# Red golden = more hyper?!



## sameli102 (Aug 23, 2009)

I've heard that about labs so maybe so. My darker goldens have definitely been far more energetic than my lighter 2.


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

I have seen people argue this point from both sides.

The redder goldens tend to be more from the hunting lines, so they are bred to hunt, and the lighter ones tend to be from the conformation lines, who are bred more for their looks. They are exceptions to both colors.

I did see a documentary last year about genes and development, and it did cover people, dogs, including golden retrievers. It did say the red hair gene does create a more energetic dog, animal, along with other things. I wish I could remember exactly what it said.


Edit: The red gene carries more neuropeptide hormones that include adrenaline - that is needed for high energy. Now the question is does a redder golden have more of this hormone than the lighter ones?


Edit:


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## Selli-Belle (Jan 28, 2009)

While there is no hard and fast rule about this, and there are very mellow red Goldens and very energetic light colored Goldens, in general, red Goldens are more likely to have more field Golden in them while lighter colored Goldens have more show Golden in them. Field bred Goldens are more likely to have more energy than a show bred Golden.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

I agree with Carolyn... it really depends on the breeding. 

I've owned both redheads and blondies... and honestly, at one point I had one of each and they both took YEARS to calm down. 

My blond boy was 4 years old and sometimes only 2 legged (he had bilateral elbow dysplasia) but he was still a flight risk when off leash. 

When you visit the breeder, take a good look at the older dogs. See how they are, how obedient and calm they are, and that should give you a good idea about the puppies.

ETA - I should add that some redheads have both field and show lines in them. They aren't always pure field lines.


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## Selli-Belle (Jan 28, 2009)

Megora said:


> ETA - I should add that some redheads have both field and show lines in them. They aren't always pure field lines.


Yep, some redheads are show lines too.


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

i have 3 red heads, if they were any more laid back, they could be stuffed animals.


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## chipstone (May 24, 2010)

typically, a "red" golden is field bred...they are bred for their drive & desire to work, when they aren't being stimulated properly, this can be mistaken for "hyper".

Red goldens are actually referred to as dark goldens...not red (see GRCA & AKC) & therefore I would not be concerned with energy level having to do with the color of the dog, as I would with the breeding/socialization/training of the dog. I'm involved in English Cocker Spaniels too...in this breed, you have to pay VERY close attention to the color of the dogs, as breeding red to red can produce lots of mental & behavioral issues.


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## Kally76 (Jun 14, 2010)

sophie said:


> i have 3 red heads, if they were any more laid back, they could be stuffed animals.


 
Haha! Same here! I have one redhead and I literally poke him sometimes to make sure he is alive.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

chipstone said:


> Red goldens are actually referred to as dark goldens...not red (see GRCA & AKC)


I was curious and looked at the Irish Setter breed standard for colors, simply because both our redheads were about "that" color. One was a deep red and the other was reddish gold, with definite reddish color on his back. Of the pics below, he was about the same shade at the first setter looking left.

Not to be bringing up the Irish Setter w/r to goldens. Having our guys misidentified as Irish Setters or labeled as mixed breeds was annoying enough. 

I just thought it was worth pointing out the color details. 

Further than that, some of the Irish Setters that I've seen at the vet are darker and deeper reds than those below. And usually have a lot more coat.  





> Mahogany or rich chestnut red with no black. A small amount of white on chest, throat or toes, or a narrow centered streak on skull not to be penalized.


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## Florabora22 (Nov 30, 2008)

Carmella was a redhead and was pretty energetic... lots of jumping, running around, etc. Flora is more mellow, but (and forgive me Flora for saying this) she is definitely dumber than Carmella, and as such has sort of a stupid hyperness about her that Carmella never had. I personally would prefer a more athletic/energetic dog than a "dumb hyper" dog. :


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## 3goldens25years (Nov 4, 2010)

I havent owned a red one yet but if I get a hyper one I'll agree, a laid back one and I'll disagree...lol...cmon...It's coincidental rubbish like the chocolate lab thing....


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## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

Color has absolutely *NOTHING* to do with it.

My lightest Golden is by far the most energetic one I have ever had. No question about it, not even close. The two most energetic, over the top Goldens I have ever met or known were both blond and conformation bred lines. And some of the sweetest, mellowest Goldens I have known have been "red" - my Brandi would have fit into this category. 
The breeder should have some idea of what energy level a breeding will produce, but not all in that litter will be of the same level and the color can vary dramatically in some litters one pup to the next.


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## caseypooh (Dec 30, 2010)

Our Casey was a dark ("red") golden and it always took cheese or cookies in my pocket to go for a walk. She always knew when we were out too, she would sit or lay down and want her belly rubbed . When I picked her out about 13 years ago, she was the runt of the litter. She turned out to be a big girl at 90+ lbs. When she sat, I sat too . 

(she just went to the bridge in December and I know she is doing the same thing up there!)


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## JavagirlWisc (Dec 31, 2010)

Thanks for all the responses! It sounds like what I might have seen with our dog and other dark (sorry about misusing the "red" term) goldens could be the result of field breeding. Ours definitely showed those characteristics. But interesting to hear from others that have had lighter colored goldens that the energy level is definitely there with them, too!


