Are Golden Reteivers good dog for kids?

Question

For a 5 year old boy, he wants a Golden Reteiver...good idea?

Answer 1

excellent choice. Loves family and very loyal. one of the smarter breeds.

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

Answer 2

Golden Retrievers are wonderful companions. Just make sure you teach your son how to treat a dog. Children and dogs are great combinations when the child understands how to interact with a dog (and the dog learns obedience).

I don't know if you want a puppy (lots of work) or an older dog but the purebreed rescues for Golden Retrievers have a lot of available dogs for adoption. You would be doing a wonderful thing if you considered adopting.

Wish you all the best with whatever you decide.

Answer 3

You've got some great advice so far.
Goldens in general are great family pets. Do your homework. Research several areas before you select the next member of your family. You should be willing to wait for the right dog, not just go for the right now dog. :-)

Try to buy from a knowledable breeder. Ask for references and check them. Good references include the vet, past buyers, the local animal shelter. What is the breeder's policy on replacements for health or temperment reasons? Is the breeder a member of any local/regional/national dog organizations.

Best of luck finding the right dog.
Susan

Answer 4

Golden Retrievers are great dogs, and friendly. But..remember this dog gets big! And lots of energy. Retreivers also make good guard dogs, as do German Shepherds. German Shepherds are also friendly with small children. Possibly keep it in a fenced in area away from the child at first to introduce both. This is going to be a big responsibility. I wouldn't recommend one from the pound as this would be a strange dog to the child, and you wouldn't know the past of it. Would he consider a smaller pet first. Like a rabbit? Or possibly put out an ad, in the paper in your area looking for this particular dog, and list that it be good with small children, and go and visit it, and see how they get along together. Also, ask about the past of the dog, and if it has ever bitten anyone, and health of it. Hope this helps.

Answer 5

Absolutely! I have a Golden (he's almost 3) and he's been the best dog I've ever had. He's wonderful with the family, and he's very protective. My only word of advice, get the golden when it's young, that way it grows up with your kid. My experience w/ older dogs is that they're less patient especially if they're thrown into a new family. I hope you get one, it will be your son's best companion! I love my Golden Angel

Answer 6

A golden retriever is a excellent dog for a small child. They are very loving and loyal. Ours was the easiest to trained. But make sure you crate train if you decide on getting one. They can have seperation anxiety. It also helps them become more secure with their surroundings. I am pretty sure your son loves to throw the ball around so a golden retriever would be good because they are great retrievers. Hope I helped.

Answer 7

My neighbors swear by Goldens. They are good-natured and family oriented from what I can see. I used to dog-sit theirs and my kids loved them. At 5 years old though ,your son will not be able to do a lot of the care and training. He will be more of a playmate.

Answer 8

Yes BUT,.... of course there is always a "but"

. The current popular favorites of Goldens and Labs are suffering from the effects of being loved too much by too many. Goldens now have the dubious distinction of being the No 1 breed in biting the vet because they are wimps about pain - and then there are the enormously rampant health problems - hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, osteochondrosis (bone problem), allergies, a cancer rate in the top 3 - all very very common, very expensive and often fatal .....(Love them to death but after 28 years of having them, I gave up because of the way the breed had deteriorated. My vet who has Goldens says that Goldens were invented so vets can earn a living - and I must agree.) The poor Labs are having the same problems now - the hips, etc and I noticed the other day, that the temperament problems must be increasing when I saw the Lab National Breed Club had posted on its breed rescue page "Lab Rescue does not work with aggression. A dog that bites will not be brought into the program." Hmmm... now what brought that on, eh???Be very careful if you decide on one of these breeds - Lab or Golden - and only deal with a serious reputable breeder from their club's list or their breed rescue. They are great with kids but do need the exercise - a lot of it - an awful lot and a walkies or letting the dog play in a FENCED yard, is not anywhere near enough.

Now in Goldens there are really 3 distinct bloodlines:

conformation/show - mellow but will tell you to have your girlcall their girl and you can do lunch next week to discuss whether they feel like obeying that command - right now they need to finish doing their nails.

obedience/agility - highly focused, intent on their work and willing to do anything to please but more energetic dogs who need a job

field/hunting - the larger bones,more massive Goldens who can and want to work all day, very independent minded and you better give them a good reason why they have to do something (and cookies & treats are notgoing to be enough.) Very high energy.

