# Anyone also have a Golden Retriever?



## arctic (Jun 20, 2014)

I'd like to get another dog when mine is over 18 months old (my female GSD is 6 months old now).

I would like a well-tempered female Golden Retriever but people seem to think getting a male would be preferable (male-female combo being optimal).

Anyone have a Golden Retriever - German Shepherd family? How has it been so far? Is it true that Goldens SHED MORE and SMELL more doggy than GSDs?

Thanks!


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## annap24 (Jul 22, 2014)

I don't have a Golden Retriever, but I do have a Lab and a Lab mix. My GSD and Lab are both females and get along well, but I too have heard that is rare. Mine may get along because my Lab is very submissive to my GSD so they really don't ever butt heads. My lab/basset/beagle mix sheds more than my GSD, but my lab sheds less, probably because she is on a special food for her skin/coat because of some issues in the past. I think the important thing is introducing them properly and teaching them what is/isn't acceptable. Also, vacuuming every other day at the minimum.


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## arctic (Jun 20, 2014)

annap24 said:


> I don't have a Golden Retriever, but I do have a Lab and a Lab mix. My GSD and Lab are both females and get along well, but I too have heard that is rare. Mine may get along because my Lab is very submissive to my GSD so they really don't ever butt heads. My lab/basset/beagle mix sheds more than my GSD, but my lab sheds less, probably because she is on a special food for her skin/coat because of some issues in the past. I think the important thing is introducing them properly and teaching them what is/isn't acceptable. Also, vacuuming every other day at the minimum.


My GSD is shedding so much. I can't even pet her right now without leaving a pile of fur on the floor. And that's AFTER brushing until my hand goes numb every morning.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

I have two male goldens along with a male GSD and a female GSD. I'm lucky as far as shedding goes, it's minimal for all( right now none), but when the seasons change and there is shedding, the goldens beat the GSD's. None of my dogs smell, but I have also heard that goldens have an odor about them. The two breeds compliment each other well. They all love water and swimming. My youngest golden picked up lots of stuff from the male GSD. The goldens play style is completely like a shepherds. My older golden doesn't put up with Midnite trying to boss him around and stands his ground. Since there isn't a huge age gap I would suggest getting a male golden to go with your female GSD.


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## huntergreen (Jun 28, 2012)

most goldens are nice dogs, should be a nice combo.


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## Colie CVT (Nov 10, 2013)

I have a golden (male) and two shepherds (one male and one female). This is the second time that I've lived in a situation with a golden and a shepherd. My first dog was a white shepherd and when she was a year, my brother/father got a male golden puppy. Kenai was not a fan of other dogs, but they got along as well as could be expected lol. Neither of them were well socialized, and Griz was a spazz, so I swore I'd never own a golden of my own.

Flash forward and I have a neutered male golden that I absolutely adore, and my two white shepherds. The female is older than my golden, and the puppy that I got at the start of this year is still intact and he and the golden are absolute best friends. I agree with llombardo, the way that goldens and shepherds play is very similar. Myles is a very vocal player who uses his paws a lot. He likes to chase and wrestle. He and Doyle literally will play all day long if allowed. They get along swimmingly, however Doyle is not always friendly to a new dog until he gets to know them. But I definitely think golden and shepherd is a good mix. It's the best of both worlds and the things that they like to do/don't like to do almost seems to make one perfect dog out of two of them lol.

I would personally aim for a male golden. The female GSD in this house do not get along if left to their own devices. We have to watch and police their interaction. Males seem hardwired to believe that females rule the universe. Makes your life much simpler.


