Golden Retrievers are wonderful dogs - we have all seen them in the various movies they have been in.  My husband fell in love with Shadow from the movie Homeward Bound and that was it, we knew a golden was in our future.  Goldens are known for their wonderful temperaments and being good with children. However, with popularity comes issues that one must take care about when selecting a golden as a family pet. 

While many have heard that a Golden retriever is the perfect family pet, they are not a perfect breed for everyone.  While a well bred golden has an excellent overall temperament, they are  still strong,  powerful dogs. They can be very mouthy as puppies, a bit too jubilant as they are growing, and pushy as adults.  So,  in reality, they are not the dog for everyone.  

The problem with popularity is that it comes with an assortment of problems.  When we were first looking for a golden puppy,  we had no idea what to look for or what questions to ask.  Luckily I called a breeder who had no puppies, but was willing to share with me a great deal of information.  I learned what I needed to know about the breed and what to ask potential breeders.  I have since learned a great deal about golden retrievers and their breeders and hope to share this information with others. 

Unfortunately,  the breed is seeing more and more goldens with poor temperaments due to indiscriminate breeding. We are also seeing a significant number of health problems in this breed as time goes by.  Hip dysplasia, retinal problems and heart problems, along with cancer,  have all become very common in the breed.  The best that one can do is find a reputable breeder who does all of the necessary health checks (clearances should be obtained for hips, eyes and heart) but this is still no guarantee.  Sometimes, even with the appropriate clearances,  you can have problems.  Some breeders will tell you that they don't need a hip clearance because their vet looked at the hips and said they were fine.  This is impossible; no vet can tell if a golden's hips are fine or not unless they have x-ray vision.  The dogs must be x-rayed, then evaluated to determine if the ball of the hip is sitting well in the hip socket.  While hip dysplasia is a well known problem, elbow dysplasia is also a very real concern.  Most breeders will do hip and elbow clearances at the same time.

DO NOT GET A PUPPY FROM ANYONE THAT CAN NOT SHOW YOU CERTIFICATES FOR HIP, EYE, and HEART CLEARANCES AT A MINIMUM.  

Well-bred goldens are great family pets.  They are ready to go when you are, yet they are happy to chill out and relax with you.  In goldens, we have seen a division between field and show lines.  It is important to know the differences between the two. Generally, a field bred golden will be higher energy and can be a bit higher strung than a show bred golden.  Which line you choose really depends on what you want to do with your puppy.  Even if you do not wish to show your dog, remember that in any given litter only a couple of puppies will be "show quality." The breeder will also have "pet quality" puppies.  A "pet quality" puppy is still a wonderful dog who just happens to have a fault that the breeder feels will make the dog unsuccessful as a show dog.  At a show recently, I met a wonderful golden who had a big black spot on one hip.  He had a wonderful temperament and was a great dog but, for obvious reasons, could not be shown.  I have seen dogs classified as "pet quality" for having an ear set that is too high or too low, or for having a tail that curls at the end.  None of these things make the dog a bad pet, just not a show dog.  In my own breeding, I sometimes have a show quality puppy placed in a pet home because that is the right home for the puppy.

 

Golden retrievers can and do compete in a variety of activities.  Our dogs are active in conformation, hunt (not that we hunt, mind you), obedience, agility and tracking.  They are smart and easily trained as they want to please you.  I can't tell you how much easier our golden is to train vs. our flat-coats.  While the flat-coats make a game of training, our goldens are work horses.  

What it boils down to is when you contact a breeder be sure that you can meet at least one of the parents of your puppy.  Make sure that pedigrees for the puppy you are interested in go back at least five generations.  Check that you can get hip clearances on both parents as well as grandparents, great grandparents and so on.  While knowing the hip clearances won't guarantee you a dysplasia free puppy, it does improve your odds.  Make sure that the parents have CERF (eye clearances) and heart clearances - ask to see the official certificates,  Find out what the breeder has done with her dogs, activity-wise, and why she is breeding them.  What made the breeder choose the dogs that she did? How often does she breed?  Remember you are not just getting a puppy, but you are choosing your breeder who will be a resource and, hopefully, a friend for the next 10+ years - choose well.  

On the other side, be prepared for lots of questions from the breeder.  You are adding a member to your family and with all of the issues now surrounding golden retrievers, you can never be too careful.  Many have likened getting a dog from a reputable breeder to the ardous procedure of adopting a child.  Well, it should be... that is exactly what you are doing!