How much training are you prepared to do?

 

No idea. Assume puppy kindergarten and group classes. Whatever is needed

 

Doesn't sound like you are really ready for any dogs. They all take a commitment of time, for training and exercise and play. Granted, some dogs require less time than others, but they all require some time and effort, not to mention the costs associated with owning a dog.

Have you and your family talked about why to you actually want to have a dog?

I am not trying to be negative; fact is many people who have dogs, really don't take the time or spend the money to have them trained. (e.g. all the people you see being "pulled" around by their dogs)! Many people get dogs and then, regret that decision! This is bad for the family and the dogs. Have you considered finding a rescue dog? If you look around for a dog to adopt, you could find one already house trained and maybe even trained to walk at heel. That might be a good place to start.....

Good Luck

 

I will chime in here. I have both a Golden retriever and a small dog (a poodle). I grew up in a family that had medium-sized dogs (spaniels) as hunting dogs. So I've had experience with dogs of all kinds and all sizes.

It's a myth that small dogs are somehow "easier". True, they don't pull you down the street if you haven't trained them to walk nicely on leash, but we have neighbours with untrained yorkies that are highly unpleasant when they meet other dogs while out walking. Whatever dog you get, training is essential. It's not just a question of going to class, it's also a question of practicing the exercises at home. If you don't practice, there's no point going to class. So whatever size of dog you get, you're going to have to input a lot of time in the first year or so to get a dog that will function well.

Other things to consider: shedding. How do you feel about a dog that sheds a lot, as Goldens do? You can expect hair on your carpets, on your furniture, in your car, on your clothes and just about everywhere else. This also applies to some smaller breeds. Even with a smallish dog like some of the spaniels, you need to be willing to deal with shedding. And if you choose a non-shedding breed like a poodle because you think it will be easier, I can tell you from experience that it isn't. Our poodle, like all non-shedding dogs, is extremely high maintenance. Daily brushing to keep his coat free of knots, visits to the groomer ($50) every six to eight weeks to be trimmed, at least one bath in between groomer visits to stop him from smelling. Personally I prefer my lower-maintenance Golden combined with a decent vacuum cleaner (and a house with no carpets!).

As for Goldens as a first dog: This is entirely possible, with the proviso that you're going to do the early training, starting with puppy obedience as soon as the pup comes home. Otherwise, you will end up, after six months, with a 75 lb. bundle of attitude and energy that is no fun at all. The important thing to remember is that Goldens were bred to be working dogs. So they do need a place to run. But they also need to use their brains. I have a Golden from performance lines (he's my agility partner). He's a physical dynamo, but an hour of obedience training tires him out and he'll sleep all evening afterwards. Since your household is on the lower end of the scale in terms of exercise opportunities, you would have to tell the breeder this and ask him/her to select a pup that is more laid back and will be happier with less physical exercise.

Golden puppies aren't easy. People see well-trained adult Goldens and think the breed is ideal as a family dog - and it is, but they don't come into the world like that. A nice family dog is a product of training and effort. It's true of any size of dog, but is particularly true with Goldens, I think. They are tough for the first year or so, and you need to be on top of things. The good news is that they are, generally speaking, very easily trainable. It's the upside of them being a working dog: they are bred to learn stuff and to do stuff with humans. All my Goldens have been real sponges when it comes to learning: they love training and they learn quickly. But as with all dogs, you have to practice, practice, practice. Dogs don't generalize well, so they might (for example) walk beautifully on leash in class but pull like a train in the street. You have to repeat all the training exercises in different locations, so the dog understands that the behaviour is required in every situation, not just in class.

Anyway. Bottom line, if you want a Golden, get a Golden. But get one from a good breeder who does all the health and temperament tests and will match you with a puppy that is suited to your lifestyle.

Best of luck!

 

What a wise woman you are to actually research before jumping into the deep end. You have no idea, but the majority of people who buy dogs put more thought into what kind of shampoo to buy than they do into the 12 year commitment of life with a dog. (For reference, I am in my 50's and have raised 3 kids with Goldens and a collie and I grew up with shelties). No matter what kind of dog you are considering, the best thing you can do is to assess what job the breed (or the combination of breeds if it's a mix) was originally bred for. This matters SO much. Since I have lived my entire life with either herding breeds or retrievers, I am fascinated with how the inbred traits/instincts influence what it's like to actually live with these dogs every day.

