16 Reasons Why Golden Retrievers are Such Awesome Pets

Updated: August 9th, 2022

Two golden retrievers sitting in front of a blurred backdrop of an autumnal forest
Photo credit: © Depositphotos.com / mari_art

There’s no doubt golden retrievers make wonderful pets, but what is it about them that has captured the hearts and minds of millions?

There are countless great things about goldens, but we’ve tried to distill the essence of their lovely personalities down to sixteen points. It’s challenging, sure, but we think we’ve got it just about covered.

Although every dog is an individual with their own quirks that make them who they are, golden retrievers, like other dog breeds, tend to share a number of traits that make them the awesome animals they are.

So, here are sixteen reasons golden retrievers make such great pets.

1. They’re Simply Beautiful!

One of the top reasons for anybody choosing a particular breed of dog over others for a pet is their looks. And Golden Retrievers score very highly in the beauty stakes!

From their soulful, piercing brown eyes, to their wise looking but always friendly face. But of course more than anything, their flowing, strikingly golden coat.

Nobody can deny the stand out beauty of golden retrievers. They look good on the arm of any human suitor!

2. They Love Us No Matter What

Golden retrievers seem to have an almost infinite capacity for love.

There’s no doubt that your dog loves you, as they show it in everything they do, from greeting you at the door to sitting at your feet to cheering you up when you feel sad.

But, goldens don’t just show love for their own families, they’re happy to share out the love to anyone and everyone they meet.

3. They Give Us Comfort

A young girl and golden retriever cuddle
Photo credit: © Depositphotos.com / pitrs10

Having a golden retriever is like having your own personal therapist on call 24 hours a day. These intuitive dogs seem to know when you’re upset and need a hairy hug.

They’re even better to talk to than a human friend (unless you need advice), because they won’t mind if you talk about your problems for hours on end.

There’s nothing more comforting than knowing that you’ve got a wonderful four-legged friend to come home to and share your troubles with.

4. They Are Easy To Train

One of the top 5 smartest dogs in the world, Golden retrievers are considered easy to train and can learn an awful lot of commands and tricks.

Of course you’ll want to master basic obedience together, but you can also impress your friends with all sorts of tricks such as: Learning the names of and fetching different items, putting away their toys, dancing and even bringing you a drink!

Of course, being such an intelligent breed it does mean you simply have to dedicate to regular training, otherwise those smarts can lead to mischief and misbehavior.

5. They Make Us Laugh

Non-dog people might think it strange when you say your dog is funny, but golden retrievers really do make their people laugh, and isn’t that the definition of being funny?

Of course, they’re not cracking jokes or making witty and astute political commentaries, but they bring fun and laughter into our lives, whether they’re zooming around the house like nobody’s business or trying desperately to fit five toys in their mouth in one go.

6. They Help Us Get Some Exercise

Family Walking Dog Through Winter Woodland
Photo credit: © Depositphotos.com / monkeybusiness

We all like to think that we’re disciplined enough to get regular exercise but, honestly, we probably wouldn’t go for long daily walks if it wasn’t for our dogs.

Goldens need to walk for at least an hour a day, but can happily go much further, so they get us moving and keep us more fit and healthy.

7. They’re Brave

While goldens aren’t usually the top of the list when you think of brave dog breeds, they’re so loyal and loving to their humans they’ll go the extra mile to protect them from harm.

You’ll find numerous tales of bravery from these dogs if you look for them. One such story is of a golden retriever named Figo who put himself between his blind owner and a school bus when it came hurtling toward the pair. Luckily, Figo came through the accident with just a broken leg.

8. They Increase Our Lifespan

Various studies have suggested that people with dogs live longer on average than people who don’t own pets.

There could be several reasons for this, one of the primary ones being that dog owners tend to get more exercise and have been found to have lower than average cholesterol levels.

Whatever the reasons, if our canine companions help us to live longer, that’s another added bonus!

9. They’re The Most Enthusiastic People We Know

A purebred Golden Retriever dog running without leash outdoors in the nature on a sunny day.
Photo credit: © Depositphotos.com / Bigandt

If humans acted like golden retrievers do, it would be a strange world indeed!

