I don’t know if it’s still the case but Guide Dogs For The Blind used to use a lot of Lab x Goldens.

One of my blind friends had one and she was a lovely girl.

Golden retrievers are not very excitable.  I used to go to a puppy socialising class that had a load in (catchment for guide dog walking) and they were such good puppies, damn site easier then my weimaraner was lol.   wiggly and happy but not over excitable . quick learners and with a desire to please. Don't think I even heard one of them bark in all the classes we went to.    Friend had one as a guide dog and he was a smashing dog- he would give a woof if someone knocked on door of house but that was it. 

Only thing I have against them is I prefer slimmer build dogs without all that fur- too chunky and fluffy for me but cracking dogs.

weimed: > Golden retrievers are not very excitable.

So true ; loyal, loving & good looking. (just like a prospective husband/wife)


Oh and thank you for your response re SAS. Gorgeous!

Plenty of ways to train impulse control. I rate Kikopup, really good trainer and lots of videos to demonstrate her methods. Look on her webpage and on YouTube for videos. There’s one called Don’t mug the hand (I think) which teaches little puppies to wait patiently before being given a treat instead of snatching or grabbing. It’s very effective. Also teaching a good ‘watch me’ so that the dog looks at you on command rather then anything else is very good for calming situations and controlling the dog quietly

My first four pedigree dogs were Goldens. Old lines, but I didn't have any barking - they would have made hopeless guards! Another quiet breed(?) I have owned was my rescue Lurchers - bred to avoid alerting a gamekeeper of their presence.

> I rate Kikopup, really good trainer and lots of videos to demonstrate her methods

I second Kikopup, very smart lady.

Susan Garrett’s It’s Yer Choice game is also fantastic for impulse control, very similar to Don’t Mug The Hand.

I’m trying to remember where I found it, but I taught River early on to “relax”. He doesn’t have to actually BE relaxed, I just ask for behaviours that he’d naturally show if he WAS. I want him lying down, tail down and still (not wagging or held over his back like Paps usually do), muzzle resting on the floor, sighing or deep breathing, blinking, weight over on one hip with the other back leg sprawled, “sleepy” eyes, ears lowered. It’s kind of a bit like meditation for humans, I guess. If he does those relaxed behaviours with his body he will calm down mentally as well.

I haven’t worked on it as much as I should but when he gets good at it he’ll realise that he can calm himself down even without my input. Hopefully if he gets too aroused he can use the “relax” behaviours to get rid of the stress, because being so excited you have to bark loads can’t be very pleasant.

Thank you all for your replys.

My mom talked to me last night after i phoned her asking for help and she asked me to read her the replys who said there goldens bark and i did and she said the thing with facebook is you dont know anything about that particular dog they could  be from a bloodline of barkers, they may not have had much training and the owners have allowed barking or they might not have a lot of mental stimulation or physical exercise. She said you dont know the surroundings to why those goldens are barking.

Mom has owned gundogs all her life she first owned Welsh springers then went into Goldens and Large munsterlanders and now she is back with welsh springers. Shes owned dogs for 55yrs so i knew she would help and she has seen first hand how this condition has runied me.

I also want to say she was dignosed with meniere's disease at the age of 16 and she is sensitive to noise too but in a different way to me and she found that gundogs were the most suitable group for her condition and she has always recommended i get a Golden out of the dogs shes had her Goldens were the quietest.

My sister owns a bernese and i fell in love with him and thats why i wanted a berner but both mom and my sister were against me getting one because of my tinnitus and mom has always said get a Golden.

I knew she would give me good advice and hearing everyones reply about impulse control has also helped.

I am a worrier and i overthink things ( ive only been like this since the Tinnitus came) .

Now ive been thinking with a clear head after mom helped and everyone here helped , im sticking to the Golden.

I know i can find a quiet Golden who is right for me.
And mom pointed out you've had a total of 112 replies and only 6 were vocal and 106 were quiet thats an overwhelming number of quiet dogs.

She said you just have to pick your breeder very carefully one who understands why its so important to get a quiet puppy. She said there are breeders who chose the right puppy for children with autism , so they can find you golden suited to your ears.

Thank you everyone for helping me. I really do feel the most comfortable with the Golden for my ears.

I thought id share some of those replys with you so you can see what they said

"My boy was crazy as a pup could see a leaf go past without him barking at it"

"Mine is a barker 4yrs old and nothing has worked to stop him"

"Mine only barked for a reason but there were a lot of reasons so some days felt like she barked a lot. She was pretty territorial so would bark at every person or animal (including pigeons)."

