[Fantelle]

We adopted Otje from a family who no longer wanted him when he was 8 months old. He's now 4, yet we still don't know if he actually is a Golden Retriever and I don't know what it would take to find out (he has no paperwork beyond insurance and vaccinations).

Temperament-wise, he's very much golden retriever. He is very social and loves everyone. He has never so much as growled at anyone, and you can put your fingers in his mouth and he still won't bite. But when it comes to his looks, he doesn't resemble a golden retriever much. He has a very thin head, especially for a male, and I've heard from several people that he looks more like a hovawart.

He has no interest in things like agility, freestyle etc. but lives for scenting, he just shines when he gets to use his nose and does so very well.

He weighs ~35 kgs and is ~60cm tall.

Finally, here are some recent pictures:

And an old picture from when he was shaved (for medical reasons) so you can see him better under all that fur xD

I really tried my best to include as much info as possible, but I probably missed something. Do tell me if there's anything I could include to give you better judgement! Thanks a lot guys
​

 

[CAROLINA MOM]

Welcome to the forum.

Otje is a very handsome boy and looks like a typical Golden Retriever to me.

 

[Karen519]

Otje

We adopted Otje from a family who no longer wanted him when he was 8 months old. He's now 4, yet we still don't know if he actually is a Golden Retriever and I don't know what it would take to find out (he has no paperwork beyond insurance and vaccinations).

Temperament-wise, he's very much golden retriever. He is very social and loves everyone. He has never so much as growled at anyone, and you can put your fingers in his mouth and he still won't bite. But when it comes to his looks, he doesn't resemble a golden retriever much. He has a very thin head, especially for a male, and I've heard from several people that he looks more like a hovawart.

He has no interest in things like agility, freestyle etc. but lives for scenting, he just shines when he gets to use his nose and does so very well.

He weighs ~35 kgs and is ~60cm tall.

Finally, here are some recent pictures:

And an old picture from when he was shaved (for medical reasons) so you can see him better under all that fur xD

I really tried my best to include as much info as possible, but I probably missed something. Do tell me if there's anything I could include to give you better judgement! Thanks a lot guys
​

Your Otje is absolutely gorgeous and from my view he is definitely a Golden Retriever! I have adopted two Golden Retrievers in the past, with no papers. Bless you for adopting him and loving him.
Hope you share more stories about Otje!

 

[oscargolla]

I'm not sure

I never knew about "hovawart" breed. Now, I'm unsure if my dog is a pure bred Golden. What do you guys think?

 

[Prism Goldens]

He's a Golden. The photos of the Hovawarts on the HC site show a dog that does look like a Golden, though all seem to have a hook tail, and most seem to look very upright in the shoulder. Their heads seem to be small in relationship to their bodies. That's just the 'approved breeding dogs' on the site.

 

[Cpc1972]

Both dogs are all golden. Beautiful dogs.

 

[Alaska7133]

Both dogs are goldens. As for the nose, goldens have the best nose out there for scenting. That is why they are used for hunting and search/rescue so much. They are the best for those activities. Enjoy your dogs.

 

[siulongluiy]

After reading this thread, it sparked me to do a quick little research on the difference as the google pictures that came up to me were pretty much, basically, similarly IDENTICAL!!! =P

This site seems to have a good grasp of the difference in the 2 but mainly in temperament and will be hard to tell in just pictures.

The Difference Between A Golden Retriever And A Hovawart

 

[Gleepers]

Things I learned from my rescued Malamute. At the end of the day they are what you tell people they are. You can go with a Golden and everyone will know what that is, or you can say Hovawart and everyone will look at you funny as I'm assuming most have never heard of it. I guess it really comes down to how much you enjoy talking about your dog to strangers.

 

[GoldenCamper]

But when it comes to his looks, he doesn't resemble a golden retriever much. He has a very thin head, especially for a male, and I've heard from several people that he looks more like a hovawart.

Some Goldens have thinner heads and some have broader ones.

You have a Golden.

Not many people see Hovawarts but I have and see no correlation.

At least you didn't get oh is he a Lab mix...at least Hovawart was original

 

[4goldengirls]

Both of those dogs look 100% golden to me. As far as the thinner head, it happens. My female rescue has a thin pointier face but is still purebred golden.

 

[Fantelle]

Thank you all for responding. I wanted to know mostly for curiosity's sake, as he looks so different from all the golden retrievers I've seen before. At least now I know I'm qualified to post here!

 

[Odette3]

He is definitely a golden retriever. I have no idea what a hovawart is, never heard of it before but shall check it out later.