Goldens were bred to be working outdoors for hours on end in close partnership with a human. This is a big reason for their people loving reputation and why they can make such great service dogs. They need the mental and physical aspects of working. If you don't give both outlets every day, they will drive you insane for the first few years. The drive to carry something in their mouths makes them very, very oral. My collie stopped chewing shoes and things he shouldn't after his puppy teeth fell out. Retrievers will keep being a threat to chew for the first few years of life if you don't teach them not to. They will bring you random items in the house (dish towels, dvd cases, shoes) in an effort to get your attention even as adults when you are busy doing something they can't be involved in. Herding breeds will chase children out playing in the yard and nip at their heels in an effort to herd them even when they've never seen livestock in their lives - it's incredible to see. When we have porch time, my Golden is mostly sitting close and focused on me in an effort to get me to scratch her ears - my collie is focused on the outside world, vigilant to protect his 'flock/family' from anything that moves in the neighborhood. It's a very different experience.

The big question here is that YOU, the adults in the house, will have to be 100% sure that you have the time and energy for a new project. Your kids will not be responsible enough for training. If you have never owned a dog before, bringing home a Golden puppy - as we say in the south - is like baptism by fire. Those wonderful family Goldens you see on t.v. or out and about are the result of years of time spent training and interacting with them. If you want a well behaved Golden it's going to be a firm commitment to being enrolled in weekly obedience training classes for the first 18-24 months (depending on the dog and you) which goes hand in hand with short obedience practice every day at home. (Think 10 minutes of training practice before each meal and maybe 10 minutes in the evening) This part is like raising children, you must be consistent in enforcement of rules and give constant reminders of who is in charge. Puppies are like toddlers, you have to be in direct supervision with eyes on them, if you turn your back to fix supper, they will be into mischief. If your teenager wants to walk the puppy, they have to understand the rules of walking and playing with the puppy and know how to enforce them. Most teenagers simply aren't capable. If this is the case, the teenagers will ruin your training efforts by letting the puppy do whatever it wants.

The toddler/puppy theme means no more putting your feet up in the evenings. You can crate with a chew bone for about a half hour while you watch a show and have a cocktail but the rest of the time means direct playtime the entire time. You can crate the puppy while your family goes out to dinner or to a football game but when you come home ready for bed, your puppy will be wild and ready to play from all that good sleeping. You can't put a Golden out in the backyard to entertain himself while you eat dinner or do chores - he will make his own games (eating sticks, digging, chewing the patio furniture legs and eating the siding off of the house). This means someone has to walk out with him to make sure he has pottied and supervise for the time out there.

The kids will love playing with the cute puppy (if they aren't too delicate and easily put off by sharp puppy teeth - I suggest you use the search feature at the top of the page and look up the phrase "Land Shark") but they will be no help to you with the daily work and responsibility, you have to be 100% on board with making the Puppy Project your top focus for the next couple of years or you will end up with a dog who is a nightmare to live happily with . It's actually a good thing you aren't a runner, Goldens can't run on leash with a jogger/runner for the first year or so until their joints have fully developed. (If you were a committed runner in training you wouldn't have enough time to focus on the Puppy Project, busy families aren't going to have time to give a puppy proper focus.) It is very tough to get enough required aerobic exercise for a Golden puppy, they need a good half hour of hard exercise (running around off leash and hiking or swimming or retrieving or puppy playdates) every day - preferably twice a day. It's hard to get them that exercise because they can have short attention spans. Leash walking IS NOT exercise for a young Golden. It's good for them because it gets them out and engaged but it's not exercise. Thing of a 4 year old little boy and you ask him to hold your hand and walk around the block with you when what he really needs is to run along with you investigating things and racing in circles.