"Mine only barks for a reason but theres a hell of a lot of reasons"

"Ours barks a lot even to chat back or for attention"

"Our current Golden is the noisest golden we have ever had but shes a rescue and she barks at everything and anything but we dont know about her past if they let her just bark"

"Very barky and hyper and very stubborn"

It was 6 last night like i said in my above reply just checked now and i had one new reply.

These were the replies that worried me , after reading them again i think mom is right a lot is in training and putting the time in with them. And i dont know if these people have trained them or not.

Just to edit to say i had another reply.

"Unfortunately our Golden is a barker , especially on walks when our toddler is not moving fast enough for him"

Sounds to me that your mum is in the best position to advise u .
She knows your situation better than most , she has had dogs for years including goldens
Fb can be very helpful and I have gained apt of knowledge but u can get very wrapped up in peoples answers only knowing as your mum says a snap shot of their lives

I would go with what u mum says and apart from finding the right breeder also do some research on training .
Kiki pup is brilliant . Although it took me a long while to realise how important impulse control was ( yep stupid as it sounds now) it will not only help for barking but also for you and your dogs life in general .never to early to start teaching it

Thanks furriefreinds , ive also had a private DM from a woman who has been in the breed for over 40yrs and she said the same as my mom but she also said a lot depends on your environment and how the puppy is raised if its raised in a noisy hyper houshold then pup will be the same noisy and hyper , if raised with a calm family environment pup will be the same calm and quiet

I think individual dog barking is more about environment and training.

I often had comments from other breed owners at shows, and visitors at home as how quiet mine were compared to others they had met.

Difference being having a breed that is known to like the sound if it's own voice, and having multiple dogs in a suburban house I actively DISCOURAGED unnecessary barking

I cannot stand dogs barking, and am very mindful of my neighbours and potential for complaints.

Im regretting joining these facebook groups.

Im now get DMs from some members saying im an irresponsible person to get a dog and that i should not own one and then others are DM me that the Golden is the worst dog to pick and that really i should not own a dog if barking is an issue.

Im thinking of leaving them to be honest. I was happy about choosing to go down the rescue route but i dont know its all upset me with the way a few have spone to me in private

Totally understand .start off by blocking them then maybe reconsider being a member of the group
.After many years in fb as well as being admin on 3 large groups I decided it was too stressful dealing with everything thrown at you and pulled off fb completely
It was the best idea I had for a long while . Dont let it all become stressful these people don't know u and some will always belive they no best

Thanks furriefreinds , this is on a General Golden group and some of the replies are from people in america and im sure i read US and UK Goldens are different

Certainly block these fb sites - you don't need to be subjected to that!

I am always amazed that people judge without knowing, spew out nasty comments and leave people in shock.  Please be aware that what they don't know, they make up, form an overall picture and join a small band of nit pickers no matter what your response is.

Don't let them spoil your dream or longterm goals.  If you feel strong enough - fight back but if not - get rid of the lot IMO and think of your mental health.  I would be following your Mom's advice.
She seems a very wise woman X

Thank you Hoggie , mom defiantly wise , she was the one who gave me the strength to carry on with the ringing.

Ive had one reply who said that Goldens are quiet but hers has once barked right near here ear so she said to think of this which is a good point. She said she was not sure if this is something you can sort with training?

> not sure if this is something you can sort with training?

I'm sure it can be limited with training.  Have you thought of contacting an online trainer for advice before deciding?  Maybe give you a bit more confidence in planning ahead X

I also thought maybe training the dog to not go near my face?

Im sure theres a way to train this. I definitely think and older Golden would be a better idea

Goldensforever:  > I also thought maybe training the dog to not go near my face?

Yes perhaps?  I believe assistance dogs are trained from a very early age (maybe another Member could help with more precise details) which then become competent at their tasks around 18mths - 2 yrs as they are so in demand/required sooner rather than later by their new owners.

They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks but again, a qualified Trainer could answer those questions for you and offer you advice re the possiblity of an older rescue being trained.

The guide dogs do have reject dogs that need rehoming, whether you can specify a golden I don’t know. I understand there is a very long queue for the rejects

I have the settings on fb locked up very tight and do not allow random people to message me out of the blue, they can only contact me if we are friends. I can then control it by accepting friend requests only if I want to no the other way round. Some people just want to be nasty, block them immediately and try one of the U.K. groups

Thanks Jodi i will be sticking to UK groups.

