# Shorter Coat Length and Weight Concern - Pictures at bottom



## the_watsons (Apr 1, 2009)

We have an 19 month old male Golden Retriever. I've overheard some people say as we walk by them saying something like "see, that's a mixed Golden". Sometimes people at dog parks will ask us what breed he is.  I get taken aback because he seriously looks like a true Golden Retriever to me. I'll see their dog or dogs and they'll have a long, flowing coat like most Goldens have. I guess maybe they question or make those comments because his coat length is pretty short. That's my only guess. So, is this normal in the breed? I've never had this breed of dog before nor known anyone who has had one. We bought him as a seven week old puppy from a couple who owned two Golden Retrievers and decided to breed them once they reached three years old. He has no papers. Only a healthy puppy guarantee for the first year. All breeders I contacted in Colorado State and Northern New Mexico wanted over $1,500 for a pup and most didn't have any or all were reserved. Holy moly. Goldens are very expensive! We have a German Shepherd Dog as well who is 2.5 and was bred from top West German show lines and she was only $1,200, but that was when we were in Washington State not here.

Also, does this breed put on weight easily? I can't see his ribs, but I can easily feel them. He just is very thick, stocky, and just solid. A lot different than our lean female GSD. I feed him according to the dog food guidelines on the bag. They're either fed Orijen or Taste of the Wild High Prairie. He will eat until he busts, I think. His appetite is always on. So weird. We sometimes have to make our GSD eat by coating her food in yogurt. Not Harley, he eats ANYTHING! If, according to his pictures, you guys think he looks a little on the beefier side, please tell me. I do not want him to carry unnecessary weight at all. I'm unsure of his current weight. Will check this weekend. I know it's right around 70 pounds though maybe a little over.

Thank you for any advice you guys can offer. Whats with the pink nose?

As a puppy -









Up close today - 









Standing today - 








Snoozing today -


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

hi and welcome!
I can't see your photos! Can you please try to post them again??


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## HiTideGoldens (Dec 29, 2009)

He looks like a golden to me! Don't be offended, I get asked what breed Jack is almost every time I take him anywhere. Most recently at the dog park on Tuesday where someone asked what mix he was. I was also asked (at an all breed conformation show where we were standing with a gaggle of goldens) if he was a golden-doodle. People just don't know sometimes. I don't take offense to it.

ETA: it's hard for me to tell the right weight at all, much less from a photo. I'm working on getting my own pup's weight just right! I think if you can easily feel his ribs though, then he's probably fine.


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## Champ (Jun 10, 2006)

He definitely looks 100% golden and the perfect weight. I agree some people just don't know what they're talking about. Don't worry about putting on any weight, he looks fine judging by the pictures and you should be able to feel their ribs fairly easily. Around 70 pounds should be perfect.


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## the_watsons (Apr 1, 2009)

hotel4dogs said:


> hi and welcome!
> I can't see your photos! Can you please try to post them again??


Aw! I don't know how to fix it. Another poster replied so I'm guessing they're working now. I surely hope so. Let me know if you still can't view them.

I specifically remember this past weekend or so when we asked a woman about her Golden's coat. When I said something out Harley being a GR and I guess a late bloomer she said "He's a Golden Retriever?" made a snide look and just walked off. Kinda hurt my feelings.  Oh well, whatever. With my GSD, people think she's a mixed breed because she's just petite and under 60 pounds. I should be used to people's assumptions by now, I guess.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

From the pics, he looks good...like goldenjackpuppy said, if you can easily feel his ribs, he's at a good weight. If you look at him at from above, does he have a defined waist? If yes, yay!

I just posted a thread yesterday about a crazy lady telling me my dog is too skinny! You can check out the thread - I posted some pics of Ranger from the side and from the top and someone else posted a chart for checking a dog's weight. That thread might helpful.

