From the youtube user annsk8smith.
This dog is from North Dakota. The Dakotas are pheasantland.
Goldens were once the dominant pheasant dog in much of the midwest. Most of the dogs of that were imported in the 1940’s and 1950’s were brought over as pheasant dogs. Many were not actively trialed. They merely accompanied the farmers who shot pheasants on their own land, and then, they became the dogs of the shooting preserves that are still common in that part of the world.
And this dog has the conformation and drive I love so much.
Aww….
I’m starting to think we need a token sporting dog here. :P I borrowed a client’s (show bred, but he’s fun to hunt with and moderately drivey- super healthy and willing, though) golden this morning for a walk with the collies and spitz but it’s totally not the same. :P
Some of the American show bred ones are actually quite useful but for that coat, which gets so easily bogged down in water and collects parts of the undergrowth. Most of the European showbred ones though are really far removed from working dogs.
Perfect song for this adorable video! Didn’t know that fact about Goldens! A graceful and trusting breed nonetheless.
Nice, athletic dog! If I wanted a GR, I’d want one just like that, and reserve a pup from my breeder friend right over the hill.
I would get mine from a similar neighborhood breeder.
I apparently jinxed myself.
We’re looking. Where do I start?
If you’re looking for one, the Midwest is the best place to start.
I’m in Texas, and I just don’t even know where to start. I looked up the health testing, and I thought about putting a call into above-mentioned show golden’s breeder, but I’m just sort of lost. It’s a whole different paradigm.
We lost Indy, my 7 year old Cardigan, on Wednesday.
I’m sorry about your loss.
Goldens are really confusing. There are lots and lots of genetic disorders with them. They also vary greatly in temperament and aptitude. That’s what happens when a breed becomes very popular.
Yeah, it is different. Of the three breeds I’m involved in, one is really rare in the US (the mittelspitz) and fairly rare elsewhere, one is fairly uncommon (Cardis) and one is recovering from a century of popularity (Collies). I’ve got a handle, I think, on what health tests to look for, but the important stuff- the ability to judge the claims of a breeder about his dogs and discern what he means by ‘drivey’ ‘birdy’ ‘with an off switch’ is just not something I have enough context for right now.
I have time, I guess- family is not ready for another dog to add to the family right now. We all grieve differently- I throw myself into training and research, they don’t.
“With an off switch” probably means moderate drive. That means that he also produces dog that have no drive at all and few that have a somewhat higher drive. It’s a bit like breeding border collies that have the rough collie temperament.
All that birdy means is that if they have a choice between running mourning doves out of a rye field and chasing a rabbit out of a hedgerow the dog will choose the former.
This will start you on your list: http://www.grca.org/health/retinalatrophy.html
Basically, in goldens, there are three main types of dog. There’s an American show line, which is now usually mid-gold in color but darker ones exist. These dogs have longer hair that can get bogged in the water and collect the undergrowth. These tend to be the pretty ones. Lots of these dogs still have working ability and instincts. Then there is a European show line, which is the really pale colored ones. A few mid-gold dogs exist in those lines but they are as dark as they get. These dogs usually have virtually no working ability and they tire easily when worked hard in the field. Then there are the performance bred lines– “the swamp collies”– these dogs are as varied in appearance as can be, but they usually look a lot like goldens did in the early days of the breed. Usually, these dogs are longer legged or smaller dogs to have better proportions for running hard. Very dark colors in US field lines are almost de rigueur. If you get one that is dark, be prepared for people to tell you it is part setter, which it is–technically. They are usually very drivey, very birdy, and very easy to train. They typically also have the best temperaments. However, because they are very drivey, they are very hard to keep in a pet home. You have to exercise their brains and bodies and allow them to use their breed typical motor patterns, which is fetching a lot. I personally prefer performance bred dogs, but then I want my dogs to be good workers. I really don’t have a lot of use for lots of feathering– it’s hard to care for and makes the dogs swim really slow. And certainly have no use for the European show lines. They look like polar bears or baby seals when they are young, but that’s about all they’re good for.
You have no idea how hard it is to find a good dog when so many people are breeding a particular breed. Every knucklehead and fraudster has some idea of how to get rich quick selling them.
I’m sure your family isn’t ready for another dog, especially one that’s so radically different from your previous dog. It’s time to grieve your other dog.
I’ve been in goldens so long that I basically know what to expect from a dog by looking at. I know that sounds weird, but my experience is that if it looks a bit like a Kuvasz, it’s not going to be a very good working dog.
That’s really funny I thought this was some weird thing my dogs did, but it turns out its just a retriever thing. I’ll link to some video of my FCRs behaving the same way. All are absolutely Crazy about snow tossing.
Retrieverman – yeah, I know what the terms mean in a dictionary sense, but it’s like apples and oranges.
For example, I know in collies (and Cardis and spitz, although to a lesser degree as there are more Cardi people really devoted to performance and the spitz people just LIKE insane dogs) if someone says a dog is “very drivey’ or ‘extreme drive’ or ‘very prey driven’ it’s probably a dog I’m going to adore. The average temperament in the breeds is softer and the dogs I like tend to be on the more extreme end of the spectrum. I know that when my friend says that about her GSP? I think that dog is a nutcase. Yes, she’s a great bird dog, but she Cannot! Ever! Sit! Still! There might be a bird somewhere in the world that needs pointing out! :P The definitions are somewhat fluid depending on what you’re comparing it to.
Found a lead on a litter that looks promising on paper- hunt and obedience titles (and a few conformation titles) and am going to see about meeting some adult relatives and getting on a waiting list. We’ll go from there.
Very few goldens from working lines are that hard to handle. Retrievers are designed to have an ability to relax. After all, who wants a barmy dog in the duck blind? They aren’t as drivey as the pointers and HPR’s.
Field labs, though, can have this obsessively drivey temperament that is hard to handle. They’ve got lines that have been bred for generations with just one purpose– win field trials. They usually are a bit much even for someone who wants a working retriever.
But that’s the only breed of retriever that has these characteristics. The flat-coat and working type golden are generally very drivey, but they aren’t so drivey they can’t settle.
Chesapeakes are drivey but they have a more “molosser” temperament. They aren’t as sharp in temperament as Rottweilers. It’s something like a Weimaraner.