Goldens are very easy to train (mine fooled me into thinking I was actually a fairly good trainer) and it's very rewarding if you want to do it. But I highly recommend you look at smaller dogs who are recommended for pets. AKC website actually has some good breed research tutorials. Smaller sporting dogs and spaniels are great, but they will also need a daily commitment to exercise. Look at the breeds who are bred to be pets - Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are a breed that loves people, are entertaining and sweet and I know several Golden people who have a Cavalier because they are a similar temperament in a smaller package. Be very careful with any breed that you go to the national breed website and research the health problems. A reputable breeder should be screening breeding stock for known issues in the breed to attempt to reduce chances of puppies inheriting them. Cavaliers are primarily heart - Goldens have several and you can find discussions here and on the www.grca.org website (suggest that you read every thing on the grca site it's excellent). You might also consider Papillon (I've had a couple in classes I taught and they are AWESOME dogs in a small package) or Havanese (smart and trainable and easy to exercise in the house or a small yard) maybe English Cocker Spaniel, American Water Spaniel. Consider contacting AKC kennel club in your area to get referrals to meet adult dogs and talk to breeders. Something to consider would be breed rescue and an adult dog. Puppies are so much work, my parents rescued their most beloved dog of all time as a 1 year old and they spent a lot of time training her and she stole their hearts. You can bond with an adult dog if you put in the time. Don't forget your kids will be leaving in a few years and it will be you left with the dog.

 

Idea of getting a dog is tempting, especially when you're dog person. However, if you are not willing to commit for your dog, for the next 10+ years, every singe day, then i'd say you're not ready to get a dog.

Our pup is currently 5.5 months old, male GR (pics in my sig) and while i've been with other adult dogs before, albeit briefly, i have never had a dog on my own, especially puppy, starting of 2 months of age. So, our pup is quite a challenge for us. Sure, he is smart and easy to train since he is eager to please us, but that doesn't mean we can take it easy. No, not at all. We have to commit ourselves for our pup, which includes, but isn't limited to: at least 4 times a day going out for potty (we don't have private yard), regardless the weather outside; spending time with puppy, even when we might not feel like it (he's smart, so he knows ways to get our attention if he feels lack of it); setting rules, boundaries and limitations for him, so he grows up as well behaved dog; taking care of him (grooming, nail clipping, teeth brushing, vet visits) etc.

With this, re-evaluate the reasons why do you want a dog and think hard if you're willing to commit.

easto train

Easy to train, as in where dog is smart and picks up tricks fast? Or easy to train, as where you don't have to put much effort into training the pup?

As far as GRs go, in general, during puppyhood, biggest issues would be play nipping/biting and potty training (that's issue with all breeds of pups actually). Once adult, biggest issue would be hair shedding, since GRs have double coat with long hair and they will shed twice a year. So, if you don't want your home to be covered with dog hair, you either have to: dedicate yourself to groom your GR weekly or even daily; pay hefty bill for groomer, if you don't want to do it yourself; or get a dog breed that doesn't shed. E.g Poodle. Poodles are also very smart, doesn't shed almost at all, if only very little and are smaller than GRs. Though, Poodles are known to bark a lot, while GRs are known to be quiet dogs.

 

All dogs require a lot of your time and attention, every single day. If you're a very busy person, no dog will work for you. Goldens are a sporting breed and thus are very energetic and for the first little while at least they are very bitey, mouthy dogs. If you see a dog pulling someone down the street, it's because they (the owner) didn't put the hours and effort into training their dog. Any dog, regardless of size can be a pain on a walk if the people neglect the dog. You can have a 120lb dog that walks calmly like a dream, or a 20lb dog that acts like a rat on acid at the end of the leash, owners choice, made by their dedication to training. It will take a lot of time and a lot patience every single day to get the dog trained, they aren't born knowing how to live in the human world. How good your dog is, is a reflection of how good YOU have done with training. So if you want an amazing dog, you've got to do the work to get there. Getting a dog is almost like getting another kid in the house. You must give the dog equal shares of time and love. They don't entertain themselves, you cannot put them out in a fence or on a chain and say "there, that is exercise." It's not. They won't exercise without you being there to do it with them. Of course with a puppy, you'll be up 3 or 4 times a night, in the cold, in the wet, in the dark standing in the yard while they potty AGAIN. You'll also be in the house cleaning up another potty accident off your floor, again. That's puppy life for a couple of months...long, sleep deprived months, being chewed on, and standing outside a dozen times a day/night saying "please go potty..." Some goldens also suffer from a tendency towards inappropriate ingestions, meaning they eat things they they shouldn't like socks, and get intestinal impactions that can need surgery. If you own a golden, you 100% should have pet insurance. You also need to only buy from ethical, reputable breeders because the breed is rife with hip and elbow dysplasia, and some genetic issues like Ichthyosis, PRA, and NCL. They also are, sadly, a high cancer breed. So, good ethical reputable breeder, pet insurance, good quality food and hope.

