What do I need to know about getting a golden retriever?

[Tilllly]

As a puppy

From a reputable breeder

Advice gratefully received ☺️

That some are more land shark than others as puppies.

Golden retrievers are very prone to gut issues and hip dysplasia, so do your homework and make sure you're getting a healthy dog. There are A LOT of unhealthy dogs out there.

As adult dogs they tend to be calm and chilled out, as long as they are trained properly and given appropriate levels of exercise, but as puppies they can be a real handful, so don't assume you're going to get a calm, chilled puppy.

@ConnieCroydon really?! I’ve known a barky one. On the odd occasion ours barks - which has only really been in his old age, everybody jumps. 🤣

If you are prepared for hair and mud everywhere, all the time, you are good.
As puppies, they can be very “mouthy”. I’ve seen them described as land sharks, so you need to be prepared to deal with that (my favourited method - be a tree. I just put my hands up on my head so they are out of reach, and stand tall with my back turned until the stop jumping/biting).

If they are pedigree dogs, there is a checker on the kennel club website to see how inbred they are, which should help minimise some of the health risks. Otherwise, it is just checking that the parents have had all the health checks.

We have two golden retrievers, and I wouldn’t swap them for anything. The puppies are so different to the adult dogs, they have so much energy for the first couple of years, but they are still so loving.

Yes, it's the health issues I want to be fully clued up on

Have briefly looked at kennel club

Health-wise, check out they have had all the main tests like hip and elbow screens, gonioscopy, genetic tests for eye conditions and ICT-A…

Also check for the Coefficient of Inbreeding… even many ‘reputable’ breeders are a bit slack on this one.

And buy some wellies or sturdy boots and wear them in the house for the first few months unless you fancy loads of scratches and puncture wounds. Ours was a total savage, it was horrendous, but is a giant floofy pudding now.

Land sharks?

I have a Shiloh Shepherd. Much bigger than a German Shepherd and the floof is black, white, grey and tan. I can’t win. Shedding like nothing on earth every day. Her “Big Summer Blowout” is unbelievable. She looks like she has dreadlocks or feathers and it comes out in large clumps for about six weeks. She is an utter doofus who talks - a lot. She was complaining before because a crow had the audacity to sit in a tree outside.

This 😍😍😍

I've never known a 'yappy' one ?! Puppies maybe , most of the time they are too busy lounging in the garden .

Agree on the lack of yappiness. Ours is basically silent and would only bark a lot if basic needs weren’t being met.

Start with the breed club.
They are big! I have wolfhounds but was taken out by (a very sweet) retriever! Teens are enormous bouncy hooligans!

It goes:

Cute puppy
Daft puppy
Bite, bite, teeth teeth
Mad adolescent
Stupid idiot
No it’s not funny pretending to attack me
Why did we do this?
Ouch, knocked me over again
We might need to give him back
Halti collar works yay
Ah, isn’t he lovely? (About age three)

Good luck!

Be aware of the split between show and working lines. Working lines are thin on the ground, but a different ballgame - less hair, more of a deep golden colour, more slender build, more prey drive, need more input.

I have friends who have GRs from the same breeder, who they would recommend. Can PM you details if you like.

Land shark= bitey little beasts. It's just a phase as long as they are trained. I can remember mine as an older puppy jumping up, clenching her teeth around my knee cap and hanging off it. There was a lot of yelling!

They are the best dogs. I grew up with one. The hair is something else though. And they like rolling in unspeakable things, necessitating lots of washing.

I've never known a yappy one. The occasional deep woof of warning that there is a stranger near the house or when excited yes, but never yapping.

They are the best dogs and love water , ours would rather swim than walk

They STINK!!! And are pretty thick. But v loving 😊

I don’t think mine could go “yap” if he tried. Very occasional woof when the big red setter down the road walks by, but that’s understandable.

Hair, lots of it. And lots more.

I had a navy blue school uniform, our family GR would wag her tail once and I would need to vacuum my uniform.

Expect them to be a puppy until they are about 5.

Ours used to wander around the house with the cat attached to her tail. She also scorched her fur from lying too close to the fire and once ate an entire birthday cake.

They also retrieve, they retrieve anything, things that don't need retrieving. Both my parents smoked, as a puppy you would often hear a shaking noise as GR puppy carried a box of matches around.

Did I mention the hair?

Oh and she also liked to retrieve dirty washing from the wash basket.

They aren’t thick, they are one of the cleverest breeds which can be a curse or a blessing.

I have 4 retrievers currently, all elderly now, and have been owned by them for most of my life. They are the best dogs ever but of course you pay for this by never being clean again 😂
Specifically our big male, who is almost 13 and still going strong though with early CCD now, is a half and half between show lines (his huge and magnificent dad was a show champ from a long line) and working (his mum was the most beautiful dark golden, lean working gundog again from a long line) and I think we absolutely lucked out in that combination. He has the most beautiful looks and temperament as you would expect, with the genetic and health resilience that working lines tend to have more than show lines. Look for a breeder who is very interested in you, your set up and why you want their dog, it indicates that they’re passionate about their animals and not in it for the money, as such. We’ve had to undergo quite intensive and multiple “interviews” for each of our breeder-bought pups (we have 2 rescues as well though). Good luck - I’m quite jealous as you have a most excellent adventure ahead of you!

Very jealous as have always wanted one but their size and hair doesn’t work with them coming into the office. When I win my millions, they will be plentiful!
I have no advice other than to plead for photographic evidence when your bundle of joy appears.

I have two! Used a breeder with KC registration and could see all the health scores - important to check as they are v prone to dysplasia.

The shedding is epic - by the end of the day we have another two dogs' worth of golden hair. I think if you can tolerate a bit of mess and aren't excessively house proud it's fine. Also they need grooming particularly in the summer to make sure they don't overheat (but no clipping)!

Very bitey as puppies - I found that very hard. All as playing but sometimes it got too much. DH had to take over. We had lots of long toys eg a plush snake and then tied a dressing gown belt on the end to make the play even further away - this was just the first one the second would just bite the first one!

No other negatives from my perspective - kind gentle patient long suffering playful and loving. Look to us to tell them what to do, good recall, able to stay by themselves for a couple of hours without chewing or getting too stressed. Also both were toilet trained in a matter of weeks (bar a few overnight wees on puppy pads).

They are my joy and happiness.