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

[Tilllly]

As a puppy

From a reputable breeder

Advice gratefully received ☺️

When we were looking into our most recent dog we considered a GR but the hair and smell put me off 😂 we went with a fox red Labrador in the end! But I do absolutely adore GRs, every one I've met has been a wonderful dog.

We're gonna need a LOT of photos!

For insurance, I guess it might depend on your location and its risk profile, but for guidance my top-level, whistles and bells cover for my retriever started off at about £55 per month, and has this year (3yo) gone up to £66. That's with Many Pets. Their service is good so far for stuff like virtual vet visits, I've never claimed on the policy but it gets decent reviews. The bloody kennel club are still spamming me with 'last 24 hours!' offers on their insurance nearly 3 yrs after we brought our dog home. I wish they would bugger off.

Can't wait to see photos!!

Re insurance - we are with Tesco - I've got £7,500 lifetime cover and she had cancer when she was 2, so I can't now move, but they are fabulous. I'm currently paying £160 a month - but she's 9 and has had a myriad of conditions. They pay up within 3 days, I've never had an issue, always get someone on the phone and I really recommend them.

No, sorry!

Thanks, I'll look at many pets and Tesco

Cats are with animal friends who've always been good
Policy cost went up, massively this last couple of months for this year, but when we rang, they negotiated it down for us

The thing is, when it comes to health testing, all you can do is do your research and try and get the scores as low as you can for the breed. But sometimes it is god willing!!! I have three labs- 2 from the same breeder, all with low inbreeding coefficients and good joint scores, and they’ve had a myriad of what I would describe as “Labrador problems”. Sometimes when you choose a breed, you accept they are more prone to some health issues. I wouldn’t have any other (apart from maybe a golden when I retire and don’t risk and office full of hair- I just about get away with it at the moment!!)
My insurance company loves me 🫠🫠

I adored ours growing up. Such living animals. They will sit on your chairs , believe they are one of the family, shed hair, eat your wellies / shoes , jump on rivers , smell of wet dog.

make sure you dry them properly after river / puddle dips.
enjoy!

No matter where you are, ours has to sit on you

Has anyone mentioned the hair yet?

Greedy, daft, needy. My friend has one. He'll nick anything that belongs to you and hold it hostage till you give him a treat.

Fair

That wa to @Cuddlybug

That they are the best dog anyone could ever wish for. End.

My facebook feed is full of adverts for dog toys etc!

I have a golden (14 months). He is the LOVE of my life. As someone 14 months into the process I thought the below might help you:

Benefits
Super intelligent - he was house trained by 10 weeks old. Learnt down/heel/sit/stay/wait/recall by 12 weeks.
Loving - honestly just the sweetest and kindest dog I have ever had
Loyal - completely unwaveringly loyal to me. But also a bit of a velcro dog (he likes to watch me wee)
Confident - despite being attacked multiple times, he still wants to say hi when I let him (other dogs I have had - GSDs, Cockers, other retriever breeds, have all been terrified after being attacked a few times)
Good hugger.
Needs loads of exercise (a big plus for me!)

Downsides
People LOVE him - you'll need to train yours not to mob people, even if people DO want to say hi. Because (TRUST ME) the last thing you want is a 35-40KG Golden tugging you over to anyone who even looks at them because as a puppy everyone wanted to fuss them and now they're big...they're too big and no one wants to say hi. So I would really encourage you to let him interact with people, but always be sure you don't let him jump up because it's a nightmare to train out of them.
The fur - God the fur. Everywhere. Tumblefurs as far as the eye can see...In my food. In my bed. In my shower. And I groom him every day.
The cost - He costs me about £400 a month.

But, I wouldn't change him for the world.

I've had GSDs/Cockers/Flat Coats/Mongrels/Collies - Goldens are by far the best.

That being said, they are very mouthy and mine was a total wanker for about 6 weeks between 14 weeks - 20 weeks when he was teething. He LOVED land sharking at me. He's grown out of it now. But I spent several nights crying about wanting to send him back (and I am a massive dog person!)