 

Welcome. You are asking important questions. The MOST important question to ask of yourself and all the family is : Are you all ready to make a LIFETIME ( life of the dog 10 to 15 years) commitment including them as a member of your family? It is 100% adopting a fur child, however you do not have to send them to college or buy them a car. Now that you REALLY want a fur baby - Please know since you are on this Golden Retriever site that I will be honest with my 45 year experience with my beloved Goldens. Goldens require more human contact than some other breeds. They can NOT be left in a yard while the humans are at work or going about their lives. They need to be a part of the pack, that doesn't mean they have to be glued to your side 24/7 but you will need to plan who walks them and exercises them on a pretty consistent schedule. They may take up to 3 years to mature. Females are typically smaller in size and mellow out a little sooner. Know the "Mother" figure of the family will most likely be doing most of the care, feeding, brushing etc. and day to day training. Your 105 pound frame should not be a factor as you start training the day the little one comes home which he/she would be around 16 pounds. Having said that - it is suggested that you and the teens actively participate in training and are all on the same page. ( I mention that as usually there is an Alpha figure of the house that the dog will recognize and not challenge the alpha figure) Goldens are considered one of the smartest breeds and they LIVE to please you. But the puppy stage can be challenging for even the most seasoned doggie person. I strongly suggest buy and read several good dog training books to understand what you are about to embark on. Be consistent with the pups training . Now I know you are interested in this breed for their beauty, brains and sweet loving disposition. We on this forum couldn't agree with you MORE Best wishes for your future choice.

 

If I had read this forum before getting our first dog, we would never have gotten her. it all sounds so daunting. But don’t lose heart!

We got Clipper when our daughter (now 35) was 10 and our son was 6, after three years of heavy daughterly begging. She’d bring home “how to” books from the library to show us how do-able it would be. Ha. We already had a cat, so fur everywhere was a given, and we didn’t care. The backyard breeder saved the softest (most biddable) and most playful pup for us, as she was charmed by our daughter’s persistence. Clipper went through all the expected puppy phases, including land shark, but she was always so gentle that I now think she skipped being a teenager.

Exercising her was never an issue, as the kids would set up obstacle courses down our hallway to run and crawl through, around, and over with her. Their play was her exercise. We did lose a LOT of T shirts from holes made by puppy teeth as she chased them through the house. But we didn’t really mind that, either. We started her in puppy obedience as soon as our vet would let us. But we never really progressed beyond sit, down, take it gently, drop it, leave it, off, and come. When the kids outgrew obstacle courses, (by high school), I threw a chuckit for her while they were in school. Ten to fifteen minutes of running for the ball and running it back was enough to keep her healthy and at a good weight. We had her for 16 and a half years.

That being said, we’re now on our third dog, and she’s a high drive performance golden with whom I’m trying to learn agility. It makes me long for the days of kids to run around with her. (I’m almost 70, and between age, cancer, and covid, this has been a challenging two years. We brought Valentine home five weeks before lockdown, and four months before cancer.) I still think Vala would have been a lot more work than Clipper even when our kids could have run her around, though she is–true to goldens–a sweetheart who loves everyone. That was important, as we wanted her to love grandchildren who don’t live with us. She seems to have enough emotional intelligence not to jump on kids, but with adults, oy.

Our trainer calls her a Ferrari, but at home she is a couch potato. Until the rare event that someone comes to the house. We never got the chance to train this out of her as lockdown started so soon after she got here. It’s a work in progress.

So I guess my warning would be: look to the personality of the pup you bring home, and aim for the mellowest, most biddable, gentlest, dog, and you should be OK. Good luck.

