YAD(og)T: Got a Golden Retriever puppy

[Descartes]

Thanks for the nice responses all. She's my first golden, so I'm excited at the prospects.

She slept almost all night last night, so that was nice. She has taken to my wife's sandals, and whenever we open the door to let her out she grabs one of them and takes off outside. 🙂

 

[hiromizu]

Originally posted by: JDub02

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: hiromizu
It is known that obedient dogs are generally "dumb." Ask any professional dog trainer this.

It's amusing watching you try to give yourself credibility. You have none. Give up.

It was a professional dog trainer that told me that goldens are the smartest. My schnauzer is the first dog that I've trained, so I don't have any first hand experience training them.

Yea same here. Told me mine wasn't very clever - as usual. I also have a Jack Russell who is really bad..but extremely clever. Don't get me wrong, golden retrievers ARE my favorite dogs!

Here's the late golden. I miss him so much : (

 

[JDub02]

Originally posted by: daveymark

Originally posted by: JDub02
I grew up with golden's. They're GREAT dogs.

But I'm in an apartment now and I couldn't handle a big dog in an apartment (on top of all the shedding), so my wife and I went with a miniature schnauzer. It's the only small/non-shedding dog that wouldn't require me to turn in my man card.

Tucker

sorry, but possession of any dog that yips, looks like it has a goatee, and/or can be drop kicked when full grown requires man card retraction

He does not yip .. barely barks. A bit too big to drop kick, but I suppose it would be possible.

As for the beard, guilty as charged. I think it makes him look ferocious. He's still a pup, though, so his beard isn't really in yet.

 

[JDub02]

Originally posted by: Descartes
Thanks for the nice responses all. She's my first golden, so I'm excited at the prospects.

She slept almost all night last night, so that was nice. She has taken to my wife's sandals, and whenever we open the door to let her out she grabs one of them and takes off outside. 🙂

Goldens will chew anything and everything. My last one went straight through the mud flap on my mom's Jeep. Make sure it has lots of things that it's allowed to chew on. My parents golden has an old shoe and an old deflated football that he absolutely loves. He's quite fond of my dad's leather work gloves, too.

 

[jaqie]

Originally posted by: Rachael
Adorable! All the best of luck to you with her! 🙂

Word for word what I was going to say 🙂

 

[destrekor]

Originally posted by: JDub02

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: hiromizu
It is known that obedient dogs are generally "dumb." Ask any professional dog trainer this.

It's amusing watching you try to give yourself credibility. You have none. Give up.

It was a professional dog trainer that told me that goldens are the smartest. My schnauzer is the first dog that I've trained, so I don't have any first hand experience training them.

My/my parents' lab/australian shepherd puppy (possibly other breeds mix, mainly lab/aussie) back home is a comical little thing. She's a lover and has many lab traits, but she's got the smaller size like aussies (probably going to be like 40-50lbs), and definitely has a strong aussie personality. She's a smart and very clever little thing (year old).
The greatest thing is I just discovered how much of the aussie personality she has in her from this wiki quote:

The Australian Shepherd is unique with regard to its temperament. There are two distinct types of personality to look for depending on the lines, as well as many shades within these two types.

Generally the breed is an energetic dog that requires exercise and enjoys working, whether it is learning and practicing tricks, competing in dog agility, or any other physically and mentally involving activity. Other Aussies would rather be with their humans and enjoy being couch potatoes. It is usually a sweet and affectionate dog who is faithful to its owners and they are great with children. Most Australian Shepherds make wonderful family dogs, provided there is at least one shepherd-figure to act as a leader and mentor to the dog.[citation needed]

Dogs with strong working instinct may show more reserved, guarding behaviors along with a tendency to chase or nip at running children or strangers if not properly trained. Its protective instinct and behaviors can be frightening to children, strangers, and small animals. Those bred for a more family-oriented temperament are more friendly and affectionate with strangers and generally more reliable around children. Because the breed was developed to serve on the ranch, a job which includes being protective of its property, it sometimes can be annoying with its inclination to bark warnings about neighborhood activity, but it is not generally an obsessively barking dog.

