# Day to day living with a rough collie or golden retriever?



## 8 (Apr 4, 2006)

If you had to describe what it's like living day to day with a Golden Retriever or a Rough Collie, what would you write? Both pros and cons?

First time dog owners (as adults, we both grew up with dogs) and have narrowed our favourite breeds down to these two, but trying to understand what it's like to live day to day with either. We have two young children (4 and 7) and two older very long haired cats (i.e., we're used to constant cat hair everywhere!!).

Our key criteria include good with children and other animals, loyalty, and bonding with our family. We're a reasonably active family with a large yard living in a semi-rural area. 

Thanks in advance for any comments! The more details the better!!


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## txcollies (Oct 23, 2007)

The Collies are wonderful. The roughs are a little more laid back, very kind and clever, intelligent and fun loving. The LOVE kids. Love, love, love kids. I haven't ever met a collie who didn't like kids so far. They love to follow their family around and be involved, and they love to keep an eye on their kids. 

If I had to pick just ONE dog to be a family dog, it would be a rough collie hands down.


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## Taz Monkey (Sep 2, 2007)

No experience with rough collies, but I would have to say that in general, goldens fit your criteria to a T. Mine is great with kids, adores all of our cats, and has totally bonded with us despite the fact that we are her second home. She can be slightly testy with other dogs, but I don't necessarily think that's typical of goldens, it's just how she is. She can be active, but when she knows its time to calm down, she lays down. I haven't met a golden yet I haven't fallen in love with.


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## warden11 (Jan 1, 2009)

I have got a 5 month old Golden so here are my pros & cons of the breed so far.
Pros
hair shedding not nearly as bad as I expected (I am using the furminator, which probably helps) 
Not nearly as energetic as I expected, even as a pup
Does not seem to be interested in tearing things apart (couch, pillows, etc) 
Seems intelligent, as the training is moving along great. 
Loves the outdoors, but spends plenty of her time sleeping/relaxing when indoors

Cons
She has a tendency to jump up on people, so your little ones might have a hard time until you get that under control. 
Dogs are not cheap, if I had to estimate how much money I have put into her in the last 3 months it is easily over $1,500 which does not include the purchase price (she's worth it)
She is great with dogs her size but being a puppy she plays a little rough with the smaller dogs/cats

I am also a first time dog owner and maybe I was expecting the worst because I have been pleasantly surprised with how things have gone so far. Don't get me wrong they require lots of attention and it seems that I am always planning my days around what the dog is doing but you are probably used to that with kids. 

Good luck with either breed, I think both are great choices.


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## Dogstar (May 11, 2007)

I haven't lived with a golden, but I've worked with quite a few. I'm going to highlight what I think the most noticable differences are. 

1. Collies are a LOT less mouthy than goldens. Retrievers rae pretty much genetically programed to pick stuff up in their mouths, and they do it. Collies can enjoy retrieving and playing ball, but most are not as mouth-oriented as retrievers and they're not as bad about chewing things as puppies. 

2. Goldens take a lot less socialization. Collies are a little more reserved about the world and it's very, very important to get them out and about as puppies. All puppies- including goldens- need socialization, but collies are a bit higher than the average. 

3. Goldens, overall, are less sound sensitive than collies. (Not that all collies are, but I suspect more collies are than goldens by quite a large margin.)

4. The personalities are pretty different- meet lots of each.


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## Marsh Muppet (Nov 29, 2008)

[Insert standard disclaimer about generalities, here:__________ ]

Goldens come in different flavors and subcategories of different flavors. Your working/performance type Goldens are pure, raw energy. They can be relentless in pursuit of their perceived self interest, and that can work to your advantage...or not. Highly trainable, but definitely not "set it and forget it". They have extraordinary exercise and attention requirements. Coats tend to be coarser, darker, and less full than other types.

The show-bred, and the related Service Dog bred Goldens are more laid back and more interested in pleasing their humans. It's hard to not love these guys.

