We've decided to get a puppy for our kids. They want a golden retriever. I heard they are too energetic and need daily exercise. Will it be able to keep up with me in my 60-90 minute runs or should I get another breed?
We've decided to get a puppy for our kids. They want a golden retriever. I heard they are too energetic and need daily exercise. Will it be able to keep up with me in my 60-90 minute runs or should I get another breed?
Just get them a golden puppy, sheesh. If you want a different breed for Christmas, you ought to ask your parents
No. Too much Golden Retriever hair. It's like running with three extra layers of outerwear when it's already 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
No but it can handle 1-3 miles pretty easily. Run with it for the first few miles then drop it off at home and finish your run if you're that worried about that
We had a golden retriever when I was a kid. Ours was a great, very affectionate dog. But while I did occasionally take him for short runs in the woods, he was really not an endurance athlete. If we ran three miles, he would go out hard for the first 400, drag around for the next two-and-a-half miles, and then sprint the rest of the way home. A 60-90 minute run like you're talking about is not something he would have wanted to do, not something I really could have made him do, and frankly not something he was really built to handle.
While he would happily go for walks and stuff, what he really wanted to do in terms of exercise was play fetch or chase until his tongue was dragging on the ground and then go take a nap. That would take maybe ten to fifteen minutes. If he could get somebody to throw a stick or a tennis ball into a pond so that he could do some "retrieving", he would do that to the point of total exhaustion.
Individual dogs can be different, of course, but that was my experience, and from what I understand it's not untypical for the breed. Also, you should be aware that golden retrievers have a tendency to develop joint problems, so putting one through marathon training is not necessarily the best idea.
Why get them a stupid dog?
After 1 week, they will ignore the dog permanently and go back to video games and their iPads.
Then it’s YOUR dog and you spend every waking moment scooping up giant turds and spending more money on a new responsibility you don’t need. Oh, who’s going to watch the stupid beast when you go on vacation? Oh, just take the monster with you. Simplify your life. Nobody needs a dumb dog.
Any dog can do a little but my Minature Australian shepard can run 10 miles a day.
Australian shepherds, cattle dogs or Border Collies are all great running partners.
They'll last just fine over 60-90 minutes and you'll be the one trying to keep up.
They also have great dispositions around kids.
runners wrote:
Australian shepherds, cattle dogs or Border Collies are all great running partners.
They'll last just fine over 60-90 minutes and you'll be the one trying to keep up.
They also have great dispositions around kids.
Agree with these posters. Also, unless you are getting a Golden Retriever mutt, don't get one. They are sadly very predisposed to a lot of conditions (had 2 growing up, both succumbing to cancer early on; 2nd one was maybe only 3 years old.)
There are dogs that can handle runs with people, but goldens are not among them. They are more of sprinters. They can handle a 2-3 mile jog, and thats about it. They'll be panting like crazy and slowing you down and occasionally want to take off at a sprint for a short distance.
My kids want a dog for Christmas wrote:
We've decided to get a puppy for our kids. They want a golden retriever. I heard they are too energetic and need daily exercise. Will it be able to keep up with me in my 60-90 minute runs or should I get another breed?
If you're worried about a golden being too energetic, then a dog probably isn't for you. Like any dog they'll have a ton of energy as a puppy, but after a couple years it will be about as energetic as your couch
My kids want a dog for Christmas wrote:
We've decided to get a puppy for our kids. They want a golden retriever. I heard they are too energetic and need daily exercise. Will it be able to keep up with me in my 60-90 minute runs or should I get another breed?
Get a collie!
If you want to run with a dog, get a pointing breed or a herding breed. They'll handle more than you can once they are grown. Downside is they are generally lunatics as puppies. My preference is German shorthair, and it should be easy to find a well bred one. But it's a lot of dog.
A golden or a lab is a fine pet, not a good running companion.
btw there are lots of retired greyhounds that need adoption
a few states finally banned dog racing in November so lots of them available at special shelter
super loving lazy dogs when not running
I have a lab and run with him 2-3 times per week. I started running with him when he was a little over 1 (had to get the ok from the vet first - if you start running before they’re fully it can affect their growth plates). We started with 1 mile and worked our way up. He’ll do 5-6 miles with me, only stopping 1-2x for a 30 second water break. He pulls a lot the first 400 m but then he settles in and can easily hold 7-7:30 pace. He wears a harness with a leash that’s hooked onto my waist. I’m a female so I also feel safer running alone when he is with me.
Labs are perfect family dogs. Super affectionate and loyal. Great around kids. They’re less maintenance than a golden (less shedding, they don’t need to be groomed, etc). I’ve also found them to more athletic than goldens.
Greyhounds probably make the best dog to run with.
Vizslas are amazing runners.
You are all so racist, all dogs are the same. How dare you imply some breeds are better than others!
Get an Australian shepherd, a cattle dog or a Border Collie crossed with a poodle. Super smart and it won't shed.
I was over at a friends of a friends house recently and their dog would not settle down for the hours I was there. It was jumping all over me. At one point it knocked me and I bruised my hip . Then the next week I was running (thankfully I could after the fall) on a public road and this huge Rottweiler type dog comes barreling out of a yard into the street after me. I yelled at the dog and the owner. I told them it's against the law to have your dog run in the road unleased. Now the owner dislikes me and I'm the bad guy! WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON!!!!!!! DON'T THESE PEOPLE KNOW THAT DOGS CAN BE TRAINED TO BEHAVE!
I am in favor of a world wide law that would require every prospective dog owner to have their dog trained and pass a certified test, as well as a dog ownership test for the owner. Anyone agree?