Can anyone tell me about Golden Retrievers?

[luvmydogs]

A very nice co-worker of dh's took in a pregnant Golden (sired by original owner's other Golden) because original owner "didn't want to deal with all those puppies" (Geez-ever hear of spaying/neutering?!), and was going to give her up to Animal Control. The puppies will be coming soon, and I'm thinking of giving a little cutie a home. I know the basics about them--usually sweet, loving, intelligent, playful, and likes children. We have an animal-loving ds8, three chihuahuas who don't like any newcomers but have always adjusted to any strays/foster animals I've brought home, and an incredibly playful (yet a little evil) 6 month-old kitten. We also have a big fenced-in yard although it'd be an indoor dog. I'd love to hear any of your opinions and experiences (positive or negative)! Thanks so much!

 

[emsamom]

Hi Kim,

We just purchased a golden who is 9 weeks old!! She is wonderful (so far). Very loving, quick to learn--already knows sit, down and outside!! We have had her for 2 weeks now. She gets along well with my 6 mo old pointer and is just now getting curious about the cat. Everyone-and I mean, everyone I talk to who has owned one has not had anything negative to say about the breed. I have been told to take her to obedience training. (Still not sure if she will live up to my newfoundland's standards who passed away 1 1/2 years ago but we will see!!)

 

[MosMom]

We have a 1 year old golden and we all know the pros of a golden so here are the cons...

Chews like a little madwoman - She just ate my son's coat the other day. You really have to watch them like a hawk as puppies and YOU MUST invest in a puppy crate to train her in and keep her in when you aren't home. If we didn't have that crate, I would have thrown her out on her ear by now.

Hyper - She is quite energetic, even at a year she is still a bundle of energy and takes a good 10 minutes to calm herself down after we get home. She is definitely still all puppy.

Okay, so I said we all know the pros but I can't list those cons without saying that she is the sweetest puppy I've ever owned and she is such a wonderful dog. She can really drive me nutty some days but I couldn't ask for a better dog.

 

[Tantor]

They are wonderful dog's. I would recommend training. The training is really for the owner not the dog.
Another thing we do is crate train. As we have 2 cats in our home it gives the dog a safe place to go.
My daughter was 3 when we got our dog and was wonderful with her. They love to be around people and she follows me all around the house. They need allot of grooming (I take mine to a groomer, much easier)
Great dogs!!

 

[winniedapooh]

DSister has 2 service dogs, 1 retiring and the other one coming on board, both are Goldens. These dogs are like people. They get along great with everyone and smile too! It is something you have to see to believe, lol. Good luck.

 

[Kirby]

We had a Golden once, Sam. And even though he has been gone eight years now, we still miss him. He was the best dog. We got him at three months from a friend who just decided to give him to us. He was one of two left out of a litter and they didn't want both of them. Never had any medical problems. Was lovable and very low key. The only time he had to be disciplined was one New Year's Eve. My husband was hunting and I had gone to a party. When I came home, he had chewed up a couple of things of mine, probably more for leaving him alone than anything because he had never chewed up anything before. He was about six months old. Sam was a house dog and we let him have the run of the house. Never wet on the floor, house trained himself. We used to leave the radio or the tv on for him when we expected to be gone for any length of time.

Oh, how I miss him!

 

[RNMOM]

We have had two goldens. Our first, Jemima, passed at 13. She was a terror as a puppy until we got the crate. She then developed her "manners".

Our present "old man" Boomer is nearly 13. He has arthritis and is slow but still a wonderful family member. I would recommend a male if you want a dog who is very family oriented and willing to please you all the time. Female goldens are the independent ones. Honest.

Crate train, crate train, crate trian. Honestly. Golden's are puppies until they reach at least 2. Crate training helps them calm and also gives them a 'den' to go to. They love having a little niche of their own.

Our dog was a big ball chaser and his later years have been harder due to his "sports" injuries. He has pulled tendons and such. He has bad arthritis in front legs due to all that running and chasing. It kept him happy though. He still walks around with a ball often. Can't remember what to do with it but he likes to have one in his mouth.

Goldens are big bundles of love and think they are another kid, not a dog.

 

[Flitter]

We have had two Goldens and I don't believe I would even try any other kind of dog. Both of they were/are wonderful dogs. Our first Golden was named Star and she was very dark in color so most people thought she was an Irish Setter. She was 4 months old when we got her and was always well behaved. When our little pug came along she adjusted very well. They used to play together all the time until Star became too old/ill to play. Star was with us until she was 14 and her liver failure got the best of her. She was treated for the liver failure from the time she was 11 and she never got mean or aggessive. She was the best.
Now we have Guinness. She came to us when she was 2 years old and was fantastic with kids. She is now 6 years old and has had a couple of serious health problems although they have not affected her disposition. She has myosynia gravis which affected her rear legs. It is an auto-immune disease and has responded well to medication. Most recently she was diagnosed with Addison's disease. Again she has responded well to medication but we must keep a careful eye on her as if she becomes stressed she can go into an Addison's crisis. Again, this has not affected her dispositon. She is a GREAT dog and I would not trade her for anything.
I have already told my vet to keep an eye out for any Golden's that come in for adoption as I would love to have another.
Good luck. I'm sure you will make the right decision.

 

[bratus913]

Let me give you some background on my boy (this is our first Golden and I'm not sure how 'typical' he is). We adopted a rescue Golden about 4 months ago. He was 15 months old when we got him and was EXTREMELY mellow at first. He was severly neglected at his original home - they had him outside in a small pen 24/7, never cleaned the pen out , never gave any attention and definately never bothered to teach manners or basic training (WHY some people get a dog is beyond me, but that is another subject for another day ).

