Page 4 | Golden Retriever?

WolfieWolfie · 2023-03-15T19:22:16+00:00

Considering getting a show line golden retriever. A few things putting me off … “endless energy” … are they really bouncing off the walls 24/7? “Can never let them off lead as they’ll want to play with every dog they see despite training” - so you really can’t train them reliable recall? “difficult to train as so stubborn” Can anyone in the know shed any light?

HappydaysArehere · 17/03/2023 10:55

We had a golden retriever some years ago. She was absolutely lovely and we even now shed tears just thinking of her. She was really easy to train. In fact because of this we could take her anywhere and we did. As for getting on with other dogs other owners who had dogs who were not particularly dog social used to call out to us as their dog liked our Honey. She is buried by the side of the honeysuckle in our garden and will never be forgotten.

Vipodcasting · 17/03/2023 11:05

Will admit that as lovely as my GR is, he will eat anything. In the last year and a half I’ve had him as a guide dog, he’s:

Had to go to the vet to have a six inch stick removed from the roof of his mouth. Happened when he found half a bush and decided to grapple with it.

Eaten around 8 eggs…Including the box they came in. Only evidence the dog did it was that he forgot to hoover an egg shell which was still on the floor. Otherwise, we’d never have known who done it.

Puked up what I think was a teabag in the middle of the night having woken me up by coming and standing on my bed to let me know what he was about to do. I never encourage him on furniture BTW.

Gets me refused or attempted refusals from taxis as they worry about hair, what he’ll be like in the car etc. I groom him very regularly and of course, it’s against the law for taxi drivers to discriminate. Mentioning it because the vast majority of them fell in love with him during the journey as he has such a kind face I’m told.

I’m approached by the public above average with him, even as a guide dog owner where engagement with the public is common.

JaimeLannister · 17/03/2023 16:45

I'm on my 2nd golden. Completely different personalities! My female had a few moments of not wanting to recall as a puppy but then she naturally stayed closed and was a dream to train. My male is 4 now and very much has his own ideas of where he wants to go and who to see. He is very fond of other dogs and that's been my major training issue. However he's very food motivated and is now easily called to me when he spots one. He's a sweet, clever boy but certainly not as easy as my girl was.
They are such amazing dogs and I never want to be without one.

JaimeLannister · 17/03/2023 16:51

As for the energy level I found that mine will take whatever I can give them. Love long hikes but also happy with shorter walks too. I don't have set walking habits. I do lots of scent games with mine and feed in wobblers/toppls. We also have daily stuffy wrestling games. He does love his cuddly toys.

Manybeards · 17/03/2023 19:15

Mine is currently snoring her head off after digging half the garden up !

twitterexile · 17/03/2023 21:47

Surprised at the people saying that their Goldies have poor recall and very sad to hear that some people never let these active dogs off a lead. Training is not just for when dogs are puppies and should be lifelong.

lifeturnsonadime · 17/03/2023 21:53

twitterexile · 17/03/2023 21:47

Surprised at the people saying that their Goldies have poor recall and very sad to hear that some people never let these active dogs off a lead. Training is not just for when dogs are puppies and should be lifelong.

Oh for goodness sake. I took mine to a Gundog trainer who said that she is a liability to herself and to others due to a heightened prey drive.

We have a back garden and we hire enclosed fields.

It has nothing to do with a lack of training, we tried everything, and everything to do with being a sensible dog owner who doesn't want a dead dog or to harm third parties.

lifeturnsonadime · 17/03/2023 21:57

She is 3 now, still got a ridiculous prey drive. If she slows down and stops endangering herself or others than we will revisit.

She's the only dog I've ever not been able to trust of the lead. I have a younger dog who is off the lead all the time. No recall issues you see. I could train one but not the other. Different dogs.

PuppyMonkey · 17/03/2023 22:06

My GR is brilliant at recall - until he decides he would prefer to go off with another group of random walkers and he loves them so much and he wants to be their BFF forever and ever. See also the postman and anyone who ever rings the doorbell. But generally yeah, he’s brilliant at recall.

twitterexile · 17/03/2023 22:14

lifeturnsonadime · 17/03/2023 21:53

Oh for goodness sake. I took mine to a Gundog trainer who said that she is a liability to herself and to others due to a heightened prey drive.

We have a back garden and we hire enclosed fields.