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## arctic (Jun 20, 2014)

Colie CVT said:


> I have a golden (male) and two shepherds (one male and one female). This is the second time that I've lived in a situation with a golden and a shepherd. My first dog was a white shepherd and when she was a year, my brother/father got a male golden puppy. Kenai was not a fan of other dogs, but they got along as well as could be expected lol. Neither of them were well socialized, and Griz was a spazz, so I swore I'd never own a golden of my own.
> 
> Flash forward and I have a neutered male golden that I absolutely adore, and my two white shepherds. The female is older than my golden, and the puppy that I got at the start of this year is still intact and he and the golden are absolute best friends. I agree with llombardo, the way that goldens and shepherds play is very similar. Myles is a very vocal player who uses his paws a lot. He likes to chase and wrestle. He and Doyle literally will play all day long if allowed. They get along swimmingly, however Doyle is not always friendly to a new dog until he gets to know them. But I definitely think golden and shepherd is a good mix. It's the best of both worlds and the things that they like to do/don't like to do almost seems to make one perfect dog out of two of them lol.
> 
> I would personally aim for a male golden. The female GSD in this house do not get along if left to their own devices. We have to watch and police their interaction. Males seem hardwired to believe that females rule the universe. Makes your life much simpler.


Perfect! Thanks.

The males Goldens I've seen seem HUGE! Almost fat.

Is this a genetic thing that varies with the parents, or do all male Goldens get so "fat" looking?


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## Colie CVT (Nov 10, 2013)

In my experience when it comes to weight and goldens, you have to be a proactive person to keep them in shape. They love to eat. I haven't met many goldens who don't have a rather big love for food lol. They however can be kept in good shape and at a good weight. Part of it is genetics, the other part is what you feed and how much and the last part is what kind of exercise that they get.










This is my golden who is four years old now. He hasn't really ever been overweight. His body is lean and he has a decent amount of muscling. I still remember the look on the face of the physiotherapist that I work with when she was showing me some back massage exercises to do with my female shepherd when she had injured herself. He is definitely a strong and lean boy.










Myles usually weighs between 66-68 lbs. This is what I have found seems perfect for him. And he definitely does not lack treats in his life lol.  But we stay active, I work on keeping his core strong and he has really good stamina to boot. He grew up with herding dogs for his best friends, so he is very agile and quick on his feet.


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## warpwr (Jan 13, 2011)

Years ago we had a Golden Retriever female and a German Shepherd female.
The Shepherd was adopted and older than the Golden and they got along very well together, training together, etc.

Diane said she would never have another Golden Retriever though because of the shedding.

Me? I loved the dog. She was kind, obedient, intelligent and mellow with people and other dogs. I figure that _any_ of the three breeds used as guide dogs are ok by me.


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## arctic (Jun 20, 2014)

warpwr said:


> Years ago we had a Golden Retriever female and a German Shepherd female.
> The Shepherd was adopted and older than the Golden and they got along very well together, training together, etc.
> 
> Diane said she would never have another Golden Retriever though because of the shedding.
> ...


Did you find the Golden shedding that much worse than the shedding a GSD does?


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

My older golden weighs 80 pounds. He was up to 100 pounds and it scared me. I put him on a strict diet and he lost the weight. He looks bigger then what he is because of his fur, when wet he has an ideal waist line. He gets way less food then the others, but he healthy and that is all I care about. My younger golden is VERY high energy and is all over the place, much higher metabolism and weighs under 70 pounds. I'm starting dock diving with him in a couple weeks. He is the true swimmer and water lover in the house. He has loved water since the day I got him and would swim all day long if allowed. My older golden loves water but he didn't get to swim much and swam really weird. The younger golden taught him how to swim, by the end of the first session together they were both swimming like pros. My older golden excels in Rally.


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## graciesmom (Jun 10, 2006)

I don't have a golden at the moment, but I have had both a golden (male) and a shepherd (female) in the past. They were just a few months apart in age and grew up together. I enjoyed the combination, they complimented one another quite well. I did not find that the Golden had any smell to him, nor can I say that one shedded more than the other. The Golden, however, was definitely more work in grooming and yes, you do have to watch their weight, they can put on the pounds quite easily. Proper exercise, though, takes care of that. I plan to have another golden, but am waiting till next year. Hopefully Jazz will have matured a bit more by then.


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## arctic (Jun 20, 2014)

graciesmom said:


> I don't have a golden at the moment, but I have had both a golden (male) and a shepherd (female) in the past. They were just a few months apart in age and grew up together. I enjoyed the combination, they complimented one another quite well. I did not find that the Golden had any smell to him, nor can I say that one shedded more than the other. The Golden, however, was definitely more work in grooming and yes, you do have to watch their weight, they can put on the pounds quite easily. Proper exercise, though, takes care of that. I plan to have another golden, but am waiting till next year. Hopefully Jazz will have matured a bit more by then.


