Ask HN: Advice for first-time dog owners?

I am an academic, looking to adopt a dog.

My girlfriend and I (mid 30's) are seriously considering adopting a dog (8 weeks old); Preferably a Bernese Mountain Dog or Golden Retriever. We both come from families with dogs. However, taking responsibility for a dog will be a first-timer for the both of us.

We want to develop the necessary skills for training a family dog. I tend to study rather intensively when entering new fields (whether work or hobby). However, it feels like much dog-advice and books are based on assumptions and individuals' bits of advice, rather than broadly credited theories?

I was hoping that the HN community - which I do appreciate very much - can suggest resources that inspired/inspires you for training (and living with) a "good boy/girl"?

Get the golden, it will be easier to socialize and easier to train than most other breeds for first timers. You probably know this but dogs are not kids, babies, toys, they need clear boundaries and structure and exercise. If you can't do all 3 on your own, don't get one.

The harder part is decide who is the sole owner of the dog. A bad breakup can cause a lot of issues later with who is responsible for the dog. Figure this out up front to save a lot of headache later. One of you is the owner, both of you can also be a caregiver and pay for expenses. Co-owner is a big no no if anything does go wrong.

I like how it focuses on positive training and how it explains important concepts in detail.

The author has also launched a series where he shows how he’s training a puppy from 8 weeks into adulthood: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mIot0mHLemQ

Here is another channel with helpful tips, this particular video has been very useful to me: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ht8ncX4Kq7M

It shows a sensible and organised approach to toys; it helped me plan what toys to get and how to explain the rules of play.

You have to have time to train it. Both for the practical stuff like not pooping inside, but also behaviour so the dog does what you want.

Try some different foods, toys and leads. It's interesting how one variety works while the others don't. Eg I got a front leader for the leash and she's much easier to walk. Similar with food, some things she likes for whatever reason.

I also found that dog manuals are like baby manuals. Lots of unsubstantiated advice. Who knows whether anyone has tested it. All you can do is think whether it seems likely that there's been enough observations that someone with no statistical knowledge would get the right conclusions anyway.