# Big Goldens?



## Kmullen (Feb 17, 2010)

There is only one golden retriever! But, males should be between 65-75 pounds and females should be between 55-65 pounds. This is according to the standard.

This is right of the GRCA website:

"Size, Proportion, Substance -- Males 23-24 inches in height at withers; females 21 1/2-22 1/2 inches. Dogs up to one inch above or below standard size should be proportionately penalized. Deviation in height of more than one inch from the standard shall disqualify."


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## Vinnie's Mom (Jun 9, 2012)

My 9 month old Vinnie is a big boy. He was 25" tall and 70 lbs at 8 months. (That's the last time we weighed him) his mom was only about 55 pounds and apparently his dad was big.


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## fishmounter (Mar 14, 2010)

I need to add.. that although my dogs are big and do not fit the "standards" for the breed, (and yes, they are purebred Golden Retrievers), I am never going to show these dogs, nor breed them. They are just our "kids" that we love and enjoy their companionship, no matter what size they are.


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## Lennap (Jul 9, 2010)

I always say he may not be a perfect golden, but he is definitely a perfect Remy! My Remy is 28 inches at the shoulder and weighs between 93 and 95 lbs. He is a tall, lanky and very leggy boy.


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## itried (Jan 6, 2013)

According to the standards posted, Kiki is about the perfect size at 22 inches and and 65 pounds. Funny thing though, I always thought she was small. But I get she just hasn't filled out yet.


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## MercyMom (Dec 19, 2011)

The Golden standard is supposed to be 55-65 pounds for females and 65-75 pounds for males. My girl Mercy is from a reputable breeder and she is over 70 pounds at 11 months old! I would have preferred a smaller size in a female. She looks like a boy dog. Alot of people mistake her for a boy because they see her size _before_ they see her pink collar and leash. She is big boned with big paws and a big head. She is a powerful Wonder Woman! I call her my big girl!


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## Rainheart (Nov 28, 2010)

Wow Mercy is almost 10 pounds bigger than Beamer boy!!


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## Loisiana (Jul 29, 2009)

Rainheart said:


> Wow Mercy is almost 10 pounds bigger than Beamer boy!!


Ha ha, over twenty pounds bigger than Flip the Squirt! I call him Lil' Flip


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## Millie'sMom (Sep 7, 2012)

My girl is 2.5 years and 21.5 inches at the shoulder and 45 lbs of solid muscle. She is very active, and much more agile than her bigger mother 22 inches and 56lbs.


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## murphy1 (Jun 21, 2012)

Murphy weighed in at 81lbs at 8 1/2 months. Not heavy at all but has strong legs not at all lanky. He has alot of muscle from long walks. He's a very handsome guy. We are from NY he is from Massachusetts!!!


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## Max's Dad (Apr 23, 2012)

kfayard said:


> There is only one golden retriever! But, males should be between 65-75 pounds and females should be between 55-65 pounds. This is according to the standard.
> 
> This is right of the GRCA website:
> 
> "Size, Proportion, Substance -- Males 23-24 inches in height at withers; females 21 1/2-22 1/2 inches. Dogs up to one inch above or below standard size should be proportionately penalized. Deviation in height of more than one inch from the standard shall disqualify."


When defining a Golden Retriever, I have to disagree with the above description. Kfayard is quoting the GRCA standard, which is used in judging conformation at dog shows. A GR that is smaller or bigger than the standard is still a Golden Retriever. 

Standards for the Golden Retriever vary from club to club and country to country.

From the AKC glossary of terms:

Breed: A domestic race of dogs (selected and maintained by man) with a common gene pool and characterized appearance and function. 

Breed standard: A word picture describing how the *perfect dog* of a breed should look, move, and behave. The breed standard is owned by the parent club, with full use extended to the AKC. 

There are many Goldens that do not meet the size standard in terms of size, just as there are Goldens that do not meet the standard in terms of temperament, bite, shape of tail, and many other of the standards. But, those dogs that differ from the standard are nonetheless, Golden Retrievers. However, they do not qualify for conformation competition. They are not "perfect dogs."


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## murphy1 (Jun 21, 2012)

They're all perfect!


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## Max's Dad (Apr 23, 2012)

At our meet-up last weekend, there where at least a dozen Goldens, and they were all perfect!


