Goldens all the way!!! However, someone once told us this when comparing the two...if you are feeling sad a golden will sit there with their head in your lap and will be there to comfort you. Labs on the other hand, will try to get your mind off of it by getting a ball and asking you to play. This has seemed to hold true with both goldens and labs that I have known, although every dog is different. Good luck with your decision!!

Apparently you have already made up your mind and the golden wins. Getting my golden was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. No doubt. No buyer’s remorse with a Golden Retriever.

We have both. Two Golden's and one yellow Lab. While I love them all, I much prefer the Golden's. My Lab is very high strung and he is 8 years old. It also took him a long time and a lot of patience to train. I know all dogs are different, but my Golden's (who are ten months and 1.5 years) trained so much quicker, easier, and better then the Lab. Endurance wise, I feel either breed will keep up with the activities of your family. One final note, in my experience with my dogs, the Golden's are much more affectionate. They want to be right with you as much as possible; my Lab likes to be with us, but is just as happy digging a hole by himself.

Good luck with your decision!

Since you are considering a pup or possible rescue I would suggest you read through the puppy section on the forum. Puppies are cute little babies for such a short time in their life span and then they become adolescents and the FUN begins?! If you can get through some of the stories about puppy dilemmas and still feel ready for a pup then you are on the right track.
Just keep in mind that whether you get a puppy or a rescue dog they will not just lay at your feet quietly throughout the day, initially. They will need attention and training, love and patience to get to that point. I work from home a few days a week and my pups (1 is 3 and 1 is 11) are great at relaxing until I am free to spend time with them but it took me at least 3 years to get it to be this way. I have had a few conference calls where I had to mute my phone because one of my dogs heard some noise or wanted attention and had a barking spell.
Either way you decide to go, welcome to the world of Goldens. As long as you go in with your eyes wide open you will be fine. I think one of the things I have learned as a dog owner is flexibliity. Dogs need structure in their world but sometimes their plan doesn't always jive with ours.
Dogs bring a lot of good things to your home but they can also be a handful. I have had 4 Goldens over the years and each one brings a new set of experiences.
You are doing a great job of doing your research.
Good Luck in your quest!

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"Beau" Mr. Beaujangles Dancin on a Wim CD, RN , ASCA CD, CGC (RIP my shining star 1-17-11)
"Baylee" UCD Baylee Golden Butterfly Wings CDX, RN , ASCA CD, CGC
"Baxter" U-Ch Promise's Purpose Driven Vision CGC (looking toward the future)
"Blayze" Promise's D'Best Aim For The Goal'd(the new kid on the block)

I was in an area i dont usually get to (about 60 mis from my house due to a work meeting) and there were 2 puppies available nearby. This breeder was not on the list others have given to me. There were about 8 dogs, in cages, in half of a "double wide".

The male had clearances, but the female was "fair" for hips. If i am going to pay good cash, and we are not talking rescue, shouldnt a breeding dog have good or excellent?

Nothing on hearts. Needless to say, i will keep looking.

The female also looked a bit ragged, tired, and with hair loss. Is that common after giving birth in the past 10 months?

From the view of a typical pet owner (me)

Did you get the impression the breeder is into it for the money, or for the love and betterment of the breed? Are the dogs purpose breed (e.g. field, obedience, show)? How picky was the breeder about potential buyer (You), or more interested in $$

If you don't get that warm fuzzy from the breeder, stay away.

Along with the GR rescue, another good place to talk to GR owners is an advanced obedience class or trials, in my experience, there are always a bunch of local GR owners to talk to about area breeders.

I'm new to the Golden world. Our puppy is almost five months old & he is absolutely beautiful. We have a six year old papillon who I totally adore, but there is something very special about a GR pup. The puppy stage can be tricky ....it is like having a new baby in the house ...getting up through the night for toilet training ......early mornings. ......late nights. But Loki is just so amazing that I would cheerfully go through it again, knowing what the end result will be. My husband on the other hand, is a bit less enthusiastic about going through the young puppy stage ever again. We are about to add a seven month old Gordon Setter to our family, if all goes well this weekend. If you choose a Golden, & put in the hard work, you will never regret it. Re the exercise thing ....a young puppy must only be taken on quite short walks, otherwise you run the risk of damaging their joints. Loki gets two walks of a mile long daily, & he snoozes most of the day away in between, plus a lot of the evening, & seven hours through the night.

ScottyUSN - yup, money was the factor here, not dogs. I left out some other unsavory details in my post that i wont get into here. When i drove up to the double wide, where everyone, including the dogs in cages resided, i knew it was a no-go, but wanted to check it out for curiousity sake.

Hi everyone, well we started with labs, switched to golden, and we ended up getting a lab. I think both breeds are awesome, so i would have been happy with either. Long story short, my future trainer turned me on a to a socially responsible breeder up north who had a litter, and we get the pick of the last two. We will get him in Jan. I would like to thank all of you for your support and information over the past couple weeks. Happy new year and good health to you and your dogs. Bill.

Glad you found a pup. I enjoyed reading all your posts and to see someone take such an active role and concern when it comes to picking out a pup. It's a big deal and should be looked at very seriously

I kinda cheated on your questions (was mine at one point also) and got both though. Started off with the Lab once I meet my now wife. We both wanted a dog and fell in love with a Chocolate lab. We took her home at 7.5 weeks and she has been stuck to my side every since. They are extremely loyal, loving and make a great family dog. They are also a gigantic ball of energy, want to play for hours on end and will seek out any remote body of water before you have a chance to blink and stop them. I wouldn't trade it for the world. Biggest thing like others have mentioned is exercise. A tired dog is a happy dog. My lab was a complete spaz (still can be) for the first couple years. I really saw a change around the 2 year mark and how much she calmed down but she is still all energy if she gets fired up.

About a year later some family friends got in a bind and they had a 4 month old pure breed Golden that they needed to find a good home. My parents who have had goldens in the family since I was born knew I would jump all over the opportunity and after introducing my lab and the golden it was an instant yes from everyone.


Post up some pics when you get your pup. Is he a Yellow, Black, Chocolate?? Glad you guys found a pup, now the wait begins and the questions start. Time to puppy proof the house... they like to chew


Pic of my lab
As a pup.





Grown up




And remember. A tired dog is a happy dog...

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