Backyard bred Goldens are a crapshoot and numerous health concerns with the breed make that a very poor option. I wouldn't even consider it.

There can be considerable overlap among the different types. The breed is typically well suited for kids. They tend to be almost completely useless as guard dogs. Mine will bark if someone approaches the house (he sounds like a real dog), but he is indiscriminate in his love for people. Even male Goldens generally don't wander away from home, but a Golden is a pretty easy dog to steal. My dog won't just jump into any car with an open door--they'd have to slow down to 20 mph or less. They shed prodigiously. Really, you could insulate your attic with the hair that comes off these guys.

Goldens, like all retrievers, have to carry stuff around in their mouths. They just do. They require consistent training if you ever again want to find both shoes of any pair in the same room. Many retrievers are ferocious chewers, but mine has such a soft mouth that he's destroyed almost nothing in 2.5 years. I wouldn't count on having a similar experience, though. Goldens need a lot of attention or they will get neurotic. Goldens are usually very slow to mature, and they stay pretty goofy their whole lives.

I've honestly never seen a critter as relentlessly happy as my Golden Retriever. It's almost disturbing.


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## Tofu_pup (Dec 8, 2008)

Marsh Muppet said:


> Even male Goldens generally don't wander away from home, but a Golden is a pretty easy dog to steal. My dog won't just jump into any car with an open door--they'd have to slow down to 20 mph or less.


Hahaha, nice. That still has me laughing.


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## dakotajo (Jan 29, 2009)

I've honestly never seen a critter as relentlessly happy as my Golden Retriever. It's almost disturbing

WOW!! This sounds like my Berner!!!


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## kacaju (Jan 2, 2008)

Would you consider a smooth collie?? They are still all Collie, but not as much grooming!!

I have a smooth, I am currently dog sitting a rough and have a good friend who I walk with every day that has a Golden.

As others have mentioned the Goldens are much more mouthy. my friends golden gets into everything, while my Collie does not.

I have also seen a huge difference in the strength of the dogs. We both have 9 year old girls. I can let my daughter take our collie out for a walk around the block by herself, whereas my friend cannot let her 9 year old take their dog out. Even if my friend is with the dog and her daughter, their dog is way too strong to let the 9 year old walk it.

Collies bark, Collie do love to chase cats, but would not hurt them.

I grew up with an Aunt who had Labs as show dogs. I went to lots of shows, always wanting a Lab when I *grew up*.

My 13 year old daughter is the one who picked a Collie, she loves dog shows and wanted to show. I made her do her research and this is the breed she picked. I can tell you I am now head over heels in love with the breed. They make GREAT family pets!!


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## skelaki (Nov 9, 2006)

I've had 3 rough collies and they are wonderful dogs. They tend to be sensitive in all senses of that word. For example, mine at least were very sensitive to my moods and how I felt. They would have brought me chicken soup when I was sick if they could. And when I broke my ankle my collie would walk up and down the steps with me keeping between me and my roommate at the time's Chesapeake bay Retriever. On the negative side of sensitivity they do tend to be noise sensitive which at times could be a potentioal problem. But one of my collies actually loved thunderstorms, so it depends. They are also, in my experience, very observant and will notice changes in their environment. My collies used to notice when my mother would hang new paintings she'd bought long before my dad did.

The only potential negatives with collies, at least imo, would be the shedding and possibly the grooming involved with a rough collie. But even those things can be kept under control for the shedding with proper grooming. And grooming can be a time of bonding with your dog if you keep it up on a regular basis (preferably daily). Heck, one of my rough collies would refuse to get off the grooming table until I'd groomed long enough to satisfy him.

As already stated, mine also loved kids. The only thing is you do have to teach the dog not to nip the kids as they play chase games and you have to teach the kids that herding dogs do nip and if they want to play chase games they just might be nipped.

I could go on, but you get the idea.


