Golden Retrievers are one of the most friendly breeds, especially to strangers. This is why they don’t make great guard dogs! In fact, many families choose Goldens for their intelligence, kind demeanor, and trainability, making them fantastic family pets and amiable with strangers.
Golden Retrievers are particularly friendly with strangers. Goldens are superb dogs for active owners and families, especially those who enjoy taking their dogs outside since This is due to their high intelligence and gentle personality, as well as a lack of guarding instincts in the breed.
Read on to learn more about Golden Retrievers in terms of their personality and how they commonly react well to strangers. You will also learn some tips and tricks to help your Golden react positively towards strangers if you find they struggle with this interaction.
Are Golden Retrievers Good with Strangers?
Historically, Golden Retrievers are one of the best dog breeds you could have if you’re looking for a smart dog with a kind temperament and interacts well with all individuals, familiar or otherwise. There are many elements of the Golden Retriever’s personality, in addition to the ones just mentioned, that allows them to see strangers as a pleasantry rather than a threat.
Gentle Nature
One of the primary reasons that Golden Retrievers respond so well to strangers is because they are extremely gentle by nature. These dogs are fantastic family pets as they are calm and careful with children and typically get along with other dog breeds, pet species, and unfamiliar faces.
Because the Golden Retriever is so friendly by nature, they are often trained for various jobs or services, including:
- Certified Service Animal
- Certified Therapy Animal
- Search and Rescue Dog
Performing these duties would be impossible if this breed responded poorly to strangers, particularly since some jobs require them to interact with new individuals potentially daily.
Another reason Goldens are so gentle and kind with strangers is that they are notorious people-pleasers. This plays into their trainability, which we will discuss momentarily, but since this breed strives so hard to make others happy, their first reaction with strangers is primarily to be friendly and non-threatening.
High Intelligence
Golden Retrievers are consistently ranked within the top 5 smartest dog breeds on nearly any rating website and ranks fourth in Stanley Coren’s The Intelligence of Dogs.
The Golden Retriever’s significant intelligence renders them one of the easiest breeds to train, especially when you take their tendency for people-pleasing into consideration.
Because these dogs are so eager to please and have such high intelligence, they tend to focus well during training and will take to obedience, trick, and service training very quickly.
As retrievers, this breed is also commonly trained for hunting purposes, typically to fetch birds after being shot. However, this training also lends well to obstacle courses and other competitive atmospheres where they have the ability to work and compete.
Although their gentle and social personality is the overarching reason why these breeds are friendly with strangers, their intelligence is a contributing factor, especially when you expose your Golden to new people at a young age and train them to see strangers as a positive presence.
Poor Guard Dogs
In comparison to other breeds, Golden Retrievers are exceptionally poor guard dogs. Their kind, gentle, people-pleasing nature means that they enjoy interacting with various people and animals regardless of familiarity.
Additionally, Goldens are extremely social breeds and typically bond with multiple people within a group or family rather than a singular individual. This social nature that makes them eager to interact with others, and so, they typically lack guarding instincts.
Make no mistake, if your Golden senses you are in a particularly dangerous situation, their intelligence and loyalty might spark the urge to protect you, but typically, it’s surprising for this breed to even bark at new people, let alone act protective against or aggressive towards them.
All of this is less than ideal if you wanted a highly protective guard dog, but it makes them the ideal choice if you want a stranger-friendly dog.
How to Ensure Your Golden Retriever is Stranger-Friendly
If you want your Golden Retriever to be friendly with strangers, whether this is for a job, such as therapy, or just to get along with friends and family, you already have a quality head- start by simply choosing this breed.
It is extremely uncommon for Golden Retrievers to be aggressive or disagreeable towards strangers, or any people or animals, frankly. However, there are some steps you can or should take to ensure your Golden is always friendly with new people.
Early Exposure
If you are adopting an adolescent or adult, Golden, this tip isn’t really in your power. However, if you are adopting a new Golden puppy, it is crucial that after you acquire them around that 8-week mark, that you are safely and consistently socializing them with other humans and dogs.
Many dogs that have poor reactions to humans or other animals do so out of fear, often rooted in a lack of exposure in their formative months. Luckily, in addition to their kind nature, Golden Retrievers tend to be very confident dogs, but that doesn’t mean they won’t benefit from some early exposure.
In the safest manner possible, try to allow your Golden puppy to frequently socialize with new dogs and humans. You should refrain from taking them to any high-traffic dog locations until they are fully vaccinated, but you can still have them meet other vaccinated dogs in a controlled environment. The best places would be at home or in a location you are certain isn’t frequently visited by other dogs.
If a stranger wants to meet your puppy, encourage this interaction. The more they interact with new people like puppies, the less likely they will be averted to them in adulthood.
Use Positive Reinforcement
As dog training strategies have progressed over the years, one of the main ideologies that have arisen is positive reinforcement.
You want your Golden to associate strangers with good things, so they always react friendly towards them. To do this, make sure to give your Golden lots of praise and, in the beginning, treats so they associate strangers with positivity and rewards.
This training is particularly beneficial to a Golden that might be a bit shy or wary of strangers as a result of past trauma or lack of exposure. Try to entice your Golden to interact with strangers by treating them whenever someone new is present and giving them lots of praise when they are calm or even friendly towards them.
As we mentioned previously, your Golden will likely be kind to strangers regardless, but you always want to praise good behavior, so your dog knows you like what they are doing. As people-pleasers, praise is particularly beneficial for your Golden’s confidence and happiness as a companion.
Final Thoughts
All around, Golden Retrievers are one of the best dog breeds you can acquire if you are searching for a furry companion that will be friendly to nearly all creatures. It is incredibly rare for a Golden to be aggressive towards a stranger, and if they are, this is a sign of a serious underlying issue that needs immediate behavioral training.
Remember, although it is in their nature to be friendly with new people and dogs, be sure to praise your Golden for this behavior when it occurs. This way, they know that you enjoy their behavior, and they will continue it.