# Why is my Golden Retriever short-haired?



## Tagrenine (Aug 20, 2019)

She definitely looks like a Golden to me! Definitely closer to field bred type Goldens as opposed to show line.


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## DblTrblGolden2 (Aug 22, 2018)

She is a field bred Golden as others have said. Did you see the mom? Sometimes they do have a little more feathering. This is my field bred Moe. Maybe you were expecting more of a conformation look?


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

What did the parents look like?

Coat is genetic.


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

emryan2005 said:


> Hello, everyone! I’m new here.
> This is Dakota. She is an AKC Registered (full-blooded) golden retriever that we got from a breeder. We got her as a puppy and expected her to grow out long fur, but never did. She is 2, soon to be 3 years old, but still hasn’t grown out a long coat. Why is she short-haired like this? *Is it possible the vet made a mistake and registering her as an AKC golden retriever*?


Dakota is a doll, I especially love her color  If you ever shop for a purebred dog again in the future, it's important to understand that the ONLY thing that AKC registration means is that the dogs who are the puppy's ancestors are registered to as that breed with the kennel club. The AKC does not check to see if they are actually good representatives of the breed, if they have good temperaments or if they follow the physical 'standard' agreed on by the breed club members. There is no requirement to breed AKC registered puppies other than the parents being AKC registered. If Dakota's breeder isn't trying to breed puppies with longer fur, than chances are the puppies won't have that type of fur. They may have had different priorities than fur type or they may have had zero priorities and just wanted to breed their dog.

Here is the link to the breed club standard for Goldens: AKC Breed Standard - Golden Retriever Club of America if you read the first paragraph, you'll notice that the standard says Goldens are "primarily a hunting dog" and the personality should be "eager, alert and self-confident." Those are the big picture things that you need to have a good Golden. Here is what is says about coat:

*Coat* — Dense and water repellent with good undercoat. Outer coat firm and resilient, neither coarse nor silky, lying close to body; may be straight or wavy. Untrimmed natural ruff; moderate feathering on back of forelegs and on under-body; heavier feathering on front of neck, back of thighs and underside of tail.
Coat on head, paws and front of legs is short and even. *Excessive length, open coats and limp, soft coats are very undesirable*. Feet may be trimmed and stray hairs neatened, but the natural appearance of coat or outline should not be altered by cutting or clipping.

Form follows function and your girl has more of a correct coat for performing the job of a hunting dog than if she had a ton of long, fluffy fur. She should have enough undercoat to protect her from cold water, but not so much fur that she can't shake and dry off. 

I think Dakota is adorable and I'd rather have her amount of coat than the type that is flowing almost to the ground. In the future, if you have a certain idea in your head about what your breed of dog should look like or act like, be very sure the breeder you choose to buy from is trying hard to produce those kinds of dogs. Especially in Goldens there are, unfortunately, a big split in the breed's priorities and some focus more on the outside of the dog and some focus more on the inside of the dog. Moderation across the board is key. When you see dogs you like, ask people who the breeder is, especially on this forum, you may find a breeder you'd like to go with in the future.


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## puddles everywhere (May 13, 2016)

I'm curious about your post... you said the vet marked the registration papers? Was the vet the breeder? Guess I'm confused as to why the vet is filling out the owner registration papers. What did the parents look like? Was this a quality breeder or just someone with a litter? This could be a big factor even if it's a field bred golden. What do you feed? 
Guess what I'm saying is even my field golden had thicker feathers on the legs and tail. I too love the color! 
I have one with a very abundant, heavy and long coat and one more like your pups.... I so wish my hair ball had a more versital coat!! Keeping up with that long, flowing coat is work... the one like yours is a piece of cake so enjoy the less heavy coat.


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## emryan2005 (Jun 9, 2020)

emryan2005 said:


> Hello, everyone! I’m new here.
> This is Dakota. She is an AKC Registered (full-blooded) golden retriever that we got from a breeder. We got her as a puppy and expected her to grow out long fur, but never did. She is 2, soon to be 3 years old, but still hasn’t grown out a long coat. Why is she short-haired like this? Is it possible the vet made a mistake and registering her as an AKC golden retriever? We will always love her nonetheless, just would like an explanation. Thanks!
> 
> Here are some pictures of her:
> ...