The pink nose is commonly called a "snow nose" and I think most people say it's a cause of pigment fading in the winter and that they sometimes turn black again in the summer. (I think I have that right...) Other thoughts are that drinking/eating from a plastic bowl will cause the snow nose. Either way, your golden is adorable and has a very cute "zipper nose", where the hair grows in a line!

Oh and don't be offended about people asking about what breed. I just had a person yesterday try to convince me that my dog is a "long-haired labrador retriever". What??


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## HiTideGoldens (Dec 29, 2009)

the_watsons said:


> Aw! I don't know how to fix it. Another poster replied so I'm guessing they're working now. I surely hope so. Let me know if you still can't view them.
> 
> I specifically remember this past weekend or so when we asked a woman about her Golden's coat. When I said something out Harley being a GR and I guess a late bloomer she said "He's a Golden Retriever?" made a snide look and just walked off. Kinda hurt my feelings.  Oh well, whatever. With my GSD, people think she's a mixed breed because she's just petite and under 60 pounds. I should be used to people's assumptions by now, I guess.


Here's the thing, does he look different than the typical conformation golden that I see at shows? Maybe. Does that make him not a golden? No. Sounds like you just ran into a rude person. Don't let it bother you. Like Ranger said, apparently she owns a long haired labrador! :

ETA: I've also been asked if Jack is a mini-golden or a mix because he's not a super tall huge GR - which a lot of people are used to seeing. I reply "nope, and he measures within the breed standard so I can assure you he's all GR and a normal sized one, at that." Plus he's 9 months old and weighs about 65 lbs. Hardly a mini anything!


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## Maxs Mom (Mar 22, 2008)

I think he looks GORGEOUS, and of good weight too! Some goldens have less coat. My Teddi has no undercoat (it seems) but her hair is LONG. My agility trainers dogs coat is more the length of your dogs but really curly. Just variances. People often think Teddi is an irish setter... she is not THAT red. LOL 

I don't know what to tell you about the pink nose but I wouldn't have noticed if you had not said anything. Probably just something in the pigment of his skin. 

Handsome dog in my opinion :wavey:

Ann


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## Katie and Paddy's Mum (Mar 31, 2010)

I agree, 70lbs for a male is a good weight. And given that you can easily feel his ribs - that is the key! In fact, you do not want to see ribs on a golden. I know some breeds this is ideal but not with Goldens.
And yes he is all Golden!! Not all have long flowing coats. Some are blessed with long beautiful coats and others do not grow as long. On the other hand, his coat looks healthy and shiny which is a good indication of health!

And you know he is a Golden when - he eats without any encouragement!! No worries there.
Once you start looking at all our photos on this site, you will see Goldens are individuals. Some are leaner and taller, some are shorter - some have straight coats, others have curly coats.

---
Kim


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## momtoMax (Apr 21, 2009)

He has curly hair like Max's mom did which is cute and if he's like Max right now, he just blew a lot of what was getting to be a long ercoat. Plus, he's under two years old so it's not all grown in yet. Plus field goldens do have a lot shorter coats but he's obviously a total golden and totally adorable!!!!


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## lgnutah (Feb 26, 2007)

My dog got a pink nose when he was about 2 or 3 years old, but only in the winter. Then I think one year it seemed like it stayed around in the warmer weather for a while. However, now it went back to black. He has never had any plastic bowls. 
Your dog looks perfect to me.


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## C's Mom (Dec 7, 2009)

Your Harley reminds me so much of my boy Cocasse. They even weigh about the same. I get comments about my dog all the time. Yesterday someone at the park asked me if Mr. C was a golden mix and I just said "yes". Harley's a cutie.


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## the_watsons (Apr 1, 2009)

Thanks for the warm welcome! He has a goofy bark, too. Kinda sounds like a deep howl-type bark. A bit long unlike a typical bark. Very weird coming from him. We like it though. It's definitely unique.

I'm unsure what a "field golden" is. I've never heard that term before. 

I'm gonna check out pictures as soon as I can find the forum.


