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Discussion starter · #21 ·
Oh yeah, I can confess that I was quite impressed when reading these long "land sharks" threads on a puppy section))

I have good imagination, you see)) I instantly put myself (first time dog owner) in the place of these over-experienced, yet complaining Golden owners))

Thank you, Dave)
 
We got 2 of our goldens at 5 months and never had a problem with biting. Actually of the 7 goldens we have had over the years only one would have been considered a land shark.
All of our goldens had about 2 hours a day walking(this includes training time too). We also played games in the house to give them something completely different to do and also for rainy days. It was fun.
 
Oh yeah, I can confess that I was quite impressed when reading these long "land sharks" threads on a puppy section))

I have good imagination, you see)) I instantly put myself (first time dog owner) in the place of these over-experienced, yet complaining Golden owners))

Thank you, Dave)
Do you have any friends who have a golden or samoyed puppy? Can you ask to pet sit for a day or two? I personally would not get into approx 14 year adventure until you know what you are getting into. Not fair to you, your family and the dog.

I personally do not have any personal experience with the samoyeds. A client did have one and they ended up giving it away for biting the son who was 14 at the time on the face. But they also did not have much experience with dogs and training.
 
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How much exercise a golden retriever needs, how calm they are, and how they handle weather/climate depends on which individual dog you get.

Drifter let me get away with giving him ~30 minutes of exercise a day. I didn't get him until he was four so I don't know how much exercise he needed when he was younger. He loved walks and running, but he didn't have any behavior problems from too little exercise. I think he was glad when he started getting longer walks when I got Dolce, but he refused to go on the afternoon walks I gave her. He was usually calm, especially indoors (at least until I got Dolce: she got him to play with her). He would only play fetch if there was no other dog around and the ball wasn't thrown too far; even then, he would only do it for 3-7 times. He did not like swimming: in fact, he panicked when he fell into a reservoir.

Drifter did NOT handle heat well. He had a fairly thick coat, and he didn't want to go outside when it was hot. He would try to stay in the shade as much as possible. He also hated rain (and getting wet in general). Cold usually didn't bother him. Once he stood outside and ate ice for an extended period of time while I was shoveling snow; he did wind up shivering badly then. He would also hold his paws up for me to warm up/get snowballs out at times. However, he loved winter in general.

Dolce requires much more exercise. For whatever reason, she will not eliminate on our property. When I just let her outside to do her business, she would do nothing - and then eventually make a mess when she was in the house, usually on my bed. She stopped doing that when she got two walks a day; when I started putting water on her food, she needed three. I got her when she was about one, and she would get fits where she would race around to the extent the leash and the house allowed her and would act crazy. She got these fits significantly less often when she got long walks: 2,5-3,5 hours in the morning plus 30-45 minutes at night. She is calmer now that she's four and tolerated getting only 45-60 minutes in the morning, 15-60 minutes in the afternoon, and 30-45 minutes at night when Drifter was too sick for long walks. Now that Drifter is dead, she usually gets more exercise again. She loves to play fetch, which allows her to get more exercise in the same amount of time. Unfortunately, she can only play when the fields have recently been cut as our property doesn't have room for that. I haven't taken her swimming, but she would probably enjoy it, seeing as she jumps into streams, puddles, and shallow ponds when she gets the chance.

Hot weather doesn't bother her as much since she has a much thinner coat and a bigger tongue that lets her pant more efficiently. Rain usually doesn't bother her, either - though she's more reluctant to pee when the grass is wet, which means I can't just give her a super short walk to avoid getting drenched myself. She's fine with cold as well, as far as I can tell (since I've had her, I've lived in a fairly temperate climate).
 
Martin

How much exercise a golden retriever needs, how calm they are, and how they handle weather/climate depends on which individual dog you get.

Drifter let me get away with giving him ~30 minutes of exercise a day. I didn't get him until he was four so I don't know how much exercise he needed when he was younger. He loved walks and running, but he didn't have any behavior problems from too little exercise. I think he was glad when he started getting longer walks when I got Dolce, but he refused to go on the afternoon walks I gave her. He was usually calm, especially indoors (at least until I got Dolce: she got him to play with her). He would only play fetch if there was no other dog around and the ball wasn't thrown too far; even then, he would only do it for 3-7 times. He did not like swimming: in fact, he panicked when he fell into a reservoir.

Drifter did NOT handle heat well. He had a fairly thick coat, and he didn't want to go outside when it was hot. He would try to stay in the shade as much as possible. He also hated rain (and getting wet in general). Cold usually didn't bother him. Once he stood outside and ate ice for an extended period of time while I was shoveling snow; he did wind up shivering badly then. He would also hold his paws up for me to warm up/get snowballs out at times. However, he loved winter in general.