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## Marsh Muppet (Nov 29, 2008)

I'll confirm that Goldens are very strong. I had Rotties and Great Danes, so I figured a "fluffy dog" would be a piece of cake. Pound-for-pound my Golden is not as strong as the Rotties, but he is still pretty impressive. Much stronger than he looks.


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## Rowdy (Sep 2, 2007)

I am admittedly biased... but I think collies, rough or smooth are the perfect family dog. They are very sensitive and loyal, but they happily meet any and all new people, cats, dogs, bunnies.... We got the collies because we have cats and we wanted a dog that would be safe with the cats. If the cats run, the collies will chase, but never hurt the cats. 

I've met sound sensitive, barky collies, but mine are neither.

The roughs are definitely more laid back than the smooths. Cameron, the smooth, will run up and check out anything new or different. Toby will hang back and evaluate from a distance first.

I think it's easier to find a good collie breeder than a good golden breeder. There are so many poor golden breeders and BYBs out there. 

Toby, my rough, is very protective without being aggressive. Twice he's gotten between me and a bear. He's also protected me from a strange dog that kept jumping on me at a dog park. He managed to do it without pissing off the other dog, too. It was pretty amazing.

Both breeds need a lot of grooming. Dog fur is a food group around here. It's a given.

Petty, but still a consideration... Collies have a "cool factor". Everyone loves Lassie. Goldens are a dime a dozen, but you don't see many collies.


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## kpollard (Aug 3, 2008)

We had a Golden when I was growing up, and I have a smooth collie now.

Augie, our Golden, was a great kid's dog. She loved us to bits and pieces all the time and was always willing to play and go for a walk, even up until the end. Dogstar is right that they are mouthy dogs, she would pick up anything and everything and bring it to us. On the flip side of that, even as a puppy she never put her mouth on us. She was just an all around great dog. She was good with our cats and great with other dogs.

Dogstar is also right that collies are a more sensitive breed, both to noise and in general. Teddy was brought home from his breeder at 9 weeks, and his owner before us took him home and didn't take him anywhere until we came and picked him up at 8 months. As a result he is _very_ fearful of strangers. He is not mean in the least, but he will run and hide in the other room until he's comfortable. It's been a long road to getting him more socialized, but he's getting better and better. He loves our cats and learned quickly to leave them alone. Collies as a whole can be barky, but he is actually very quiet.

I agree that you should meet a bunch of each breed before you decide. But your two choices are great!


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## kacaju (Jan 2, 2008)

Rowdy said:


> Petty, but still a consideration... Collies have a "cool factor". Everyone loves Lassie. Goldens are a dime a dozen, but you don't see many collies.


HAHA!!! So true!!
The best is when people see my smooth, not many people know that collies come in smooth coat. I have had many people come up to me thinking they are so smart, that they KNOW my dog is *part collie* by looking at his nose!!
They are shocked when I explain how he is 100% collie.


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## txcollies (Oct 23, 2007)

My roughs really don't shed a lot, a weekly brushing is all they've ever needed.


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## Tankstar (Dec 30, 2006)

I too will be very biased.

I vote Collies.

Pros:
-Very loyal.
-Love kids.
-Not overly happy to meet strangers -as in more reserved then a "happy-go-licky golden"
-Active outdoors, not so bad in doors. Mine indoors is just like a rug. Sleeps and relaxs. Outside is a different story.
-Beutiful.

Cons:
-Likes to talk. AKA Bark.
-Can be "nippy" to things running - children, cats, dogs ect. Mine will chase and herd all the dogs at the dog park, nipping at them. Easily can be trained not to do it to cats and kids.
-Long hair. To me its a pro. But others it may not be (I LOVE long haired breeds). Good food and good brushs can reduce it to very low. I can take a slicker brush to my dog once a week and hardly come out with a handful of hair.
-Reserved with strangers. - Again, I like this. So could be a pro for you.
-Sensitive to loud noises.


