Help me pick a dog

While I agree that researching breeds is wise, there are varieties within each breed. Since your family is new to dog ownership, and since the majority of care (although yes, your parents will help) will fall on a teen, I'd suggest going the foster group route. I'd talk to a veterinarian as to what groups are reputable in the area.  I'm a tech and I can say that we see the dogs come in from the shelter and can see a trend in what kind of animals they tend to adopt out.  Dogs are usually in foster homes long enough to show their personalities, and this will help them to match a dog to your family. 
 
Puppies are adorable, but they're a ton  of work.  I'm not sure I'll have a puppy again, simply because I remember all too well the work that goes into them. (and I'm reminded daily at work while trying to weigh.draw blood/temp a squirming puppy) I rather like having them arrive in my home past all of that 'head full of mush' stage[]
 
Whatever route you go though, I advise against pet stores. It's common for pet store puppies to have housetraining issues, as they've learned to soil where they eat and sleep.  That, combined with it supporting the puppy mill industry, should be enough to steer one away

Hm, I read some stuff about separation anxiety for the more sociable dogs the other day.  Would that be a problem in my situation?  My parents work 9-5 and after summer's over my sister will be at school for about that much time also.  I will be at college and hopefully THAT won't cause separation anxiety because I'll be away for at least a week at a time.  Only my grandparents will be home 24/7 and I'm not sure how much they're willing to take care of the dog.  Edit: Nevermind, we will work something out with my grandparents or take the dog to a day care if necessary.

Okay, we narrowed it down to either a Golden Retriever or a German Shepherd Dog.  We did go to the AKC dog show, but it doesn't give a feel for how a dog acts at home at play.

We like the Golden Retriever a bit more than the GSD because of its more dependent/affectionate nature, but so far the earliest Golden Retriever puppy available for adoption is the beginning of August, whereas there is a 10 week old GSD puppy available now.  Both of the breeders were referred to me from AKC.  I know that what we should do is wait for the Golden Retriever, but on the other hand it would be better to get a dog sooner because we have more time in the summer to devote to the dog.

Both of the breeders were referred to me from AKC.

 
 
If you used the AKC classifieds on their homepage, do BE CAREFUL as just as many BYB's, use this service as ethical breeders, at least in my breed. It's provided when you register a litter.
 
Like AKC registration itself, it's NO indicator of the quality of the dog or the ethics of the breeder...you still need to base your decision on a good breeder checklist, YOUR EYES, and YOUR GUT, okay?

ORIGINAL: rwbeagles

Both of the breeders were referred to me from AKC.

 
 
If you used the AKC classifieds on their homepage, do BE CAREFUL as just as many BYB's, use this service as ethical breeders, at least in my breed. It's provided when you register a litter.

Yeah, I thought as much.  But don't worry, I didn't do that - I emailed the Breeder Referral Contacts from each of the clubs.

I think a golden is a great choice. They are sort of the ultimate "family dog", especially around these parts (in my old neighborhood it seemed like if you bought a house there they issued you a golden retriever--everyone had one!). The one mistake people make with them is they assume that they will just naturally, from the moment they are born, be these perfectly trained calm family dogs. They of course need training just like any other dog, and go through being a naughty puppy and jerky adolescent just like any other dog, but one from a good breeder will have a good foundation for temperament and trainability that, along with your family's training and consistency and puppy-rearing, can make a great family dog.

Just remember, whoever is home with the dog is going to be caring for the dog. Dogs generally don't understand "someone is home but they aren't my someone so I'll just sit tight." If anyone is home here and the dogs are not having their needs met by that someone, they will whine and howl until that someone gets off their duff and cares for them.

Goldens are great dogs, we have one right now. But when she was a puppy, she did all the things that puppies do, pee on the floor (ugghh, I remember stepping in it =P), poo on the floor, cry in her crate until 3AM, eat chair legs, get into everything you dont want them to get into, and she even managed to some how rip all our wall paper off of the wall.
 
When she was going through her adolesence stage, I got so frustrated and wanted to give up. She was the worst I had seen when going through that stage. She wouldnt listen to you AT ALL! She would do what she wanted when she wanted. But now that she is 3 years old she has settled down, not much but she is not as bad as she was when she was a pup. She was alot of fun to train though, she gave me something to do when I was bored, I taught her 4 tricks in one day. She learned REALLY fast. I taught her how to bow, cover her nose, play dead, roll over, high five, patty cake, and she is really good at agility. When I was training a service dog, Claire (my golden) caught on to all the commands I taught Therese (the golden that I was training as a service dog). I never taught Claire "take it" but she knows how, she knows how to walk right by your side on a loose leash and sit when you stop, and I never really taught her that. She always keeps you on your toes, and still has a lil puppyness to her, she is a big clown. Some days you will come home to ripped apart stuffed animals, shredder tissues, and the whole garbage can knocked over and garbage scattered everywhere. She is a good dog though, she loves to play fetch and loves learning new things. During the day when my mom is gone, she usually sleeps on the top step where she can see out the window with my other dog next to her. They bark at everything that passes the house, and dont stop until you look out the window and see what it is and tell them it is okay. She also picks up socks, towels, rags, stuffed animals, EVERYTHING and brings it to you....right now I have a huge pile at the computer desk full of socks, towels, stuffed animals, and even markers and pens. Oh and you cant forget, you have to brush them pretty often to prevent or get out mats that form around their ears, on their butt, and on the feathering of their legs and tail, not that much work, we brush Claire 3-4 times a week and she doesnt really get many mats.
 