The Aussie is intelligent, learns quickly, and loves to play. This means that a bored, neglected, unexercised Aussie will invent its own games, activities, and jobs, which to a busy owner might appear to be hyperactivity: for example, an Aussie may go from being at rest to running at top speed for several 'laps' around the house before returning to rest, all apparently for no purpose. Without something to amuse them, Aussies often turn destructive of yard or property. Aussies also do best with plenty of human companionship: they are often called "velcro" for their strong desire to always be near their owners and for their tendency to form intense, devoted bonds with select people.

The Australian Shepherd has a reputation as a highly intelligent and versatile stock dog with a range of working styles. While improperly trained or frustrated Aussies may exhibit excessive running and barking, a good working Aussie is quick, thoughtful, and easy with its stock. The ability for the breed to adapt to the situation and think for itself makes it an excellent all-around worker. For this reason the Aussie is often chosen to work unusual livestock such as ducks, geese, and commercially raised rabbits.

she very much has the 'working instinct'/energetic personality. She always just decides to randomly run like she just went apeshit, and makes a little course around the furniture around the house that she runs multiple laps around. She'll do this a lot when we are playing.
She's definitely a neighborhood watch dog. :laugh: Anything that moves outside the house, she deems as worthy to bark at. She has a powerful bark, but she's a chicken when a stranger enters the house, besides making a lot of noise, she also backs up instead of approaching them. She warms up to strangers eventually though, if they are in the house long enough and she sees that they have our trust, and thus she eventually gets used to them.
Definitely had the destructive phase, although she's gotten better with that recently.
But she loves making games out of everything, and seems to want to always want to be actively doing something, or wears herself out and sleeps. At that point, or when we get fed up with that at midnight, she becomes a lapdog. And she definitely developed very devoted bonds with my mom and me. How she reacts when I come home for a weekend, would bring anyone out of the worst possible mood. I absolutely love the welcome she gives me. She gives a very similar reaction to my mom every time she comes home from work. lol She definitely loves my dad too, but doesn't quite give him that reaction on the same level. But the lab in her definitely helps balance that, and she's generally a lover and helps round her out.
Smart cookie too, almost too smart for her own good. At least, very clever, and very emotive too. When I'd yell at her, I'd be looking her in her eyes (found that really works with her).... and I swear I could almost see damn gears turning as she's thinking how she's gonna handle the situation. Her gaze has creeped me out on more than one occasion.

+

 

[SunnyD]

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: hiromizu
In case you didn't know, golden retrievers as obedient and intelligent as they seem, are not very smart. In fact they are downright dimwitted dogs but that's what makes them cuter.

False.

Indeed - Goldens aren't so much "dumb" as they can be "blonde". Intelligent as all hell, but sometimes a little slow applying said intelligence (I have a golden, she's pretty smart, but definitely blonde).

Sona is gonna be a big girl btw - them paws are HUGE.

 

[Descartes]

She's a lot bigger than she was just a few weeks ago, so I thought I'd post a few more pictures.

She's been great overall. She has a bit of a nibbling problem, but she's getting better. We've been taking her to training for the past few weeks, and she's learned everything with ease. Great dog, great personality.

Relaxing in the backyard

Sona "smiling"

Sona being cute. It's been pretty hot in Georgia, so she's panting a lot when she's outside.

Last one. It's hard to take pictures up close, because she rushes the camera after I take a few pictures. Luckily the Canon XT takes pictures pretty quickly.

That's it.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Awesome pics. 🙂

 

[MotF Bane]

Wow, she grew quickly.

 

[Xavier434]

I love goldens. I grew up with one.

 

[thereds]

Originally posted by: maziwanka

Originally posted by: hopeless74
oops sorry, sona IS gold in hindi, i just asked

i think in punjabi it could also mean pretty

You're right. Sona does mean beautiful in Punjabi. Sona for a guy and soni for girls. In Hindi sona does mean gold, which has been clarified earlier.

 

[imported_Imp]

Gorgeous. Wish I could get one, but no yard and too lazy to 'fit' one into my schedule.