 

I’ve had 4 Goldens and have spent the better part of my adult life with them. I’ve always had a dog in my life, Collies, German Shepherds Cocker Spaniels and along with the Goldens a Silky Terrier and now a West Highland WhiteTerrier. I can tell you if you are new to dog’s they will all be a challenge unless you understand the rules of engagement.

• Read, You Tube and talk the art of having a dog with everyone. Buy a crate, research the proper use of it and never waiver except for making adjustments to help your puppy adjust to it. Be prepared to wake up 2-3 times when they are puppies to take them out. A lot of us have been fortunate with pups that sleep through the night but be prepared, it’ will only last a few weeks. Have a particular spot where you always take them, and they’ll soon catch on
• Dogs require time, a lot of time initially and respond to continuity and a schedule; the objective is to have the dog respond favorably to your lifestyle…be consistent, and training will go smoother. EVERYONE in the house must also follow the very same regimen,
• Go into the dog experience understanding the essentials i.e teaching the dog to sit, stay come, heel, down, You may choose to add additional commands depending on your situation like: leave it, stop, no. Keep your dog on-lead until you are confident they respond 100%.
• Socialize your pup early. I always try to get my dogs to meet 200 people before they are 12 weeks old. Sounds like a big number but not if you are near a church before it lets out or a school bus stop; people gravitate towards a puppy! You can practice commands, observe their behavior and learn to control how your dog interacts with people and vice versa.
• Larger dogs will need exercise. Goldens do fine on 1-2 hours a day. They are like kids, all they want is your time, but remember you must always be the alpha or pack leader; their life could depend on it.
• Don’t cut corners on training, it NEVER ends. At first I always try to make it fun 10 minutes at a time with a very small nibble at a treat, slowly replacing it with praise. Don’t cut corners on veterinary care, watch what they chew on keeping away from fibrous materials that they could ingest and trigger a nasty veterinary bill. Again, just like kids, be wary of choke hazards.
• Have fun! You dogs wants it and they will respond in kind. Teach your dog tricks; Goldens are big hams and love the attention!

These are some essentials. that always worked for me. The more you are exposed to your dog the closer the bond will be as well as your understanding of what your dog’s needs are. Lay the foundation for good habits early and you and your dog will share a wonderful, loving relationship. Oh and if you decide on a Golden... groom daily, I brush once a day and a groomer comes to the house monthly, though before I got busy, I did all the grooming. ( amazing what you can learn on You Tube.) Finally, buy a really good vacuum and commit to running it daily. My very best on your choice!

 

My first inclination is a smaller/medium dog (20-40lbs) but I want family friendly and not aggressive and easto train. Is there any other breed I'm overlooking?

There are a ton of breeds that fit that description.

What you need to do though is sit down and consider other things - for example grooming.

Goldens are a better "first dog" than a breed like rough collies on the basis that if you sit down and brush the dog once a month, that's all you need. A dog with a correct coat does not need too much fuss and golden retrievers are NOT a salon dog. Rough collies, need to be groomed daily.

Rough collies are a better first dog than goldens on the basis of them being soft, sensitive, and very gentle to walk on leash. A golden retriever will pull your arm out of socket. A rough collie may pull, but it's basically nothing compared to goldens.

This is my youngest boy. He is also my lap dog. Generally speaking, all I need to do is open my arms and he comes running to curl up in my lap with his face tucked in under my chin.... he melts into your arms almost the same way he did back when he was a baby pup that I was not supposed to bring home (but I couldn't resist him).

He is very smart, very sensitive, and very sweet.... oh and never barks. He takes after his dad that way, in that the only sounds he makes are squeaks or grunts. He doesn't bark.

You can tell by the picture that he's a very good dog in the house?

That is perhaps 25% of the time. The rest of the time - he's your pretty typical active (very active) young golden.

And he also is a completely wild man who mouths when he's very excited. He's very oral (like many goldens) and mouths instead of licks when happy. My other boy is a slobberbutt who can't meet new people without his tongue being involved.

If you watch Santa Clause 2 with Chet the reindeer... that is my youngest and how he greets people or responds when very happy. Letting him outside in the morning, he will literally be up on his back feet and repeatedly bouncing 3+ feet up off the ground. The other day we brought our Christmas tree in the house and Mr. Glee jumped lengthwise straight over the 7+ foot tree where I had it down on the floor getting a fresh cut.

