Friendly, playful and gentle are the three words that describe the Golden Retriever temperament. These dogs are extremely friendly, not only to their owners, but even to visitors and strangers. Just a little bit of cuddling, a nice pat and tickle under the neck is enough to make your neighbor’s golden retriever yours! Their barks are not alarms raised, but are most of the times friendly greetings to those passing by. They bark at almost anything from birds to playing kids, and not necessarily at things that they find strange or suspicious.
It is not that these dogs are not intelligent, but the fact is that they get friendly and establish a trust on the people around them very easily. These lovely beasts have been ranked fourth among their fellows in order of intelligence! The proof of this trait of golden retriever temperament can be seen in their training sessions. They grasp playful and obedience tricks very easily and they are highly active in their movements. Their activeness is recorded to be so high that they can actually end up overworking themselves! Care should thus be taken that they are not made to run around too much even though they love to do it!
The golden retrievers are attracted to the things around them and seem inquisitive about all that is around them because of which it is difficult to make them move according to one’s wishes. They are difficult to be taught to untug their leash due to this trait of theirs. Still it is important to take them for walk twice in a day to keep them healthy and active.
The friendly aspect of golden retriever temperament makes them bad watchdogs. They can be trained to perform tricks like rolling over, sleeping, etc., but it is extremely difficult to train them to bark at new people as they develop an affinity with strangers quickly. They are hardly found barking aggressively let alone biting people, so it should not be expected of a golden retriever to perform the function of a guard dog. They can instead be chosen for performing the tasks of guide dogs, assisting dogs for the old and the handicapped, and rescue dogs due to their capability to understand things well and their high capacity for physical activity. The golden retriever temperament is perfectly suited for these tasks and they have proved themselves in these tasks.
The golden retriever temperament makes them perfect companions for children, the aged and handicapped people who need constant help in their day-to-day life. They can be trained to open door latches, fetch newspaper and other things, go to the local store with the trolley to buy supplies, play with single kids and so on. For the golden retrievers, these tasks are not tasks, but they enjoy them instead. They are never lazy to get up like many other dog breeds but are spontaneous in their responses to the commands given to them.
They might not be able to guide one but are lovely friends to be with. They act as children when one needs to play along; they become friends when one needs someone by the side and are perfect to be with at all times! The golden retriever temperament is suited to showering love and devotion and those in search for these elements, can get ample of these in them!