Dolce requires much more exercise. For whatever reason, she will not eliminate on our property. When I just let her outside to do her business, she would do nothing - and then eventually make a mess when she was in the house, usually on my bed. She stopped doing that when she got two walks a day; when I started putting water on her food, she needed three. I got her when she was about one, and she would get fits where she would race around to the extent the leash and the house allowed her and would act crazy. She got these fits significantly less often when she got long walks: 2,5-3,5 hours in the morning plus 30-45 minutes at night. She is calmer now that she's four and tolerated getting only 45-60 minutes in the morning, 15-60 minutes in the afternoon, and 30-45 minutes at night when Drifter was too sick for long walks. Now that Drifter is dead, she usually gets more exercise again. She loves to play fetch, which allows her to get more exercise in the same amount of time. Unfortunately, she can only play when the fields have recently been cut as our property doesn't have room for that. I haven't taken her swimming, but she would probably enjoy it, seeing as she jumps into streams, puddles, and shallow ponds when she gets the chance.

Hot weather doesn't bother her as much since she has a much thinner coat and a bigger tongue that lets her pant more efficiently. Rain usually doesn't bother her, either - though she's more reluctant to pee when the grass is wet, which means I can't just give her a super short walk to avoid getting drenched myself. She's fine with cold as well, as far as I can tell (since I've had her, I've lived in a fairly temperate climate).
I agree with Martin. Each dog is an individual, even within the same breed.
 
Agreed!

My first purebred dog was a Samoyed and I will always have a soft spot in my heart for them. They are an ancient breed that evolved for the multi purpose needs of the native people they lived with. In contract, the golden is a relatively new breed developed for specific purpose of finding, flushing and retrieving birds.

Both are working dogs that are active, athletic, intelligent, and need a job. The Sammy's tend to be more independent then Goldens and that can make them a bit more difficult to train for obedience. The Goldens are much mouthier so while they excel in obedience, until they get their mouth under control they can be a challenge just to live with.

They both have a host of health issues and they both shed but that coat for the Samoyed adds extra challenge depending on where you live. Summer for my Samoyed was miserable. It was just too hot and humid for him in the Midwest during the summer. However he was in his element once Fall hit until the snow melted and you could see him delight in the cooler weather. The Golden's coat is still weather resistant but summer heat does not shut them down as much.

The bigger question is what are you looking for in a dog? Do you want to go for a walk in the park 3 times a week? (Neither breed would work) Do you want to jog 5 days a week in the summer? (Might be too hot for either but especially the Sammy) Do you want the dog to be by your side 24/7? (Golden) Do you enjoy a dog that can entertain himself if you are busy? (Sammy) Are you a summer person or a winter person? Year round? Which of the challenges of each breed are least appealing to you? By figuring out what you don't want to deal with can point you in the better direction.

Good Luck!
I also agree with what Leslie said that Samoyed's don't do as well in the heat.
They also can go off and lay by themselves and be completely content, whereas Goldens tend to be more clingy.
 
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I've owned both. Much more time with Goldens. Ive learned from both but I would say my Goldens have made me more of a better person.

Although Puff Puff was an amazing dog that fought hard to shake his past.

You are on a Golden message board so the opinions might lean one way. Let us know what the Samoyed board says
 
Please do not worry so much about the puppy stage. The intensity varies from dog to dog, and it is over quickly.
This is SO true. My first Golden was a nightmare bitey puppy and stayed very mouthy through her life (it was a soft mouth, and I just taught her very early on to always carry a stuffed toy). But my hands and arms were bloody for the first several weeks she was home, until her sharp puppy teeth fell out.

My current pup (1.5 years old) was NEVER bitey. It was a happy shock to me to have a Golden who wasn't bitey. She went through a normal teething stage, and during that time, she did like to gum my hand, and needed to do much more chewing (bones and toys), but she was definitely not a landshark.

Megora, thank you!

In your experience, 2 hours a day wouldn't be enough for a Golden? From what I've read here on the forum, this seems to be how long daily walks take (morning, midday and evening combined).

If they really do need 3 or more hours a day, then I'll have to seriously think whether I can commit to that.
When you are searching for a dog and a breeder, you can decide what kind of energy level you will want. As has been mentioned, any Golden will need exercise, but some need more. I wanted a high energy field dog - and I put high energy on my puppy application. I said I wanted a dog who would play ball all day, swim, hike, etc. You can say, I'm looking for a laid back, couch potato if that's what you prefer. Not all litters will produce what you might want - but you can get a good idea by looking at the parents and grandparents. It is worth the wait for the best match. My pup needs a minimum of two hours of exercise a day (usually a combo of walking and ball, or field training, or swimming). But she can happily endure much more (those are the best days). When she is home, she is very good at amusing herself with toys, or chewing a bone or antler.
 
