... Just got an email back from my local club member who seems to think that the tight line breeding was done for a specific reason, and under the advisement of a very knowledgeable breeder. Still not sure.....
You really should call the breeder or email and ask what the specific goal is behind breeding this litter of puppies. It will tell you a lot.
I've seen your name on here a couple times doing research and I wanted to commend you for being so smart. WHen you realize that you're spending over a thousand dollars on a (hopefully) 12 year commitment with an animal who will live under your roof as a member of your family every single day, it's truly amazing how many of us 'just pet owners' rush into a new dog with such little research.
I am a stay at home mom with 3 kids and have had dogs all my life. I am definitely not the most knowledgeable person giving you input on this thread, but I did want to share a little bit I've learned because some of it I've learned the hard way. I have a Collie named Mack and a Golden named Ellie - Ellie is my 3rd Golden. (In the interest of full disclosure, Ellie is a 9 month old Fisher daughter and she is a dream come true, I waited two years for her.)
You're on the right track looking for a breeder who is religious about health clearances and is showing their dogs in conformation. I have added some other criteria to my wish list for a good dog - I want a breeder who understands and cares about conformation because I want my Golden to look like a Golden Retriever. The other piece of the puzzle I have learned to care about is that I also want a breeder who is doing something more with their dogs.
My ideal breeder is really into performance with their dogs. I want to find someone who is trying to breed puppies who are the whole package: They look like a Golden but aren't so grown over with coat that they can't swim and dry off, smart enough to train easily, not so crazy and high strung that it can't focus on you and what you're asking it to learn. I want someone who is trying to breed puppies who live to please their people and have the energy to make it fun but aren't so over the top crazy that they won't settle in the house unless they have a constant job to do. A breeder who values temperament and knows that a Golden who is dog aggressive is no fun to compete with in any venue and should not reproduce those genes no matter how beautiful or talented and athletic he is.
I hope that makes sense. It is extremely time consuming and expensive for people to do EVERYTHING with their dogs - conformation and performance. And it is challenging for a trainer to go outside their comfort zone and learn to train dogs for hunt tests or agility when all they've ever done is conformation and maybe a little obedience. Not every breeder can do it. But now that I've learned there are people out there who try to do it all with their dogs, I know their puppies are worth the wait. They don't breed every single year and they aren't perfect, this is nature after all as well as educated guesses, but they are striving for a Golden that looks and acts like a Golden and is as trainable and bright as a Golden should be. If you want a therapy dog, you need one who can go through basic obedience classes and be under your control, able to listen and pay attention. I would look for a breeder who is trying to breed obedience Goldens.
My other comment is to make sure you interview your breeder closely as to how much time they spend with their puppies and how important it is to them to know individual personalities in their litters. Are they raised in the house and lots of human interaction EVERY day or are they in a laundry room with the door shut- yep, that's in the house, but it's not what I had in mind for puppy socialization. Very hands on breeders will really set you up for success by knowing their puppies very well and sending you home with a puppy whose personality is a good fit for your situation.
There are some really experienced people on this forum who I have a lot of respect for. If I needed a new puppy this year, I would be sending a PM to Hotel For Dogs/ Barb or K9-Design/ Anney and asking them for a lead on any breeders planning to use one of their dogs as a sire. Barb owns Tito and Anney owns Fisher, both of those boys have conformation titles and are owner trained and handled to a bunch of performance titles - and everyone who meets those dogs talks about how sweet they are. They are healthy and have clearances, I don't know how old Tito is now but Fisher is a senior and I am pretty sure that Barb is as careful as Anney about who she would allow to breed to her dog. Tell them what you're looking for and ask for a suggestion. They also know people and probably have pretty specific opinions about who to go to for a nice all around Golden.
I am not a pedigree expert, do not know about the dogs you are asking about here, just thought I would tell you what I would do if it were me. I wish you the best of luck. Also, start researching now where your puppy is going to go for obedience classes. If you haven't had a chance to do that, it's never too early
Have fun!