Choosing a breed for me..

My very first question is this... who will take the dog when you are all done with school? 

Ok, that asked, why not go to the local shelter and browse their dogs for adoption?  Goldens can have as many problems as any other dog so you never know what you're gonna get unless you get a pure golden from a respectable breeder.  When you start mixing breeds, you don't know what will come out in the pups.

As for temperment with what you're looking for, any dog, within a certain breed, can have different temperments and be more or less likely to do any one of those things.  Larger dogs slobber more than smaller dogs, in general.

As for a puppy, make sure that you guys are willing to devote a lot of time to the puppy for it's first 5 months with you.

Good luck!!

Okay- first thing- I'm a college student, so I know where you're comming from, but here are my questions.
 
-Who's dog is it going to be? When you graduate/leave college who will take the dog with them? Face it, you guys probbaly aren't going to be living together for the next 8-12 years, right?
 
-I'd say go to the shelter first. Some have baggage, but if you meet with them at the shelter, they will probably show you which is the right one for you. Maybe a pup at like 6-8 months old may work.
 
-You say mildly energetic. Most goldens I know (while working with them at the groom shop) are pretty hyper and energetic as young dogs, and most stay "puppies" until they're maybe 8 or 9 . Labs and Goldens are pretty high maitenence dogs as far as excersize goes. Are you wanting to excersise them for a couple hours each day (other than just running in the backyard- I'm talking hikes and swims)
 
 
-Any dog that you "buy" from a breeder that is "mixed" with golden probably isn't going to be a reputable breeder. (the good breeders are ones who prove and show their breed and they breed pups that are the best of the best of their breed.) All of these "doodle" dogs, most (and I say most) breeders are in it because they can make a good $1K-3K off the dogs. Please, please, please (a thousand times please) stay away from buying a puppy at a pet store or you'll have a lifetime of anguish and vet bills. The pups come from "puppy mills" where they produce dogs like crops.
 
-I'd really think about getting a puppy- how many hours are you guys at home? A puppy can only hold it's bladder for 2-3 hours at first, and they need adequate socialization and training. I'm not saying that you won't have time for this, but goodness! I'm going into my junior year, and I know that as every year goes by, it gets darn hard! I think I studied until 2am or later one or two of those nights, and once you get into the 300 courses, you dont' have time for your room-mates or your pets.
 I love Daisy with all my heart and soul, but she'd be pretty darn lonely if it weren't for Oscar keeping her company.
 
I hope I helped!
Welcome to the boards, btw!
 
 

We've already established that "roommate #2" will get the dog after school is over.


And yes, (unless a better idea comes up) we plan to go to a local shelter.  But, before we go, we want to know what kind of dog we want.  Once we pick out the dog that we want, we'll start looking at a few shelters until we find one that falls into one of the breeds/mixed breeds that we're looking for.  After that, we'll keep waiting until we find a dog of the correct breed that also exhibits good characteristics (ie confidence, no aggression, etc).  We are willing to wait awhile until we find the right one.


Pursuing a respectable breeder and getting a purebred golden seems out of the question.  We can afford to spend a fair amount of money on the dog for food, shots, etc.  But, we can't afford to pay that as well as an additional $2,000 and pay for the purebred.

If we get a purebred golden from a shelter, I'm worried that it will be abandoned, won't be a good dog, etc.  I am assuming (perhaps wrongfully) that mixed breeds will be more prominent at the shelter and that we will also be able to find a dog with better traits and such.  Also, I am assuming that if we find a mix of a breed that tends to be un-energetic with another breed that is un-energetic, then we will have a dog that is un-energetic.  That said, we are trying to find a range of possible breeds that will be a good fit for us.

Also, between us we should have more than enough time to devote to the dog.  I recently decided to graduate in 4 years instead of 3 and I'm taking only 12 hours, which is pretty much a joke to me.  I'll have a lot of free time on my hands, and with only 12 hours of work per week it shouldn't be an issue, not to mention I have 2 more roommates.  I also run a lot and that should give the dog a good amount of exercise.  I just don't want a dog that is going to run 5 miles and then go crazy all day anyway (ie like a Weimeraner or Jack Russell).

That all said, I still haven't really narrowed what breeds to look for ..

I'm sorry but  :Thedoc617 said something that offended me. I understand that dogs from pet stores have more problems and that the kids in the dorm arn't in any position to support a special needs or sickly dog but that dosnt mean that all of those dogs should be ignored. Should we just burn them all becuase of the ignorance of people who run puppy mills? Its the same as people who discrominate specific breeds, lets punish the dog not the stupid people who made them that way! And this isnt a inviation for a argument, I'm not attacking anyone personally I just hope for people to have more common sense

Sheprana, every time someone gives in to their impulses and buys one of those cute little pups that CAME from millers, the millers are validated in their belief that it is AOK to make money from the fertility of their dogs
 
Puppy mills are absolute horror shows.  Row after row after row of usually stacked metal crates typically out in the open, once in awhile the dogs get lucky and get a lean too.  The dogs live their entire lives in these cages, getting out ONLY to be mated.  Millers throw the worst kind of slop they can find at these dogs...crap that makes Ol Roy look like  a GOOD food.  So, instead of being well nourished these dogs are sickly, never tested for conditions common to the breed, often inbreed, father to daughter, brother to sister, and usually genetic NITEMARES.  These dogs whelp a litter EVERY heat, usually starting when they are still just pups themselves.  The adults receive little to no vet care, no vaccines.  The pups never see a vet either....leave with no shots, no worming, unless old Farmer Joe uses some generic over the counter crap to worm before he ships the whole litter out at 4 or 5 weeks.  Oh, and they are weaned as early as possible, so momma can go into heat again and make MORE pups to sell.
 