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## 8 (Apr 4, 2006)

Wow, what great information in everyone's posts!! There are some things that we did know that you've helped to confirm, but other info that we hadn't considered so we're learning lots reading these helpful replies.

If you have more to add, please keep the comments coming. It's definitely helping! And to a large extent confirming that both dogs overall are really great!! 

Thanks!!


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## Tofu_pup (Dec 8, 2008)

Do the collie owners here think that a smooth collie could be a good running partner? I'm considering one in the future.


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## Dogstar (May 11, 2007)

Absolutely. 

One of the things that I love about collies is that they are very easy to live with with a moderate energy level- they're happy to go along with ANY sort of activity, wehther it's hiking or biking or whatever, and they can keep up just fine- but at the same time, they don't go insane on the nasty days when there's not much to do outside.


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## Tofu_pup (Dec 8, 2008)

Dogstar said:


> Absolutely.
> 
> One of the things that I love about collies is that they are very easy to live with with a moderate energy level- they're happy to go along with ANY sort of activity, wehther it's hiking or biking or whatever, and they can keep up just fine- but at the same time, they don't go insane on the nasty days when there's not much to do outside.


How hard is it to find a breeder or pups not affected by CEA, progressive retinal atrophy, or drug sensitivity? I like everything I've heard about the breed and I understand that any dog will have health problems but I'd like to avoid it.
(Of course I will do what it takes to find a good breeder or go through a rescue)


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## Dogstar (May 11, 2007)

Damn hard. You'll probably be able to get 2 out of 3, but all three is going to be tough, particularly if you care about tempermental soundness, lack of cancer and thyroid problems, and lack of bloat in the bloodlines. 

Of those three, I'd worry about MDR1 the least, simply because it's just not that big of a deal - you just don't give ivermectin and you check the drug list for otehr possibilities. (That said, even MDR1 free dogs CAN have drug sensitivities; Wings was MDR1 clear and her seizures started the day after a normal Frontline dose- timing may be coincidental, though.) 

CEA sucks, and eliminating it to ME is very important, but mildly affected dogs have no real quality of life impairment. There ARE good breeders breeding CEA normal dogs out there, but they're few and far between- and there are a number of BAD breeders who are using health testing 'clear' as 'proof' that they're good. PM me for more info about the specifics on this one (The problem being that you can't 'test' for good temperament short of performance titles, and the scariest (to me) health problesm are also untestable- bloat and epilepsy.) The Valiant dogs are behind nearly ALL of the normal-eyed dogs out there and their temperaments were wonky and the pedigrees pretty suspect.

PRA is a concern, but I don' tknow how common it's actually going to prove to be. We'll see. I think that's the easiest one to find a dog that's clear of.


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## kacaju (Jan 2, 2008)

Tofu_pup said:


> Do the collie owners here think that a smooth collie could be a good running partner? I'm considering one in the future.


Yes. 
Ours loves to exercise, yet he doesn't go crazy if we have bad weather for a few days and I can't get him out to exercise.

Another cool fact about Collies: besides the choice of a rough or smooth coat you also get a choice in colors. Tri, sable, blue merle or white. No two collies really look exactly alike vs. Goldens which other then the shading of their coat, they are all the same color.


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## skelaki (Nov 9, 2006)

Tofu_pup said:


> Do the collie owners here think that a smooth collie could be a good running partner? I'm considering one in the future.


Absolutely! My only caveat would be to use common sense. For example, I would not take it out running during the hottest part of a humid summer day. But I would not take any dog out running at those times.

To the OP: Other than sometimes being a bit barky or nippy (they're herding dogs) and being overly sensitive at times (they can be real drama queens and kings LOL) I really don't know anything negative about Collies. Some might say the grooming for a Rough or the shedding for both varieties but the former can be enjoyable if you keep it up regularly and the other under control with a good quality diet and regular grooming. Not that I'm prejudiced or anything, of course


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## kpollard (Aug 3, 2008)

I'll third the fact that the Collie's energy level is awesome...Teddy loves to come with us wherever we go and will tear around a fenced in yard for hours on end; but on days where we just walk him and come home he's content to just lie around.