Henry my retriever waiting for me a the golden bridge was walked for an hour in the morning, he had a huge 2 hour plus walk in the afternoon with a swim in the river and play with friends and an evening hour. The morning and evening walks were always on leash which got him into good habits. The afternoon was a blow out and could last for much longer than a couple of hours depending on who we had seen, how (not) tired he was.

Taylor my current golden is 19mnths and has back problems. But being a youngster he still wants to walk. We do shorter walks but more of them and swim in an indoor pool.

As for the mouthing, yes puppy teeth are sharp, but they soon learn not to and toys/chews can be substituted for fingers. Have seen so many people let their puppy
chew a shoe because its cute and then wonder why as an adult dog they chew shoes. There is always a way round things, thinking outside the box keeps us both on our toes.

You may love goldens and samoyeds but surely you want to be the best parent you can be. Look at what you an give, in time, money and space be realistic and then look at breeds that match that criteria. That way you have a fighting chance of finding a four legged partner that will be with you for a very long time. Somewhere along the line I have seen a website affiliated with the KC that helps narrow down your search this way.

Whatever you choose, best of luck and most of all enjoy.
 
Discussion starter · #31 ·
[QUOTE

Although Puff Puff was an amazing dog that fought hard to shake his past.

[/QUOTE]


Thank you!

You mean, your Samoyed (Puff Puff) was a rescue? Was it for this reason he "fought hard to shake his past"? Đťad he been mistreated before you got him?
 
Yes, I do have both a Samoyed and a Golden Retriever. I think both breeds are wonderful, loving, and trainable, if you invest the time in them. Samoyeds are also wonderful with children. If you want me to go in detail please email me at karenvans@comcast.net and we can talk.
We've had four Samoyeds, one was adopted from a rescue her name was Munchkin and three were males from breeders. They can be a little stubborn, but they are very lovable. They do SHED, but so do Goldens!
We've adopted two Goldens, one female, from Golden Ret. Rescue-Smooch was 16 months old when we adopted her. Smooch is now at the Rainbow Bridge, and a male we have now, named Tucker. We adopted him at about two years old. Both Goldens are very lovable!!Our Samoyed's name is Tonka and he just turned 5 years old=Tucker is 6 years old. They've been together for 4 years and adore one another!!
Karen. Those are the first pics I saw of Tonka and Tucker other then your sig.
They are both absolutely beautiful!
 
Tennyson

Tennyson

Thanks so much for the compliment on my Tonka and Tucker.
There are more pics if you go to my profile!
 
I got my Golden as a puppy and it depends on the individual dog, each personality is different. My boy was not much of a biter, however I was not working at the time so I was watching him like a hawk and I would correct his behavior, he was potty trained within 10 days, I took him to the school playground so the kids could pet him as we have no kids. Socialization is key for any dog and how much time you put into your pup, that will show in how your pup behaves. I love my golden, he was a hyper puppy, not like my husbands first golden that was super chill, again each pup is different. We have a Velcro Golden and he listens better to my husband even though I raised him from a pup :(. When he first meets people he acts like a dink, over excited but 5 minutes later he is calm. Loves people and other dogs but also very stubborn. Aggression too, ever since a pup we hand fed him and bowl fed him but his aggression over food still remains, more aggressive towards hubby than me with his food, no idea why! Very in-tune with us and our feelings, very loving too. Owned a German Shepherd before and I think now we would never be without a Golden in our life....ever.
 
Discussion starter · #38 ·
Thank you, Aneesha!

Do you have any idea as to why does your pup listen better to your husband?

And is there any way to deal with food aggression? If hand feeding didn't help, what is the next step? Or just leave it as is is?
 
My hubby has a very deep voice and I don't, I think its that simple. With the food aggression I think as he was the runt of the group and his litter mates could have eaten more than their fair share... maybe this is why. But it is not uncommon and the best policy is to just let your dog eat in peace. I can now brush him while he eats and he is fine but its usually when my hubby pets him while eating, I think he fears hubby will eat his food! But honestly, the affection we get from our Golden outweighs any little flaws he has.
 
I have never owned a samoyed but know people who have and they have been great dogs. I have had many dogs but Tucker is my first golden. He is 2 1/2 and is starting to calm down, but he has been a handful. I have commented to my husband that I would never recommend a golden for a first time dog owner. They require a lot of exercise and training. I think if I were to ever get another one, I would ask the breeder to pick out the calmest one in the litter :) Even though Tucker has been a handful, we love him so much and he has made me a lover of the breed. He also has that face that you can't stay mad at. Good luck in what ever you decide, it sounds like you are really doing your homework which is wise.
 
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