Parents of Golden Ret's

I know 2 goldens very well - they are my dog's best buddies a female 13 mo old and a huge male about 5 yrs old.  Both are very playful, sweet and good with kids.  The 5 yr old male is the most gentle chilled out dog I have ever known.  He hung out on Halloween in his invisible fence and he just sachayed (sp?) around as the kids in costumes went to the front door.  And there were a ton around here - it was pretty cool to see.

the golden retreivers i know are incredibly great with kids...there is a baby i know that learned how to walk by holding on to the dog.
 
they're very smart too..but add the border collie, and that sounds like a genius sweetie.

Thanks yall...Tink seems very gentle and sweet with Sara thusfar...ive been doing alot of research and it seems theyll do very well together []

I'm a trainer, and I see those wonderful Goldens all the time, but I also see Goldens that suck with kids, are mouthy, pushy and obnoxious.  All dogs are a combo of their genetics and training.  No breed is guaranteed to be great with kids, and its up to parents to socialize their dogs, not only with their own kids, but with other kids (there are safe ways to do this).  And, to keep kids, especially those under age 12, from harassing the dog inadvertantly or otherwise.  Border Collies can nip and chase, and Goldens can knock them over, so either breed needs to understand the rules.  Great book on the subject - "Raising Puppies and Kids Together" by Pia Silvani and Lynne Eckhardt.  dogwise.com

Hi..we've currently got two Goldens.  Everyone we meet automatically assumes that our Goldens are friendly - and therefore parents allow their children to stick their hands and faces at them without even asking first - because Goldens are indeed well-known for being family dogs.  This norm has so much to do with their lineage, as well as, their life experience to that point.
 
Our female is awesome with children and has been mowed down by  screaming groups of them.  She loves it...when she gets tired, she moves away and comes nearby us to say she's had enough.  We don't have children but we have many nieces and nephews, and our dogs are exposed to children through family, friends, and outside socializing.  She watches them intently like a good babysitter.
 
Our male is much more stand-offish than is typical for Goldens.  He gets his pets - very few and is choosy with whom he allows to love him up - then that's it, he's done.  He gets overstimulated by too much interaction with people or dogs.  He moves away and stands between our legs.  He never growls but his tolerance level is much different.
 
We have come across many Goldens over the years that are not friendly...showing aggressive behavior and/or growly and nippy.
 
Tinkerbelle is a cutie! []

Thank you so much everyone...
 
Weve only had her for a few days and all is pretty well..im in the process of finding dog books (training etc) on both breeds on ebay...

Try dogwise.com - they have a top ten list for pet owners, and most of the best training books.
I recommend "Clicking With Your Dog" by Peggy Tillman.  It's great because it takes things step by step in a nice progression.

dogwise.com

 
thanks i will look there

this is what you might have to look out for............
this is Bugsy's girlfriend 13 mo old golden

Woo hoo, congrats on your new baby! Pic? Pics? Pics?
Please believe me when I say that I think golden reterievers are wonderful dogs. I have just had the unfortunate luck of having two bad experiences with them. One tore a whole in Rory's lip and another nipped at me in petsmart just because I walked by. Rory had to have a couple of stiches and I had a nice trip to the clininc and had to have the dogs records requested. Both dogs had great loyal owners as well. With ANY dog proper socialization and training is key, dont let their gentle nature give you a reason to skimp on training.

I used to have 2 retrievers.A male and a female named Rebel and Abbey..

 Rebel was given to me in 1989,and i had him when i met my wife..We got abbey together in 1992..

 in 1994 we had our first (human)child...the dogs didnt really care to much one way or another the babies,but when we had another kid,and they got older,the pups had to put up with a bit of ear pulling(frowned on by me)and bieng layed on...they were VERY patient,and if annoyed enough,would just huff and move away..lol

even later the pups enjoyed playing fetch and swimming with the kids when they were older.

  i loved those pups..

ORIGINAL: spiritdogs

I'm a trainer, and I see those wonderful Goldens all the time, but I also see Goldens that suck with kids, are mouthy, pushy and obnoxious.  All dogs are a combo of their genetics and training.  No breed is guaranteed to be great with kids, and its up to parents to socialize their dogs, not only with their own kids, but with other kids (there are safe ways to do this).  And, to keep kids, especially those under age 12, from harassing the dog inadvertantly or otherwise.  Border Collies can nip and chase, and Goldens can knock them over, so either breed needs to understand the rules.  Great book on the subject - "Raising Puppies and Kids Together" by Pia Silvani and Lynne Eckhardt.  dogwise.com

 
Thank you for mentionign this.  As a new retriever owner (lab) I get very concerned when people just assume "Oh, it's a *fill in blank* it'll be great with kids."  Most are, but a child-safe dog also takes training and supervision as well as genetics.

OH dear what a dirty dog lol...
 
Ive posted pics all over...well in the pic area anyway lol...
 
Thanks so much yall really

Yes I felt so sorry for my friend when I saw that pic - I knew she had just bathed her the day before.

Any type dog can have any disposition (IMHO) but I do think that goldens are pretty happy, fun dogs.  They do like water and mud can be REAL fun.  I think thats fun though.  they seem generally more chilled out than labs (dealing with averages here) and don't have the exercise needs of my mutt anyway!
have fun