Adding a new dog to your family is a big decision. Whether you already have several animals in your home or this is the first pet you’re getting as a family, it’s important to find a good family pet that everyone will love and who will bond with the entire family. One of the best pets for any family is the Golden Retriever. So, why do Golden Retrievers make good family pets?
Some of the reasons that a Golden Retriever is an amazing family pet is they do well with children, they are friendly with a lot of energy, they are always ready for an adventure, they like to spend time in the water or outside, they are quiet and don’t bark a lot, and they are fiercely loyal.
In this article, we’ll spend some time looking at the key characteristics and personality traits that will make a Golden Retriever the perfect addition to your family. There may be many types of dogs and many dog breeds, but none will compare to the Golden Retriever when you’re looking for a new canine member of the family.
They Do Great With Children
When you’re looking for a family pet, you want to make sure you pick one that does amazing with kids. Some dog breeds may be perfect for apartment living or for a single person who needs a companion and friend. But a family pet is one who can get along with each member of the family, and this includes some of the younger and more rambunctious little ones.
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Golden retrievers are great with kids of all ages. While most children love to play and bounce around with dogs, not all dogs feel the same way. Not only will a Golden Retriever be cheerful around the children all the time, but they are also very gentle. You may need to give the child and the dog time to adjust to one another, but once they do, they’ll quickly become friends.
Golden Retrievers are perfect for children because they’re cheerful and have lots of energy. You can send both outside to play and let them wear one another out. In addition, this dog is intelligent and good at protecting and looking after children in the family if that ever becomes necessary. You can trust that your Golden Retriever and your kids will become best friends in no time!
They Have a Lot of Patience
This one goes along with the benefit of why a Golden Retriever does so well with your children. Golden Retrievers are really tolerant and patient with children, which helps parents feel at ease when the dog and children play with one another. Even though children are sometimes a little rough with the dog, the dog will not show aggression over things that may set another breed of dog off.
You must remember to monitor and watch your children around the dog, however. While your Golden Retriever is not going to make much fuss about an accidentally pulled tail or a kid falling over on them a bit, your children do need to learn how to be kind and respectful to their dog.
Your responsibility is to guide the relationship between the dog and the child, to make sure that kids can handle the family dog, and your dog is not hurt either.
The good news is that this breed of dog is great with little ones, so it will be easy to train both the children on how to play with the dog and the dog on how to get along with the children in no time.
The kids will provide some energy outlets that the dog needs as they play and run around together. And since a Golden Retriever has a lot of patience to handle children, it’s a relationship with a lot of love on both sides.
They Are Good at Hunting
Not only will this dog do well with the children in your home, but you’ll also find that they’re the perfect hunting dog. If anyone in your family likes to spend time hunting in the great outdoors, then you’ll be more than happy when you bring along your Golden Retriever to help you out.
Several personality traits of the Golden Retriever make it perfect when it’s time to go out and hunt. It’s eager to please, so they will learn the rules of the hunt quickly. They have a good nose that helps them to smell out and flush prey. And they have plenty of energy to spend all day out in the field without ever getting tired.
You’ll also notice that this dog is powerful and has a balanced gait that’ll prove valuable when you hit the open trail. It doesn’t have long legs and isn’t clumsy at all. Everything about this breed, from its build to its high energy, will make it perfect when you decide to take them hunting.
They Have Plenty of Energy
If you want a dog that can keep up with everything that you do, one that will keep you active and plays well with your energetic kids, then a Golden Retriever is the perfect dog!
If your idea of a good time is to sit at home and relax, then you may want to choose another dog. This breed was designed to have lots of energy, and this allows them to spend tons of time outside running around and having fun.
You’ll have to make sure that you meet the exercise needs of this dog every day. Without this, they’ll run around the house, jumping on things and people, and even becoming destructive when their pent-up energy level gets too high. If you have an active family and kids to run the dog out, then this shouldn’t be a problem.
It’s important to keep this dog outside as much as possible. If you train them not to bark when outside, they can spend quite a bit of the day running around and having fun in the backyard, even if you’re not there. Take them for walks, to the park, or play fetch to make it a family event.
They Are Smart
While this doesn’t seem like it’s an important characteristic to discuss, it is important to help you see why this dog is such a good family dog. Golden Retrievers are smart, which makes it easier to train and socialize them to play with your children, as well as get along with any other animals in the home.
Goldens also are highly developed when it comes to their sense of smell, helping them to handle some pretty important jobs over the years. For example, it’s not uncommon to hear that a successful search and rescue mission was possible because of the work a Golden Retriever did.
Because of their smarts, they are regularly used as emotional support dogs or guide dogs for the blind.
With all of these brains and the willingness to please, it’s no wonder that Golden Retrievers are the dog of choice for so many important jobs out in the world. Their brains, energy and easy going personality will be a welcome edition to your family as well.
They Are Very Friendly
You’ll see it’s pretty difficult to find a dog breed that has a friendlier disposition than a Golden Retriever. They seem to have a constant smile on their face, they will excitedly run out to greet you the moment you come home, and they are always up for a new adventure wherever that may take them. Who wouldn’t want a pet like that?
The Golden Retriever is known for having a big personality that’s friendly and fun to play with. Your kids will love that this dog has the energy to keep up with them and have lots of fun, and you will love that the dog is friendly and nice to your kids, even when the kids are overly wound up.