Megora said:


> What did the parents look like?
> 
> Coat is genetic.



I cant find a picture of the father, but this is her mother.


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## Dunmar (Apr 15, 2020)

I can only hope my Molly has that kind of coat!
Her moms was similar but her fathers was long


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## puddles everywhere (May 13, 2016)

I see why you are asking about the coat... maybe your pup takes after dad as color clearly doesn't follow mom? Megora is right, genetics is the key factor in coat color and quantity. You never said what you feed... could the food need to offer more? I think your pup is beautiful! 
Not that breeder info matters at this point but if you can follow a bloodline you can usually find which dog they most closely resemble and which relative has the most influence on your pup. My field girl didn't look much like her parents but did look very much like her grandma.


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

puddles everywhere said:


> I'm curious about your post... you said the vet marked the registration papers? Was the vet the breeder? Guess I'm confused as to why the vet is filling out the owner registration papers.....


That's funny, that was my intention to ask as well. Clearly Dakota has her mother's head but is taking after another relative when it comes to coat.


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## DevWind (Nov 7, 2016)

She looks like a field bred golden to me. Definitely has her mamas head.


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## lmtrng27 (Jun 10, 2020)

She has a good coat though


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## Ffcmm (May 4, 2016)

She might just not be a very heavy coated golden. its genetic, and she does look like a field golden which sometimes tend to have lesser coat. she does have her feather and looks like golden though! pretty girl


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## 3goldens2keep (Feb 13, 2019)

You have a really nice looking pup! I have had two female Golden's over the last 25 years that had short hair. The most recent one, who we lost last year to cancer, is shown below. Her breeder was trying to breed a line of field Golden's that had shorter hair. When hunting or running in field events, long hair dogs can pick up some pretty rough burrs and debris. So, for field Goldens I prefer the shorter haired Golden. See my late Maddie girl below...


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## Roolen (Jun 12, 2020)

emryan2005 said:


> Hello, everyone! I’m new here.
> This is Dakota. She is an AKC Registered (full-blooded) golden retriever that we got from a breeder. We got her as a puppy and expected her to grow out long fur, but never did. She is 2, soon to be 3 years old, but still hasn’t grown out a long coat. Why is she short-haired like this? Is it possible the vet made a mistake and registering her as an AKC golden retriever? We will always love her nonetheless, just would like an explanation. Thanks!
> 
> Here are some pictures of her:
> ...


I’d personally assume that it has something to do Genetically. But i’m no Dog Health Expert.


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

She is likely field bred. Her mother has a little more bulk and coat because she has produced offspring.

Her coat may thicken with maturity. Spaying will cause changes in coat as she develops. Diet may also affect coat as she matures.


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## SRW (Dec 21, 2018)

emryan2005 said:


> Hello, everyone! I’m new here.
> This is Dakota. She is an AKC Registered (full-blooded) golden retriever that we got from a breeder. We got her as a puppy and expected her to grow out long fur, but never did. She is 2, soon to be 3 years old, but still hasn’t grown out a long coat. Why is she short-haired like this? Is it possible the vet made a mistake and registering her as an AKC golden retriever? We will always love her nonetheless, just would like an explanation. Thanks!
> 
> Here are some pictures of her:
> ...


I have never seen a nicer looking Golden female.


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## easport26 (May 7, 2021)

emryan2005 said:


> Hello, everyone! I’m new here.
> This is Dakota. She is an AKC Registered (full-blooded) golden retriever that we got from a breeder. We got her as a puppy and expected her to grow out long fur, but never did. She is 2, soon to be 3 years old, but still hasn’t grown out a long coat. Why is she short-haired like this? Is it possible the vet made a mistake and registering her as an AKC golden retriever? We will always love her nonetheless, just would like an explanation. Thanks!
> 
> Here are some pictures of her:
> ...


Super delayed comment here. Out of curiosity, where did you get your dog? She looks a lot like mine.


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