Golden retriever - size question

[Autumnpumpkin]

Hi,

Merry Christmas everyone!

We are considering a Golden Retriever, we are a family of 5 our youngest child is 8. We feel they would be a great fit for our family but we do have concerns over their size, round us they seem to vary from absolutely massive to not so big. We wouId go for a female as that’s our preferred anyway but I’m wondering if anyone knows of any breeders that breed smaller golden retrievers or is it pot luck and each litter can vary in size?

Thanks in advance

If you want a smaller retriever then you need to go for a working line - the trade off here though is that they need far more exercise and are very energetic. Show line tend to be bigger + stockier, far calmer though. We have a show/working cross at the moment after years of owning only show line retrievers - she’s gorgeous but far harder work than the others. With small kids I’d avoid working line.

My Ds has one that I’m sure has donkey somewhere in its pedigree, never seen one so big, huge! Was a rescue.

We had the most wonderful GR living with us for a year (guide dog trainee). He was the sweetest soppy old fool but absolutely enormous - very lean but extremely tall, with a huge wappy tail. We also have Labradors and he was quite a bit bigger than they are (albeit they are both girls).

@ThatMauveRaven I did look and considering the working lines but honestly don’t think we could give it the additionally exercise and stimulation.

@Darklane Haha, there’s a pair near me and honestly it’s like two bears walking towards you!

@CatkinToadflax Aw, I do think they are very special dogs…

Ask to see the parent dogs as a guide. My goldie had quite a petite mum, but his dad was enormous, as is he. He takes up a lot of space and is always in the way. Loves doorways, lying in the middle of the floor where everyone has to step over him, occasionally will lie in one of his beds but usually hangs over the side. The amount of hair a huge goldie can generate is also quite amazing. I think our house probably stinks of dog as well...don't like to ask anyone! In case it's not obvious, we adore him.

I have four. Three girls, one boy.

My girls are 30KGish (about average) but the boy (the son of one of my girls and the grandson of another) is 50KG (about 10KG over breed max) and when he stands on his hind legs, he is significantly taller than me (5,6). None of my dogs are overweight either - I'm militant about ensuring their health.

Genetics are a weird and wonderful thing.

When I let the boy's littermates go at 8 weeks, he was the smallest in the litter by over 0.5 of a KG (and he's now the largest) - so even if you see a litter and go for the smallest, there is no guarantee they will be small.

The breeding bitch I have used for my last two litters is Cream. The sire (same one both times) is Cream. But the two litters I've had as a result of their breeding? Last litter was 8 Gold pups. The litter before that was 9 Cream, one Golden. Only 'Golden' dog in both breeding dogs ancestry is a great-grandsire on the bitches side.

TBH I wouldn't worry about size. I would worry about weight and strength. Golden's, as with all large dogs, are incredibly strong - they're muscular, particularly once they hit adulthood.

I wouldn't be worried about size so much as temperament. Golden Retrievers can be prone to resource guarding so I'd be wanting to know as much about the parents, grandparents etc. as possible.

My girl was 32kg and my boy is 43kg.

Thanks everyone, 30kg ish would be good to be honest.

Thanks for tips on temperament too…how would you find out if there was a dog with resourcing issues in their line?

Decent breeders should breed for temperament (as well as other things) and should allow you to meet their dog(s) before you decide whether to put down a deposit.

We have had Goldies for many years- all girls bar one. The boy was huge- and strong and stubborn. A good 10kg more than any of the girls.

The girls vary between 25-35 kg. 35 is a bit podgy imo. Currently the old girl is 36 kg and on a diet, and the younger one who is taller and longer legged, 31.
Even a small slim Goldie is strong- training is vital to stop them turning into steam trains who will pull you over on the lead personal experience
We got the younger one just over a year ago age 6- never walked or been on a lead. It's a work in progress!

