I do not, but my vet has an older one – he’s maybe 7 or 8 and she brings him to the clinic and he is so mellow – I just love him. My vet has had (in the past) a rabbit too and I know she would never endanger an animal.

I do not have a golden retriever but a couple of my aunts have Labrador Retrievers and they are great dogs. I have had Labs in the past too and know they are wonderful. I don’t know if Goldens and labs are similar in temperament but they are retrievers so I am sure they can’t be too different. Both are often used as service dogs too.

All from what I have heard about Goldens is that they are wonderful dogs. =)

I have a shar pei mix dog right now. She’s a great dog aside from being nervous and afraid of things.

We used to have a golden retriever and we have a golden/chow mix right now. They are great dogs. They can be a bit hyper though. Ours got pretty overweight so she couldn’t jump or anything like the ones I’ve met we’re big on but a lot has to do with training. Ours used to protect the guinea pigs while they were out eating grass and they would huddle up around her. She treated them like they were her puppies. I’ll always love golden retrievers and since you are not getting a puppy you’ll be able to look for a good temperament

My friends have a golden/chow mix. We petsit for them and he is wonderful. I have heard that they are great dogs but biters. I do not think that the biting part is true.

I love Golden Retrievers! Right now I have a Rough Collie, which I think is similar in temperament to a Golden, although behaviors would be different due to the herding heritage instead of retrieving. I really like that I can trust my dog not to chase or eat my rabbit, at least not while I’m in the same room with them, I have/will not leave them alone together. Mainly because Natasha(my dog) can get a little too excitable and likes to jump up and down while playing and could accidentally hurt Alvin, so I need to make sure she is quiet and calm if she is around Alvin. Because of this, whenever she is in the same area as Alvin, she knows to either just walk, or lay on the floor and let him hop all over her, it’s not her playtime, it’s his.

Golden’s aren’t normally biters, not unless they’re complete genetic messes or have never been trained to have proper manners. For a normal dog, biting is a training issue, so it’s up to the owner to make sure their dog has good manners.

Are you going through a rescue? Are their dogs in foster homes or in a shelter setting? I think since you have rabbit(s?) it would be best to find one in a foster home that also has cats or other small animals, that way you know for sure if the dog is safe around small animals. You can also visit the foster home and get a feel for the dogs temperament, personality, and energy level. Good luck!

I don’t have a golden, but I do have a sporting breed dog (Welsh springer spaniel) so there are a lot of similarities in temperament and energy level. I also see a young (~1 year old) golden weekly at training classes who is training to be a service/animal assisted therapy dog so she can work with her owner, a therapist. She’s super playful and high energy, loves everybody. The adolescent time with these dogs can be tough (my welshie is 11 months), but they settle into such good dogs. Every golden I have met has been a complete sweetheart.

Where do you plan to get it from? You mentioned you’re not getting a puppy, so I’m guessing shelter or rescue? Getting an adult is a great option, especially if you will be at work for longer periods. When my dog was a pup, we had to let him out of his crate every 3 hours at first, and every hour while we were home.

Goldens (like Labs) are very much people dogs, … that sounds as though you want it to be spending a Lot of time alone. I know its done regularly, but it isn’t good for them at all! Dogs get lonely much more then people realize. And board.

Temperment wise Goldens can be very lively (to be polite) or relaxed, … like any other breed just depends on the dog. They tend to be gentle, and Extremely Stubborn. Labs are often preferred as service dogs because of the Goldens stubbornness, and their health problems. Something you need to be prepared for (especially if you get an older dog) is that Goldens are prone to hip Dysplasia. In fact many organizations have phased out training Goldens as service dogs because it is such a wide spread problem.

This may be stating the obvious but its also worhth mentioning that they tend to run Really big, and have an incredible amount of fairly long hair, … light hair that floats and gets Everywhere. A Labs coat sheds but doesn’t compete with the Golden’s, and its heavier hair so tends to settle more.

Golden Lab crosses are terrific dogs and tend to be a little smaller. If you really want to get a dog (personally I wouldn’t be happy leaving one so much on its own, but that’s just me) I think you might want to down size a little, something forty or fifty pounds is easier to handle and deal with, and less likely to accidentally step on someone else furry and tiny and hurt them. My Lab was an incredible Darling, but at around seventy pounds she rather hurt my Yorky when she got over excited and forgot he was That close. (And however well trained and delightful of nature if you play with them they get happy and excited, its normal and desireable, … and needs to be remembered when there are other littler animals around. That same Lab literally tucked the 2.2 pound Yorky puppy under her chin and held a bone between her paws so he could chew it, she played with him so gently and sweetly when that was what she was doing, … but she still did walk on him at times.)

Weight gain is always a problem with Retrevers, you have to be very conscientious about helping them keep their weight down. That’s harder for some people, those who really like handing out treats for example. The weight gain becomes even more of an issue in breeds with hip problems since the more weight they put on the greater strain it is on the hips.

Just some things to think about. I really sympathize with you wanting a dog, I adore them and would never be without one, ….but they are very different and far more dependant on humans and human company/companionship then a lot of other pets.

I had a Golden Retriever growing up and she was one of the most amazing dogs I’ve ever met (and I’m honestly not saying that because she was mine). They tend to be very smart and active. They love the water and are very good at fetching. They’re also people dogs- they do not want to be anywhere except with their people. If you’re going to be gone a lot, Goldens are not the breed for you. They need stimulation and can become depressed if left alone.They also are prone to be epileptic. My own dog was epileptic. We bought her before being educated about the cons of buying a dog from a breeder without credentials. If you want a pure bred, make sure the breeder has tested for genetic diseases. They really are amazing dogs, but be sure you’re able to handle all of their needs. They do gain weight very easily if they’re not kept active.
Seriously consider adopting a mix or seeing if you can find a Golden rescue around you.