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Despite Their Popularity, Retrievers Aren't For Everyone

by Gina Spadafori, Sacramento Bee PET CONNECTION columnist and author of "Dogs for Dummies", "Cats for Dummies", "Birds for Dummies"
It's a hot day at the dog park, and I'm sharing the shade with the other "doggy parents," chatting while we watch our pets play.

In the middle of the park, the dogs have dug out a crater the size of a small hot tub. The sprinklers fill the pit every morning, and by afternoon, it's still at least half full of stinky, slimy, muddy water. It's disgusting, and most of the dogs have the common sense to avoid it.

Except the retrievers.

While not all of them see it as a swimming hole, most see no reason to avoid the muck, jumping in and out as they play. One retriever is even worse than the other water dogs. She throws herself into the muddy bog, rolling and wallowing until every inch of her glossy black coat is dripping brown with fowl-smelling mud. She finally stands up, nose-to-tail-tip filthy and obviously delighted with herself.

"Oh my God!" says the woman next to me, her tone of disgust unmistakable. "Whose dog is that?"

"Um, that would be mine," I mumble.

Rule No. 1 for anyone who has or is thinking of adopting a retriever: Be willing to carry towels in your car at all times.

I love retrievers, and in this I'm not alone.

The Labrador retriever is the top breed in the land; 165,970 of them were registered with the American Kennel Club in 2001. The Golden retriever is the AKC's second most popular breed, with 62,497 recorded in the same year. All told, the five retriever breeds (the Chesapeake Bay, Flat-coated and Curly-coated are the others) make up more than one-fifth of all AKC registrations.

Retrievers are popular for good reason. 

They're great family dogs, even-tempered, friendly and tolerant. They're generally easy to train and eager to please. They have coats that clean up quickly, and they don't shed as much as many other breeds. (Even my water-crazed Heather dries up and shakes off most of the muddy muck she gets into in just a few minutes.) But anyone associated with a shelter or rescue group can tell you that despite their popularity, retrievers are not for everyone. They get dumped by the hundreds, often by people who didn't research the downside to owning one of these dogs or who proved unwilling to put in the effort it takes to keep one.

People, for example, who think muddy paws (or muddy dogs) are intolerable. Or those who aren't prepared to put time into training and exercising these large and exuberant animals. While some breeds and mixes can better tolerate the life of a backyard dog (although I never recommend this lonely life for any dog), retrievers are especially ill suited to such isolation. Developed to work one-on-one with a hunter, the personable retriever does best as a full-fledged member of a family. Kept in a back yard, a retriever will get bored and anxious, and may become a digger, escape artist or nonstop barker.

Is a retriever right for you? Even if you're well-suited to these breeds, it pays to carefully consider any canine adoption. Like all pure-breds, retrievers have congenital health problems that can make your dog miserable and cost you a bundle, if indeed they can be treated. If you're buying a puppy, be sure to find a reputable breeder who has had the parents certified free of these problems, most commonly hip dysplasia.

If you're considering an adult dog, you'll be able to assess health and temperament with the aid of the shelter or rescue group. A lot of great dogs turn up in shelters and rescue groups, many with some training and such preventive-care measures as vaccinations and neutering already done. Another reason to go for an adult: Retrievers can maintain troublesome puppy behaviors well into the second or third year of their lives. If you want a mellow retriever, get an older dog.

I love retrievers, especially my own two. But I brought them into my life knowing they'd need a lot from me to keep their minds and bodies in good shape. And even though I occasionally wince at the water-related messes they get into, I'd never trade Benjamin or even Heather at her filthiest for any other dogs in the world.
 

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