My mom phoned me this afternoon to see how i was doing and she asked me if i had told you everything and i said no and she told me to tell you the whole story so you know why i struggled to find the right dog for my ears.

My heart breed was not the bernese , the breed i had my heart set on was the Rottweiler. I had done my research on the Breed found out they dont bark much and that they are known as the strong silent type and i spent a lot of time around them in 2018 and 2019 and not once did there bark annoy my ears i was actually fine around Rotties but when i started talking to breeders and breed rescues i was told that being a first time owner with no experience of dogs i needed to get experience before i could have one.

Now i could easily have just ignored them and gone to a bad breeder who would have given me one but i am against that and wanted to only go to a good breeder or rescue. So i took what they said on board and knew i had to gain experience and since then have struggled to find a breed who was as quiet ( this was before i found the Golden)

I then looked at the Berner because they reminded me of the Rottie a lot but you alk know why ive said no to them.

And im now looking at the Golden who i want to stick with.

I know you may think why not just get experience by volunteering but rescues and bording kennels are noisy places and didnt know how else to get experience around dogs without being in noisy places lime kennels ect.

Goldensforever.  Just a thought but would your Mom perhaps let you 'foster' one of the quietest from her gundog group for 12 months or so?
You would then have gained some experience of dogs.

She only has welsh springers at the moment and she has 4 and all are vocal and so she would not let me to that, if she still had goldens that would be different.

Oh I see.  Would she perhaps know some people with labs/goldies who could help you, even if it meant alternating with more than one dog for weekends, holidays or other forms of doggie sitting (only quiet ones allowed of course)!

I ask her tomorrow , she not been in the breed for 15yrs but i defiantly ask.

I was wondering would fostering from a rescue count as experience?

I'll make sure they umderstand why i can only take on quiet breeds or puppy walking for guide dogs?

Goldensforever: > <br />I was wondering would fostering from a rescue count as experience?

Yes of course. rescue will count as experience and if you have more than one over a 12 month period I'm sure that would stand you in an even better position with the prospective Breeder/owner of your own dog.  It shows commitment to animal welfare in the most diverse sense.  See what Mom can help with would be my advice - no reason why you couldn't manage both.

I know a lot of Labs who make constant moaning and yowling and almost singing noises when they play bitey-face with other dogs. It goes on for hours...

Yes I agree some Labs do.  Only known quiet ones would be suitable for Goldensforever.  Hopefully any fostered dog would have initial behaviours acessed pre placement.  Hope something can be worked out

Onetwothreefour- i looked into labs before i looked into Goldens and most said the same and but none said  how high pitch the howling was.

I actually got more quiet replies with the lab then the golden which i thought was odd since there similar breeds

Labs are probably quiet if they are only-dogs. But during play with another dog, it seems not!

When I had two goldens their games of bitey face were silent apart from the clashing of teeth

Spoke with mom this morning and shes give me the number of the dog behaviourist who helped her train all of her dogs to be quiet and she said shes really good and will be able to help you with breed suggestions too.

Hi all

Ok so i met with the dog behaviourist my mom knows she herself owned labs , Goldens and Boxers and i met her on a country footpath and we kept 3meters apart and wore masks and i wore gloves to stroke the dogs and she asked me a lot of questions and i explained in detail about my condition and she Said that a Labrador would be the best bet and she recommended i go for an adult. She said a failed Guide dog is a very good idea as there bred for temperment and will match you too the right dog and you can specify which breed you want.

When i got back i joined 2 lab facebook groups and so far the replies are better than the Golden in that there are more quiet replies and not that many vocal.

Her labs didnt make any noises when playing either and she said it all depends on the lab which is why i ts best to go for an older dog.

She said she has trained various labs and Goldens and owned both and in her experience Labs are just that tad more quiet.

So im now thinking of going for a lab just waiting to see what other replies i get first before deciding

Hi Goldensforever:  Great you met with the Behaviourist and had some great advice.

I'm a Labrador Lover so totally biased towards them.  I can totally see why an older dog would be advantagous as you are able to guage their barking behaviour well in advance of agreeing to rehome.
or
You plump for a Puppy and have the behaviorist do boarded training before the Puppy comes to live with you permanently.  Hope this helps as a different possibility x

Thanks Hoggie , i think shes right about going for an older lab at least first so my ears can get used to living with a dog. That way I'll know there personality and how barky or not they are. Plus theres lot of lab rescues i could look at too.

