We lost our German Shepherd a few weeks ago, and I've been thinking hard about replacing him with a Christmas puppy. I have a 3 1/2 yr old son who will be this dogs "owner". My wife has something against Labs. She's a redhead so rather than fight about it, I'm thinking Golden Retriever. She likes the breed and I still get a working retriever of some kind.

I know the GRs are great family dogs and have no concern about that aspect. I am, however, sick to death of feeding animals that don't "carry their own load". I have seen several GRs in action and one was a pretty darn good dog. The others were less than gung ho and somewhat timid. I don't particularly like timid dogs, but I've seen labs like this also, and recognize that it may have just been those particular dogs. I'm also unwilling to pony up $1200 for a sonofachamp/guaranteed puppy. I just want a decent shot at a decent dog that will be nice to hunt with. What do ya'll think?

I'll add that I'll be training this dog myself (I've trained several good labs before and train horses professionally) and don't expect, or particularly want, field trial type results. I simply want a dog that will gladly and efficiently bring me my ducks and doves. I just don't have much experience with Golden Retrievers and would like the benefit of some of your experiences.

Get a male. Know that they are prone to cancer. I had one in the reddish variety and lost him to cancer after five years. He was the best dog I ever had. Trained him from a book written by a guy named Walters I beleive. He (Drake) retrevied ducks, and doves until the very end. Easy to train, highly intelligent and loved the family. Made a decent watch dog too. I will get another one as soon as I am through greiveing for this one. They are also prone to ear infections. None of these are deal breakers as far as I'm concerned. Mine was full blooded, no papers, a 75 dollar dog. Had better converstations with him than I did the wife. Lee

nothing beats a golden, nothing

I can see how you'd say that Butch. About half of the Golden Retriever Kennels that I've found are in Minnesota.

Through my research, it amazes me how hard it is to find GRs with hunting pedigrees. 99% seem to be show dogs, and thus, not my cup o'tea.

i had a couple of show dogs, i believe they were the worst of the bunch. caught every disease possible. now i stay far away from them. my current golden was a farm raised one. we could see the parents etc. same way with my current english setter. both dogs have super temperaments, and great natural instincts. i really think that it helps alot if you can see the parents. you get a good idea of what the offspring are going to be like.

Goldens are great IF YOU GET ONE FROM A REPUTABLE BREEDER OF HUNTING GOLDENS ! Stay away from bench lines and do your research. Popularity ruins breeds over breeding causes many health and other problems. Make sure that the parents hunt and don't take the first pup that you see no matter how cute they are. A GOOD breeder will help you to get the right pup. Goldens are a great choice for a family and hunting dog.
One last hint. Get a good groomer goldens are burr magnets

You want a SWAMP COLLIE? Your wife has something against a LAB? You should have known when you saw that red hair!

Seriously, while I have only hunted over labs, I know several hunters who have had Goldens and they all were very happy with them. You've gotten good advice about making sure they come from a HUNTING line, not a show line; and you should be fine. We can't use Goldens where I hunt, as we have a ton of cockle burrs, and a Golden would quickly become a shorthair in order to hunt our land. If the places you hunt aren't too full of burrs and stickers, you should be fine, or as was already recommended find a good groomer.

Anybody know of a Golden Retriever breeder/trainer who specializes in hunting dogs in or around Louisiana?

Swamp collie never heard that one, I like it.

Go online and search Golden Retriever. This breed is very trendy these days amongst the SUV, wine sipping set, and so there's huge demand for them.

This has led to a lot of problems with breeders and weak lines. Goldens can develop skin problems, but because of the market pressure on the breed, they are developing eye issues and hip dysplasia.

Shop for a reputable breeder. Shop for a hunter, not a show dog. Think about a Lab.

We have a couple of Goldens on the street from the wine sipping SUV crowd. Both are MORONS, idiots, useless whatever you want to call them.

A freind has one he uses for ducks. It is a good dog. I may see him next week and will ask where he got it. He does not take it some places due to the burr collecting problem.

BigB

daniel77,

Sorry about your loss....all of us who love dogs, know the real price we pay for their love and friendship is their passing.

Re: goldens

I don't disagree with "butchloc" often......but, if somebody gave me a golden out of "hunting stock", I'd be happy to give him/her to you!

I'm an avid bird hunter...30+ years. Have 2 hunting buddies that run goldens...out of the 6 goldens I can remember (5 males, 1 female), only the old (10+ years) female was worth her "feed".

The males tend to be very "defensive/aggressive"...not a problem if you hunt by yourself...but if you have hunting buddies with dogs....well not so good.

If you like "redheads".... I'd suggest a Vizsla....and "FEMALE"!! Male dogs are a pain.....I know from experience. Do yourself/wife/son a favor...get a female and have her "fixed"...they are just more eager to please and not hard-headed!!

Good luck on your new puupy!!

In the interest of "full disclosure"...I ran GSP males for 25 years...now I have 2 pointing lab females.

AzGuy, I'm fully with you on getting a female, although, the best one I've had yet was a male.

As for the dog we lost, he was 5 and honestly, less than what I expected. He was a reasonably well bred German Shepherd with whom I planned on playing around with Schutzund. I spent a lot of time with him, and his obedience was quite good. He actually went everywhere with me until he was a year old or so. Unfortunately, he wound up being fairly gutless (deal breaker for me), the least intelligent German Shepherd we've ever owned, and a Cryptorchid (only one testicle descended = genetic flaw = no good for breeding) with bad allergies to boot. He did have a place though, as he was very protective of my son, and allowed Wyatt to do anything with or to him. Oddly, the same day Ozzy disappeared, my wife brought home a kitten. This kitten has the same attitude toward my son as the dog did. We think she's Ozzy reincarnated. My son carries her around (by the back legs), covers her with blankets, pours water on her, and can call her to him like a dog.

As to the new puppy, it seems with Christmas fast approaching, and my dog search seeming fruitless or risky, for now, I'm going to relax on this until I find the right dog. I'm still looking, but if my search takes until next April, that's OK. I already knew I wasn't going to hunt with it this year.

Most of the good breeders I've found on the net have waiting lists, so I'm not going to rush it on a Walmart pooch. Waiting a while will also pad my budget a bit and maybe I will wind up with a better quality pup.

Getting a dog is, hopefully, a 10-12 yr investment, and I don't want to try and make some dog fit a deadline, instead of just waiting on a good dog. I've had worthless ones before, and they seem to last FOREVER.

If any of you do know of a good breeder of field worthy GRs, or have more stories about good or bad ones, please let me know. I have found several seemingly good breeders on the internet, but they are almost all way up North, and I'm not real big on buying a dog over the phone from a stranger. Thus, I'm no longer in a hurry. Thanks for all of your replies, and any more.

NOW, you have time to convince your wife to go along with a LAB.

I can only hope. The choices, around here at least, are infinitely greater with labs.