# Big Goldens or Little Goldens?



## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

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


----------



## sophiesadiehannah's mom (Feb 11, 2007)

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.


----------



## Sunshine Goldens (Oct 31, 2005)

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!


----------



## Brinkleysmom (Dec 17, 2005)

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.


----------



## Rastadog (Oct 24, 2006)

*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.


----------



## desilu (Nov 2, 2006)

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!


----------



## daddysgirl (Feb 27, 2007)

i think all goldens are beautiful, big or small. but i love my big girl. Denise


----------



## HovawartMom (Aug 10, 2006)

I like big but my golden isn't!.
She weighs 63 pds for 23,5 inches so she isn't big.


----------



## KatzNK9 (Feb 27, 2007)

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.


----------



## Heidi36oh (Feb 27, 2007)

Mine are all on the bigger side, Jack (2 years) is 85 pounds and I would say a big boy, Peanut (7 month) 78 pounds little over weight but gonna be big too, Chewie (8 month) 54 pounds and almost as big as Jack


----------



## AquaClaraCanines (Mar 5, 2006)

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.


----------



## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

THE HONEY WOLVES said:


> 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-
> 
> ...


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.


----------



## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

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


----------



## hawtee (Nov 1, 2006)

I love all golders but I prefer the smaller sides of the standard..Lilli is 21.5 and weighs 55 lbs.


----------



## woodysmama (Feb 25, 2007)

Woody tipped the scales yesterday at the vets at 106...i got yelled at..


----------



## Rosco's Mom (May 1, 2007)

We were told Rosco was going to be huge because of the size of his paws.....i think he barely weighs 60 lbs and i'm not sure how tall he is...He's a midget compared to his brother. He's a GIANT!


----------



## MissNikkisMom (Apr 10, 2007)

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


----------



## TheHooch (May 9, 2007)

I love them all!!

Hooch


----------



## kezia14 (Aug 12, 2007)

I like a big one...
Simba is a big dog...
I like it, coz its chubby ??!


----------



## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

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.


----------



## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

woodysmama said:


> Woody tipped the scales yesterday at the vets at 106...i got yelled at..



:slamdoor: Oh my! That seems awfully big! Looks like he needs to visit the greenbean diet and engage in some of these: :hyper:


----------



## Nugget9806 (Aug 10, 2007)

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.


----------



## nrhareiner (Feb 27, 2007)

Although I like any golden I prefer them to be to breed standard which put the females at about 22 inch and about 60-65 bls. Just the right size. Not too big and not too small. Although when it comes to bath time that Corgi is really easy.

Heidi


----------



## vrocco1 (Feb 25, 2006)

I like my goldens to be just the right size. For me, that is anywhere from about five inches to fully grown.


----------



## Elway&Prince (Sep 6, 2007)

I prefer ones that around around 60-70 lbs. Ours will probably be about 60 lbs or so full grown and we think that is a fine place to be at. He's not tiny but he's also not a moose.


----------



## Ardeagold (Feb 26, 2007)

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.


----------



## Brinkleysmom (Dec 17, 2005)

vrocco1 said:


> I like my goldens to be just the right size. For me, that is anywhere from about five inches to fully grown.


Only you Vern. Only you. LOL!!! Touche'


----------



## frank1 (Jun 6, 2005)

Larger dogs tire easily in the field when hunting, not good to run them in the ground. Medium size dogs 60-65 pounds tend to hold up better when hunted for 2-3 days, 4-6 hours at a time. Just my opinion. Frank


----------



## Bailey & Bentley (Feb 25, 2007)

I prefer bigger dogs myself, even thought I love them all and would take smaller dog too. Both of my boys are beasts and I love that they are so big and clumsy!


----------



## tintallie (May 31, 2006)

I like my dogs at the standard. Part of the reason for buying a purebred dog was that there were going to certain traits like temperament, looks, size, etc that are going to be consistent in a breed. In buying a Golden Retriever, I expect an active, confident dog that is friendly and somewhere between 60-75 lbs depending on height at the withers or gender.

If I wanted a slightly smaller dog in the 40-55lb range I would probably buy a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, etc....


----------



## AquaClaraCanines (Mar 5, 2006)

I prefer smaller ones as mentioned previously. I don't know whether to cry or what when I see people advertising "extra large" Goldens.


----------



## HovawartMom (Aug 10, 2006)

Priska's Mom was 50 pds,her dad was 90 pds.
Priska weighs 63 pds for 23 inches which is right in the standard!.
I love large dogs but want them to be in their breeds' standard which is the case for both my dogs!.


----------



## Rastadog (Oct 24, 2006)

*My two are both at the bottom of the standard*

My boy is 23 1/2 and weighs 67 lbs. His sister is 21 1/2 and weighs a tad light 53 lbs. I like that size.


----------



## Phoebe (Feb 8, 2006)

Phoebe's 21 1/2 inches, and 42 pounds. The more I feed her, the more she poops! I've fretted about her weight but my vet tells me she looks just fine. However, whenever I see posted weights I start fretting again.

When I was looking for a golden puppy two years ago, it seemed that many breeders indicated goldens were getting larger than the breed standard and that was causing health issues. The breeder we got Phoebe from, stressed waiting to spay Phoebe in order for growth plates to close. I was not concerned with having a large golden or a small golden, I just did as I was told because I want Phoebe to be healthy. Time will tell what Phoebe's health will be. I'm nervous about mentioning this because I don't want to imply that large goldens are not healthy. I do wonder, however, if breeders here on this forum encourage delayed spay/neuters and that is one reason we are seeing a trend toward smaller goldens (if we actually are, I imagine breeders have always strived for breed standards)?

Jan, Seamus, Gracie, Phoebe & Duke


----------



## Ninde'Gold (Oct 21, 2006)

I dont remember if I posted in this thread or not...and I'm too lazy to look lol.

I like small dogs...I'm glad Tucker is a little smaller... I wish goldens would stay puppy size haha with their cute little fuzziness... awww I know...it'll never happen haha.

The Goldens in my area are pretty big, the one down the road, she's like 100lbs.


----------



## Goldendogx2 (Sep 2, 2007)

Big or small....it's the size of the heart that matters and most goldens have GIANT hearts!


----------



## boyd114 (Mar 7, 2007)

I like big chunky goldens but ultimatly i love them all!


----------



## AquaClaraCanines (Mar 5, 2006)

It's amazing how HUGE and chunky the UK dogs are compared to US ones, though some US show dogs are getting to be very large boned.

It's interesting that people can be attracted to the same breed for such opposite qualities. There are those who love big, slobbery, boxy headed, goofy, sweet dogs- who go for a Golden. Then those who like a small, fast, athletic, even elegant working partner who do too! There's a Golden for all of us! As sad as the split in the breed makes me, in a way I think it's neat. They are ALL Goldens and even the biggest UK cream colored dog has so many of the BEST traits in common with the smallest "red dawg" here in the USA.

By the fact I have dry mouthed, prissy little 50 pound red headed girls, it's clear to see which end I fall on  I love all Goldens, but I wouldn't want to live with a large or clumbsy one that drooled or couldn't run really fast and have a lot of speed and jumping ability.


----------



## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

I prefer dogs that run towards the smaller side of the range specified in the breed standard. They hold up better in the field and are much easier to haul over the side of the boat when completing a retrieve.


----------

