Who doesn’t love the cheerful and adorable Golden Retriever? If, like us, you are a big fan of this breed, or if you’re considering adopting one, it is essential that you read this list of 10 things you should know about Golden Retrievers.
As you know, Golden Retrievers are tremendously popular because they are one of the the smartest dogs in the world. They also make excellent family pets and great therapy dogs. Stay with us and discover the most interesting facts and details about this wonderful golden breed.
What you should know about Golden Retrievers
- Golden Retrievers are the ideal dogs for children. The Golden Retriever is known as a gentle, friendly and calm dog. If they are well socialized, have their daily dose of exercise and have the five freedoms of animal welfare fulfilled, a Golden Retriever will certainly be the perfect dog to play with your children.
- Golden Retrievers love water. Although some Golden Retrievers don’t like water because they are not familiar with it, most of them enjoy swimming at the beach, in the river or any water source in the city. Take your dog with you to one of these places and watch how much they enjoy it – after all, retriever dogs were bred to collect prey in the water!
- Golden Retrievers are very easy to train. Being so smart, it is not surprising that Golden Retrievers are easy dogs to train. If you always use positive reinforcement and never punishment you will get surprising results.
- Golden Retrievers have a talented nose. Thanks to their sense of smell being so developed, the Golden Retriever can learn to look for all kinds of objects. Perhaps that’s why it has been used as an explosive or narcotics detection dog, or simply as truffle finder.
- Golden Retrievers need to bite. Biting is a basic need for any dog, but for Golden Retrievers this need is greater. Using teethers, toys or a Kong are a few options for this.
False myths about Golden Retrievers
Besides the best traits of Golden Retrievers you should be familiar with, we would also like to dismantle five false myths about this noble breed. Pay attention, especially if you’re thinking about adopting a Golden Retriever.
- Golden Retrievers are eager to please humans. This is, to put it simple, false and absurd. It speaks volumes about our selfishness that we still believe that dogs are born with an innate desire to please us.
If you want your Golden Retriever to follow your commands, you need to make it worthwhile for them. Just because they are a calm and gentle breed, it doesn’t mean a Golden Retriever will always be willing to do whatever you want – you need to praise them and reward them to get results, and of course you have to put some effort into training them. - Golden Retrievers catch and collect things by instinct. This is absolutely not true! Retriever dogs have to be trained to learn to catch and collect prey and objects; while they do have a predisposition to look for moving objects – a bird, a ball or a stick – they don’t innately put them in their mouths and carry them back to their owner. Even if your Golden Retriever returns things without being trained to do so, it doesn’t mean they have it written in their genetic code.
- Golden Retrievers naturally have soft mouths. Whoever believes that has never been bitten by a retriever dog. These breeds can carry things in their mouth without damaging them, but they need to be trained to retrieve gently.
If you want your Golden Retriever to have a soft mouth, you will need to start their training when they are puppies, during the socialization process. - Golden Retrievers can work tirelessly. Again, it is a sign of our selfishness as human beings that this false myths applies to many different dog breeds. It is simply wrong to think that any animal – whether a retriever dog, a herding dog or a lapdog – has infinite energy.
Dogs have physical and psychological limits, and they are not machines that can be turned on and off to suit you. Using dogs as service or working animals is one thing, but they need breaks, playtime, and having all their social and physical needs fulfilled. If you want your Golden Retriever to assist you in hunting or doing some sport or other, you will need to monitor them closely and be aware of their limitations. Dogs realize their limits, but you are ultimately responsible for their health and happiness. - Golden Retrievers can spend long periods in cold water. While it is true that Golden Retrievers have a coat that protects them from water and the cold, it is not true that they are immune to the cold. It is not a good idea to keep a retriever dog in cold water for a long time, or to make them collect things from cold water constantly; they can get hypothermia and die. Every owner must be responsible for their pet and look out for them. You should not subject your Golden Retriever to extreme conditions that are beyond the dog’s actual abilities.
Source: animalwised.com
