Case Profile: The Golden Retriever
In today’s case profile, it’s time we had a little chat about the literal Golden Child of the dog world - the breed that ‘definitely never has any issues, ever’ - and the challenges that come with training the breed the also happens to be my very earliest childhood memory of a dog - The Golden Retriever.
BREED(S): Golden Retriever (working and show lines)
Owners most commonly see me for: Recall. Overstimulation. Reactivity.
Most Common symptoms include: An impressively high level of interest in quite literally anything that isn’t you. Loving food (until they don’t). Loving picking things up (except themselves) and bringing them to anyone that isn’t you. High levels of excitement towards anything new, but not you. Sitting on their backsides and refusing to walk. Not being a Labrador.
Occasional symptoms include: Territorial barking and lunging. Anxiety and fear.
Case Breakdown: Where do I start with Golden Retrievers? More than any breed on the planet, the golden retriever has been selected for its capacity for friendliness, affection, a positive mental attitude, and being an all around ‘good dog.’ And yet, despite their reputation - golden retriever owners know all too well the feeling of wanting to pull their own hair out at all of the ways in which their dogs completely ignore them and cause a trail of chaos everywhere they go, whilst receiving a shower of compliments from complete strangers in the process.
Golden retrievers are many things, but one thing they are not is a long haired Labrador. For all the ways in which they are expected to be highly obedient and trainable, and whilst some working line retrievers certainly can be - in my experience this is a breed that requires a disproportionately large amount of effort in the early years when it comes to training, engagement and obedience.
What that means in practice, is that if you have your own bad habits when it comes to conflict, stress and how you regulate yourself, your golden retriever is going to force you through a process of self improvement, whether or not you are asking for it. And until that point, you are likely to be dealing with a boisterous, overly excitable dog - because that is the only real way that their genetics allow them to tell you to get your shit together.
Recall is always a challenge with a young retriever.
When I am training recall with Golden Retrievers, I always do so with a full expectation that it isn’t going to go as planned. Every Golden I have worked with has a tendancy to be highly distractible as a puppy, with high levels of novelty seeking behaviour - which means that whilst it’s very easy for them to be interested in pretty much anything new, its very difficult to hold that attention and keep them interested in anything specific. With most breeds, it is usually the case that having something they love (a little food, their favourite toy etc) can keep them engaged for the whole training session, but whenever I am working with retrievers I know that I need to have a long list of options as far as food, different toys and activities is available - and even then, to only work in short bursts if I want to teach healthy habits. This is normally why recall causes so much frustration - because even an owner is following the “puppy class approved” step by step process, they always find themselves being trumped by another new dog, stranger, kid on a bike, or other fast moving object.
It’s not that you can’t train them - you can. But only with a lot of patience, a flexible schedule and a go with the flow attitude. I have never met a golden retriever that wanted to do anything on my schedule, and there is great deal of challenge that comes with that.
Masters of Conflict Resolution - in ways that probably suck for you.
One of the defining characteristics of Golden Retrievers is, in some ways - that they don’t have any defining behavioural challenges. They are not typically snappy or aggressive dogs, prone to being anxious or fearful. And whilst I have certainly met golden retrievers that do bite, are fearful, or do otherwise have serious behavioural challenges - in every case, it is because of an absolute failure on the part of a human being when it comes to healthy conflict resolution - which is a nice way of saying solving disagreements politely.
The thing is, Golden Retrievers don’t escalate in a way that is concerning for people. They are far more inclined to get over excited and mouthy than they are aggressive. If they don’t want to do something,They are fare more inclined to lie on the floor like a dead weight than they are to do things like grabbing/biting the lead, jumping up at people, panicking or turning to aggression. If they don’t like your attitude, they’re highly inclined to just walk away (half way across a field) and give you time to cool down than they are to throw your bad energy back at you. They are, in so many ways - all of the things that we as human beings should learn when it comes to conflict resolution.
This is one of the reasons that a Golden Retriever exhibiting more severe behavioural symptoms more obviously indicates a fundamental relationship issue or an issue with their prior development. No one gets surprised when a collie or a terrier bites someone, but if it happens with a golden retriever it immediately peaks my interest.
What that means in practice, is that if you have your own bad habits when it comes to conflict, stress and how you regulate yourself, your golden retriever is going to force you through a process of self improvement, whether or not you are asking for it. And until that point, you are likely to be dealing with a boisterous, overly excitable dog - because that is the only real way that their genetics allow them to tell you to get your shit together.
No Dog is Perfect - even a Golden Retriever
It’s worth saying however, that even golden retrievers have their challenges, and sometimes the mask of the breed makes it easy for us to miss when they are stressed, when they’re dealing with high levels of hormone change, when they have low confidence levels, or are getting into a habit of becoming territorial. These dogs do have a great deal of resilience, but they aren’t limitless.
Here are the key details I work on with most Golden Retriever owners.
Self work. It might not sound serious, but a relationship with any golden retriever means having patience, calmness - and an awareness of how you feel. The same is true for every dog, but because Golden Retrievers will tolerate it better than most, self awareness becomes really important.
Don’t mistake excitement for happiness. Goldens are naturally happy go lucky dogs, and it can sometimes end up becoming excitement without limits. Calmness is always important - place work is as always a go to skill for relaxation.
Impulse control. Like me in a sweet shop, there is no greater skill for a golden retriever than learning to control their impulses and not interact with everything they see.
