I'm interested in getting a Golden puppy but am still a bit unsure about working and show.

Is there a big difference like there is in cocker spaniels between the two strains? Is there two strains or is it a happy mix in the one dog?

And what are they really like to live with - do they relax in the house or are they forever on the go like some breeds?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

Is there two strains or is it a happy mix in the one dog?

Yes and no. Some people show and work their dogs so obviously they have all that is required conformation wise to be good enough in the ring and yet have a really good working ability. I have always found that as long as my dogs have a decent amount of exercise they will settle happily at home just venturing out into the garden for a mooch or playing with each other. The Golden Retriever isn't a high active dog. In the field their job is to sit and wait patiently at the gun and then go out and retrieve but are not required to be working constantly like for instance a Cocker Spaniel so tend IMO to be a bit more chilled. However, they can be stubborn and decide that they know more than you and clever enough to be able to make their own decisions so need to be trained, and yet are sensitive and should never be over handled as you can break their spirit but then that could be said of quite a few breeds.

There are "working" and "show" type Golden Retrievers.

The working type is more often much darker in coat and more slender frame. They are extremely quick but the ones I've met have been fairly quiet, they of course should be biddible as they wouldn't be successful working in the field. I know two working strain Golden bitches and both are pretty mellow to be honest. I haven't met that many so I don't know if they are the norm! I also know Show type goldens who are all over the place as youngsters!

"Show Type" goldens are usually a little heavier, have longer coats, vary in colour from cream to dark golden and aren't generally as quick across the ground as the working type (although to see mine going for it, I think they run fast enough!). Then of course there is the "dual purpose" Golden, as Alison has said, show type Goldens who could be shown on a Friday and then be picking up game at a shoot on a Saturday. There are many people in the show world who do both regularly. I guess its great to know that your dog is capable of doing the job it was originally bred for.

The two have totally different types of pedigree also, although from time to time the two sides are put together.

I find as Alison has said, so long as they've had enough exercise, they are totally chilled house dogs. It's most difficult to handle when they can do so much more than they should due to developing joints. As long as a puppy owner is aware that the "teenage phase" can be trying, most Goldens develop into the most chilled, biddable and reliable dogs. Goldens also don't like being left for long periods as they are real people dogs who love company.

I have a working type GR and he is fantastic to live with. A chilled couch potato when you need him to be but ready for anything at other times. He competes in agility and seems to be much faster than the heavier show types I have seen competing.

He is more than capable of spending full days walking with me - he runs I walk :-) - and is a very active dog. He is a slender dog with a passion for life and so easy to live with. If I knew his parentage I would definitely have another one like him - he came to us as a rescue at 9 weeks old.

Goldens?   My most favourite subject!  
I have my third and am now looking for my fourth retriever.....   Beautiful dogs, gorgeous coats, amazingly clever, very stubborn, amazing personalities.  I love the wide apart set eyes, the clever expression in their eyes.   This breed of dog rings my bell again and again and again.....
My golden boy makes me laugh out loud and he likes that - his tail wags like mad.   He has such a sense of humour especially when he is 'calling' me to show me that he is doing something he shouldnt be doing!  His vocabulary is wide - he knows lots of words and knows exactly what I mean and even how I feel.  
He comes from a long line of show dogs, he is slimmish and very athletic.    Out walking, he climbs hills and runs for miles with great joy.   He is interested in anything and everything and his walks are always an adventure.  
Back home, he loves to sit in 'his' armchair which has a view of the neighbourhood.   He likes to dose and watch the world go by.   Sometimes I think that he is taking notes!
He is just five now and a pleasure although I must admit that initially he drove me mad!!  
Golden Retrievers?   Im sure you can tell - adored here and hard to get off my soap box!!

How sad that someone would give up a puppy at 9 weeks!   Very sad.

I've had a total of 10 Goldens over a period of 31 years. There doesn't seem to be many dual purpose lines left, but that's what I always had initially -dogs from breeders who both worked them and showed them. I found myself getting bored with the pure show ones, too slow and laid back for me who like super fast active dogs. (Weird in a way as nobody could accuse me of being like that myself!!) I'm on my last Golden now simply due to the fact they're not a very good mix to keep with my Malinois (they are too different, play in a different way etc), but if I ever had another it would have to be a working one. As a pet for somebody though (i.e. pure family pet, not to compete in anything like obedience or agility or similar), I'd always recommend show lines.

Hi Chatsworth

I agree with others that Goldies make the most wonderful companions although they can be challenging in the early days.  They have superb characters and love everything and everyone.  I would perhaps suggest you don't go down a 'full' working or show lines, but many Goldies do like to have a purpose in life even if it's just your local training club and love to learn, especially when lots of praise is on offer!  There are lots of good breeders on here that will give you help and advice.  My personal opinion is that you go with a breeder who you trust and really get on with, so if you do have any questions in the future, they're happy to receive your call and help you.

