Originally Posted by tippykayak I do agree here. It's obviously really complicated, so I wouldn't take a fearful adult as proof, per se, that the dog had below-average stability of temperament, but I think one of the defining characteristics of "good temperament" is that the dog is relatively durable in the face of bad experiences—not hard-headed necessarily, but durable. There are plenty of dogs who are soft to correction who have very stable temperaments when it comes to new experiences and scary experiences.

Originally Posted by Selli-Belle I don't think that "softness" on the training front is necessarily correlated to a timid or neophobic dog. A dog who is timid may (or may be far more likely to be) also be soft in training, but the reverse is far from true. In working dogs they separate the concept of "nerve" or "steadiness" from the concept of "soft/hard" in training. I think that distinction is useful here. A dog can have "strong nerve" or extreme "steadiness" but be "soft" and I think this is where most Goldens are especially in comparison to working breeds like GSDs and Malinois (hmmmm....what is the plural of Malinois?).

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Temperament -- friendly, reliable and trustworthy. Quarrelsomeness or hostility toward other dogs or people in normal situations, or an unwarranted show of timidity or nervousness, is not in keeping with Golden Retriever character.

Getting the temperament correct is one of the most difficult challenges if not the most difficult challenge a breeder faces. I'll put it very bluntly, there are a LOT of Golden Retrievers that lack correct temperament. To get the temperament right, the breeder first must have a thorough understanding of the breed, its' purpose and reason for being. The breed standard quite prominently states in the very first paragraph the breeds intended purpose, "Primarily a Hunting Dog". At no time does the breed standard describe a Golden Retriever as calm, gentle or laid back.

A Golden Retriever with correct temperament will possess great courage and still have a little streak of mean and nasty buried in its personality. A streak of "hostility" being correct? For a Golden? Yes, it is an essential element to the Golden Retrievers personality. Look to the purpose stated in the breed standard for the golden retriever, this is supposed to be a hunting dog. That means it will encounter wounded game as part of doing its job. The dog has to chase down, get in there and do what is necessary to subdue the prey and return it to the hunter. A large goose is a formidable opponent for a Golden, nearly 1/4 of the dogs size. A Golden Retriever is not really a large dog so it needs ample attitude and courage to be successful in doing its job.

Getting all of the essential personality traits together, and in the proper proportions, is what gives a dog "Correct" temperament for the breed.

It is very very hard for a breeder to get the temperament right and maintain it over the long term in successive generations. You're always making slight adjustments to keep the balance.

It is NOT easy.