There are more than a few breeds that don’t do well with children, some of them seem to be kind of grumpy and angry more often than not, or some that will only choose one or two people in the family to bond with. This is not true of the Golden Retriever. They are friendly and like almost everyone, especially the people in their family.
They Like to Spend Lots of Time in the Water
Most Golden Retrievers are natural swimmers and love to spend time in the water. This means that if you like to spend your time camping, swimming, or doing other activities near the water, this type of dog is perfect for you!
Any time your dog is getting active and you need a break, take them to the local lake. They will run and swim with the family, chase the waves, and just have a lot of fun in general. In fact, it may start to look like so much fun that you’ll decide to jump in and enjoy some water time as well!
If you have your own pool, even better! Swimming with a Golden Retriever in a backyard swimming pool is a lot of fun and something the whole family will enjoy.
Not a Picky Eater
Golden Retrievers are not picky eaters. And though they may want to spend more time eating food off your plate than eating the food that you put into their bowl, you’ll find that they adapt to almost any type of food you wish to provide for them.
They’re fine eating kibble designed for dogs and won’t be particular about the type or brand. You do need to remember that when they’re growing puppies and again when their seniors, you will need to make sure that you feed them a kibble that is nutritionally balanced for their age.
Some high quality dog foods that you may want to consider when choosing what to feed your Golden Retriever include: (links to amazon)
- Royal Canin Golden Retriever Breed Specific Dry Dog Food
- Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Large Breed Puppy Dog Food
- Purina Pro Plan Large Breed
- Iams Proactive Health Puppy Dry Dog Food
Some dogs will have special dietary needs that you should focus on. You can always discuss these with your vet if you have concerns or if you feel like trying a new type of dog food. If your dog develops any allergies or food sensitivities, your vet can suggest some appropriate food options to give your Golden Retriever the very best.
They Do Well With Other Animals
Some families may have more than one animal running around the house. They may have a few dogs, maybe a cat or two, or some other type of animal. Some dogs will spend all their time chasing birds and cats and any other animals around, and there can even be issues with some dog breeds not getting along well together. This can create difficulties in your home when you want to add another animal.
The good news is that Golden Retrievers often don’t have these problems. They’re friendly and do well with not only the people in the household but also the other animals there as well. Whether you already have rabbits, birds, cats, or other dogs in your home, the Golden Retriever will fit right in and do well with them.
They Are Quiet
There are some dog breeds that may make good companions, but they like to bark a lot. They’ll bark at anything that moves, whether they’re inside the house looking out a window or outside in the yard. No matter where you live, in an apartment or in a home with a lot of space, all that barking is never a good thing.
Fortunately, Golden Retrievers are not big barkers. They are a lot calmer compared to some other dogs out there when it comes to barking, helping to keep things quiet in your home. You do need to make sure you give them plenty of time to roam and opportunities to exercise, though. Starting out with a good walk in the morning before heading out to work, and another when you get home, can often do the trick.
While it’s not recommended that you keep a larger dog in a small apartment, more because of their size than anything else, the temperament and lack of barking for a Golden Retriever is excellent no matter where you live. And if the barking does start to become a problem, there are some simple training steps you can take to help get this under control.
Discover how to train your Golden Retriever by playing games: 21 games to play with your Golden that will make them smarter and better behaved!
They Are an Easy Dog to Train
Out of all the dog breeds out there, Golden Retrievers are considered high on the list of very trainable dogs. These dogs are obedient from the moment you bring them home, and they’ll start to follow the rules and listen to you in no time.
There are a few reasons why goldens are so easy to train. First, they’re intelligent and love to learn. And second, they like to impress their owners and other people, so they want to do whatever makes their owners happy. Add some good positive reinforcement to the mix, and your Golden Retriever will learn how to do anything you ask of them.
If there’s a task or some other activity you’d like to teach your dog, you’ll be able to teach it to them faster than just about any other breed. This makes training a breeze, and you can even get your kids involved in the training process. Training is a great way to keep your dog occupied and provide some new stimulation for them, so they don’t get bored.
They Are Extremely Loyal
While there are some dogs out there that seem a little standoffish and hard to bond with, a Golden Retriever is very loyal, which is why so many people keep them as pets. It’s part of a goldens natural instinct to be loyal and is another reason they make a great family pet!
To encourage this loyalty and help create a healthy bond with your dog, it’s a good idea to spend lots of time with them. Once they feel loved, and like and important member of the family, they’ll do anything to keep everyone in the family safe.
Many of the stories about dogs rescuing their owners from dangerous situations, including rescuing children, are stories about Golden Retrievers, and you can enjoy this loyalty too if you add this loving breed to your family.
Conclusion
There are many reasons to add a new dog to your family, and it doesn’t take long to see there are many breeds to choose from. But if you have young children and want a dog who’s friendly, easy to train, has enough energy to keep up with the whole family, likes to spend time in the water while being incredibly loyal, then the Golden Retriever is the perfect dog for your family!
Now you know why Golden Retriever make such good pets 🙂
More Golden Retriever Articles You’ll Love!
- 15 Reasons Golden Retrievers Are Great First Time Dogs!
- How Much Space Does a Golden Retriever Need? (Explained!)
- Male vs. Female Golden Retriever – Is There a Difference?
- Are Golden Retrievers Smarter Than Other Dogs? (Explained!)
