Any golden retriever owners here

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lex990

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My ****zu is getting older and just lays around all day. He seems to really enjoy the company of other dogs. I found some golden retriever pups close by and have always wanted a bigger sporting breed to take to the river and runs and such. Just thought I would ask the brewing community what they thought
 
We had a Golden and all I can say is that he was the best dog I ever owned,you will not be dissappointed if you get one. Train them young and you will see that they are one of the samtest most loyal dogs in the world.
 
I love goldens! They are wonderful dogs. They are puppies until about two years old, though! The females tend to be smaller, and some male goldens can be huge. I have a lab now, as they have very similiar dispositions but no work on the coat. Goldens have a beautiful coat, but pick up burrs and stuff in their coats all the time. They can also have problems with their ears, partly because they love the water and will swim in a puddle if they can find one!

As long as you have plenty of room for them to run, and can walk them at least once a day, you'll be happy with a golden retriever. They tend to get a bit lazy with age, but still need walking and someone to toss a ball for them because they tend to get heavy (like us, I guess).
 
They have one female left. Was hoping for a male so I could call him Winchester Chester for short. Lol yeah I can be a redneck at times. We shall see. Waitin on pics
 
Ours is 9 years old and still a puppy. Great dog but sheds an insane amount of hair. Don't have wood floors with anything over 15-20 lbs or you'll have scratches everywhere.

Also check the lineage to make sure that they don't have issues with hip displasia or knee problems. Ours blew both MCLs which was about a $2k surgery EACH and that was with my wife being a vet and getting a professional discount.

Any pure bred will have inbreeding issues so just make sure you know what you are getting into. Maybe talk to your vet about what you want and the major issues s/he sees or knows about with that breed.

- Steve
 
I've got a 6 year old golden puppy. Best dog I've had. He's got the personality of a teenager, show him some attention and he's the happiest dog, but if you don't acknowledge him every few minutes he gets all mopey and depressed. He's absolutely AWESOME with my two little boys, allowing them to manhandle him without any adverse reaction. And as for a gun dog, couldn't ask for any better. The first time he experienced the sound of a shot he was standing next to me as I squeezed off a round from a .45-70 I fully expected him to run and hide, all he did was sit down, look up at me, and give me the look like "that's it?". I love that dog, and will totally get another when my current one retires to the happy hunting grounds. Would totally recommend.
 
We currently share our lives with 4 plus a Newfie. We have had 2 prior to these 4 along with several we have rescued and found forever homes for. This is as good a breed as any for a family dog as long as they are trained right from the start. They love to serve their owners and this is a plus to use for training. One caveat is that they loose their brains on the day of their 6 month birthday and don't start to get them back for a few years. Untrained, they can be a difficult breed as any. They can be hyper if allowed to be, pull badly on lead,and need early socialization. As mentioned above they shed heavily year round and horribly twice a year in the more extreme climates.

They get along great with children as long as the people manage both the children and dogs well. SWMBO did not fall in love with the breed right away when we rescued the first two but I'm not sure this house will be without a Golden as long as we can share our lives with them.

Doug Smith
Hearts Harbor Rescue
 
Not that I owned one, but the golden retriever we had when I was in middle school and high school was the best dog ever. Surprisingly he wasn't too interested in retrieving ducks, but man did he love people. He was very laid back after a couple of years until company came to the door, and then he would be very excited. The only drawback with that was sometimes he didn't know his own size and strength and some people and children would be slightly intimidated at first. He also always wanted to play with other dogs, which some dogs and owners weren't too thrilled about since he was quite large. :)
 
Goldens are great! They have high maintenance hair, and sometime health problems (ours died at around age 8 due to a uterus infection, but hips are pretty common, as most pure breed dogs have health issues).

They are almost always VERY loving and loyal, fairly easy to train, and love to fetch, swim, etc.

Our female never outgrew her puppy stage, although she did stop chewing. She was just a big klutz.

I'd probably get one again, but man the hair is work! Our yellow lab is also loving and plays fetch etc, and doesn't have the hair "problem".
 
lex990 said:
How long did it take to potty train all your pups

It only took us a week or two, for some reason he was a really smart puppy. But we were also very diligent in making sure he went outside every few hours, even if he didn't go, just to get him in the rhythm.
 
Our first two took quite a while as they were from a bad environment so they had started life off poorly. Once we got number 3 we just let the big dogs train the new pups. Three to five days to fully trained when done by the older dogs.
 
Did any of you go to doggie school with yours? I'm planning on really working with my pup. I found a lady with males so I'll get the one I want. I want him to be obedient and know the simple sit lay heel come commands as well as frisbee fetch and such after he grows up a bit. I have a friend that taught his lab to fetch a beer from his fridge and this is gonna be on my todo as well
 
I love my Golden 'triever...His name is Dirty Harold. He's my BIIIIG little buddy. Just turned 9. As far as Im concerned, they're the best breed anyone could ask for. Beauty without Vanity, Strength without Insolence, Courage without Ferosity, and all the virtues of Man without his Vices.

He's a year old in this photo...
422979_10150629618626018_567921017_11020899_1222897755_n.jpg
 
Goldens are the best. I grew up with one and they're great family dogs. I wouldn't suggest getting one if your looking for a watch dog, since they're the type that would welcome an intruder into your house rather than scaring them away. But if you're looking for a loyal, energetic bred you can't go wrong.
 
My Golden is an old girl now. She will be 14 on her next birthday. She has lost a step or two on the yard rats (squirells), but I never really appreciated her gifts in the middle of the night anyway. Her last great kill was a racoon, sounded like a mountain lion in the back yard till she finished it off. I stopped her before she brought it in and presented it to "Momma". I love a good golden, Loyal, energetic and just plain fun to hang out with. I'm gonna miss the old girl when she goes.
Bob
 
Goldens are great, my current dog, Maddie, is a half golden. She got all the dork and all the brains. And yes, at 5, is still puppyish!
 
I've had two. Spent a lot of money on dogs with papers from good breeders. They both had chronic health problems. They developed problems with thyroid, heart, arthritis, vision, and skin. They both died of cancer fairly young. They do have good personalities but make sure you research health issues.
 
I've had two. Spent a lot of money on dogs with papers from good breeders. They both had chronic health problems. They developed problems with thyroid, heart, arthritis, vision, and skin. They both died of cancer fairly young. They do have good personalities but make sure you research health issues.

That's a shame.

My Folks used to raise Goldens when I was a kid, back in the 70's and early 80's. They were beautiful, intelligent animals. We never had those issues, you always had to watch out for hip dysplasia, but that was about it.

My folks had to get out of it, but my Ma said they really ruined the breed after that by breeding for the "puppy" look, that real blocky kind of forehead thing? There was a lot of in breeding in the 90's to get that look and it really did a number on the breeding lines I guess.

Maybe some lines that have bred out a little or some cross breeds might be the way to go. Although I have seen some Goldies that still have the more "wedge" shaped head/face that still seem to capture the intelligence and vitality of the breed I remember from my youth.

I guess if your investing in a pedigreed pure bred you really need to literally, take a close look at the parents and see how they are.


my two cents.:mug:

ps Sorry to here about you experience P_A, my condolences.
 

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