All of that bounce-jump-force-of-nature joy is how he got his name.

And he really is not much different than most golden retrievers out there. They should not be slow witted, fat, and lazy. These should be flashes of joy is physical form. And they need to run.

Mr. Glee runs like the wind outside - and we have the space for him to run. He would not do well as an apartment dog. Some goldens may, but not mine. 2+ days in a hotel and they get very amped up and a little more difficult to manage.

I don't care what your weight is - as I come from a background where I owned a horse and helped at a barn where 3 year old babies got up on horses that were 1000+ pounds and could stay on. Same kids as 8 year olds could get up on stud colts and work those horses better than some inexperienced adult riders. You weight doesn't matter as much as knowing how to use your weight - and so on.

As far as the smarts of these dogs... goldens are one of the more intelligent breeds in the dog world. But the one thing that sets them apart is their desire to please. They are very biddable and eager to please - but you have to condition them the right way from the time they come home as baby pups.

If you are hard handed, whiny, crabby, etc... as a trainer, it teaches these dogs to shut off or tune you out. That's where you lose any or all advantage of owning one of the top breeds for obedience. That's why people are bringing up obedience training.

Going back to Glee - he is the type of dog who my obedience trainer who has won multiple OTCH's with different dogs (obedience trial champions) and she could not control him as a young pup who did not want to keep his feet on the ground and was constant rapid movement. My explanation to the trainer was that while this pup is more amped up than his dad ever was in his entire life, I knew that type of crazy activity and energy was behind his dad. I met his aunt (finished as a CH before she was a year old) and saw the very same "can't keep my feet on the ground" flying around with her. <= I guess what I'm trying to say here is even if you go with a breeder who picked a stud who was very well-behaved and considerate himself, there might be a lot of crazies behind that boy which might come out in the puppies.

So if you are OK with all that - yes, goldens are a wonderful gut first breed.

If the idea of that much energy gives you cold sweats and panic attacks - then please check around for a dog show and go to watch around 2PM, give or take (maybe smidge earlier than that). Idea is to go towards the end of a show day when the groups are competing against each other. You can see more breeds all in one place that way.

Things to consider are size of the dogs, coats on the dogs, and other attributes that you can see from outside the ring. Any dogs that catch your eye - see if you can talk to the handlers and get information as far as these breeds and what they are like.

Most dogs in the sporting ring are biddable and people focused - while also having drive to do stuff and work.

Most dogs in the toy dog ring were bred to be lap dogs and companions, but may not have the same drive to do stuff (Which helps with the obedience training). Many people who get toy dogs, unfortunately a lot of them skip training and it shows because lot of these dogs are poorly socialized and that gives them the yappy snappy reputation.

20-40 pound dogs, personally speaking I would be looking at beagles, springers, shelties, corgis, cockers or even some of the more rare type (as in, you don't see too many out in every home) breeds like keeshonds.

Beagles get bypassed by a lot of people who immediately think of dogs that run away - which yeah that is an issue with hounds.

Be aware that beagles and springers might be smaller than goldens, but they can still drag you down the street as much or if not more than goldens. I used to watch a neighbor's Brittany for them. 40 pound dog, but he pulled a complete nightmare for walks - lot of which had to do with him having older owners who did not ever take him for walks.

 

I’m one of the resident no yard owners, don’t underestimate the time investment you’ll need to make in a GR’s exercise needs. Mine gets 4 30 minute walks a day and that is nothing to him. We can get by with that for a day or so then he needs at least an hour of hard off leash running and swimming to be tolerable to be around. I have an “easy” puppy/teen compared to most and I think it’s only because he is too tired to disobey that much but it’s exhausting for me. I’m at the stage of his first year where I think “why didn’t I get a Newfie?”

I got a golden after considering a cavalier, think very carefully about them. Their health issues are no joke and even dogs ethically bred and inherit painful issues .

