also try telling a big gr he can’t sleep upstairs with everyone else! Mine slept in his crate, then one evening had a tummy ache (yes, they eat everything....) and so he bust out and we slept on the sofa, and then he had a bed on the landing.... and then he was on the rug in the bedroom. So three nights from crate to right beside me! If I put my foot out in the night to give him a quick stroke he’d thump his tail, or sometimes I’d come to and come face to face with a wet nose. I miss him so much....