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## Enzos_Mom (Apr 8, 2010)

Oh my gosh, he looks SO much like my Enzo! Enzo is only 6 months old and definitely has less feathering (especially in his tail), but I imagine that he'll look just like your Harley when he's that age, right down to the curly coat. Enzo's seems to stick up in about every direction right now. You should take a look at my pictures that I've posted (I've posted a lot), because they look like they could be brothers. I happen to think that your Harley looks like a fine specimen of Golden...I may be a little biased, though. :curtain:

Just a thought about the weight issue. I know with Enzo, that curly torso really makes him look a lot heavier than he is. When he gets done swimming, he looks SO lean, but he looks stockier in his pictures because of the way his curls stand on end. =)


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## the_watsons (Apr 1, 2009)

Hi Enzo's Mom - I'll take a look at those in a bit. On my other computer I have pictures throughout the time we've had him. I'm sure I can find some pictures of his goofier hair days when it did stick up. I might post 'em when i find out where I can!


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

He's beautiful and certainly looks purebred to me!


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## GoldenSail (Dec 30, 2008)

I get asked the same all the time about mine (who actually came from a reputable breeder in Colorado and was less than $1500). I've just given up on people and take it as an opportunity to educate. I do get weary though when someone tried to convince me that my dog couldn't possibly be a purebred because she had such little coat and was small. Um yeah, both her parents are champions, she has been shown, and she is at perfect height and weight for a bitch. His dog on the other hand was nearly twice the size of Scout and was inching toward 100 lbs.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

the_watsons said:


> > I'm unsure what a "field golden" is. I've never heard that term before.


It just means he was bred for ability and not for type. Doesn't always mean they are poorly bred and definitely doesn't mean they are mixed breeds. 

There is a lot of snobbery or lack of knowledge towards the red heads and fieldies sometimes. We just ignored it when we had our first 'red' golden (he was all field lines). 

Our Charmer got the Irish Setter/Retriever mix label. And we had people asking if our Sammy was a Spaniel/Hound/Golden/Setter mix. : <- And yes, we did have pedigrees to show people. 

The pink nose - it's normal. It's just a little pigment loss. Our dogs started going pink when they were 3+. I heard it was just 'winter nose' or could be reversed by using metal bowls, but I never had any luck getting their noses to go black again. It wasn't a huge deal. 

Your dog has a beautiful expression. And the makings of a nice old-fashioned head. Lovely eyes. And his weight is perfect. Keep in mind he is going to fill in a little more and his coat is still growing.


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## HiTideGoldens (Dec 29, 2009)

GoldenSail said:


> Um yeah, both her parents are champions, she has been shown, and she is at perfect height and weight for a bitch. His dog on the other hand was nearly twice the size of Scout and was inching toward 100 lbs.


Jack and Scout have more in common than we thought  I had this exact same conversation with someone. Except this guys dog was apparently 110 lbs and he was pretty much bragging about it. Since, you know, bigger is ALWAYS better.


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

I think he is absolutely gorgeous and looks all golden to me. I have 2 goldens, and they have completely different type coats. He looks like hes a good weight too. Mine dont have pink noses, but Ive seen many with pics on here that have pink noses. People ask me all the time what kind of dogs they are. Some people just dont know much about dogs!


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## janine (Aug 8, 2009)

Your guy is very handsome...but this is coming from someone with two red "field" type goldens, one with a pink nose.  Chester our almost 3 year old golden has more of a curly, wavy coat. Murphy is only 11 months and his coat right now is not curly.


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## paula bedard (Feb 5, 2008)

I love your boys wavy coat and think he is very handsome. My first Golden, Sam, we purchased from friends who owned the parent dogs and decided to have a litter. No clearances other than hips. Both of Sam's parents were within the breed standard, yet most of the pups in his litter grew to be huge dogs. Sam topped out at 27" at the shoulder and 100+lbs, yet he was never overweight for his frame, he was just a very large dog. Sam was only mistaken for a mix once, and that was as a Collie mix???? 
In all the years we had Sam I very rarely saw Goldens who were not large and red, as he was. Sam's coat did not reach it's mature length until his 3rd year, so maybe your boy's coat with lengthen over time.

