The Personality
of Golden Retrievers

The American Kennel Club breed standard describes the personality of Golden Retrievers as "eager, alert and self-confident." Let's see what that really means, as it relates to your Golden.

Does that surprise you?

Probably not, if you've ever owned or been around more than one dog in your lifetime.

That's why you need to consider each pup's unique personality when choosing a puppy.

Did you know you can also help shape your pup's personality?

Everything you do in the way of training and interacting with your pup on a daily basis will help him further develop his own unique "self."

So what is personality, anyway?

One definition is, "the sum total of the physical, mental, emotional, and social characteristics of an individual."

That means we have to include the old "nature versus nurture" discussion when it comes to dog breed personality types.

Every dog is a combination of his breeding, training, and environment.

Consistency in the Personality Traits of Golden Retrievers

Let's look at a few reasons why the Golden personality has kept him in the Top Five of breed popularity for many years.

A Golden makes a great family pet, as he's gentle with children and has a patient tolerance for their endless attentions. After all, he's just a kid at heart anyway.

He wants to play as much as they do!

Many Goldens possess a strong nurturing instinct, too, which comes in handy with a house full of young children.

Even as a puppy, our Peaches loved to keep the kids company.

She stuck close to them whether they were playing in the yard or relaxing in beanbag chairs (seen here).

A Golden Retriever is eager to please and enjoys learning, making him easier to train than many other breeds.

Golden Retrievers are also star performers in the relatively new sport of Canine Freestyle.

That's a fun type of competition that capitalizes on the intelligence and fun-loving sense of humor of the personality of Golden Retrievers.

Their gentleness also makes them favorites as therapy dogs.

Their patience, strong bond with people and eager willingness to learn make Golden Retrievers extremely successful guide dogs and assistance dogs.

Goldens are well-mannered, reliable and trustworthy, making them worth their weight in gold to the people who depend on them to be their eyes and ears.

Ruby, the Golden we took in from an animal shelter for a month, had a vendetta against cats that was quite uncharacteristic of her breed. We figured she had some "baggage" from an old run-in with a feline foe.

Peaches, on the other hand, loved every living creature--even our African Grey parrot, Rebel!

The Golden Retriever is so affectionate, he'd love to be a lapdog--and may still try to crawl into your lap in spite of his size! He's in seventh heaven just lying at your feet or going for car rides around town.

In spite of their size, Goldens make lousy guard dogs. They've never met a stranger they didn't like!

Although they're not generally nuisance barkers, they're happy to announce the arrival of visitors--and welcome them into the house with lots of happy tail wagging.

Goldens are friendly, lovable, playful companions. They just love to be with their "pack"!

Some Goldens are happy to join in whatever's going on (like playing dress-up with the kids, as Peaches enjoys here with my daughter Tracy).

Others need several long walks or runs every day to burn up their exuberant energy.

Whether your own Golden fits the "normal" guidelines of the typical personality of Golden Retrievers, or has a few quirks that put him into the "slightly different" category, he's still a Very Important Pooch.

After all, he's a Golden!

Custom Search

Return from Personality of Golden Retrievers to Characteristics

Return from Personality of Golden Retrievers to Home Page