Im not going to rush in though as I'd like to learn a lot about the breed.

Do you have any labrador book reccomendations Hoggie?

You're welcome.
The Labrador Handbook by Pippa Mattinson is one I found great for beginners.  It is also available in Paperback which means it's not too expensive.
It covers the majority of things you need to know and is not an over explanatory read. X

Thanks Hoggie , i look for it on amazon

I think the adult is best because you can meet the dog and ask to see it in various situations like a home, like on a walk and interacting with other dogs. See what happens when the doorbell rings and so on.

I think the adult is best because you can meet the dog and ask to see it in various situations like a home, like on a walk and interacting with other dogs. See what happens when the doorbell rings and so on.

Hi all

I wanted to update you again.

So i sent an email yesterday to my local guide dog school to see if i can speak to someone before filling in an application.

I didnt expect for them to phone me today, one of there volunteers phoned me up today and was very very helpful. She told me there not taking applications at the moment but was happy to talk to me and i explained everything about my tinnitus and i told her how my heart breed is the rottweiler but i need experience and thats why im thinking of getting experience from owning a lab ect and she told me not to rehome a withdrawn guide dog.

She said you already know what breed is right for you and your ears in the Rottweiler but the only thing stopping you is your lack of experience so she suggested i gain the experience instead as it would be unfair to get a lab or withdrawn guide dog just because there quiet and to gain experience. She said rhe first dog you own should be a Rottweiler.

I explained why i cant go to rescue centres ect to gain experience and she said there are many waus to gain experience you could find a good rescue explain your situation with your ears and foster or you could be a puppy walker for us or any of the service dogs. She said puppy walking for hearing dogs would be good as they teach them to be quiet as barking is useless to a deaf person so you will know how to teach your Rottweiler how to be quiet.

So i wanted to update you all as i know shes right that it would be better to gain experience and go for the breed i know i love and the breed my ears are comfortable with.

I have already learnt alot about the breed through out 2018-2019 and have even been on a Rottie walk but the one thing that differs is how easy to train they are some say they are some say there not.

If anyone owns Rotties have you found yours easy to train?

They do alert bark and alert bark at many things they think needed to be barked at. I find them much noisier than a Bernese and a Labrador.
Yes there is training to work on these things but they have a natural guarding instinct in most.
I do think spending time and maybe offering to be a Foster carer for breed rescues and there are many Rottweiler ones is worth considering.
They are a breed which loves to learn, some pick things up quickly and others not so. They can be pretty stubborn at times too. You also have the other part when adult many people will try and avoid your dog and also many people will not want their dogs interacting. Just so you are aware.

I highly recommend you watch this before you commit to the breed to make sure it is right for you. I share this with anyone who has never owned them. Yes it's 9.99 to download but it's worth watching as put together by knowledgeable people in the breed here in the UK.

https://petsonfilm.uk/product/discovering-the-rottweiler/

Thanks Suejaw

Thing is i was told the same with the Bernese some people who owned berners and rotties found the Rottie quieter one thing ive learned is each dog is different and im sure i could find a quieter Rottie who suits me?

Alert barking is fine as long as there not barking all the time.

Training is imperative and they are not a forgiving breed if you get it wrong which is why often they are not suited to a novice owner

Thats the reason i was told to gain experience , im also thinking of doing a dog behavior course as well.

Im guessing Bernese are more forgiving of mistakes?

Please watch the video and then make a decision

Gaining experience by owning another breed before the Rottweiler. Some people can be suited to the Rott as a 1st time breed but for many it's not.
They need a firm but fair way of training.
Correct socialisation and training is absolute key.

Other than being a quiet breed what is it you are looking for in a breed? Energy levels in and out of the home, biddability, grooming, sociability with people, other dogs, small furries. What size and shape usually appeals? Do you want to be able to let your dog offlead in parks and similar? Do you want a velcro dog or not?

Thanks sue , ill awnser those questions once ive watched it , its nearly finished downloading. Ill get back to you once ive watched it

I've had experience of some Rotties as a trainer and behaviourist. I'd say that as puppies, they seem pretty easy-going, quite food-motivated, not excessively high energy and quite easy as dogs. They do seem to have a tendency to put on weight easily, in the same way that some show-bred Labs can.

As a behaviourist, when things have gone badly with Rotties, they've gone very very badly (when it comes to interactions with other dogs or people) and resulted in serious situations. They are obviously a guarding breed... and you may get barking at noises outside the house. I don't know you can predict when/if/which dogs it will turn out this way with. So it's a risk... Personally, I've owned a dog in the past which meant we could never have guests over - and it was literally 10 years of never being able to invite people to the house (without taking the dog elsewhere or putting her in the car) and I really would never want to go back there again with any future dogs.