I would recommend you do a monthly lump inspection though (they're prone to cancer) and get your bitch used to having her ears checked etc (they can get very dirty ears).

People LOVE him - you'll need to train yours not to mob people, even if people DO want to say hi. Because (TRUST ME) the last thing you want is a 35-40KG Golden tugging you over to anyone who even looks at them because as a puppy everyone wanted to fuss them and now they're big...they're too big and no one wants to say hi. So I would really encourage you to let him interact with people, but always be sure you don't let him jump up because it's a nightmare to train out of them.

My golden retriever is 10 and she STILL gets everyone wanting to say hi! I can't take her to school pick up because she ends up with about forty kids all trying to stroke her. Pretty dog privilege!

She is trained not to jump up but she will scuttle over to anyone who makes eye contact with her in order to get a cuddle. She just collapses at their feet 😂.

🤣🤣🤣
My son's massive dog is the same!

Thanks @Devilshands , that's useful

Hadn't thought about the jumping up - I'll make sure that doesn't become a thing

£400 pcm... what're you spending that on? Steak?

Dog Food: £250 a month. I am a firm believer that dogs should be fed good food - not just rubbish like Bakers that contains absolutely nothing of nutritional value (and particularly when they are young and their bones are developing etc). He also, as technically still a puppy, requires more food than an adult does so that cost will eventually go down... I could feed him much more cheaply...maybe at £80 a month, but it wouldn't be the best food for him!

Dog Toys: £60 a month. He likes to rip out the stuffing and play with them. So I am constantly replacing them.

Insurance: £30-40 - covers everything and has a sky high limit (due to the cancer risk prevalent with the breed + dysplasia issues I took out a v. generous policy of up to £10K + cover for any ongoing issues).

Grooming: £60 - two wash and brushes a month.

• Various other misc things.

Even with cheaper food...he'd still likely cost close to £200 a month!

He's totally worth every penny though 😍

https://www.rover.com/uk/blog/cost-of-pet-parenthood/ (breakdown of costs, if useful!)

@Devilshands who did you get your insurance with?
I've a few to look at

Kennel Club - Lifetime Standard! It's expensive ( I have a discount as I have three dogs registered under it). But, I've never had them reject a claim plus my excess is low and I've typically found that when I claim they don't hike my insurance that much!

About ten years ago I used to use Sainsbury's (£30 a month) but they were a bit difficult (I.e hiked my excess to extreme amount when I actually claimed when my spaniel was sick) so I switched to KC.

The problem I found is that you can shop around on comparison sights but a lot of insurers don't use them so it is a real case of doing research!

I hope that's helpful!

My adorable, calm, lovely goldie had to be put down after suffering for more than 2 years with a foul skin condition called Sebaceous Adonitis. It took many visits to the vets and then a biopsy to diagnose it. I eventually discovered that it's genetic and more often found in poodles. So do check that the sire and dam have been checked for it. My beautiful girl developed it aged 9.

Jeez £400 a month!

Our golden gets a bog standard dry food. She's ten, in excellent health and with great teeth. She has had no health problems. Goes to the vet once a year for her vaccinations and check up, that's it. Healthy, happy dog.

While anecdote does not equal data, her "rubbish" diet has done her no harm whatsoever. I'm not criticising anyone's choices re their own dogs, just wanted to present an alternative scenario as I wouldn't want anyone to think that you need to have hundreds and hundreds spare a month to afford to keep a retriever.

Jeez £400 a month!
I share your feelings.
We had a golden-sized dog who lived to 13 and a half with minimal health issues (basically nothing wrong with him at all apart from injuries until he was 11). His diet was almost entirely Skinner's Field and Trial.

I'm not having a go at anyone who spends more, but you can have a healthy dog without breaking the bank.

£250 a month is like £8 a day, very very few people will be spending that sort of money on dog food. Our 2 labs probably average out £2 a day each on food including treats and chews and that's probably on the more expensive side.

£60 a month on dog toys is ridiculous too. We probably spend that in a year. Their current toy of choice is a ripped up tennis ball they found on a walk the other day