She is a GREAT dog and I'm glad I got her.
 
Let us know what breed you choose for sure, and when you get your dog/puppy make sure to post picturessss
 
Here are a few pics just for the fun of it.
 

Sleeping on the top step
 

my lil goof ball
 

giving me the puppy eyes...she knows she did something bad
 
Sorry, I love posting pictures :]
 

You want a herding dog ? Honestly , Herding Dogs are for farms ,but there are different cases where Aussies and Shepards can live in a house without causing any problems but those types of dogs must be socialized and must have a firm willing hand who understands that dogs must have training .  But dont get a dog that is too big or too small . If you get a dog that is too big , the 13 year old will have trouble grasping onto the dog . If you get something too small it may relatively cause major problems in the household . "I mentioned earlier that my sister does not want to get the dog from a shelter . " If you get it from a shelter you will  save BIG BIG BIG bucks comparing to what you buy from a pet store . Children dont understand when they get a dog from a pet store the parents will have to I.E pull money out of there pocket something that they probably dont have and spend money on a dog that you dont know where it came from or may get sick two months later why risk that ? Getting a dog from a breeder is just as worse because your spending the same amount of money as if you bought the dog from a pet store . That doesnt help at all . That is another reason why we have an overpopulation of animals today . Breeders and Pet Stores are contributing to overpopulation not stopping it . But try to convine the child that getting from a breeder or pet store is not always the best idea . A couple of weeks ago i went to the pet store called " petland " and i saw an Olde English Bulldogge that i wanted but when i asked how much ? They said $1800 . So instead i just decided to look in the newspaper and found a reasonable price 550 - 750 which was relatively reasonable . The same ammount as the rent my mom pays.  Might i suggest looking in the local newspaper and finding dogs for sale if she doesnt want to have an animal shelter dog .
 

Might i suggest looking in the local newspaper and finding dogs for sale if she doesnt want to have an animal shelter dog .

Not a good place to get a dog.  You shouldn't buy dogs from pet stores.  You should get a dog from a reputable breeder, and this thread is almost a month old.
 
Herding dogs are not just for farms.  I should know...I own two

ORIGINAL: Xeph
Herding dogs are not just for farms.  I should know...I own two

 
True, but not a good idea for the average 13 yr old girl, the frail elderly, or the minimally committed parent....

Exactly but, People who buy dogs from petstores have the money to just chuck down the toliet to get a $2000 dog and have no problem whatsoever spending that kind of money on a dog .

I am really confused by all the statements regarding a 13 year old taking care of an animal.  Thousands of kids do it every year for  4 H clubs.  All three of my kids were given responsibilities at a young age.  I had them doing their own laundry at 12.  How can you possibly raise a kid to be responsible if you don't give them responsibilities (with guidance of course)?  Do these people even  have kids?  The biggest lesson my kids learned:  when you commit to something (no matter what it is) you have to follow thru and finish.

ORIGINAL: bluesbarby

I am really confused by all the statements regarding a 13 year old taking care of an animal.  Thousands of kids do it every year for  4 H clubs. 

Yeah. Back in the Bronze Age I was one of those 4-H kids. But the reality is that lots and lots and lots of teenagers do find that their "interests" change. Generally from pets to petting. And while a parent might be able to be somewhat successful in forcing a kid to feed, and maybe walk the dog, they can't really force the kid to actually care about the dog if they don't care. Plus, dogs hopefully live for over 12 years. That 13 year old will be 25 by then and hopefully in their first year of med school or off in Peru working for the Peace Corp or operating a tatoo parlor/latte stand. At any rate, it is unrealistic to expect that at some point the parents won't have to assume responsibility for the dog, at least temporarily, and perhaps long term. So, if they aren't willing to do that, they shouldn't get a dog, no matter how much the 13 year old begs.

Maybe I'm reading this wrong, but it sounded to me more like the 13 year old wanted to have primary responsibility of the dog and the parents agreed.  I don't remember reading anywhere that they were not going to help her out or didn't want a dog.  IMO, if a 13 year old is old enough to bear a child, then a 13 year old should be old enough to properly care for an animal with adult supervision.  I'm not saying they all can, but they should be able to. []

ORIGINAL: Liesje

Maybe I'm reading this wrong, but it sounded to me more like the 13 year old wanted to have primary responsibility of the dog and the parents agreed.  I don't remember reading anywhere that they were not going to help her out or didn't want a dog. 

Yeah, I think your summary is accurate. But several people have posted asking if the parents are willing to assume responsibility for the dog in the highly unusual circumstance that the 13 year old turns out to develop other more pressing interests sometime in the next dozen years. This is an important question to ask, and it's important that the answer is a sincere yes that the parents will take responsibility for the dog for life. Getting a dog "for the kids" and then finding out that the kids' interest in the dog was short lived is a pretty common reason for dogs to end up in shelters or tied to the tree out back, so this is a question that should always be asked. It doesn't mean that 13 year olds are incapable of taking care of a dog, or that all 13 year olds inevitably will lose interest. I'm proof of that some 13 year olds are more responsible toward pets than their parents and that they can maintain that interest for a lonnnnng time past the age of 13. But there should always be a back up plan that doesn't involve chains, trees, or shelters when adopting a dog "for the kid(s)".