And then, there is a lot of research needed to be done in terms of lines since clearly working lines and show lines are going to differ quite a bit - and there also seems to be some nasty brachy creep going on with ever-shortening muzzles for some reason. You'd also want to take good care of hip scores and elbow scores.

Of course if you phone someone and tell them that you "really" want X breed but you are considering "their" breed for one single reason, then that person is going to persuade you not to get their breed - so I'm not surprised the guide dog people told you that you should get a Rottie because that's what you want. I'm sure most breeders reading this want people who are really into their breed and specifically and really want only 'their' breed - not people who are just getting their breed because it doesn't moult/is quiet/is easy to groom or whatever...   I wouldn't conclude from this that you should get a Rottie.

Thanks onetwothreefour, being a behaviorist i take your advice seriously and listern very carfully to what you say.

The download is complete so ill be back in about 2hrs once ive watched the Rottie film sue suggested and I'll let you all know.

I am taking this so seriously because its so important i get it right and pick the right breed.

Firstly I'd like to say a big thank you so much Sue for the link to the video , it opened my eyes in many ways not just on Rottweilers and i think every person considering the breed should 100% see that first before choosing the breed.

After watching it and taking everything in as much as i hate to say this Rottweilers are not for me i know sometimes your heart breed is not always the breed suited to you as my moms heart breed is basset hounds but could never own one as they are not for her at all but she never miss's an opportunity to get a cuddle with one when she sees one.

The video really opened my eyes to the breed and theres a few reasons why there not for me or more im not for them. I understand the responsibility that comes with owning a powerful breed and i personality wisecam not suited to owning a powerful breed like Rotties.

Im hoping if i awnser some of the things that Sue asked in her reply you might be able to suggest breeds.

What im looking for in a dog\Breed

1) the most important to me is that there a quiet breed and you all know why , by quiet i dont mean never bark as I'd actually like the dog to bark but when i say thank you or quiet they settle and stop and i need a breed who only does a few woofs to alert and thats it not one is loves the sound of his voice and barks constantly.

2) alerts me to people at the door ect , im not sure if the right word would be a watch dog but i know this will seem weird considering what number 1 is but i cant hear very well ( my hearing is fine as it was tested by an ENT and its fine) its my tinnitus that means i can can hear very well especially at night and sometimes when a delivery driver knocks on the door i dont cant always hear them because of the tinnitus so it would be nice to alert me to someone at the doir ect but stops when i say to and otherwise isn't a huge barker.

3) energy level wise im looking for a dog who is medium , i dont want a hyper full of beans dog (im basing this on an adult dog as i know all teenagers are hyper at times) or a couch potato lazy dog but a dog in the middle who is laid back in the house and chilled but still enjoys long walks

4) I'd like an affectionate dog but not a Velcro dog who is all over me , i dont mind following me room to room just not all over me interms of affection

5)i want a dog who is easy to train , this doesnt have to be like a lab or Golden i dont mind a dog whoses a little stubborn at times but i dont want a dog who extremely stubborn.

6) No excessive Drooling like newfs or mastiffs

7) i prefer large dogs but the biggest i could handle is no bigger than a Berner or newf size and i prefer the Rottie or berner body shape im not fond of really thin looking dogs like sighthounds or flat faced dogs.

8) Grooming wise im fine as im happy to handle any coat length or type as my best friend is a Groomer and is happy to teach me.

9) i would need a breed who is good with children as i have a newphew who is 3yrs old currently and he lives with a Berner and hes great with him so i need a dog who is goid around children.

10) i also need him to be ok around cats as there are lots of cats on my street and nextdoor has 2 who always come in my garden. Three doors down there Greyhound attacked next doors cat when in went in there garden luckily they were able to save the cat but the whole street know calls them the cat murders and is awful the way there being treated so i would like a dog who can be taught not to harm the cats so not a high prey drive

11)  i prefer dogs who are generally friendly with other people but are more focussed on there owner then strangers and just ignore the stranger.

12) and fianlly i would want him to be friendly with other dogs and once i have taught a solid recall would like to let him off lead

I hope this helps , i texted my sister to see why she didn't recomend the berner and she said it was purley down to hers barking at everything but she did confess she has trained him not to and allows him to bark at everything.