Yep, I want to save EVERY single pup in the pet shops.  But I know that if I do, it just encourages these buttwipes to keep on making more.
 
Now, to the OP.....you do NOT want a puppy.  There isn't a puppy born who isn't gonna chew everything up.  I've lost stuff like wallets...ever had to call and ask for a replacement credit card because your DOG ate it.....FURNITURE, and I'm talking BIG furniture like recliners, sofas,etc, more shoes, socks, cordless phones, cell phones and remote controls than I can EVEN begin to count....and I'm a neat freak...a place for everything and everything in its place kind of gal.  You cannot run with a pup....or a young dog.  You can't take a dog for a jog on cement until after the growth plates have closed...usually 15-24 months.
 
The ONLY dog that I can think of that *might" fit your "unenergetic except when I want him to be" requirement is a RETIRED greyhound.

Sadly, until the supply/demand for puppies slows down- which it won't any time soon. We live in a society of people who don't like to wait for things. They want a puppy and they want it NOW! what better way of walking into a pet store, giving them your credit card, and walking out with a new dog. That's way too easy in my book!
 
Everything that Glenda said is true. You buy a pup- you put money in the "miller's" pockets and the cycle continues. 
 
Most likely, Daisy (my shelter dog) was supposed to be used for breeding "dwarf dogs"- normal dogs with shorter legs (short legs like corgis/doxies) and I'm paying for it out of my pocket with vet trips. That doesn't make me love her any less, but it just makes me that much angrier at where she came from.
 
I'm sorry to have offended you, Sheprano, but that's my personal opinion on pet store dogs. I have gotten kicked out of many many pet-stores in my life... (A family with the youngest child of 4 years old was looking to buy a 5 week old chihuahua. They wanted a dog that their son could "hug". I explained to them that bigger dogs were better for the rough and tumble type of thing and directed them to Petfinder. The manager overheard me and threw me out of the store.). 

 

The reason that I am so touchy on this subject is because people seem to feel the same way about Pitbulls, they try to punish the breed instead of the people. They dont want to help the cause they just want to bitch about.
So may I respectively ask, what are YOU doing to stop this? Do you really think not buying or encouraging others to not buy these dogs is helping? What legislative actions have YOU PERSONALLY taken to stop puppy mills? It seems again that the attention has been taken from the problem at hand to the punishment of "god's creatures"
I just feel that you are helping the problem instead of trying to help find a solution.

Just for the record, I don't live in a dorm.  My roommates and I live in a house that has a fenced in backyard (most non-Freshman at my University live off-campus).  There's also "nature"/"dirt" paths that I like to run on.

I don't mind the dog being somewhat active.  I know, for example, my friends have a Rottweiler that thinks it's a cow and doesn't do anything.  I'd like a dog with more energy than that.  I have grown up with Jack Russels and Weimeraners, though, and I would prefer a dog with a little bit less energy than them.  Greyhounds are something that I have considered, though.

I'm so sorry Panecea! I didnt mean to streal your post here.
How about a Beagle?
Or even a lab mix?

Actually, I've been working with others to draft legislation to address the sale of brokered pups.  What are YOU doing to be part of the solution?
 
As far as pitbulls, I agree, it's the fools that MAKE the breed look bad, or actually ACT badly that need to be punished, not the dogs.

What have I done? I'm a big advocate of the passage of the PAWS (Pet Animal Welfare Statute) and I have personally talked to Kay Bailey Hutchison (one of the TX Senators). She wants the bill passed.
If you want to discuss this more, Sheprano, why don't you start a thread on the "Advocacy" section and I'll be happy to reply.
 
BTW- I'm against BSL in any form even though I've never had dogs bigger than a racoon. []
 
Panacea, I totally agree with a retired greyhound. They don't shed all that much, and they are called "40mph couch potatoes!" they'll be happy to run when they want to (I don't think a greyhound should be trusted off lead in an open area though...)
 
Forgot to say that Golden Retrievers shed pretty bad. They have double coats so it's not only the wirey guard hairs that shed, but also the soft downy undercoat. We get dogs in all the time (at the grooming salon) that are losing their undercoat in mid-spring and it's just a mountain of hair!!

I would like to be part of ANY legislation that helps further the benefits of our pup pals. I currently work with local and statewide parties to work against BSL and I would love to help out in any way possible. I am always overjoyed to see other dog owners stand up for the lives of animals and I appreciate you putting me in my place for assuming you wernt taking any action!
I have a question that I have aways wondered about and I will now go post it in the advocay section so as not to take any more distraction from our friends hunt for a new friend!
 

Where are you located?  I am looking into rescuing a golden from a rescue group.  They have the stories on a lot of their dogs, so you'll know where they came from.  Alot of times they are given up when a family starts having kids, you can sometimes get a puppy, or at least an older puppy.  Search Golden Retriever rescue in your area.
 

I was going to suggest the same thing - look into rescues.  They have dogs of all ages and have temperment tested dogs so they can let you know about energy level and other temperment issues the dog you are interested in might have - they will essentially help match you with a dog...  You can look into this by breed and location.  Good luck with your search!  If you let us know where you are, I am sure some people would be happy to share the names of rescues they are familiar with in your area...