Members of this breed are so enthusiastic about everyone they meet, everywhere they go, and everything they see and do that it would almost be annoying if it wasn’t so endearing.

In fact, their enthusiasm for life, the universe and everything is contagious, so spend time with a golden and you’ll soon start to become one of those cheery glass-half-full people!

10. They Exude Confidence

Confidence can be a hard trait for humans to come by, but you can’t say the same for golden retrievers!

In fact, these dogs are famed for their friendliness and easygoing personalities, which means they tend to be calm and confident in all kinds of situations.

11. They’re Always In The Action

One thing you’ll notice about golden retrievers is that they don’t like to be left out of the action one little bit.

If you’re at home doing something, the chances are that your dog wants to be doing it, too. Even if the thing that you’re doing is trying to take a bathroom break, unfortunately.

Out and about, they want to get involved with everything that’s going on, whether that means making a new dog pal or splashing their way through the muddiest puddles they can find.

12. They’re Extremely Gentle

A baby in pink dress stroking a laying golden retriever
Photo credit: © Depositphotos.com / monkeybusiness

Golden retrievers are big dogs, and they’re certainly full of energy, but they also tend to be extremely gentle.

These dogs are one of the few breeds to historically have been selectively bred for temperament over looks, and many breed standards include the fact that goldens should have a sweet and gentle temperament.

As such, these pups are among the best family pets around.

13. They Love To Please

Anyone who has spent time with goldens will know that these dogs love to please their humans.

Not only is this generally rewarding, but it ultimately means that they’re often much easier to train than many other breeds of dog. If you give them lots of love, fuss and praise when they do something right, they’ll learn in no time at all.

14. They Define Loyalty

Although golden retrievers are friends to everyone (and, let’s face it, you wouldn’t have it any other way), they’re still amazingly loyal to their families, and will always put you first.

There’s nothing that your four-legged friend wouldn’t do for you. You just can’t buy that kind of loyalty.

15. They’re Great as Friends

Two girls running with a golden retriever away from some trees across grass
Photo credit: © Depositphotos.com / mvaligursky

They say a man’s (or woman’s) best friend is their dog, and this is undoubtedly true with a golden retriever.

No other friend is available to you whenever you want to hang out, always wants to do whatever you’re doing, never mocks you or tells you that thing you’re excited about is a bad idea. Who needs human friends when you’ve got a dog on your side?!

16. They Fit Well Into Multi-Pet Households

Many dog breeds just don’t ‘play nicely’ when it comes to other pets. Be that cats, rabbits, or sometimes even other dogs.

But Golden Retrievers, as long as they’ve been given sufficient socialization, are more than happy to share their home with other dogs and animals of other species.

Having a dog who’s trustworthy around your other pets brings peace of mind and a harmonious household, not least for those other pets!

Can You Think Of Further Reasons?

Can you think of other reasons that make golden retrievers such wonderful dogs and awesome pets ? I’m sure we’ve missed at least hundreds!

We’d love to hear why you love your Golden so please share it with us in the comment section below.

Written By

Wendy is a self-employed beauty therapist, mother of two, life-long pet parent and lover of dogs who somehow manages to squeeze in the time to satisfy another of her loves - writing. Wendy is the founder, main contributor to and editor of TotallyGoldens.

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11 Comments

  • Don
    Posted August 28, 2017 at 3:37 am 0Likes

    They are funny!

  • ann both
    Posted August 29, 2017 at 1:27 am 0Likes

    Never having had an inside dog before we are amazed and thrilled that our 6 month old golden just loves to share my lounge chair with me then after a while she goes over to her dads chair and lays between his legs on the recliner. It makes the whole empty nester house come alive and happy

  • Joanne
    Posted November 17, 2017 at 5:36 am 0Likes

    I adopted Emma just 2 years ago. She was abandoned and I found her in a shelter. Practically hairless and around 10 years of age. After weeks and months of treatments she is absolutely beautiful and so happy. She is the love of my life. She rescued me and is loyal, kind, compassionate and understanding. I can’t imagine life without her. She is an incredible gift. This beautiful golden retriever has given life to me!

