Goldens and Pet Birds?

Question
I have two parrots and two dogs. My elderly dogs ignore my birds. I've been considering getting a Golden Retriever whenever my two dogs pass on (hopefully not for a long time yet!). Question: Is it possible to train a Golden Retriever to leave pet birds alone? Wouldn't that go against their breeding and be an almost impossible task? Thank you in advance.

Answer
I think too much stock is put in breed characteristics.  Dogs don't read breed descriptions, and many fail to follow them.  Many Goldens are generations away ever retrieving a bird.  Early socialization is extremely important too.  The dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog.  Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones.  You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/  Bring say a 7 week old Golden into the house, and from the beginning, insist it leaves the birds alone, and it should accept it.  Don't leave it loose unattended around the birds.  It is only natural that a puppy resists its crate at first.  What the puppy wants more than anything else is to be others, you, anyone else in the
household, and any other pets.  In our modern society, even if we are home,
other things distract us from the attention an uncrated puppy must have.   The
only real solution is to crate the dog when you aren't around.  The dog may be
happier in its den than loose in the house.  It relaxes, it feels safe in its
den.  It rests, the body slows down reducing the need for water and relieving
its self.  Dogs that have been crated all along do very well.  Many of them
will rest in their crates even when the door is open.  I think the plastic
ones give the dog more of a safe, enclosed den feeling.  Metal ones can be put
in a corner or covered with something the dog can't pull in and chew.  Select
a crate just big enough for the full grown dog to stretch out in.  A crate is a great housebreaking tool too.

You may be able to skip all the hassle of a puppy, and get a Golden that will not be a problem with the birds for next to nothing.  One of the best sources for dogs with a predictable personality is the rescue
dogs.  These are dogs that lost their home, but were taken into a foster home
to be retrained as necessary and placed in the right home for them.   You may
find a rescue near you starting at
http://www.akc.org/breeds/rescue.cfm