Alph,
Welcome. I'm new here myself.
We had a Golden Retriever also, and two cats, they dropped off as our son was growing up. The last animal passed on a couple of years ago, just before the kid went to college. We may get another animal, maybe a cat or a smaller dog.
Our dog did the same thing, the s### eating stuff. They will generally only eat it when the stuff dries out, so if you go in your back yard and scoop daily, it kind of eliminates the problem.
The Goldens are great, very loyal, and gentle with the kids. They are a great burglar alarm too. Ours was very protective of the home, though she was never agressive, and always very friendly with the neighbors. If the gate was ever left accidentally open, she would just sit on the front porch and wait for one of us to come home. They are great water dogs also.
Regards,
FA