  • Kiara Woodsland
    Posted January 10, 2018 at 3:22 am 0Likes

    The best part of your article for me is when you talked about how Golden Retrievers are considered to be smart that’s easy to be trained. My husband is fond of teaching pets different commands and tricks. At the moment, he’s interested to buy a dog but unsure which breed to buy. Now that I’ve learned how smart and trainable Golden Retrievers are, I will make sure to share your blog with my husband so he can consider it.

  • Miro Pamula
    Posted January 26, 2018 at 3:25 pm 0Likes

    All this web and all the stories here meet all I have learned about our golden retriever Max so far. He is 1,5 year old, looks beautiful, and behaves exactly as its been described here. I absolutely agree with all these reasons. We have longed about the dog for such a long time and after we finally moved to house, we brouhgt home this beatiful puppy. Now he grew up and is simply fantastic. This dog makes us all happy and we really enjoy the time with him. I recommend this breed to everybody, but with one advice: please, do not keep it closed in some cage during the time you are not at home. He loves to be freely walking around the backyeard all the day and he is absolutely loyal. My doughter has already tought him about 56 tricks and I even use it when I do some home works, he is always with me. He can step backwards when you order him, he brings me what I need actually (hammer, screwdriver, etc..) and he always tries to bite the wheel on the grass cutting machine, when it is off and I just remove it from one place to another 🙂 then he sits with us on the terrace, and pets with us all the time. 🙂

  • Sandra Christiana
    Posted April 9, 2018 at 11:41 am 0Likes

    Hi, Lauren. What’s up? My most favorite dog is Golden Retriever too. Very adorable, funny, beautiful eyes makes it awesome. Totally a perfect pet sibling to me.

    • Don Brauns
      Posted June 26, 2019 at 3:40 am 0Likes

      I’ have loved golden retrievers since I was 12 years old when I got a mixed breed golden and a white German shepherd dog named Ginger. I had that dog for 17 years believe it or not. She was totally faithful to me, she went with me everywhere, loved to ride in the back of our pickup truck. She wouldn’t ride up front she just insisted on riding in the back. Over the years since I lost her I have had a few German shepherds which were also very loyal dogs but never as much as ginger was. After I lost my last shepherd Sheba. We adopted a golden retriever from a local rescue in Myrtle Beach South Carolina named pacer he was such a beautiful loyal dog with us for 9 years but unfortunately he got cancer and passed away from us. We are still mourning his loss, but looking forward to hopefully finding another golden retriever to fill the void in our lives since he passed. If anyone out there can help us find another loving golden please let us know. We are hoping to be reacquainted with another wonderful dog as soon as possible.

  • Jack
    Posted April 24, 2018 at 4:54 am 0Likes

    They are funny and entertaining to watch, and those are SOOOOOOO CCCCCCCUUUUUUUTTTTTTTTEEEEEEE

  • Jan
    Posted May 8, 2018 at 6:52 pm 0Likes

    Shortly after my mum died we got Casper from a shelter. A three-year old Golden Retriever. Scared, underweight and traumatized. Nursing him back to health did the same for my heart. Everything in this article is so recognizable. He’s seven now and IMO the most beautiful Golden this part of the globe. If I could add one reason why they make such great dogs it would be the fact that they’re able to bring a smile to complete strangers. I live in a town that attracts quite a lot of foreign tourists and when I go for a walk with Casper I’m always surprised how he manages to make people from all different countries smile just by walking around with his tennis ball or the wood stick he picked up somewhere. Best diplomats in the world.

  • Gloria Lipson
    Posted June 6, 2018 at 7:07 am 0Likes

    i have a golden retriever. I know every dog is beautiful but golden retrievers are the most beautiful dogs. They are also very friendly.

  • Kerstin Inger West-Wilson
    Posted December 23, 2018 at 4:19 am 0Likes

    Goldens are protective and love unconditionally. Amazing companions and provide comfort to their humans in a very intuitive way. Have owned Goldens since 1974 and cannot imagine life without them!

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