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## CocoaCream (Jan 13, 2009)

Thanks for posting this question, Waves! My hubby and I were also trying to decide between collies and goldens a while back, but finally settled on applying to rescue a collie. Goldens are more readily available in our area, but we decided that the pro's outweighed the con's for collies...so we're prepared to wait a while to find the perfect match. We have three cats, no kids yet, but do occasionally have company with small children...so we were looking for similar qualities in a dog. We decided that for us, the mouthiness of retrievers was the biggest drawback. We have enough trouble with our cats chewing things to bits, and didn't want to add a highly chew-oriented dog to the mix. The energy level and tendency for goldens to remain puppy-like for years was also a consideration. We love puppies, but I'm not sure we'd want a full-grown dog that is just as active as a 12-week old pup!


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## kacaju (Jan 2, 2008)

All this Collie talk.. I just have to show you all this cute picture I took the other day of my smooth (Jett) and the rough we were watching.


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## txcollies (Oct 23, 2007)

I think the drug sensitivity is the least of your worries. It's lower on my list. Just don't give them anything that they should be sensitive to, and you should be fine.

There are a few breeders who do normal eyes. Not many, though.


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## Rowdy (Sep 2, 2007)

txcollies said:


> I think the drug sensitivity is the least of your worries. It's lower on my list. Just don't give them anything that they should be sensitive to, and you should be fine.


I agree with this. Both of my boys are MDR1 mu/mu. We just have to avoid some meds. But it doesn't affect them in general. I do think it's wise to know what your dog's MDR1 status is. The test is a quick buccal swab... easy.


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## GenuineGoldens (Feb 24, 2009)

Okay, I'm going to biased here....I have 8 dogs, 6 of which are Goldens. I have ALWAYS wanted a Collie though (like someone else up there in the thread said, who doesn't want a 'Lassie'?). They're gorgeous. I'm partial to long haired dogs. I need another dog like I need a hole in the head, so I haven't even thought about researching Collies to get one....maybe one day...

Anyway, here's my take on the Golden Retriever:

PROS
~They live for a long time (if properly cared for). Usually 10-15 years.
~They are versatile! Obedience, agility, field work, search and rescue, drug dogs, guides for the blind and handicapped, dock dogs,...the list goes on and on
~That "Golden" temperament. Loyal, sweet, affectionate, always aim to please
~Great with kids. They don't mind having their tails pulled or a toddler climbing over them (although this should be avoided). 
~They are smart and obedient. They love to learn, and are quick on their feet.
~They are active in the backyard, and somewhat lazy in the house. They love to swim whether it be in a pond or a swimming pool.
~They are not barkers, meaning the average Golden won't keep you or you neighbors up at all hours of the night barking. They also don't make good watch dogs, as they'll happily greet and accept most strangers.
~Great with other dogs and pets! 
~Highly adaptable to most any environment/living arrangement.


CONS
~They shed a lot. If this is going to be primarily a house dog, daily or at least 2-3 times weekly brushing is a must. A good vacuum cleaner and a Furminator "type" of brush is a must. Good nutrition will keep shedding to a minimum and coat shiney.
~They are mouthy. This is a natural breed trait obviously bred into them for the "Retriever" part of them. If it's laying around, they will pick it up and bring it for you to play fetch with.
~They can be big chewers. Provide lots of INDESTRUCTABLE toys (think Nylabones and Kongs)


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## Marsh Muppet (Nov 29, 2008)

GenuineGoldens said:


> ~Highly adaptable to most any environment/living arrangement.


I have to give my dog props on adaptability. Our house is way more than average hectic. Closer to chaos, really. The dog is not fazed by much of anything as long as he gets to be part of the action.


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