by Angelina Moore

Created on: September 06, 2008   Last Updated: June 17, 2009

Golden retrievers are without a doubt one of the most kind-hearted friendly dog breeds there is around. Their loyalty and love towards their owners is endless, and they make a wonderful pet for all the family.

I am speaking from experience as I am lucky enough to have a golden retriever. Alfie is seven years old and I can still remember the day when we decided to get a dog. He was the last in his litter and when I first laid eyes on him, I just thought, "He's gorgeous". He had white fluffy fur and big brown eyes that were just so adorable, they made me fall in love with his straight away! His paws were completely out of proportion to his body as they were so big, we could tell he was going to be a big dog.

Here are some facts about Golden retrievers that I have found out as my do has grown: -

1)They love to play fetch! Alfie could fetch a ball for hours he loves it. This is because historically golden retrievers were bred to be gundogs and sniff out freshly-killed prey. Instead of instinctively eating it, they loyally bring it back to their master. This can be seen by the modern golden retrievers as they like to fetch a ball and bring it back to their owner.

2)When I take Alfie for a walk in the woods I love throwing a stick in the trees and watching him working to try and find it. The breeds' sense of smell is amazing. I once threw a stone in the river for Alfie to find and decided to mark is using another stone to see if he would be able to bring the exact same one back to me. I was absolutely stunned to see that he had brought the right one back!

3)Golden retrievers are natural swimmers. When I take Alfie to a place with water he is straight in there. He especially loves the beach; we can't keep him out of the sea!

4)They shred hair like nobody's business! As Alfie has grown up, the hair that he has left lying around in the house is endless. A quick tip that I have learnt is to sweep up regularly as Golden retrievers do not stop shredding hair. Also, to avoid wearing dark clothes around them as the dog hair gets on your clothes and it is a nightmare to come out. Trust me.

5)Golden retrievers are very easily house trained. If you are committed and determined it will not take long to house train a new golden retriever puppy. Alfie was very good, we would lay out newspaper for him and he eventually learned when to go to the toilet. He is very clever now, when he need to go he will sit by the back door and bark until we let him out. The most important thing to do

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