Photo Credits: Cmannphoto
Golden retrievers are medium-sized dog breeds ranked 3rd among the most famous dogs worldwide.
They are friendly, intelligent, active, and curious dog breeds.
When it comes to choosing a dog, we all want to know if it will be a good choice or not.
Which traits of Golden retrievers make them good or bad dogs?
Friendly and playful
Golden retrievers are friendly towards everyone, be it humans or other pet dogs or cats. They are joyful dogs who are people-oriented and love amusing their master. Your children will also like them for their agile nature.
They learn things quickly and you will spend most of your time teaching them new tricks and games. You may get tired but the retriever will not.
They take an interest in fetching things, swimming, hide and seek, and whatnot.
As their name suggests, they love to retrieve things and are always ready to fetch, making them excellent gun dogs.
They are originally hunting dogs who assist hunter by retrieving their prey but with a soft mouth.
They need a lot of socialization and will fit into a social family.
There will not be any rough moments with the golden retriever.
No aggressive
They are generally not aggressive dogs, unlike other large dog breeds. It makes them an ideal family dog for a house full of children and visitors.
Your dog will be friendly with strangers and neighbors if trained well to insert good behavior. They don’t have it in them to bite and if they do, they will do it with a soft mouth.
Some of their breeds can be aggressive that is due to genetics, fault in breeding, and poor training.
That’s why, you must not get a dog from backyard breeders, always get one from a rescue center or good breeder.
Doesn’t bark Frequently
Golden retrievers don’t bark excessively. When they do it, it is the bare minimum. They are peacemakers and there are fair chances that they will not bark at any burglar when broke into your house.
You see it? If you plan to make them your watchdog, then unfortunately, this dog will not serve the purpose.
What makes them not a good choice?
Grooming
Golden retrievers have double-coat fur that sheds twice a year, daily hair shedding is an exception. You need a vacuum to clean their daily mess of hair. They require grooming after every two months. Due to their long hair and their love for swimming and fieldwork, their hair gets dirty. You must bathe them more frequently to ensure clean pets roam in your house.
Additionally, they can cause allergies because they are not hypoallergenic. If you are allergic to dogs then a golden retriever is not for you.
Health issues
When a dog is famous, their demand increases dramatically, and so is the scenario with this dog. Many breeders start breeding them without proper precautions, resulting in many defects. One is in the form of disease, they are prone to cancer and almost 60% of this breed dies from cancer.
Other ailments are hip and elbow dysplasia, thyroid problems, heart disease, epilepsy, and cataracts(which is a genetic eye problem making them blind.
Conclusion
Golden retrievers can be a good family or hunting dog due to their friendly nature and instinct to fetch things. They are less stubborn, make less noise through barking, show less aggression, and are classic family dogs. However, their grooming and health issues can be costly and may drain your energy, leaving you with another dog breed to consider.
Know about the other aspects of Golden Retriver, here.