Golden Retriever
The archetypal family companion, read straight off its ratings sheet — energy, children, shedding and space, told plainly.
A gentle, eager-to-please gundog famous as the archetypal family companion — so runs the Golden Retriever’s one-line entry, and nothing else on its sheet argues with it.
The temperament sheet
Energy is rated high, and the word is doing real work. This is a breed for households that are already out of doors most days, not for those hoping a garden will exercise the dog on its own. Tolerance for time alone is moderate: a few hours is workable, a routine of long empty days is not what the sheet describes.
With children the rating is excellent — the top mark we print — and the first-dog answer is a plain yes. Space is listed as needs-garden, so readers in flats should take that line at face value.
The practical side
- Size: large. Budget room for it in the house and the car.
- Grooming: moderate. A settled weekly brushing habit covers it.
- Shedding: heavy. Hair on the sofa, hair on your coat, hair in the car — accept this before the dog arrives, not after.
- Barking: moderate. Announcements, not running commentary.
The dog in front of you
Every rating above describes a breed, not an animal. Individual dogs outrank their breed sheet without apology, and meeting the actual dog outranks everything on this page.