Golden Retrievers: Feared or Loved?

[Glacier]

I like Goldens, but I can see why some people would fear them. I've had serious dog bites three times in the last few years--dog bites that required medical care. Every single one of them was inflicted by a Golden. The vast majority of Goldens are lovely dogs, but overbreeding & just plain bad breeding has done the Goldie temperment no favors.

[WolvesRawk]

Goldies are great but like any dog, they can have behavoir problems if they are not raised right.

[Vela]

Goldies are great but like any dog, they can have behavoir problems if they are not raised right.

I would agree with that. I have never been bitten by one but I have been chased and had the life scared out of me by two guard dobies before, I think that's the closest I came to getting bit. Goldens are wonderful dogs when bred right and raised right. Any dog can be aggressive when raised badly or bred badly. I am not breed "racist" to any breed, but I'm extra partial to Boxers myself hehe. I had a golden once as a kid and she was a great dog.

[i_love_nicki]

Love them! Such sweeties! But I can see why some people fear them... they can have behavioral problems just like any other dog. But I personally love them to death!

[golden lover]

My username states my opinion!

[CagneyDog]

I like them but I've met many that have had some dog agression issues. I think i recall reading somewhere that this is common in female Golden, though?

[Suki Wingy]

I can easily see how they, like labs, could be feared. They are being bred by people who just don't care and/or just don't know what they are doing too much nowadays

[Tollers-n-Dobes]

I didn't vote as I don't love or fear them. I like them, but I'd never own one for various reasons. I can see why some people fear them aswell, and it all goes back to puppy mills and BYBs. I've met so many aggressive Goldens & Labs and they were most likely all from places like those.

[LuvGold00]

Username states my vote.

[Kfamr]

They aren't my favorite breeder, nor do I fear them.


They, like every other dog in the world, have ever tendency to be aggressive.

[vinjashira]

They aren't my favorite breeder, nor do I fear them.

umh... breeder Kay?
I quite like Golden Retrievers... eventhough I know it's not always the case, all of the golden I've met are quite nice and friendly

[lv4dogs]

I like them, which wasn't an option. Since I don't fear them I voted for love em'.

I like Goldens, but I can see why some people would fear them. I've had serious dog bites three times in the last few years--dog bites that required medical care. Every single one of them was inflicted by a Golden. The vast majority of Goldens are lovely dogs, but overbreeding & just plain bad breeding has done the Goldie temperment no favors.

You sound like me & yellow labs.

[Husky_mom]

this is like the thing with sharks, most if not everyone fears them but cows kill more people in a year than sharks and we dont fear cows do we?? (well some might do, but for a mayority thing) and i dont blame dogs or anything nor i am a breed banner i love every breed, but as for pits people fear them and goldens bite more people than them (as exemple) for goldens being more of a sweet dog people approaches them and they might bite.....

but as said before any breed fear looking or sweet looking, big or small, has a tendency to be agressive, some few some a lot, maybe out of fear, or bad training or BAD OWNERSHIP but we love them all.

P.S. please dont get me wrong

and for answer i do like goldens, but i wouldnt pick one to own, my devotion goes to huskies as for my username

[JenBKR]

I happen to love goldens, as I grew up with the most incredible golden/lab mix. The only breed I've ever really been afraid of are german shepherds because of a dog in my neighborhood who was very large and could be very mean (and I didn't understand at the time that he was mean because he was chained up all day, even when the owners went on vacation ) But when my husband fell in love with Roscoe at the shelter, I figured it was time to face my fear and viola! Obviously I am no longer afraid of GSDs

[K9soul]

Where is the statistic that says goldens bite more than pits? And really, all of that is relative to how many own goldens or whatever breed people own versus how many pits or other bully breed people own.

Really I try to stay out of these things but it always aggravates me how whenever a thread is started, seems particularly about whether people like labs or goldens, it turns into a thread of comparison and stories of "bad" dogs of that breed, whereas a thread about pits or rotties or other more maligned breeds has almost all positive, glowing praise. The fact is there are poorly bred, poorly raised dogs of all breeds, and I bet when someone asks in general, "do you like this breed" it's safe to assume they mean dogs of that breed that fit the standard, that are what they are supposed to be. I do realize labs and goldens in particular are the "poster children" of friendly family dogs and ignorant people spouting off how pitties shoudl be banned often use them as an example of a dog people should get instead, but really, sometimes it almost seems here that there is "reverse breedism" and people feel the need to say something negative or some negative example of them when they are brought up, whereas that is not very well tolerated with other breeds.

Anyway, sorry to get off track. It's just something I've noticed in threads over the past few months when a discussion regarding goldens and sometimes labs (as a breed discussion) is going on.

As for the question (which confused me a bit, just love or fear? ). I do love goldens as a breed.

Edited to add: I don't mean this as aimed at any one person or group of people or any particular post even in this thread. It is just the thoughts I've had a few times when this type of thread has come up, and I decided this time to voice them .