Golden Retrievers are my favorite dog breed for many reasons. I have one that is now 13 years old and I have NEVER had a single problem with her! She was easy to train and LOVES children which was the most important quality to me.
I have a 5 year old son who loves to sit on her, ride her, pull her ears...you name it! She has never even growled at him! She usually just gets up and lays somewhere else so he'll get the hint to leave her alone.
I think goldens are the best family dogs. They just love people and they love to play. They have great temperaments and can be easily trained to do tricks. My golden, Ginger, loves to fetch and she likes to bring me my shoes when I need them. She loves anyone and everyone that walks in the door, so obviously she would not be a good guard dog, but she might lick someone to death!
I also have a black labrador retriever who is still a puppy. He drives me crazy! I am still in the training phase with him, and hopefully he will calm down as he gets older, so my preference would still be a golden. They just aren't as hyper and they are so much easier to train.
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