Anyone have a Golden Retriever?

[Corrie]

I am thinking of getting a 5 month old. We babysat one and I have been obsessing ever since.

[JPalmer]

Heck yes...

I adopted Dr. Pepper from the humane society here in November and couldn't imagine him not being part of our family now. Easily the smartest dog I've ever had (granted I've only had 4).

He's smart, intuitive, and even at 3 has been very easy to train basic commands. Very playful and strong... doesn't realize his own strength chasing and tackling the kids. Basically spot trained himself in the yard (he only goes the bathroom in about 25 sq. feet of my 1/3 acre back yard)...

And he's gooooooooorgeous and just desperately wants us to pay attention to him.





And best of all.... apparently has a desire to get his driver's permit.

[Corrie]

He is SO cute!! My kids got so tired out from playing with the one we babysat. They were all sad when she left. Now I'm extra excited.

[Cajungaltx]

Corrie,
A few things to consider with Golden Retrievers - they SHED like the dickens... so if you don't have the space... or you have an aversion to hair... rethink it... lol. They need lots of activity...

That said - they are perhaps some of the BEST natural dogs for families. They tend to NOT have aggressive natures... which is just awesome. We have a beagle, because of limited space, otherwise we'd have a golden. ;-)

Donna

[Corrie]

Thanks so much. She'll get a lot of activity (I need a running buddy) but I'm kind of a neat freak so the hair thing messes with my head a little lol. I have a dyson so that might help. We have a decent sized yard. Nothing huge but not bad for suburbia.

[L Stegall]

I've been an "aunt" to 3 goldens (two female and one male). They are wonderful family pets - usually very sweet with children. They can have hip and ear problems, but in terms of being playful and good around kids they are hard to beat. My sister's current one (who is 2) is a total destructo dog - she is still a total wild child and will eat anything and everything, including my sister's little P&S camera, which she just crushed like an empty Coke can. She needs way more attention (i.e., a LONG walk every day) than she is getting now - her boy went off to college and she's home alone all day while they are at work. They need a lot of attention and physical exercise - especially at 5 months old. They do shed, but hey, so does my australian shep/whatever mix.

[JPalmer]

With 3 boys (8, 6, 3) our Dr. Pepper gets PLENTY of runaround time on the weekends and warm days. I try to take him for a morning walk every day I can before going to work just to tire him out a bit.

He still hasn't quite gotten over the anxiety of us leaving him alone either in the house or out in the backyard on warm days and has made it a point to chew on something he shouldn't....

But just a few weeks ago we started leaving his kennel/bed open at night so he could sleep where he wanted to and it's gone really well except for 2-3 nights when he let us know he needed to go outside at about 4 a.m.

The shedding will be an issue, but you can manage it with multi-weekly brushing and regular baths.

But if you have kids... don't even give it a second thought to getting a Golden.

[Wes]

Some pretty good info here....

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/goldenretriever.htm

[Corrie]

Thanks so much for all the info! I appreciate it. I am waiting for the lady to send me some pictures. Her husband deployed to Iraq and she doesn't have time for the dog anymore. That makes me feel a bit less guilty for not getting another shelter dog.

[Davidtxs]

cant beat em how old is the one your thinking about ? when Gus turned 3 it was like turning on a switch lol he turned into a normal dog hes six now. And for the hair keep em brushed and groomed that will cut down on shedding alot.
and a Furminator helps a ton

[loana0320]

I love my Golden.. I have had her for about 6 years and she is almost 8 years old.. they do SHED a lot... and she tends to have allergies to grass lmao and to certain foods so she is in the nutro brand which she seems to do very good.. I do keep her trim about every 2 or 3 months.. my smaller child is allergic to dogs so i keep hair under control by taking her to petco every couple of months to get grommed
She has been like a nanny to the boys she follows them everywhere and sleeps either next to my bed or when one of them get up at night to bathroom she sneaks in their room and sleeps next to their bed.. she is the best dog I have ever owned!
her name is Holly by the way ;) this is her a few days ago while I was trying to practice my bee

[loana0320]

btw-she is due for a grooming lol... she is going this weekend :)

[Murph]

Luna (or Lunatic) is a Golden Retriever mix. Wonderful dog, she has become my buddy dog since we lost Peaches.

[loana0320]

hehehe how precious.. she does not look lunatic lol

[jeffh]

golden retrievers are wonderful dogs. but yes, shed quite a bit. too much hair for me. you should pick up a one-eyed english bulldog



much less hair.