Go here:

http://www.grca.org/

That takes you to the National Breed Club which is the only club about the breed that is recognized and accredited by the AKC and it sets the standards for the breed . The Clubs' websites will give you an ENORMOUS amount of information about the breed - the good, the bad, and the why or why not to get that breed.

The clubs websites also have:

(1) a breeders list - all of whom have agreed to abide by the breeders code of ethics (which you can read)

(2) a link to the breed rescue for their breed

Do give serious thought to adopting from an adult from a breed rescue. The clubs' breed rescues go to a great deal of trouble to determine the dog's temperament, personality, likes and dislikes (particularly kids and cats and other dogs in the household), health, and level of training. They make a huge effort to match the right dog to the right home - and if they don't have one they think will be suitable for your home, they won't place it. Great way to avoid the puppy training, newspapers, chewing.......They have dogs that are purebred and part-bred (1/2 or so of their breed.) Dogs that come through rescue are so thrilled to have a forever loving home having once been abandoned to a shelter or rescue that they are typically extra devoted and loving. Dogs lose their homes for reason that are not their fault: death, divorce, a move and they couldn’t keep them, financial problems….

If you decide to get a puppy, please use one of the breeders who are members of the breed club. A well-bred pet puppy may not be a candidate for the show ring (that nose being 1/8th of an inch to long or something else very picky) but they will be very healthy, the parents carefully screened for hereditary health problems (and that is a LOT more than a checkup at the vet), and from a breeder who has devoted a great deal of time to understanding the breed and bloodlines. A responsible breeder will have a written contract with a health guarantee for hereditary problems; require that if for any reason you ever have to give up the dog that it comes back to them; and always be available for help, assistance and advice about your dog. Such a breeder will tell you if they don't think their breed is right for you based upon your needs. They want a perfect forever home for the puppies - not the money. (In 43 years in the dog show world, I have never known a breeder of that caliber who has made a profit on their dogs - it is labor of love.)

A puppy from such a breeder costs no more - and often less as poorly bred dogs tend to have very high vet bills over the years - than from a backyard breeder who doesn't do the health checks, knows nothing about the breed or bloodlines, doesn't give a guarantee, never wants to hear about the puppy again and has breed from mediocre or poor quality dogs.

You may find the breeder who has the type of dog you want but no litter on the ground at the moment. Most good breeders have waiting lists -get on it. You may find the breeder and puppy you want but at a distance. Among the really responsible breeders(members of the club) shipping a puppy is quite normal -they want the best possible home for the dog and the written contract is very extensive.


Do ask the breeders on the club list if they have any dogs they bred that they need to rehome - good breeders all require if the owner can't keep one, it comes back to them. It may be a dog they placed and it came back because the owner didn't have time, didn't realize how big it would get, got divorced.... It may be a dog who was a show prospect but as they grew didn't meet their early promise. It may be an AKC Champion they decided not to use in their breeding program because while it did get the Championship, they don't need more bloodstock or find a tiny conformation flaw they don't want to reproduce.

NEVER EVER buy from a pet shop. Those puppies came from puppy mills where the parents are locked in cages, bred until they literally die from it, never vaccinated, never wormed, fed just enough so they don't quite die of starvation, live in filth, never bathed or groomed or cared for, are typically of very poor genetic stock both physically and often mentally. The puppies are shoved off to pet stores with no vaccinations, no worming, no socialization or handling... You are buying nothing but heartbreak at a price higher than what a responsible breeder charged for a pet puppy.

IF A SERIOUS BREEDER OR RESCUE TELLS YOU THAT THE BREED IS NOT SUITED FOR YOUR SITUATION - BELIEVE THEM - NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU LIKE THE WAY THE DOG LOOKS

Answer 9

Goldens are great dogs with kids. If he is that young and you get a puppy, he will have to know how to treat it and it will have to learn how to behave around him. Lots of patience, time and effort on your part but it can be done.
Good luck

Answer 10

I don't know of a dog with a better disposition than a Golden.

Answer 11

Definitely! Goldens are gentle dogs.