Golden Retriever

Golden Retrievers are one of the better choices for a family with children. Expect a big dog that is high-energy, sheds heavily and needs regular brushing. Fine alone for a few hours.

Source: American Kennel Club breed standard.

Goldens were built in the Scottish Highlands in the 1800s to retrieve waterfowl across rough, boggy ground, which is why they are softer and slightly more sensitive than the Labrador they get confused with. The feathered coat that makes them beautiful is the same coat that fills your vacuum — it is a double coat, and it goes everywhere twice a year. Where Labs are boisterous, Goldens tend to be gentle and eager almost to a fault, and they take a raised voice harder than most breeds. The thing prospective owners underestimate is the grooming: this is not a wash-and-go dog, and the feathering behind the ears and legs mats quietly if nobody brushes it.

Day to day. High-energy — this is a dog that needs a real outlet every single day, not a stroll. Skip that and you get chewing, barking and digging, which is not naughtiness, it is boredom. The clever ones are hardest to tire out on foot alone — something to solve at dinner time takes more out of them than an extra mile. On noise, it is about average.

The coat, honestly. This breed sheds heavily and needs regular brushing. Brush a few times a week and you will catch a lot of the hair before it reaches the sofa. Not all of it.

Being left alone. Fine alone for a few hours. A full working day, every day, is asking a lot.

Training. Eager and easy to train. That makes it a forgiving choice for a family training their first dog, as long as everyone is consistent. If it is a puppy, measure for the adult — this one ends up in the biggest crate made.

• You want a dog with a reputation for putting up with children
• Someone in the house genuinely wants to run, hike or train most days
• You have room for a big dog and a car it actually fits in
• This is your first dog and you want one that makes training feel possible

• Your daily walk is really a quick trip round the block
• You cannot live with hair on the sofa, the car and your clothes
• You are in a flat, or nobody can physically hold this dog on a lead

Rough running cost: $$ (middle of the pack) — because it is a big dog, so food, medicines and anaesthetics all cost more.

Those are relative bands, not live prices. For real numbers across every pet we cover, see the pet cost study and the cost calculator.

Picked for this breed’s coat, size, energy and known health issues, not a generic list.

Rescues do have Golden Retrievers and Golden Retriever crosses, usually adults whose size, coat and temperament you can see rather than guess at.

Labrador Retriever

Friendly, patient and playful — the classic family dog, and happiest when it has a job and a swim.

🐘 Big⚡ High energy🌬️ Heavy shed

German Shorthaired Pointer

An athlete in a short coat. Brilliant with an active family, miserable without a real run every day.

🐘 Big⚡ High energy🧹 Some shedding

German Shepherd

Loyal, serious and endlessly trainable — a big commitment in exercise, training and grooming.

🐘 Big⚡ High energy🌬️ Heavy shed