Picking Your Next Family Pet: The Pick of the Litter

You're sitting at the dinner table with your family and your child looks at you and asks "Daddy can we get a Golden Retriever puppy like Cindy next door?" You put your fork down and look over at your wife. She gives you the nod approval. You reply back you're your child, "Ok. I will look into it." Selecting a Golden Retriever puppy that will share the house with family takes time and research. So how do you choose a Golden retriever that fits your family? Here are some guidelines to follow:

The first step is finding a reputable breeder or rescue group and setting up a appointment to see their selection of puppies. One of the most common mistakes when picking a puppy out of litter is to pick the one that comes to you. Usually Golden Retriever puppies that immediately come up to you, appearing friendly, can often grow up to be very difficult to raise. The Golden Retriever puppy that hangs out in the background often grows up to be calmer and more obedient.

Look at the litter in whole. If all the puppies are showing aggressiveness, such as barking, snapping, (or for that matter running away), this might not be the best group of puppies to pick from. More often then not the breeder will do there best to convince you that the puppy will snap out of it after they get some socialization. Don't fall for it, take you money and keep searching.

So you are asking "what are the good Golden Retriever litter characteristics?" The puppies will hang out at your feet and find enjoyment with biting at your shoes. If you are sitting down happy, friendly puppies will make there way to you and play. The puppies will give you that quintessential puppy dog look. When they get bored with you, they will then turn to each other for fun. This is where you can start seeing the possible future characteristics. You will soon find out who's running the group and who is just plain annoyingly noisy. The submissive and gentle puppies will stand out as well. Families that have a busy house need to have a puppy that is not easily startled but at the same time you shouldn't have a puppy that is unexciting.

A test that will help better chose the right puppy for you is to remove one puppy from the litter. In doing this you can better evaluate their characteristics. Don't rush to pick your next family puppy, but be patient and thoughtful. On average Golden males can weigh up to 65-75 pounds and are 23-25 inches in height. Females can weigh 65-75 pounds and 21.5-22.5 inches in height.

The Golden Retriever needs exercise and loves to play, specifically retrieving balls or other objects. Golden Retrievers are beautiful as well as faithful. They make great family pets.