Size, temperament, are all things that should come with choosing an ethical breeder (rather than someone who had two dogs and let them breed "for the experience").
Anything that isn't selected for or against is going to crop up. So, in your title example, if Goldens are meant to be 25-30 kg dogs and yours is much bigger than that, then it is out of standard and should not be bred, unless you have a reason to actively select for larger dogs (because you will have those - you are putting those larger dog genes into the gene pool).
Look for a breeder that is happy to answer questions and that has done their due diligence. I am unsure what health testing is recommended for Goldens in the UK other than Hips, but do check for hip scores as Goldens have high rates of hip dysplasia.
Same with temperament - ask to see the parents or at least the mother (breeder may have used an outside stud) and see how she reacts to the environment and to your presence. Goldens are meant to be social, so any aggression towards you/the breeder/puppies should be noted. If you were to view a naturally suspicious dog breed, however, then you shouldn't be surprised if the mother doesn't come tail wagging.
A dog show is a great place to meet breeders and in-standard dogs. I'd check if there aren't any near you. Always worth going to Crufts, too! Though I must warn you that at a dog show you will obviously be seeing show Goldens, rather than Goldens bred for the field, which should be smaller, leaner, with less coat and with plenty more energy.

I am on my 4th GR, awesome dogs.
My current boy is around 40kg and they seem to vary from around 35-45kg.
They are big dogs so you need to be prepared for that, they are pretty clumsy too but if your youngest is 8 it should be ok

Thanks everyone, lots of food for thought. It’s a massive decision and I want to make sure it’s the right thing for both us and the dog.

My daughter’s boyfriend has a gr puppy. She struggles to walk it as it is already very strong so if you are wanting a dog that the kids can help walk you may want to think again.

Any dog needs training - large breed or not! Kids should not be walking a young puppy full stop.

My sisters sprocker pulled on the lead so she got a front clipping lead which clips to the harness on his chest. Now when he pulls he just turns himself round the wrong way and has to stop… it’s been a game changer!!

is there a particular concern re size? They’re strong dogs regardless. A show line with nice temprament would be worth going for and then doing lots of training necessary with any dog. The size…. And fluff… may just be something to put up with!

@Newstart2024 Just size in general, I’m fairly small myself at 5ft and just the practical side of things such as space in the car when we are heading out for the day or going camping etc. Also taking in to consideration when we go on holiday and my in laws take care of the dog, they aren’t getting any younger and they have a dog themselves.

I am excited about training etc, I really enjoyed it with my old girl and she was really well trained (if I do say so) I say was because she’s coming up to 15 and deaf so she defo isn’t at the same standard as she was but we are ok with that, she’s no trouble.

Our last girl (show line), was a stocky/muscular 24kg, we looked for a small mum, chose the pup that (we thought) looked most like her and we were lucky. Current one (working line) is a long and lean 25kg, as are her mum and most of her female littermates. She's is much less of a foodie than the show ones, but she's very physically and mentally energetic/demanding, which suits us now but would have been difficult when our children were young.

All larger dogs are strong, but GR are manageable if you use a good harness and work hard on leash training when they're young (I'm 5'1"). A double ended leash and harness with D-rings on the back and chest are useful for extra control during really giddy teenage moments.

I adore GR and wouldn't have any other breed. They're such playful, affectionate clowns, though the hair shedding is insane!!

Any dog can resource guard etc, but careful checks of the breeder, respecting your dog's space and managing issues as your dog grows, should allow you to nip any problems in the bud.

A family member has a small Australian labradoodle I can’t remember the cross but it’s with a smaller poodle and so he’s a smaller dog maybe 20kg/ slightly larger than a spaniel.
He was also temperament tested and is a very calm dog. It might be worth looking into that if you’re worried about car space and dog sitters! Details here but I wouldn’t research the breeders properly (she didn’t get her dog from this breeder but I can’t remember where it was).

labradoodles.co.uk/breed-information/labradoodle-sizes/

Friends of mine have had GRs for decades. The wife is five foot nothing and some of their dogs have been big but always manageable. As a PP suggests, Crufts could be a good shout - talk to breeders and see whose dogs tend to be at the smaller end of the breed. That said, genetics = curve balls so there are not guarantees.

GRs are some of the nicest dogs I know, both the show and working lines.

Talk to the breeders and ask to see mum, they’ll have the best idea. All dogs will pull given the chance, it’s just down to training. Start with the Golden Retriever society nearest you, they will be very helpful. You can’t go wrong with a goldie IME, enjoy :)

If you think a working line retriever is too much to handle then i would suggest you get a different breed, they really aren't that different. Many people have destructive retrievers because of boredom. Choose a much smaller dog

@mitogoshigg Really? That’s interesting to hear as many people say there is a fair amount of difference.

I am going to go to Crufts next year actually so I will go to the discover dogs section and have a chat with people.

Our other dog breed we were considering is a show cocker spaniel, but there is something about the Goldens that keep drawing me back.