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Big Goldens or Little Goldens?

4.8K views 40 replies 35 participants last post by  rosemary  
#1 ·
It seems like there is a movement to breed the dogs smaller - our last golden was smaller then the previous one -

I have also seen some noticeably smaller dogs prevail at dog shows-

we tell people that we have the condo size goldens

do you like them larger or smaller? have you also observed this trend toward downsizing?

I prefer bigger dogs myself -
 
#2 ·
I love all Goldens no matter what the size, but there have been two very large Goldens (which would be considered out of standard) in my life I loved dearly. That would be Mickey and Maggie. Flashes from the past...

I love my guys too of course. Shadow's pretty big. Tucker is shorter and has more bone. You can lean on him... LOL
 
#3 ·
i think i will have small, medium and large sized dogs. hannah the rescue is very tiny and full grown, 48 pounds, sadie will be the mediun sized, she has short legs, and at 10 months old is 58 pounds, sophie is going to be the big one, at 11 months ,she is 64 pounds. size didn't matter to me, i just love goldens.
 
#4 ·
I like big goldens personally. But my male is a sweet petite guy at less than 60 pounds and I think he's delicious! My senior female is a hefty 90 lbs and I think she's just the most gorgeous beast! If I had my choice, I'd go with BIG...just my personal preference!
 
#5 ·
I love them in any size. Matter not to me. I have had runts of the litters and I have had rescues and Brinks is in at sixty four pounds. My first golden never got over 58 pounds. So if that is considered small, then so be it but I would not care what size they were. I love them all.
 
#6 ·
I have small guys

My boy, almost 4 weighs 65lbs and is 23 1/2 tall. His sister a bit over 2 is 50 lbs and 22 inchs tall. I like that size. They are both on the small side of the standard.
 
#7 ·
I love Lucy's size - she weighs 55 pounds and is perfectly proportioned.

Desi, on the other hand, is a big 'un. She weighs almost 70 pounds and would weigh more if allowed to eat like she wants to. She is also very long. So long, in fact, that my vet remarked that she must be the extended cab version!

Big or small, I just love my goldens!
 
#10 ·
I always prefer larger dogs; however, my Ozzy has turned out to be a smaller Golden. He's perfect because he's mine but I was surprised he turned out to be on the small side.
 
#12 ·
I like smaller ones personally. I like a really fast, athletic dog who can jump high, run fast, and go go go all day. My girl weighs 47 pounds at eight months. I expect her to be right at 55 or so full grown. In the standard, but small for sure.
 
#13 ·
There is no trend towards downsizing at the shows - dogs are required to be in the standard -
"23-24 inches at the shoulder for dogs, 21.5 - 22.5 inches at the shoulder for bitches. Animals up to one inch above or below the standard shouldbe proportionately penalized. Deviation in height of more than one inch from the stand shall be disqualified."
What we see is that so many people, for a lot of years, have decided that "bigger is better", and then "smaller is better". So, we hear all the time at shows spectators asking "What kind of dog IS that?" We say "A Golden Retriever", all the time thinking that they must be from another planet if they do no know what breed it is. They then reply "Well, MY (neighbor/cousin/co-worker etc) has a Golden Retriever and HE is 30 inches tall and weighs 110 pounds (or substitute 18 inches tall and 40 pounds...). Are yours the Apartment Sized Goldens (or, substitute Blocky Goldens)?" And we reply, while trying not to repeatedly bang our heads against a pole "No. This is correct. There is a standard for every breed that they should conform to, which included size. They are written so that dogs will be made correctly in order to properly perform the tasks that they were bred to do. If they are too big, or too small, or their muzzle is not broad enough (etc etc for whatever breed you are being asked about) then they cannot perform those tasks efficiently." About this time, the spectator's eyes glaze over and they ask "Do you know where they are showing the (Puggles, ShitPoos, Pekaboos, Labradoodles, DandiDoos, Chiweiners, Schnoxies, Gollies, and Dalmadors)?

So, I guess I would say, that although I love all dogs, if I am going to have a purebred of any breed, I want it to conform to the standard by which it was bred for.
 
#14 ·
I prefer smaller Goldens... and boy do I have one! Quiz is 21.5" at the withers and 40 lbs soaking wet!

I call him my "Pocket Golden".

-S
 
#15 ·
I love all golders but I prefer the smaller sides of the standard..Lilli is 21.5 and weighs 55 lbs.
 
#22 ·
:slamdoor: Oh my! That seems awfully big! Looks like he needs to visit the greenbean diet and engage in some of these: :hyper:
 
#18 ·
Big or small I love them all too. My 1st golden Ruger wasn't big for a male. About 75 pounds. Miss Nikki isn't tiny, but she's a lot smaller than a lot of goldens we see, about 65 pounds. We have a small house -- so a dog that is less than huge has worked for us. I would have absolutely no problem with a BIG golden though!

Julie
 
#21 ·
I love the big guys. I wonder how big Bama is going to be? It will be exciting to watch him grow. It has been over 7 years since we have had a puppy.
 
#23 ·
I like the bigs ones. Nugget weighed @ 90 lbs when he died and as you can tell from the pics I posted he was not fat at all. He had a very nice physique LOL. I am a BIG dog person. The bigger the better for me. :D
 
#27 ·
We have both.....Maggie is 54 lbs and is a little shorter than the standard. Ray is about 27" at the withers and weighs in at exactly 100 lbs.

BUT...he's overweight due to a thyroid problem. Amos, is about 27" at the withers and weighs about 85 lbs, which is right where he should be. He's got heavy bone.

The others fall into the standard range. Sasha is a larger girl....she weighed about 73 lbs when she was a young to middle aged dog. Now she's where she should be.....about 65 lbs.

Slender is better, no matter what the height of the dog.

I love my Goldens, but I like BIG dogs too.......that's why we have Newfs. Goldens should be close, if not right at the standard. That's why there IS a standard.

The GR standard is VERY specific compared to many breeds. The height and weight are "mandated". The Newf standard is very broad in this area. No specific height, or weight. So they vary a great deal, in the show ring and out.