It has nothing to do with a lack of training, we tried everything, and everything to do with being a sensible dog owner who doesn't want a dead dog or to harm third parties.

Show quote history

Well if your dog is still attending training then my post is not aimed at you is it? You also let your dog off lead so again, my post is not aimed at you.

And I know all about prey drive as I train working spaniels.

Ricco12 · 17/03/2023 22:18

There is two in my village that are very dog aggressive. They have escaped garden and attacked numerous dogs walking past.

At the other end of the village another one lives and it goes absolutely mental at fence when you pass with a dog.

I think it's something you need to be cautious of, they don't seem particularly friendly towards other dogs. Not the ones I know anyway.

Radiodread · 17/03/2023 23:40

GRs tend not to be dog reactive. They love everyone and everything..but you will always get some breed aberrations, and of course dogs that aren't socialised properly or are mistreated can be tricky. Not cool to leave large agile dogs out in an inadequately secured garden. Makes you wonder what else owners are (not) doing...

Puppaddington · 19/03/2023 00:20

My golden had both fantastic and awful traits.

No, he wasn’t bouncing off the walls- a lazy soul really, quiet and very chilled in the house. Lovely company.

Ate anything, and resource guarded. Unpredictable with other dogs which shocked me as it went against the soft gentle gorgeous golden image. They are big and strong, and yes mine was extremely stubborn. And the hair!

I miss him every day, but he wasn’t easy, and, though it seems from everyone else’s comments that I was a bit unlucky, if I got another I would focus and really research temperament over anything else.

EdithStourton · 19/03/2023 05:39

lifeturnsonadime · 15/03/2023 19:38

Oh I'm so jealous of all of these excellent recall GR's.

We took our GR to a gun dog trainer for months who told us our girl's hunting drive is too great, it is, she's off and doesn't come back. Food not enough to coax her.

We have to use enclosed fields. Guess it's just luck at the end of the day.

Personally I would not be impressed by a gundog trainer who can't sort out recall in a high-drive dog.

My older dog is a working gundog with serious prey drive. She has excellent recall (to me, not so much DH); she only really slips up when there is game everywhere. I know many dogs with sky-high prey drive and amazing recall. It can be done.

That said, show line golden retrievers are pretty chill. A friend had a GR puppy recently and the difference between her and my own young dog (working line, from a notoriously prey-driven and slow to mature breed) was chalk and cheese. The GR would bumble and bounce across the room, climb in and out of your lap a few times and fall asleep. Mine would do laps of the room, bounce itn you, try and lick out your ears, try and eat your hair, try and climb onto your shoulder like a parrot, do a few more laps...

IME GRs are a delight, lovely family dogs, if hairy.

twitterexile · 19/03/2023 15:42

Personally I would not be impressed by a gundog trainer who can't sort out recall in a high-drive dog

Me neither, it's their bread and butter.

Uurrjb · 20/03/2023 23:28

EdithStourton · 19/03/2023 05:39

Personally I would not be impressed by a gundog trainer who can't sort out recall in a high-drive dog.

My older dog is a working gundog with serious prey drive. She has excellent recall (to me, not so much DH); she only really slips up when there is game everywhere. I know many dogs with sky-high prey drive and amazing recall. It can be done.

That said, show line golden retrievers are pretty chill. A friend had a GR puppy recently and the difference between her and my own young dog (working line, from a notoriously prey-driven and slow to mature breed) was chalk and cheese. The GR would bumble and bounce across the room, climb in and out of your lap a few times and fall asleep. Mine would do laps of the room, bounce itn you, try and lick out your ears, try and eat your hair, try and climb onto your shoulder like a parrot, do a few more laps...

IME GRs are a delight, lovely family dogs, if hairy.

Show quote history

Ooh I bet 5£ it’s a WCS!

EdithHowland · 22/03/2023 13:29

GRs are practically pawfect. To counteract their all-round wonderfulness they have The Hair. It is relentless… it’s all over your clothes, in your food, rolling across the floor in drifts… and that’s with brushing and vacuuming every day.

They are a bit stubborn, ie less biddable than a labrador. My old gr was a horrendous thief and we had a reserved seat at the vet’s for all the random things he ate. He once sicked up two £2 coins.

They are also heavy and strong, so need some serious lead training or else the pulling can be a big problem. Recall is dog dependent, and for every person who welcomes a hairy cuddle (not jumping up, mind) there’s one who gets hysterical at the very sight of a big dog.