Golden Retriever

"Soft" dogs. Won't hold up in colder weather/water. Don't generally have the drive Labs and Chessies do. Can be scared by an aggressive wounded goose.

Lovely pets. Substandard retrievers since the hunting has long been bred out of most of them.


Golden owners can now flame away.
 
My 3 year old Golden absolutely hates retreiving ducks and geese. But Ruffies are another story!!!! Popped 1 a week ago and she ran into the bush and brought it back- never trained her to retreive anything. Guess it was "instinct",lol:dancingbanana:
 
You must also be prepared to frequently remove dog hair from clothes, carpet, vehicle seats ( and from the plugged up by dog hair powerhead on the vacuum):D Great pets and always looking for attention. Kayceel
 
X2 on the dog hair..But I wouldn't trade my Golden for anything. Loyal and friendly and willing to shed hair on absolutly everything he touches or even walks by.:D
 
Is it a properly bred Golden with a lineage of hunting? I've seen a lot of badly bred Goldens where the breeders are more interested in looks than function. That said, I'd put my old Goldens up against any lab. Smartest dogs you're gonna find. If you want a hard driving jump-through-anything dog, get a lab. If you want a dog smart enough to look first get a PROPERLY BRED Golden.
 
I have one and find they're great dogs, for the family and some retrieving they're great. If you're looking for the best retriever around then you may want to look at other breeds these will require more attention than the golden. The golden is intelligent (reguardless of that sad face) and a 100% loyal to the family,they're not a hyper dog. Bill
 
I've hunted with some phenominal goldens over the years....dogs that would rival any lab or chessie and I've seen some pretty poor ones too. Overall, great family dogs and from what I've seen, some can be exceptional retrievers and like all breeds, some can't!
 
All the ones I've met have been very sweet. Great family dogs.

Beware if they were from a disreputable breeder though (I know, rescue dog) because they can be a bit inbred. Biggest problem I've seen is cancer, known quite a few that have died from it at about 8.

That said, I like them. They're big sucks most of the time. Most of them have very distinct personality and overall are great dogs to have around kids, if that gives you an idea of what they're like.

Something else to keep in mind - rescue dogs can be a completely other story. We look after dogs, and had a fair share of rescues. It usually takes about 5-8 years before the really abused ones are mostly normal. They still make good pets, but some can't be around other dogs, some can't be left alone or they chew everything, some aren't house trained etc.

You're probably aware of this, and your retriever is probably fine, but it's just a heads up. Also, I don't mean to put retrievers in a bad light - if I were offered one I would accept right away - they're great dogs!

P.S. - they don't seem to have the work drive like collies and labs do, but if you make hunting a game they'll love it - if retrieving ducks is a reward for them like retrieving sticks is, they'll do it all day long.
 
One very big thing to keep in mind is that it will be your dog 12 months of the year and a hunting dog for only 2 months. This makes having a good family dog of primary importance.
I have a weimer now that i took in as the third owner after the breeder. It was never abused by the previous owners but seems to have been affected by having formed a bond with 2 different sets of owners then having that bond broken. Now she is very attached to me, almost too much if that is possible. She goes nuts if I am in the back yard and she can't get out.
I may have contributed to this as she has always been with me, riding along in the truck every time I go anywhere etc etc.
I was aware it may cause some problems but did want a dog that would become attached to me. So far it seems to have payed off as far as hunting goes as she definitely hunts for me. She works close in another trait I wanted in a hunting dog. I am trying to get her to bond more with my son as due to health issues she will be moving to him in a short time. So far it looks like he will be getting a great dog.

Weimers have developed a rather poor reputation as hunters because of pet and show stock predominating in the breed and not as great emphasis placed on hunting ability. Guess I lucked out as mine is very birdy, has a great nose and is pretty much a natural pointer. She is also great with my 14 month old grandson who stays with us 1 week or more every month. Absolutely no problems with dominance etc.

Before taking in the rescue dog look carefully at his personality and place more attention on his desire to be a mamber of your family than on retrieving ability because as I said he will be a meber of your family much more than a hunting dog.

A knew a fellow once who raised labs strickly for hunting and trialling. He never allowed his dogs out of the kennel unless to eat or for training. His kids were never allowed to play with the dogs. Sure they became hunting machines but it seems he and his family missed out on a lot of what really having a dog should be about.


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The retriever we are looking at was surrendered by a family becasue they didn't kennel break him a s a pup and now he cries all night long in a kennel.
I don't kennel dogs, I let them have free home :)eek::eek:Everything is destroyed on a daily basis by the cats and German Sheo I have)
 
sealhunter said:
The retriever we are looking at was surrendered by a family becasue they didn't kennel break him a s a pup and now he cries all night long in a kennel.
I don't kennel dogs, I let them have free home :)eek::eek:Everything is destroyed on a daily basis by the cats and German Sheo I have)
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Well you're set then :)

You may wake up to a furry bed buddy on occasion though.
 
Goldens are ranked 4th in intelligence. Higher than labs.

As for cold weather. Mine is not a hunting dog but he has the drive in him. He will chase birds along a 1 km long beach on the Atlantic ocean in January when the air temp is -15c. His tail looks broken because the hair freezes and the last 6-7 inches of hair at the end will kink. The rest of him is covered in ice. He usually goes for about 1 -1.5 hrs non-stop running without stopping.
He is by far the friendliest dog I have ever seen.

His only down side is he thinks he is a life guard and will try to retrieve people, especially kids out of the water when they are swimming. Good intentions:)
 
A freind of mine has one a fixed male, his name is buddy. Whenever I go there for a visit, buddy assumes that I'm there to see him and only him. He's a suck but he's also one of my good freinds! It'd be fun to get him out to see if he likes to retreive game, he loves to fetch sticks and toys, so I'd say the hardest part of his training would be getting him used to the gun.
 
BlackWatch said:
His only down side is he thinks he is a life guard and will try to retrieve people, especially kids out of the water when they are swimming. Good intentions:)
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Isn't that the truth! My golden will not let me swim in peace. She loves the beach, and I can't get her out the the water.

I've taken her up to the hunting camp, many times, and it just isn't in her. She was, and always will be, the family dog. She just about wets herself eveytime I fire off a round. She will sniff out small game though.

My opinion is that you train them, from pups, to be hunting dogs, and they will do great in the bush. My golden, is a family member, most loyal, intelligent, friendly pet I ever owned.

Ohh, I almost forgot...what a pain in the @$$ to get all the burrs out of her fur after a day in the bush!!!
 
Yeah the long hair is a pain, especially when it's time for a #2 in the deep snow!
The breeder's husband keeps the odd Golden from the litters for a hunting dog. He said he saw potential in "Cody" but with 3 kids I barely have enough time to make it to the range every once in a while.

I had 2 labs before and they are great dogs. I have heard labs are better for hunting. But I had to throw my 2 cents worth in above about my dog's cold weather endurance.
 
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