I have Ike now, he's 3 and his coat is still getting longer, I just trimmed his tail feathers, they were sweeping the ground. His ruff is not as full as Sam's was at 3, but he has a thicker undercoat....they're all different.

Oh, Sam's nose became pink each winter and by the time he was 6, it stayed pink. Ike's is still very dark though it does lighten in the winter months. It may one day become pink and stay pink...it think it's cute.


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## the_watsons (Apr 1, 2009)

Very interesting about the plastic bowl affecting nose pigment. That's so strange to me! We did use plastic bowls often when we has younger. Now, we use a stainless steel bowl and sometimes ceramic bowls. I'm guessing there's probably no hope for the black that used to be there to return? His nose was always a little bit pink, but looked black unless you got too close. Now, it's clearly pink as you can see. 

Is trimming the feathering on the backs of their legs something you guys commonly do? During winter when we go on walks or biking, ice and snow gets attached to the feathering fur very badly. With our German Shepherd, I can get a towel and easily wipe it off of the fur. With Harley, that ice and snow stays attached and the only way to get it off is to pull it off and hurt him, let it melt off which takes too long (no backyard - we own a townhome) and it's too cold out or give him a bath. I don't want to cut it all off and make him look goofy, but that ice all over his fur really is no fun.


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## goldensrbest (Dec 20, 2007)

He is just great, total golden, not a thing wrong with him, some people just need to shut their mouth.


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## goldensrbest (Dec 20, 2007)

Also, i have had three goldens, all had different coats.


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## Phillyfisher (Jan 9, 2008)

goldenjackpuppy said:


> Jack and Scout have more in common than we thought  I had this exact same conversation with someone. Except this guys dog was apparently 110 lbs and he was pretty much bragging about it. Since, you know, bigger is ALWAYS better.


I would swear we all came across the same person if we all weren't in totally different areas of the country!

To the OP- you have a 100% beautiful golden. As others said, don't be surprised if his coat continues to change. He is still growing up!


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## MILLIESMOM (Aug 13, 2006)

He is a beautiful red field boy. We have had three female Golden's all different. The first pic is Brie our current girl,two yrs old she is stocky, light and her coat is fine and silky. She weighs 58 lbs. The second dog is Brandy she was tall and lanky, med boned, med length coat. In her prime she carried 85 pounds easily. The third is Millie. She was fine boned, red weighed 62 pounds and oh yea quite the tude as you can see by the look on her face.


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## Bob-N-Tash (Feb 24, 2008)

Jack looks like a golden to me. 
This won't be the last person you meet that thinks he knows more about your dog then you do. 
Don't waste your energy worrying about what they think they know. 
People still tell us that our dogs are not golden retrievers because they are the 'wrong color'. 

As the golden matures the coat will change. Tasha's coat didn't even change from white to blond until she was over 2 1/2 years old. Her coat began to lengthen around the same time... especially her ruff, the feathers and her tail. And she has a very muscular/powerful build. 

Here are two photos of our Natasha. In the first photo Tash was 19 months old (same age as Jack) and the second photo was when she turned 5 years old.


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## phaseshift (Jul 19, 2010)

I like his coat! I hope Buck has a shorter coat, his dad had long hair but his mom had short hair. But Buck looks exactly like his dad, lazy richard gere eyes!


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## Jleway (Mar 15, 2010)

I think he looks perfect! He looks like my dog Leia who passed last year. I think his weight looks to be about right. Don't worry about it. Just let it fly off your shoulder, and besides... he still has another 6 months to really grow... so who knows... his coat could be a late bloomer or he could just have a coat that is a little bit shorter... but who cares.... Leia did too. She was perfect in my book. She even had a huge white patch on her chest... trust me, don't let it bother you. I think he looks rather regal... like a prince charming.


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## tillytay1 (Feb 22, 2010)

Jax's Mom said:


> Some people just dont know much about dogs!



