Golden Retrievers Are the Best! (The Best Dogs Ever)

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Is there, according to veterinarians, a breed called pit bull? And are there any personality traits that pit bulls will share? There is no single breed called the pit bull. They are a group of breeds, including the American pit bull terrier, the American Staffordshire terrier, and depending on who you ask a variety of other related breeds.

In addition, many mixed-breed dogs with a particular physical type medium size, blocky head, short coat, muscular are often referred to as pit bulls.

Personality traits shared among these dogs are under a lot of debate and you'll get different answers depending on who you ask. My personal experience is that they are high energy and intelligent.

Are there any dogs who are genetically likely to be dangerous? Does it make any sense to categorize breeds as such based on genetics? Dogs who are not well socialized and dogs who are not used to living with humans are at risk of being dangerous.

How we treat dogs has much more to do with their behavior than their breed. That said, genetics does play a role in behavior as well, and I believe that some individual dogs are born with inherent risk of developing aggression. I don't think any breeds are at such a high risk of developing aggression that it makes sense to pass legislation about them -- it is much more effective to pass legislation supporting responsible dog ownership and establishing protocols for dealing with individual dogs who have proven themselves to be dangerous.

Are there any misconceptions about dog breeds and personality traits you run into very often? I think people do tend to assume that individual dogs have the personality associated with their breed.

It's not always a good assumption! Dogs are individuals, even if many of them do come in these convenient breed groups. Think of a dog's breed as giving its personality a tendency to develop in particular directions, but no guarantee. You write in your blog post that purebred dogs tend to be susceptible to certain diseases. What would you do about this problem, if you were czar of dog reproduction?

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Labradors are more likely to get cranial cruciate ligament CCL or ACL tears; Great Danes are more likely to get gastric dilation volvulus stomach bloat ; Cavalier King Charles spaniels are more likely to have heart disease, specifically in a particular part of the heart called the mitral valve. I could go on. There are two causes for genetic issues like these: In the first case, responsible breeders the world over are trying hard to get these "bad" traits out of breeds, like cancer in goldens.

In the cases of some breeds, this is really hard to do because the genetic pool of the breed is so small. I gave some clear-cut examples of this in my blog post Basenjis and Dalmatians.

Science Explains Why Golden Retrievers Are Awesome

Should we be opening up more breeds to some outside genetics in order to improve them? I think we should, but I know there will be a lot of disagreement with that statement! In the second case, I think we need to stop breeding dogs for physical traits that cause problems.

Pugs and bulldogs just have overly flat faces and that makes it hard for them to breathe. We can easily breed them to have a bit more muzzle and still look like pugs and bulldogs so they can breathe normally, but we don't. We have a culture of thinking "this problem is just part of the breed" instead of remembering that humans made dog breeds, and we can change them to be healthier! If dogs are mostly being bred for looks at this point, instead of temperament -- and if you can really only select for a couple of traits at a time -- then why is it that golden retrievers are, by and large, so incredibly nice?

Are they being bred for personality as well as looks? So most breeds are, yes, bred for personality as well as looks. If you read the breed standards, personality is often in there. Which is why goldens are so sweet. But I'll contend that in many cases, show-oriented breeders focus first on winning conformation competitions how the dog looks ; making a good pet is important to them, but if push comes to shove they'll choose winning the shows over breeding for a dog that's a good pet.

This is absolutely not true of all breeders and there are some lovely kennels out there where personality really does come first.

Science Explains Why Golden Retrievers Are Awesome | HuffPost

But I think we can do better than we do, and have more of a focus on personality and less on looks. It's not just breeders! Many owners go out to buy a dog who looks a certain way, and put that before the personality. We need to remember that you'll have to live with this dog and personality is a lot more important than coat color or head shape. It seems like a big part of why people tend to care about dog breed is because they're looking for some kind of certainty, some reliability, when they bring home a dog.

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They want a golden retriever because they feel confident that a golden retriever puppy will grow into a dog who is good with their kids, and won't attack anyone. Is this confidence misplaced? What should people do if they want to bring home a dog who will be good with their kids?

#1 Fascinated Retrievers

The best way to find a dog that is good with kids is to find an adult dog with a proven track record, and then manage him around your kids responsibly -- don't leave them alone together, make sure the kids don't harass the dog, and make sure the dog gets plenty of exercise and has his own space away from the kids sometimes. If you want a puppy, you're always taking a bit of a chance on what he'll be when he grows up, just like you are when you raise a human child!

You can stack the deck in your favor by getting a dog of a breed that will do well with your lifestyle, getting the puppy from a responsible breeder who has socialized him well, and giving the dog lots of training, socialization, and exercise. It's even harder to predict how mixed breed dogs will grow up, but plenty of people have gotten mixed breed puppies and raised them with kids with no problems when they make sure to train the puppy well.

If you have kids and you want to get a puppy, give a local trainer a call and ask if you can pay for a session with them to get their advice. Prevention is the best medicine and they'd so much rather help you get the right dog to start with than try to train out problems a year down the road!

If I had to sum it up I'd say that personality is a really complicated thing, influenced by genetics and environment in ways we don't completely understand. Product details Age Range: Lerner Pub Group January 1, Language: Start reading Golden Retrievers Are the Best! The Best Dogs Ever on your Kindle in under a minute. Don't have a Kindle? Our favorite toys for everyone on your list Shop now. Try the Kindle edition and experience these great reading features: Share your thoughts with other customers.

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Top Reviews Most recent Top Reviews. There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later. Library Binding Verified Purchase. I love this book, I makes me smile when I read it. If you've ever heard anyone say that golden retrievers are great family dogs, they probably speak from experience. If you want a watchdog, you might as well forget it because anyone that enters your house will get a cheery welcome and will be asked to play.

The golden is "a dog with winning warmth and limitless love. If you live in an apartment, this may not be the dog for you because they are large and also very energetic. The male golden can "range from 23 to 24 inches 58 to 61 centimeters high at the shoulder" and can weigh in "between 65 and 75 pounds 29 to 34 kilograms. They definitely aren't tiny, but they have a heart that seems to be as big as their bodies at times.

They are an active dog who enjoys swimming and will enjoy things like playing Frisbee, running or hiking with you. Originally they were bred as hunting dogs in Scotland during the s and later came to North America. The goldens, who were discovered to be "great family pets" also have been known to be great guide dogs, service dogs, therapy dogs and search dogs.

You will read about a golden retriever named Bear who "searched for people who were trapped beneath the World Trade Center's rubble. In this book you will read about its physical characteristics, the history of the breed, the different uses or ways the golden have been put to work, the needs of the dog is it right for your family?

This vibrant, animated book provides an excellent overview of the golden retriever.

#2 Capturing Unexpected Moments Sometimes Turn Out To Be The Most Memorable Of All

The book not only points out the pluses to the dog, but also indicates the reasons a family might not be able to deal with one. For example, if you are a couch potato, this highly energetic breed might not fit in with your lifestyle. I loved the numerous photographs that pepper the pages of this book because it paints a great portrait of the personality of the breed. The book has several informative scattered sidebars that give addition information on the golden.

If you decide to actually purchase a golden retriever you will need an additional book on how to care for one, but this book just may help you decide if you want to add one as a family member.

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