Did you GSD and Golden chase each other around and play with one another outside, or generally look to you and ignored one another?

A lot more work in grooming...meaning you had to brush/furminate more often? I'm not even sure that's possible given that my GSD is shedding like CRAZY!


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## John C. (Mar 6, 2013)

I used to have a Golden and a GSD. We got the Golden first as an adult from a breeder. He had originally been kept back from his litter, but washed out as a stud dog. He had however been raised around other dogs. When he was about 4 we got a GSD puppy. He was very tolerant of the puppy and liked playing with him. The puppy adored the Golden. In short, the got along extremely well. Both were males and the GSD was actually dog aggressive with strange dogs.


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## graciesmom (Jun 10, 2006)

arctic said:


> Did you GSD and Golden chase each other around and play with one another outside, or generally look to you and ignored one another?
> 
> A lot more work in grooming...meaning you had to brush/furminate more often? I'm not even sure that's possible given that my GSD is shedding like CRAZY!


Yes, brushing/furminating but also trimming the hair around his ears and between his paws. At least with the GSD, you likely don't have any trimming to do.


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## graciesmom (Jun 10, 2006)

arctic said:


> Did you GSD and Golden chase each other around and play with one another outside, or generally look to you and ignored one another?
> 
> They played together constantly, but the GSD ruled even when playing. If she decided that she didn't want to play with the ball (for example) any longer, she would deliberately put the ball somewhere where the Golden couldn't get it. The little tormentor . They were great on off leash walks, too. When the Golden would put his nose to the ground and sometimes get too far ahead, I could just send the GSD to herd him back. The best advantage for me was training. They were quite competitive as to who learned best and fastest. Made my job so much easier!


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## arctic (Jun 20, 2014)

graciesmom said:


> arctic said:
> 
> 
> > Did you GSD and Golden chase each other around and play with one another outside, or generally look to you and ignored one another?
> ...


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## farnln (Nov 4, 2012)

*Here is a picture of our GSD & Golden*

They are BEST friends! They are wonderful together, both are female.
We have had goldens in the past, then got a GSD after they passed. Dd missed having a golden, so we got another about 7 months ago.
Our GSD sheds the most, but smells better than the golden.
Part of that may be that my shepherd eats better food than the golden pup (dd's dog).


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## Waldi (Jun 14, 2013)

I have 12 y old golden and 18 month old GS , both females. Our golden we adopted at 2 years old, GS, got as a puppy. Golden is, as someone mentioned, always hungry or it will eat all the time given the opportunity. She does get "smell" after spending time in water. I believe this is attributed to water dogs natural oils, she also sheds a lot but not to bad. Initially, she did not appreciate young one, but now they look after each other, and golden will be upset if another dog is aggressive toward my GS. They are good friends, although, my GS would love more playful times, as my golden has slowed recently due to arthritis and tumors. My golden was such a good influence on puppy, one the things to mention, golden was never afraid of lighting or storms and puppy is the same. I wish we got GS earlier so she could enjoy playtime with golden when she was younger.
The biggest difference we have noticed, golden is always looking of human interaction even with strangers, where GS see only as, not interested in playing or cuddling with strangers.


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## graciesmom (Jun 10, 2006)

I cant' say that my Golden had any odor. Maybe after being in the water, but then again they both smelt like wet dogs after a swim, LOL. Also, I would often have both of them to the groomers for baths and brushing. As I said before, I found Goldens are more work in terms of grooming, but I didn't find that there was any smell, not like a yellow lab. No offense to any lab lovers on the board, JMO.


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## ponyfarm (Apr 11, 2010)

My My good friend has a golden and he plays great with my Max. Max plays very rough and the golden just tumbles around and keeps coming back for more. I have never seen the golden angry ! Very sweet guy!


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## arctic (Jun 20, 2014)

This thread is really tempting me to complicate my life immensely by taking a Golden.


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