I believe that if you have a calm household, the puppy is likely to be calm, if you home is manic with hyper children then the pup will possibly follow suit!  Like children, the pup will need to learn when it's 'quiet time' and when it's walkies etc.  I have several Goldies living in my home including a youngster but she now settles down in the lounge in the evening with the others as good as gold.

IMO good breeders will have a waiting list for puppies so perhaps contact a few near you and see what you can learn from them and if possible visit prior to pups arriving so you can get a feel for the bitch, breeder and conditions pups will be raised in without the distraction of several cute bundles of fluff!  Please don't forget to ensure both parents have had relevent health tests done too.

Good luck and try to be patient and wait for the 'right' pup to come along.

I have never owned golden s but sil has for the past 30 years and we live very close so - have had pleanty to do with them. Hers tend to be more show lines happy to lay back and doze but love work of some kind. In her case weekly training at club and some obedience. - have on one occasion met afull working golden apparently good lines absolutely nutty. The owner had tried everything with professional advise and still the dog was a handful never still. Really needed a working job. Personally I would go for show or a mix if you can find them. Lovely family dogs

Thanks everyone for your replies, we've settled on a Golden!

I've been looking at a couple of lines, well, three to be exact. One sire really stands out to me and I would love one of his progeny, however, I need to be sure of the temperament of the line having read somewhere that some lines are not so well tempered as others. It's very important that we have a very good temperament because puppy will be living in the home with children and other dogs.

I don't think I can ask specific line information but could anyone with interesting information re lines, possibly to give a miss, would be more than welcome. :-)

Perhaps they could pm me?

From the Goldens I know they seem to be real mud magnets & not for the house-proud, also a couple  have had selective hearing too!

Most certainly mud magnets - I have the photos to prove it :-) and they shed hair all over the place - although I now view the layer of hair on the carpet as a protector from wear and tear so I suppose the copious amount of hair that continuously attaches itself to the carpet could actually be seen as being on the plus side? :-)

Although mud and water is a regular feature of any walk, whatever the season, my GR's coat does have a Teflon quality to it and as the mud dries it slides off leaving an obvious dog shaped patch of offerings on the tiled floors :-)

haha thanks for that harley , i have 2 staffys and 4 cats and the hair drives me nuts , i now have a new way of looking at it :p x

Ahhh, my two boys have VERY selective hearing :) I have also found that if they are using their noses for sniffing then their ears don't work :) :) must be a design fault ha ha ha

My sister has had three 'show type' GR's over the last 15/16 years. All have been had beautiful personalities, and were active but enjoyed chilling out in the house. Her current one is 7 or 8, and brilliant with her very young children. However, much as I love him I couldn't cope with all of his coat in my house!

from my experience you either get lucky or not! most of the g/r i have known are great, BUT do have selective hearing anre can be infuriating.

Mine have all been great and all have had selective hearing too!   It makes me laugh but I think its part of their personality so I enjoy it.  
I now have a rescue GR who I have had for four days.   Same thing!  She can even look at me and not hear!   They can make you so mad BUT I just love it!!
Michelle

I have been owned by 12 Goldens over the years, plus some other breeds, and in my opinion you can't beat a Golden as a family pet. You get out of your dog what you put into it: if you are always calm and relaxed, so will your dog be; if you are busy, hyper and stressy, so will your dog be. I see that at my puppy class all the time. That said, a working bred Golden will always be "on the go", won't want to settle down for an evening in front of the television and will need masses of exercise. The more you give it, the more it will take. Show bred Goldens will do obedience, fun agility and enjoy a good long walk daily (as adults) so are definitely not couch potatoes. Good luck in finding a good breeder. Make sure sire and dam have low hip scores; 0 or a max of 1 elbow score ( and having recently searched for a Golden stud dog, I am amazed at how many breeders / stud dog owners don't elbow score and yet elbow dysplasia is THE most painful and debilitating condition that a dog can inherit ) and the parents need current eye certificates. Also ask whether there has been any epilepsy in their line. You really would not want to knowingly buy a dog with that. I wish I could advise you but don't suppose that I can put my phone number on here.

> xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">That said, a working bred Golden will always be "on the go", won't want to settle down for an evening in front of the television and will need masses of exercise.

My GR is working lines and isn't like that - he is a couch potato when I need him to be and up for anything at other times and has a great on and off switch. He competes in agility and yes he will walk all day every day, run non stop and swim for England but is also super chilled indoors and settles really well. He is an ideal companion, workmate and friend.

I've had Goldens since 1986 and the description michelleb gave sums it up perfectly, so won't try to do it any better. Also totally agree with Ells-Bells and G,Rets.

They're a special dog and you build a special relationship with them if you put in the work :)