They say "It is all in how you raise a dog". That is not true. Although, how you raise a dog is very important, a good share of your dogs temperament, personality, traits, etc., are hard wired genetically from birth.
Dogs have been selectively bred for certain traits, for many, many years. They have been bred for certain sizes, coat types, personalities, instinctive tendencies, etc. This is how and why the different breeds were created. Each breed was created for a certain purpose.
In my lifetime, I have had many kinds of dogs, big, little, medium, pure breeds, mixed breeds, and mutts. I also handled many different breeds of dogs, from my years of being a dog groomer, and I have learned a lot from those experiences.
When I was a child, I had many types of dogs. My mom preferred small dogs, so most of them were small to medium size, but we had some large breed dogs as well. My life's dream, was to have a "Lassie", a rough coat Collie. I got her, and she was an amazing dog for me. I wanted to breed dogs, and wanted to breed the Collie's, however, my then husband wasn't a big fan, and he wanted a hunting dog. I wanted a pretty dog. Collie's are pretty. He said no. So, I went on to try to find a pretty hunting dog. Along with being pretty, the breed had to be one that was known to be good with children, and not likely to bite. I had 2 small children at the time, and was pregnant with a third. I started researching, to find a pretty and child friendly hunting dog. After a ton of reading and research, and talking to several vets, I narrowed it down to the Golden Retriever, and I have never regretted the choice. During the 30 plus years of having and breeding the Golden Retrievers, they have not let me down. I have had a non stop flow of small children, (a LOT of them), through my household, for the last 37 years. I could not ask for a better breed to have around children. Those dogs have absolutely loved those children, and vice versa.
In all of those years, with lots of Golden Retrievers, this is what I have learned about them....
They love being close to their humans and getting a lot of affection and attention.
They don't normally bark much, unless they have a reason to be bark. They aren't generally big barkers, which I love.
They aren't that difficult to groom. They may have a small tangle here or there, but nothing that becomes a big mess.
They do shed quite a bit, but a small price to pay for all of the benefits of the breed.
They are very smart and easy to train.
They are people pleasers.
I had many dogs that I cherished during my life time. I loved them a lot. When comparing the Golden's to those breeds, this is what I found.
1. My Golden's were MUCH easier to house train than the smaller breeds that I had. In general, I have had a much easier time house training the larger breeds, over the smaller breeds. The smaller breeds always took a lot longer. One little Shih tzu that I had, took a year and a half to get trained.
2. My Golden's do not bark near as much as my other breeds, especially compared to the Collie and the Lab that I had.
3. The Golden's were much less likely to act aggressive to people. My little Shih tzu was a biter, if she didn't like you. I had another little Shih tzu, that I had to rehome, because it did not want my children to come near me, and snapped at them when they tried to. I adopted a West Highland White, and had to return it to the breeder for the same reason. In my lifetime, I had many small dogs that I was around, get snappy with people. I have not experienced that with the Golden's. I know that not all small dogs are like that, some are very nice, but out of the many Golden's that I have had over the years, I have not had to deal with that.
4. The Golden's coat was much easier to maintain that the Shih tzu's or the Collie, however, the Golden did get a "doggie" smell to them a little quicker, so I would bathe them about once every two weeks, to keep them smelling good. The Golden definetly sheds more than the Shih tzu, so vacuuming is something that needs to be done regularly, along with using a deshedder to help control the issue.
5. The Golden's have been super easy to train, compared to the Shih tzu's. Those Shih tzu's only do what they want to, it seems, at least that is how ours were. lol! My Golden's were never as naughty of puppies as my Collie was. She was NAUGHTY, to put it mildly. She ended up growing out of that and becoming an awesome dog, but I was starting to wonder for a while. She was a holy terror as a puppy.
6. There is a difference in bloodlines within the Golden Retriever Breed. The field lines tend to be much more energetic than the conformation lines, or the English Cream lines.
In summary, over the years, I have considered to breed many different breeds, but just have not found one that I felt was as family friendly, as versatile, as pretty/cute, as smart and easy to train, as affectionate, and all around great dog, as the Golden Retriever. Even so, I always recommend that puppies/dogs and small children are never left alone together, and always supervised.
I highly recommend to ALWAYS research your breeds, before getting a puppy/dog. Genetics are hard wired into them, and if you do your research, you will have a much better idea of whether that particular breed would be a good fit for you, your family, and your lifestyle. All puppies are cute, but they all grow up to be dogs, and you want one that has been bred in a way that will be a good mesh between you and your dog. For example, if you are wanting a laid back lap dog, probably not a good idea to get a Jack Russell Terrier. If you are wanting an easy to train dog, that will always stay by your side, you will most likely be disappointed if you adopt a Siberian Husky. If you are wanting a running companion, a Bassett Hound might not be a good choice. If you want a quiet dog, you probably don't want to get a Beagle. If you want to put your dog into agility, you may be able to find a lot better choice than a Great Dane. Genetics are so important, and so are blood lines. The blood lines within a breed can vary a lot as well.
I hope this answers a lot of questions, about why I stick with the breed that I have. For me, my family, and my lifestyle, I just couldn't find anything that I felt would be a better fit.
Thank you for reading, and please feel free to check out the rest of my website and blog!