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

"Hyper" is also in the eye of the beholder. There is little I want less than a couch potato( I had one in seven goldens), and with three hours of off leash hiking/playing every day, a golden like my red Finn who probably would seem hyper in a quiet household is a nice, sane athlete to me. My show bred blonde golden Copley has earned the nickname The Busy Bee because he is inexhaustible. Long after the two field bred dogs and the other blonde have gone to contented naps, after field training and a two hour hike, Copley is still padding around in his polar bear blonde coat looking for fun and entertainment. He is not "hyper", but he is not even close to mellow.


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## joysgirls (Oct 16, 2010)

We had one of each ( dark & medium light) at the same time. Annie, the dark one, was pretty active as a pup but really became much calmer as a young adult. She played hard and was an incredibly sound sleeper. The 3 yr old dark one we have now is pretty active , sleeps like a rock but also just chills out by my side!!


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*My Neighbor*

Our wonderful neighbor Kate's first Golden Cody, was darker, and he was so LAID BACK and was a therapy dog.
Her Current Dog, Wrigley, is a blonde, has been to a training camp for 2 weeks and is very energetic and a bit crazy-he is 4 years old now.


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## Maggies mom (Jan 6, 2006)

I have 3 red heads and a blonde.... My 1 red female can do circles around my 2 red males, BUT my blonde female puts my redheads to shame in the energy level! There isnt a off button for her, she just keeps going and going....


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## tgolike1 (Feb 6, 2010)

I have a question then. I am disabled, and am going to be getting a golden retriever in April to train as a service dog to take over for my current service dog who is lab/golden cross. I love the looks of the darker red goldens, but with my disabilities, should I instead try to find a lighter colored golden from light colored parents?


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## tgolike1 (Feb 6, 2010)

or I guess I should look for more conformation lines than hunting lines, or no?


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## goldensrbest (Dec 20, 2007)

The one dark red i had, was not, about the same as mine lighter ones, where in southern, in., are you?


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## lgnutah (Feb 26, 2007)

Brooks is a laid back type golden, and is blonde. BTW, don't know how people could mistake a Golden for an Irish Setter (even if the Golden is a dark Golden). The line of the neck in the setter is completely different (among other things)


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

If you are looking for a service dog, I think a dog with some "oomph" would be better. My first golden was totally show lines and while she did well in obedience, she was very laid back. My second golden was from show and working lines and had tons of get up and go.
That dog was so much easier to train and show because I didn't have to light a candle under her rear... I found that is is easier to tone down a "zippy" dog than jazz up a calm dog. Incidentally both were golden in color, not light or dark.


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## Maggies mom (Jan 6, 2006)

I have 3 red heads and a blonde... 1 of my redheads(Female) is high energy and then my blonde(Female) put the redhead to shame in the energy level.


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## paula bedard (Feb 5, 2008)

My Sam, a red boy, was so mellow that we joked he could have been a bear rug. Ike, who was a cream puppy, has darkened up a bit to a medium gold and is much livelier than Sam ever was. He's just turned 4 and is still as puppyish as ever.


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## Jax's Mom (Oct 16, 2009)

My red-head is the most active of the bunch. Boone is still very young and so his energy level matches hers now, but Jax is mellow and loves his relaxin time!


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## crayola_sky (Jan 18, 2011)

very interesting topic..good for a pre adopter to read too 

on a sorta related topic..i always thought the ginger cats were a little more wacky and active then non gingers..i specificly looked for an orange one last year because i wanted to fill the wacky void my last left. oh boy did he ever exceed that wackyness..


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## Loisiana (Jul 29, 2009)

Nothing to do with color but just a warning: if you contact a breeder well known for breeding high energy dogs and she repeatedly tells (warns) you that this litter in particular is going to be high energy, you should probably listen to her a little closer :uhoh: 

Then when someone else says "oh I knew the grandmother of that litter, she was _really _full of energy. She would jump her six foot tall kennel run," that is your cue to either run the other way or start taking lots and lots of vitamins before you pick up the pup. :

I went with the vitamins. I keep adding new ones every month :bowl:


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## GoldenSail (Dec 30, 2008)

tgolike1 said:


> I have a question then. I am disabled, and am going to be getting a golden retriever in April to train as a service dog to take over for my current service dog who is lab/golden cross. I love the looks of the darker red goldens, but with my disabilities, should I instead try to find a lighter colored golden from light colored parents?


Personally I think you should find the dog with the right temperament and not look at color. It really takes a special kind of dog to become a good service dog.


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## GoldenSail (Dec 30, 2008)

My show-bred blonde girl is a lot of dog. She's has lots of drive, motivation and energy and I love it. My friend has a redder golden who is a bit of a couch potato  (show bred too)


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

I thought about this thread this past weekend when I went to a local show with my Jacks... 

We were standing on the side watching the goldens showing and I chit-chatted with a few people there. Of course Jacks was snuggling up to everyone for hugs. 

As always, people stop and start telling me about the golden retrievers they had or used to have. 

And...

One person huggling Jacks told me about their red golden they used to have... that was about the same color as my Jacks. 

! 

*laughs* 

I didn't correct the woman, but I did wonder if she was color blind. Or if I was.


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