Have you decided to add a Golden Retriever to the family? Golden Retrievers have a reputation of being the perfect family dog. They are lovable, friendly, and intelligent, but you may be wondering just how smart are golden retrievers?
Golden Retrievers are smart and an overall intelligent dog breed. They are named the 4th smartest dog breed only fallen below the border collie, poodle, and german shepherd. They are known for being smart, friendly, and easy to train.
Golden Retrievers are a more trainable breed with it comes to intelligence. Let’s dive into the intelligence test and find out where the golden retrievers measure up and fall short.
Let’s find out just how smart they are and how they compared.
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How smart are golden retrievers compared to humans?
We all know Golden Retrievers are smart, but just how smart are they when we compare them to ourselves.
According to a study performed by, Stanley Coren a dog’s mental capabilities are close to a 2 to 2.5-year-old toddler, and they can understand more than 150 words. It has also found that dogs are more like humans than previously thought. Coren has discovered that dogs have the ability to solve complex problems.
If you are a golden retriever owner, this may be no surprise to you. We golden retriever owners are quite impressed daily by these dogs.
The studies done to provide these results were don’t by Stanley Coren, Ph.D., of the University of British Columbia.
Golden Retriever – Weight, Height, and Color
| Weight | Male 65–75 lb (29–34 kg) |
| Female 55–65 lb (25–29 kg | |
| Height | Male 22–24 in (56–61 cm |
| Female 20–22 in (51–56 cm | |
| Coat | straight or moderately wavy |
| Colour | any shades of gold or cream |
| Life span | average 10–12 years |
Are Golden Retrievers Easy To Train?
Yes, of course, they are! Remember they are the 4th smartest dog!
They are eager to please and have the ability to learn new commands rather quickly. Golden retrievers respond to training very easy and will just about do anything for their favorite treat.
If you are consistent with your golden, they will train in a short amount of time. Because of these great traits, Golden Retrievers make the perfect family dog and have been American’s dog for many years.
Golden Retrievers are also a top pick for service dogs and search and rescue dogs because of their high trainability.
Why are golden retrievers so smart?
So you may be wondering what makes the Golden Retriever so smart? The truth is the were bred to be smart, eager to please working dogs. They were initially bred to work for the hunter in retrieving waterfowl on land or water. Golden retriever originated from the mix of water spaniel and retriever to create a versatile hunting dog. The became very popular in the late 19th century with sportsmen for their trainability, intelligence, and versatility in the hunting field.
Are Golden Retrievers stubborn?
In fact, their intelligence that we have been discussing throughout the article is also was makes them a bit stubborn. If you have a golden, you can attest to what we are talking about here.
While they are extremely easy to train, they also have the ability to think for themselves. If your golden retriever doesn’t agree with what you are asking of them, you will certainly see the stubborn side. Often a golden knows what they want to do and sometimes it is not what you want.
They often become “planted” and refuse to move! We experience this with our golden when he doesn’t want to come inside or get out of the pool.
If he happens to be having fun playing outside and we are ready for him to come inside well guess what he will stand his ground and will not budge. He will sit like a statue and stare at us sometimes; he throws a moan in there to make sure we understand what he is telling us.
It’s entertaining at times, but this something we have done some training sessions on to improve. Treats will always win the battle.
Do Golden Retrievers Make Good Pets?
A golden retriever will make a fantastic family pet. We find they are just the right amount of playful and lazy. They are intelligent and friendly with a great temperament. They are perfect summer sidekicks for anyone who loves water activities.
They also will get along with other family pets, including chickens or any small farm animal. While a golden retriever is active and does need exercise daily, they will make the perfect pet for anyone willing to take time out for them daily.
Do golden retrievers have a favorite person?
Golden retrievers are among the breeds that do not particularly bond with just one person. They seem to bond with the whole family and know who to go to for what they want. Our golden knows we are all his people. He tends to look for care and food from one of us and playtime from the other.
This is what makes the golden retriever breed a great family dog. They seem to share the love and will play with you or the kids. They will run, and playout side but are also completely happy with trying to be a lap dog. We often joke and say whoever is in the kitchen is typically his favorite person.
Are Golden Retrievers Fun?
We’ve gone over the good and some bad but what about fun, are golden retrievers fun pets to have? From my experience, they are pretty fun and funny dogs. They are always down to play or adventure. Most golden retrievers do some sort of “talking” too, and they always have some kind of facial expression.
My golden will whine, moan, or groan to express what he wants. He also uses his body language to communicate.
For example, to show he’s ready for his kibble in the morning. He will do a moaning cry and plop down very purposely in from of me, and sometimes if I’m not moving fast enough, he goes over the bowl a repeats this action.
He also does this to let us know he wants to go outside. Which sometimes, he uses this to deceives us to go out to play.
They are also enjoyable dogs to play with. Our guy loves to play with us on the floor and give kisses while playing. He is always up for a new game. He will come up with a toy in his mouth when he wants someone to play with him.
So instead of the usually fetch or wrestling match he often does. I decided to take his toy and hide in various places. He sits patiently waiting for me to release him to “go find it” He picked up on this game right away and even though it was not a high exertion game he is used too. It gave him the mental stimulation he needed, and he got the play session he was looking for, which led to some much need rest.
They are the perfect dog for an active family to take along on adventures. Your golden will be more than happy to go everywhere with you. We’re not sure our golden knows he is a dog he’s always right along as part of the family.
Conclusion
So we covered a lot of topics here and I think we can all agree to agree that Goldens are simply the best. That may fall 4th in line for the smartest dog but they come in 1st in winning over the hearts of their humans.
Most Recommended For Goldens:
Best Vacuum For Golden Retriever
Our Favorites: Robot Vacuum – Great for keeping up with the shedding!
Best Treats For Golden Retriever
Our Favorite Treats – Great for training. They are small and low calories.
Best Brush For Golden Retriever
Our Favorite Brush – Slicker Brush is the primary brush for removing undercoat.