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## Nairb (Feb 25, 2012)

Max's Dad said:


> When defining a Golden Retriever, I have to disagree with the above description. Kfayard is quoting the GRCA standard, which is used in judging conformation at dog shows. A GR that is smaller or bigger than the standard is still a Golden Retriever.
> 
> Standards for the Golden Retriever vary from club to club and country to country.
> 
> ...


The breed standard makes it clear that deviations of more than an inch from the standard shall disqualify. However, they don't say the same thing about weight. I know of a male GCH Golden who weighs 85 lbs, and a GCH female who is over 70 lbs. It's never been clear to me how that reconciles with the stated breed standard. I assume they take body composition into account in certain cases.


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## TheZ's (Jun 13, 2011)

Nairb said:


> The breed standard makes it clear that deviations of more than an inch from the standard shall disqualify. However, they don't say the same thing about weight. I know of a male GCH Golden who weighs 85 lbs, and a GCH female who is over 70 lbs. It's never been clear to me how that reconciles with the stated breed standard. I assume they take body composition into account in certain cases.


As I recall Goldens are supposed to be shown in something like "hard working condition". I think the result of a dog in proper condition, with proper conformation including height would be a dog in the weight range specified.


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## Nairb (Feb 25, 2012)

TheZ's said:


> As I recall Goldens are supposed to be shown in something like "hard working condition". I think the result of a dog in proper condition, with proper conformation including height would be a dog in the weight range specified.


But the dogs I referenced have had success at weights above the standard. 


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## TheZ's (Jun 13, 2011)

Nairb said:


> But the dogs I referenced have had success at weights above the standard. /QUOTE]
> 
> 
> That's interesting. Success as in obtaining their CH? Were they at these weights when they were being shown? Maybe some of our show/breeder people will comment.


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## Nairb (Feb 25, 2012)

TheZ's said:


> Nairb said:
> 
> 
> > But the dogs I referenced have had success at weights above the standard. /QUOTE]
> ...


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## Nairb (Feb 25, 2012)

This thread talks about it: http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...ormation-showing/102073-akc-ckc-weight-3.html

Per the last comment in the thread, one dog was shown at 87 lbs....CH Harborview Just U Wait OS BISS BOSS


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## LilBitBit (Jan 15, 2012)

My Buddy is about 75 pounds right now; I haven't measured his height in a while and my guesstimation says he's right at the top or over height standards. He's healthy, strong, and in wonderful shape, so that is what I care about. 

It's a little funny to me that when outliers happen - in size, in coloration, in body shape - we decide it's a completely different breed. Not only in the OP's statement of "Big Goldens" being different from "Regular Goldens", but also "Mini/Comfort Goldens", "English Cream", etc.


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## MikaTallulah (Jul 19, 2006)

My first Golden, Lucky was 120 pounds and his head was hip height in my 5'3" frame. He was a very active, big boy! Biggest the breeder ever had! He was my Clifford the big Red Dog!

Buddy is 90-95 pounds and his head is mid thigh level on me. He is a big boy too. I think with proper nutrition as a pup he would have been bigger though. He has big feet


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## HiTideGoldens (Dec 29, 2009)

Dogs are not weighed in the conformation ring. So unless a dog appears very oversized or overweight and measures into the standard (height wise) it's really not an issue. Our Jack is not a "big" boy and he is 23" tall and weighs anywhere from 76-80 lbs depending on the time of year (he tends to be leaner in the summer for some reason, probably to look svelte at the beach in front of all the ladies). Technically he is out of standard on weight, but he is not overweight in the slightest. He is a very substantial boy with a lot of bone so a dog the same height but with less substance may easily weigh 10 lbs less. 

The breed standard is what all breeders should be trying to achieve, in my opinion. Yes it's the "perfect" dog but it also is how a golden is recognized as a golden. So we shouldn't discount it's importance. Goldens are not supposed to be enormous dogs. Breeding intentionally oversized (or undersized) dogs is not doing the breed any favors and signing future puppy buyers up for problems down the road. But certainly even with the best of intentions you can get a dog that is out of standard on height by being too tall or too short. Of course, they are all still golden retrievers though, and that doesn't make them any more or less valuable to their owners. It is just what breeders should be striving for when making breeding decisions.


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## Nairb (Feb 25, 2012)

Thanks. I did not know that they were not weighed. That explains it, although a judge can probably see that they likely weigh more than the standard. This is something I've been wondering about for a while, and was looking for the right time to ask about it. Bella will never be in the conformation ring, but there's a good chance that she will end up being a few pounds over the standard, because she also has a lot of "bone."


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