I think he was forced to 'grow up' a little sooner than most (I've heard puppy stage lasts up to 3 years ) and thought he would stay mellow. Well, Riley has adjusted pretty quickly and I have been told that he is now behaving like a 'typical' 1 1/2 year old Golden.

At 70+ pounds, he can be a bit rough when playing with my 6 and 3 1/2 year old girls. He LOVES their stuffed animals and I go through chew toys like they are going out of style. He chases my 15 year old cat around and to top it off, the poor dog has allergies so he gets an antihistamine 2x a day. We are currently going through our SECOND obedience class (remember, we've had him for 4 months ) - the first was very 'old school' - which I didn't particularly care for - so I now have him enrolled in another school that is much more positive reinforcement oriented.

That said, I absolutely adore him. My 3 1/2 year old dd can just collapse on him and he doesn't blink an eye, my 6 year old plays 'school' in her room (he's the student) and he lays there and deals with it. And I'm sure that we'll get past his manners issue with a little persistance and time. He is a big baby who really just wants to be loved and adored all day long. I'm a Golden convert now.

I highly recommend a cage, PLENTY of chew toys and obdience class - absolutely!! If you like dogs, you'll love a Golden.

I know this was much longer than you wanted or needed, but I absolutely love my boy!!

 

[luvmydogs]

Thanks so much for your stories, everyone! I think Goldens are just gorgeous (I love their smiles, too!) and would make a great companion for the right family. I'm actually doing some research online right now as to any health problems that are associated with the breed. And it sounds like obedience training is a must-do--I actually think that'd be a lot of fun--my chihuahuas just stare at me when I say "sit." Though they do seem to understand the word "treat" with no problem! Thanks so much everyone, and I'll be sure to post when we decide!

 

[Rock'n Robin]

Just a note that my golden LOVES rawhide bones. I buy him one about every other week. I also advocate crate training. Ranger is almost 5 and the best dog ever.
Robin M.

 

[goofy4tink]

Another golden family checking in. Ours is a 3 1/2 y/o male. We did crate train him and it's a must do. Instead of chewy toys, (which we would go through by the dozens) we give our pup a black heavy duty Kong. And some nylabones. Plenty of exercise is important. A quick romp in the yard, chasing tennis balls is good. A tired dog is a well-behaved dog. Don't let him get fat. Obedience is key!!! Mine could use more but is okay. If I had to pick a negative about my golden, it would be that he is always right next to me!!! Stuck like glue. He is at the moment at my feet. Pure unrequited love. Great with kids. Watch the chewing. Puppies love to chew. It's those new teeth coming in. Give 'em ice cubes. Or carrots. My pup used a crate and the cats were very happy about it. He used to catch them and carry them around by their heads!!! For some reason they never scratched him. Dopey cats. Good luck with your decision. If you don't mind hair everywhere, you'll be very happy with a golden. There's a reason all those people at Westminster groaned last night when the judge passed over the golden!!!! Pure and simple...great dogs.

 

[MosMom]

I would say the most common health problem in Goldens is Hip Dysplasia. We rescued our golden so getting her hips certified wasn't really an issue for us...we would have taken her regardless BUT if that is something that would hold you back, you might want to take the puppy to the vet first and get her x-rayed.

 

[Loubon]

We had a female for 14 years. She was a wonderful dog and great with kids. Nothing to worry about there at all. Very lovable, gentle and smart.

 

[ez]

she has a huge vocabulary, she is just like a person. For example, the other day she was lying in front of the steps, and in a pleasant voice I said, " you know, Kira, thats not the best place for you to be." She promptly got up and lay down on the other side of the room!

 

[Lanshark]

Some of the health issues to look into are eyes, hips and heart. Our old boy Max was a rescue situation and he lived to be 12. An absolutely wonderful dog. Dh talked me into getting another golden puppy when Max was 10. Jake is now 3 and is as wonderful as Max was. Ours are indoors too but we have a fenced yard. Be prepared to vacuum a lot or have them shaved down. We had ours clipped down and it reduced the shedding a bunch. We also live in GA and let their fur grow out a bit in the winter but Jake spends so little time outside it doesn't matter. I think he is a little lonely without Max but I don't forsee another one for awhile. We also have 3 cats who typically bully him. He wants to play with them but they are not interested most of the time. One of the cats actually used to groom Max when he was sleeping.

They are wonderful, affectionate, playful, gentle and highly intelligent. Potty training was done with ease with Jake.

I almost forgot, they are big chewers. Make sure you have a lot of things to chew on or you might find your chairs with tooth marks in them.

 

[grinningghost]

I have a golden. Love, love, love her. I wouldn't want any other breed ever again.

 

[DocRafiki]

because original owner "didn't want to deal with all those puppies" (Geez-ever hear of spaying/neutering?!)

AMEN to that!

Good for you for taking in that dog. That's a lot of work!

I've never lived with one, but Goldens seem to be some of the sweetest dogs around. I love them! They don't have a lot of chronic health problems, either, other than hip dysplasia. BTW, you can't diagnose hip dysplasia on a puppy until it's 1-1.5 years old. You could look into the family history, possibly.

The one ailment goldens are known for is cancer, and at an early age. So, every little lump or bump on a golden (or a boxer, they're just as bad or worse) comes off and goes to the lab!