Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Retrievers - Golden or Lab?

Can anyone with experience comment on pros and cons? May consider getting one for companionship & watchdog duties.

Thanks

In standard Campfire form; Chesapeake.

I grew up with a golden retriever as my best friend and partner in crime. I’ve since owned labs, a GSP and an English Field Cocker and they’re all awesome. My GSP (Kodiak) is the most loving and needy goofball, my English Field Cocker “Sky” was the most faithful and intelligent animal I’ve ever been around while my labs have been my constant companion.

You won’t go wrong with either Golden retrievers or Labrador Retrievers…choose one and they’ll capture your heart faster than you can imagine. They’re both the best and they’ll both be everything you want if you raise them right and treat them fairly. Goldens and labs don’t require a heavy hand and thrive when showered with love. I’ve seen guys ruin a great dog because their frustrations and lack of control lead them to discipline their dogs with too heavy a hand which breaks my heart. Seeing a loving and faithful friend cower when you reach to pet it is an indication to me that the owner has no business having the privilege of owning a dog.

I’ll never be without a good dog by my side or laying at my feet. I can be in a foul mood, mad at the world and my lab Kenai will sit by me while I pet her and I can feel my anger begin to melt. After a long day afield and after we both get cleaned up sitting with my lab in the evening by the fireplace reading a book or watching football with her by my side I don’t think anything feels more “right” in this world than that simple pleasure. I’d be lost without a good dog and the little things that make life enjoyable wouldn’t be as significant without a dog. I can go from being in a terrible mood to laughing hysterically at my dogs…..every dog I’ve had over the past 52 years has enriched my life more than I could ever imagine and every dog I’ve had has been as good as the last dog. I’ve never had one that suffered health issues nor have I had a dog that had personality issues. Everyone has lived a long full life and everyone has been without personality defects nor have they been neurotic or stressed, ie fireworks, kids, etc have always been embraced by my dogs…. I attribute their lack of neurosis to our simple and consistent expectations and not feeding or creating an issue by exhibiting and modeling our own neurosis for the dog. Crazy neurotic people produce annoying, barking, uncontrollable neurotic dogs.

See my sig line below. We currently have 3.