Best selling author Lisa Scottoline has four Golden Retrievers and one Welsh Corgi. She writes about them like this, "When you have a house full of Goldens, you think to yourself, You know, we need a dog". And which dog causes all the trouble in her home? The Corgi. Which dog literally ate part of her finger? The Corgi. Which dog is on doggy Prozac? The Corgi.

This shows the big contrast between Golden Retriever temperaments and the temperaments of most other dog breeds. Although every dog is an individual, for the most part Golden Retrievers are calm, trainable and submissive. However, they need proper nutrition, grooming and exercise to get this good-natured and stay this good-natured. Golden Retrievers aren't the perfect dogs, but for many they are worth their weight in gold for their personalities. If you are ever saddled with a Golden Retriever, you could do a lot worse.

There are some negatives to living with Golden Retrievers that you should prepare yourself for. These will be mild for some people and calamities for others. Golden Retrievers need daily grooming, or they get matted. They shed more than other breeds. It has been said they have more of a doggy odor than other breeds. They also were bred to be Retrievers (hence the name), which means they have a compulsion to pick things up in their mouths and carry them to your home. This can mean they find a big dead rat and carry in into your living room, fully expecting to be showered with praise.

Golden Retrievers, because of their popularity, have been victims of their own success. Some unscrupulous breeders more concerned about how many puppies they can sell as opposed to how healthy the puppies are have over bred them. There is an effort of Golden Retriever breeders to try and reverse health problems that can be passed on through genes. Just to be on the safe side, expect your Golden Retriever to have skin problems, hip dysplasia, eye problems and heart problems.

On the whole, life with Golden Retrievers is a pleasant one, after the initial hyperactivity of puppy-hood (which, in a dog, lasts until they are at least two years old). Golden Retriever definitely need training, attention and vet care, but they adapt well to all three of these. The more you put into your Golden Retriever in terms of time, energy and training, the more you'll get. It is not accident that Golden Retrievers are often the dog of choice for therapy and rescue dogs.

If you look in the media or in advertising, a lot of times when a dog is needed to play a part, that part is played by a Golden Retriever. This shows you what these dogs are capable of. Since they are large dogs, if you are not sure of how to train them, please get a professional trainer to help you. Read dog training books and learn as much Golden Retriever information as you can.