working and show type golden retrievers ?

[Bluebeeee]

I know that working golden retrievers are generally higher energy. But are there any other differences? Or is the temperament likely to be similar? Do working goldens still have a good off switch for chilling at home? We are a fairly active family and I don’t work so wouldn’t be intending to leave the dog at home much during the day. But I do want a dog which has a fairly chilled temperament around other dogs and with children. Is anyone better informed than me on this?

I have a half working golden retriever (other half is a show type labrador). He is an absolute lunatic and has 100% taken after his golden retriever dad. He is walked 2 hours off lead every morning, usually another hour in the evening. He has free run of a very large garden all day. But provided he gets his exercise he also has an off switch and is quite happy to sleep by the fire, has no issues being left alone for a few hours and in general is a pretty easy dog, he is also pretty chill about only getting a quick walk occasionally. However if he doesn't get his walks for a few days (only happened a couple of times) he get really frustrated, a few months ago he had an infected paw and had to stay inside for 5 days while it healed he got so upset he ended up chewing at his own leg until it bled. No amount of games and wrestling and mental exercises would settle him.
So my conclusion would be unless you can 100% commit to the huge amount of exercise required by working breeds go for a show line.

'Swamp collie'

That describes my boy perfectly!!

@Bluebeeee I have kids but they're teenagers. My GR is 18mths so he hasn't had to deal with toddlers or young children - if he meets them on his walks he just ignores them. He's very patient with my teens who play with him in a fairly boisterous way. Very sharp teeth as a puppy but we just exchanged our arms / hands etc for a toy and he was fine - and never chewed furniture.

Also as another poster has mentioned, my working GR is much slighter in frame than show types. He's 27kg and probably won't put on much more weight. 2 show GR nearby are heavier but shorter / broader.

We decided on a working type because we're quite active and wanted an active dog. I was working 15hrs/wk from home so could easily give him exercise and attention.

Good luck with your search. They are lovely dogs whether show or working - so friendly, biddable, easy to train.

Swamp collie - perfect description!

@Bluebeeee I have always found GRs to be great with children, I was a childminder many years ago when we had our first and many a toddler learnt to walk using Buffy as a walker! Our current 7 month old pup is a bit mad but is so well behaved with my grandchildren (2 and 4), especially the little one, they are best friends!

Working lines suit us better. Some of ours have been worked, some just trained. I agree with comments about switching on for 'work' and switching off elsewhere.

Our current puppy is from field trial winning lines and spends most of the day snoring while we work. When he's training he's fully focused on the handler.

I've also found them to be athletic built,
softer mouthed (only had one bitey/chewy lab puppy) and easier to train. I also see many fat, mouthy, badly behaved show labs in the park, though I'm sure they aren't all like that.

With working lines it's important to see how the parents are in the house etc. Some lines are too 'on' for a pet home.