Hello.  I know Golden Retrievers are fabulous with children, but if anyone out there has got one - are they extremely hard work??  Thanks.

I know that Briony has 3 or 4 of them so hopefully she will be around to help you soon :)

We have multiple Golden's and ours are all very easy to live with. If you are very houseproud and can't cope with dog hairs, they may be a bit of a challenge and if you dont like playful dogs who like plenty of attention they are probably not the dog for you.

Perhaps we are lucky, but we have several generations of both male and female living in the house and we would not change our way of life.
Obviously there are bad days, when one of the bitches are in season, or there has been non-stop rain for days and you are fed up with damp dogs, but on the whole Golden Retrievers are a fun breed and a pleasure to live with.

Snomaes

Snowmaes
would you suggest buying from show lines rather than working? I know in certain breeds there is a marked difference in suitability for a pet home who is not going to work the dog
Archer

I have 3 golden retrievers, and they are brilliant dogs - so full of fun and life.  Mine are from show and working lines, and a friend says that they are 'not carpet dogs', which I think is a good description; they do need things to do.  I think people see laid back golden retrievers around and think they are really easy.  They are easy in that they are very trainable and amenable dogs, but they do need stimulation.  You get out of them what you put in, and they are so versatile.  Maybe some of the show lines which haven't been worked may be easier though.

As Snomaes says, you can't be houseproud!  At this time of year the house is a nightmare!  They are worth it though - I wouldn't be without them for the world!

<would you suggest buying from show lines rather than working?>

I can only speak through personal experience because we have never owned a working bred Golden. All our dogs are, or have been, showdogs and the breeding is all 'show' lines.

I do know that working Golden Retrievers are a lot 'sharper' than the show lines, by this I mean that they are probably more intelligent and much more athletic than a show-bred dog. This is okay if you can offer plenty of stimulation and exercise but for the average pet-home a show-bred dog probably has the more laid-back temperament.

This does not mean that a dog from show-lines they will not work given the chance, two of ours already have their working certificate and we have a bitch entered for her SGWC later this month.

I would definitely recommend that anyone purchasing a Golden Retriever as a family pet finds a breeder with show-bred dogs, the temperament is usually more suited to a family enviroment.

Snomaes

hi there we got our first golden when our eldest son was about five months old, not an ideal time i know, but he is fantastic and has been a great loyal buddy to our eldest son and our other forthcoming arrivals   lol . We bought a girl golden two years ago and she has just given birth to our first litter, our eldest son is now ten by the way and we have had lots of love and affection from our goldens, they are a very laid back but very loving dog who give back far more affection than they receive. and as for show or working dogs , both of our goldens have many field trial champs in their ancestry but make lovely family members.

good luck from  Karl

During the time I have been boarding (12 yrs)  The Golden Retrievers temperament has changed a LOT.  I can HONESTLY say they are one of the mose unpredictable breeds there are.  Quick to turn and with incredible ferocity.  I also took many during the time I did Lab rescuce, most were ok, but we did take some very dangerous dogs (unknown to us) that were PTS.  All I can say is a good one is a lovely dog, a bad one is a nightmare.  Make absolutely sure you do your homework BEFORE you buy a puppy.  Meet the mother and the breeders other dogs on their own property, get to know as much about them as you can, maybe even meet the stud dog who is often not living at the same property as the breeder.

Not wanting to knock the breed, but based on my experience with them over the last 12yrs or so, I find them to be one of the most changed breeds there are.
Dawn.

I wonder if this is due to them being so popular that puppy farmers are breeding them - hence the dodgy temperament :(

I used to work in a pet shop and we had two Goldens who were in the shop everyday greeting customers and scrounging food :D :D  Im not sure what lines they were from but I know they were worked from time to time but were mostly just pets.

I quite agree there. A lot of retriver that i have met are actually quite nervous. My bitch is very nervous and as a result behaves quite aggressively, this is definately not due to a lack of socialsation or bad experiences. Although she was the result of a pet dog unexpected mating (pure stupidity on the part of the owner) I had met both dogs and neither seemed particularly nervous. However another retriever i know came from a reputable breeder and is exactly the same. The trouble is peopel do think that retrivers are all softies, so it is often a shock when they aren't!

This is a very interesting topic as I know somebody who is thinking about getting a Golden. I agree that alot of people see them as being a very steady, easily trained family pet but as someone has already said, you get out what you put in, no puppy grows up and suddenly decides one day to start behaving in what we term the correct way(unfortunatley :D!)
Just to add, all the goldens I have met have been lovely, relaxed dogs but as in any breed, I suppose, there are some who are not like the majority :)
Emily xx

Well said Emily! You reap what you sow. All the Goldens I have owned  have been  wonderful family pets very intelligent and a joy to own. We had our first 18 months before our daughter was born and she idolised her. Kelly was never fond of water so years ago we paddled in the sea and carried Beck who was then a babe in arms and Kelly had to come into the sea then to be near Beck. She was so gentle with children.

I agree you reap what you sow but that is with any dog, i have known golden retrievers since i was ten (now 25) and i have never known a ferocious or quick to snap dog, infact completely the opposite. I have found them to be very friendly and trusting dogs.

Sorry to disagree with you Louise but there are some really nasty Goldens out there! The latest one I came across was a 15 week old one! I don't think I have ever come across a puppy so young who really got stuck in like this one! Another came into my club and as I went over the the person to great them the dog had my arm. (This was a show dog not an unsocialised rescue or the like!) Yet another show dog one evening put a tooth right through my old Kate's ear! This dog had several goes at other dogs.

I'm glad to say most Goldens show the typical gundog sunny disposition but unfortunatly not all!

Regards, John

i agree there was a really nasty one around here,whose owners had always had goldies. this one was plain nasty. (& scary)

Hi,

As Melody said I have 4 Goldens at present all from show lines and would have to agree with Snomaes they do make excellent family pets if also your prepared for some hair,but with regular grooming and a good hoover this should not pose too much of a problem.
They do love attention and don't like to be ignored and some do go through a teenage stroppy stage from about 6-16 months but if your kind but firm this shouldnt pose any problems its just them maturing.
For a pet family dog I again agree with Snomaes do not go for a working line ,they need alot more mental stimulation and exercise.Temperament is very important and should be on the top of everyone list as priority closely folowed by the health tests.

A well mannered and trained golden is a joy to own and admired by all :-)

Briony :-) who has 4 Goldens with soon to be 5 children .

Our goldie is from working lines and as said in other posts, they do have to be kept stimulated, but we wouldnt change him we have just adapted our life, he gets 3 walks a day, some retreiving work every day with dummy or his favourite toy (ball on as rope!), and with the 3 walks he is great, BUT miss 1 walk for any reason and we know about it, the ball appears on our lap, and lets play.

Hairs with working lines are not as bad, but still hoover up every day and a brush every day for him.When we got him met both  Mum & Dad, both had good temprements,he is very loving and has to literally sit on you,when its time for a cuddle!!.

As with any dog of course it is what you put in with them....we wouldnt be without him though even on his "Kevin" days and he drives me up the wall, one look at that face, and I melt.!!!!