Who has a golden retriever?

[Redfeathers]

If I were to ever switch dog breeds, I would buy a Golden. I love the calm demeanor of these dogs. I know during puppy hood they can be a hand full but what breed isn't. I think a well trained Golden is top on my list for dog breeds...after Irish Setters of course. And just for the record, Irish Setters were over bred in the 70's and gained a bad reputation for it. The breeders have basically started over and now there are wonderful and calm dogs that make the best companions. I have two of them and get so tired of people asking me if they are hyper. They are very calm and well behaved and easily trainable. Awesome bird dogs too, we not only show them but they are entered in hunt tests and do very well.

Anyway, Goldens get my vote for a good family dog.

 

[Cara]

Redfeathers, do you know much about Gordon Setters, and whether they have SAR potential? They're one of the few breeds my husband likes the look of, besides his Curs, and i've always admired them.

 

[Redfeathers]

Quote:
Cara I love the picture, your dog reminds me of a flat coated retriever.

I have a friend that has a Gordon setter and I know a breeder here in Oregon. I've never thought of them as SAR dogs, they are pretty big boned and when we have them in the hunt tests, they tend to get tired quicker then the English and Irish. They have great noses but I don't know about stamina. I think though with training and lots of excersise, it would work, they are VERY smart. The coat on a Gordon is a lot of work too, when you have them in the field they tend to pick up lots of debris unless you keep them trimmed up. There are smaller field versions of Gordon Setters that have far less coat and are better adapted for working then the conformation setters that I'm used to.

 

[Cara]

Quote:
Cara I love the picture, your dog reminds me of a flat coated retriever.

I have a friend that has a Gordon setter and I know a breeder here in Oregon. I've never thought of them as SAR dogs, they are pretty big boned and when we have them in the hunt tests, they tend to get tired quicker then the English and Irish. They have great noses but I don't know about stamina. I think though with training and lots of excersise, it would work, they are VERY smart. The coat on a Gordon is a lot of work too, when you have them in the field they tend to pick up lots of debris unless you keep them trimmed up. There are smaller field versions of Gordon Setters that have far less coat and are better adapted for working then the conformation setters that I'm used to.

Yes she does look an awful lot like a Flat Coated Retriever, and if she hadn't been a rescue dog i'd have thought she was one. I think sooner or later i'll have to have a 'real' one. She's just slightly too heavily built and her head is a little too blocky. Her coat sits just like one though, and very much like a Newfoundland's too. It's more like hair than fur, if that makes sense. Surprisingly she doesn't take much grooming either, just an occasional check behind her ears for knots, but she is a burr magnet and leaves the black 'tumbleweeds' on the carpet.

I was thinking the same about the Gordon coat needing a lot of work. It would be a shame to have a dog with such a beautiful coat and to clip it. I'm thinking perhaps they might be good as they aren't popular enough to have had the intelligence bred out of them. It would probably end up like trying to work my GSP though. He's so interested in his birds, and good at finding them, that it seems a shame to try and train the instinct out of him.

 

[s6bee]

I was going to say she looked like a Flat Coated retriever, ( which is what my daughter wants )

 

[Tuffoldhen]

I have a Golden...this one is my third, my female and other male passed away from old age......Great dogs to have around children...very easy to train and listen well...they are active and love to play ball, swimming is second nature to them, can't keep them out of the water!....lol....like to go on long walks...I found mine to be easier growing out then other puppies I've had....

 

[palabeco]

I have a golden retriever/ yellow lab mix. Got him for my dd when she was 4. they are the best of friends. Very mild tempered very easily housed trained. Loves to play ball ,swim, go for long walks , listens well, and very protective in a good way(barks at strangers until we tell him they are ok). I would stay away from older dogs that you don't know how they have been treated, you might not be able to re-establish the trust.

 

[chicknmania]

Actually, to be technical, Golden Retrievers aren't labs. There are yellow, chocolate, and black labs,(and maybe other colors I don't know) and then there are Golden Retrievers. But, yes, we had one. We got him as a pup and he was extremely easy to housebreak. He was a young dog when our kids were born and he was very devoted to them...this was in our old house when we lived in the city and I used to put my baby in a swing on the front porch, put Baron out there too, put a baby gate across the porch, and know I only needed to look out every few minutes, because no way would he let anyone get within blocks without sounding an alarm. He loved to go swimming in anything we would let him swim in. When our kids were older he would go sledding and also stand in line and climb the slide, slide down with them; walk to school with us and I could leave him outside unattended if I had to go in the school for something; he'd be right there when I came out. He lived to be 16 years old. There were only three negative things I remember about him...he shed buckets of hair, (ruined our vacuum cleaner) he once chewed on a box turtle we had, and he left us incredibly devastated when he died. We have his picture on the wall of our house now.

 

[Tuffoldhen]

This is my golden when he was a puppy...

 

[Redfeathers]

Aaaww...I want to HOLD him.