 

Golden Retrievers are gentle giants but all dogs need proper training to be healthy, happy, confident family members. It's important, for example, to train them not to pull the leash. (The stop-go leash method works for me.) Having a form of exercise every day keeps them calm and content, especially if it in the form of a job they are supposed to do. Dogs love having a job. (Teaching them to return the frisbee or ball or stick wears them down pretty well.) Teaching these things takes an enormous amount of time and patience but it's really worth it in the end. GRs are the best dogs. That's my biased opinion.

 

There may be a bit of "false advertising " going on with Goldens...
That beautiful picture of a toddler standing beside a beautiful kind eyed Golden should read.
The toddler took 2 years to train the Golden took 3 !!!

 

Hahah! Yeah I keep getting sucked in. A newborn seems easier lol. At least I just stayed jn bed feeding the baby!! Warm and cozy

 

I have to add my own kudos to you for thinking this through before you get a dog!!

I found an interesting site you might like to look at. You put in what you're looking for in a dog breed, and it comes up with breeds that meet your criteria. It's not fool-proof, but it's fun and might help you narrow the list down and maybe even consider a breed you might not have thought of before.

Cuttin Blue Farms

Also, once you have an idea of the breed/breeds that you think will be good fit for your family, think about going to your local shelter to see if they have some dogs that fit your needs that could use a loving home.🤓🤓

Good luck!

 

My first dog growing up was a golden. Autumn was easy to train, but we did have to put in the effort. We did puppy/manners classes and then I showed her in 4-H and they gave free weekly obedience and handling classes at a local obedience club for 4-Hers. My dad and I were the ones who did most of the training for Autumn. The first 2 years are the most important. And there was definitely a lot of pulling while still learning a proper heel or loose leash walking. You have to put in the time daily for training. I did multiple short training sessions everyday. Autumn became one of the most well-behaved dogs I have ever been around. Tiny children could walk her on a leash and she wouldn’t pull them over. (Actually all of our dogs have been some of the most well-behaved dogs I have ever been around, but that is because most people are not putting in the effort or are using trainers/methods unsuited for their particular dog.) The effort you put into those first couple of years will be SO worth it! It is so wonderful to have well behaved dogs and the dogs are happier because of it too! Plus, you could always have fun with it and try out AKC obedience competition-maybe your kids would even like that!
As far as size, as long as you train a dog, size shouldn’t matter too much. Some of the absolute worst behaved dogs I have ever dealt with are small breeds. (I am a groomer so I see a lot of those because most small breeds require professional grooming regularly.) If you get a well-bred golden size is 55-65lbs and for females and 65-75lbs for males. A lot of backyard bred goldens are much larger. Other smaller/medium breeds you might want to look into if you don’t want a Golden’s size would be Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Shelties (though they are very vocal), Kooikerhondje; if you want minimal shedding Havanese or Biewer Terriers (keep in mind low shed breeds do need regular professional grooming like every 4-8 weeks depending on what haircut you want-look into area groomers and see what range they are charging for grooms on breeds you are interested in. As a groomer I find that grooming needs and costs are one of the most frequently overlooked aspects of potential dog ownership.)
For any breed, it is important to find good breeders or else you might end up with something much bigger or smaller or with the complete wrong temperament than what you are expecting. Well bred dogs are also generally much healthier so less costly in the long run. Plus they have good structure which helps them as they age as good structure is less painful than poor structure. For any breed you are interested in the breed’s AKC parent club is a good place to go for more info and for finding breeders who are doing everything properly and ethically. For goldens that is the Golden Retriever Club of America. You can google insert breed club of America to find other breed clubs.
I do think goldens make great first dogs, but it is important to know what you are getting into. You are wise to be researching breeds before jumping in! Too many dogs end up in shelters or returned to breeders because people didn’t research them first and got them solely based off of how they look or their friend has one they love. So kudos to you!

 

Are there two adults in this house who will be raising the dog together? This is important, as the task is so much easier when split between two people. My husband and I have raised two GRs and one lab/shepherd cross together, and it's worked out fine. We live on the Canadian west coast, so there is lots of hiking for most of the year, and little snow. We have a big public park one and half block away and an enclosed doggie park another block and half away, on public library grounds.

My current golden Bandit will be 10 this year, and I am 65 this year, my husband 60.

We are planning to get another dog this year, and much as I adore the GR, I am thinking a smaller dog, a rescue, might be best this time.