Hi all

First i need to update you all as some of you may rember when i was last on i was considering a Hovawart and two members gave me info on people they knew who had hovawarts , well with Louise's  advice i was seriously considering a hovawart until i saw them in person in the home and spoke in even more length about the breed with several breeders that i realised i am not suited to a Hovawart. But one of the breeders suggested a Golden so i have before coming on here, i have met a few breeders in my area of duel purpose and also some showline breeders and Goldens do seem perfect for me until i was told Goldens are the noisy retriever and that a lab or flat coat would be better as there the quite retrievers.

I live in a semi detacted and my neighbour is at home all day and i want to make sure that whatever i do pick is not too noisy as the neighbour on the other side of him has warned me as they own a westie and he has complained about tjere dog barking on a few occasions and they have even had the social housing out warning them that if they cant keep the dog quite that they will be forced to get rid of the dog or move.

He somehow found out i am getting a dog and said look i dont have an issue with barking as such he said i love dogs its just the westie next door never shuts up i have to listern to her barking all day , so all i ask is please just dont get a breed who will be barking constantly. So since the breeders have said goldens are the more vocal retriever i am now considering the flat coat but i still really like the golden. I know there are members who own both breeds so am hoping Golden people can tell me if its true that they are the more vocal retriever and if flat coat people can tell me if they are quite but i have read flat coats are hyper?

I really hope someone can help.

I have four Golden Retrievers in a semi detached house. They only bark if someone’s coming to the the door, and I can tell from the tone of the bark whether it’s a stranger or someone we know and they stop when told. I think to a great extent it’s about what you are happy to accept, mine know it’s ok to let us know there’s someone there, but they’ve never been allowed to bark for the sake of it, unlike my neighbours Bichon that just barks all the time! I can’t comment on flat coats however.

I think your only problem with any of these breeds (other than training) is going to be when they are left home alone.
Any of these breeds (and most others) as individuals have the potential to make noise if left alone if they eg if they have separation anxiety

Thankfully , mine would not be left as i am the manager of my workplace so he would be coming with me to work and i only work part time.

My fcr although velcro dogs when I am worg them fortunately  haven't suffered from separation anxiety.  The fcr is known as the Peter pan of retrievers as he does take a long while to mature but is very trainable although sensitive to harsh handling . Can be rather enthusiastic  so need to be taught self control . As for noise apart from when foxes are around hardly bark . The fox thing is easy to sort tbh.
We have goldies in the family and cant say they nosey either but do mature more quickly time. I just like the look and personality of the fcr in preference

The golden I have now is not a barker at all. She doesn’t even bother when someone rings the doorbell. The only times she does bark is if there’s a squirrel in the garden and if she spots any movement in the fields behind us, which is quite handy. We live in a quiet area and anyone behind the house is very unusual so she is right to treat it with suspicion.
Previous goldens only one has been a barker and that was solely down to her poor temperament as she was quite a nervous dog under all the bluster. She was trained to stop barking when told, but anything she spotted was treated to a volley of barks

When we married in 1966, I had three Golden Retrievers, and we bought a small semi-detached house in a cul-de-sac. A few weeks later we found out that there had been a petition organised to try to prevent us moving in with the dogs, but it was abandoned when they found out they had already been resident for two weeks without anyone realising it. My Goldens were dual purpose breeding.

Thanks all for your replies so far. I do prefer the Golden which is why i asked on here, flat coats are lovley but i really do prefer Goldens, i also prefer duel purpose ( i prefer Goldens who are actually Golden) so its nice to hear from duel purpose owners. The breeder who said they were noisy was a showline owner so maybe its better i prefer duel purpose. I also already know that i want a boy too.

I’ve just reread what I wrote before, and feel I should say that there’s only one that barks when someone’s at the door, the other three are silent! It’s like she’s in charge of early warnings! She’s also the oldest.

Obviously believes in same outlook as daughters Rott had, she only barked at the door if the other two were out........
Why keep a dog and bark yourself

I would do some research into cancer incidence in flat coated retrievers.  Many of them don't live past the age of 8yo, due to cancer. 

Always research the health of any breed you're considering.  Then think about the age of the parents - have they proven that their lines have longevity...?

Thank you all for your replies , i spent some time with a Flat coat breeder today and she dis warn me about cancer among other health issues. Overall though i preferred Goldens and they just suit my lifestyle more and i prefer Goldens overall.

Thank you to everyone for your help and as you can tell i have decided on a Golden Retriever. I will be researching breeders carefully and the health\health test for the breed.

Im really excited to share my life with a Golden. Biut am in not rush as the next part ( finding breeder and pup) is the most important so im going to take my time and research carefully.

I hope it’s permitted to say this on here, but there is a very good Facebook group called Golden Retrievers GB. It’s a closed group and very well moderated. There is also another group of golden retrievers breeders  that health test.

Thanks Jodi. I’m one of the admins on the page you mentioned

Flatcoats are known as the Peter Pan of the gundog world for a reason. I wouldn't say they're more hyper though.

I wouldn't say that any of them are very vocal breeds, so I wouldn't rule any of them out for that reason. I think I can count on one hand the number of times I've heard my 13 year old golden bark! I love flatcoats and I would happily own one but the cancer rates frighten me, sadly. Goldens have the edge on health, but they don't come without their own issues as a breed, so you need to choose your breeder carefully.

I have just lost my golden retriever who was 12 3 months ago. We are thinking of getting another retriever to join our family so I’m wondering if I can find a retriever from his blood line. I have a hand written pedigree with his parents name they obviously won’t be alive as he was 12 but is there a way I can find any of his family to see if anyone breeds?? Kenmilquin magician was sire and kenmilquin jubilee was dam. Thanks for any advice

I’ve had a look at your dogs pedigree and there are not many familiar names. Looking a little further back you have Gillbryan, they are still breeding and some of mine go back to theirs but how closely any pup would be related is hard to say.  I’d recommend going to a championship show local to you to see what dogs catch your eye and speak to their owners and take it from there.  Kenmilquin sounds to me like a Kennel club affix which would indicate that the breeder did not have their own affix.

I have just lost my golden retriever who was 12, 3 months ago from a nasal tumour. We are now thinking of getting another retriever to join our family so I’m wondering if I can find a retriever from his blood line. I have a hand written pedigree with his parents name they obviously won’t be alive as he was 12 but is there a way I can find/trace any of his family to see if anyone breeds?? Kenmilquin magician was sire and kenmilquin jubilee was dam. Thanks for any advice

Where would I find information on my dogs pedigree? Iv put it into google and came up with nothing?? I know the breeder only stopped breeding 2 years ago so the blood line is still going although he does not know where any puppies/dogs are. I know I can’t replace my dog but I really want a big chunky golden boy like him.

Register for a website called Standfast data, all of the Golden Retriever pedigrees are on there.

I would try this breeder since her dogs feature on both sides of your dog’s pedigree:

http://www.linjorretrievers.co.uk/

You can also look up KC registered dogs on the MYKC website. If you open a MYKC accord(it's free)you will have access to the pedigrees of your dogs parents & any other puppies they have produced. You can spend hours looking up dogs information