Exactly 

Your dog is gorgeous and def. a golden.

Any comments like that just let it go over your head. Just check out everyones goldens on here, there are no 2 goldens alike! Different, hair, size, colouring...all beautiful in their own skin. 

Only yesterday morning I had to listen AGAIN to this ignorant neighbour of mine who owns a golden ( old Turkish guy), tell me that my Dantes is a 'fake golden' because he is cream in colour and therefore not a golden retriever. I just laugh it off. Just people are ignorant and narrow minded.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

NOW I can see your photos, and he looks like a perfectly fine 100% golden to me!
Don't worry about it. People just don't know.


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## the_watsons (Apr 1, 2009)

I just really can't believe how many of us have been told by as many people as we have what OUR dogs are. Crazy. We get the whole "bigger is better" deal with our German Shepherd (I think I mentioned that before). Some people are just so annoying know-it-alls. I think once I was informed that our Harley was also some type of curly-coated Labrador or something. Do people randomly make up breeds as they go? There's definitely a lot of snobbery with people who are way too into dog breeds and how they "should" look. 

All of your Golden Retrievers that i've seen from you guys' posts are just beautiful and they definitely vary a good bit, but they're ALL gorgeous! I'm going to post some pictures of Harley's weird hair days if I can find them on the other computer.


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## Bob-N-Tash (Feb 24, 2008)

The 'Know It All' experts on everything... annoying aren't they. I've posted this before but here it is again. We grew weary of people debating with us whether or not Natasha is a golden retriever. And one day, when someone asked "What kind of dog is that?" My significant other replied that Natasha is a white pocono mountain dog. 

There are three basic responses: 
A. Oh yeah, I've heard of those.
B. I knew someone that had one of those.
C. She looks a lot like a golden retriever.

In almost 5 years only one person has ever been willing to admit that they never heard of such a dog.


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## GoldenJona (Apr 3, 2010)

I get people telling me all the time that my puppy looks like the puppy from Marley and Me; which I see no resemblence at all but I usually dont say anything and just smile or say "yeah"

I dont feel like taking the time to explain to strangers he's a golden and then they argue saying he doesnt look like one then me argue back, etc.

just brush it off your shoulder


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## GoldenSail (Dec 30, 2008)

GoldenJona said:


> I get people telling me all the time that my puppy looks like the puppy from Marley and Me; which I see no resemblence at all but I usually dont say anything and just smile or say "yeah"
> 
> I dont feel like taking the time to explain to strangers he's a golden and then they argue saying he doesnt look like one then me argue back, etc.
> 
> just brush it off your shoulder


Scout was called Marley all the time last summer when she was little. She's now grown out of the 'Look it's Marley!" stage.


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## vrmueller (Jun 14, 2008)

He is the spitting image of our Ruby. Believe me, we have heard it many times before that she looks like some type of mix.


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Your boy*

YOUR boy is just gorgeous and he certainly looks like a Golden Ret. to me!
My understanding is there is a Confirmation Golden Ret. with the longer, straighter fur and a Field Golden Ret. that has the wavier hair.

Our rescued Golden Retriever Smooch, I believe is a Field Golden.
No matter what she is I think she is gorgeous and I love her!


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Karen519 said:


> YOUR boy is just gorgeous and he certainly looks like a Golden Ret. to me!
> My understanding is there is a Confirmation Golden Ret. with the longer, straighter fur and a Field Golden Ret. that has the wavier hair.
> 
> Our rescued Golden Retriever Smooch, I believe is a Field Golden.
> No matter what she is I think she is gorgeous and I love her!


Or it could be she was a conformation type golden when she was younger and she just got the old age curlies like my last two old guys did. They had straight hair up until they were eight or nine. Then their coats changed. 

She really is a gorgeous sweetheart. I'm glad everything turned out positive at the vet today.


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## Jleway (Mar 15, 2010)

tillytay1 said:


> Exactly
> 
> Your dog is gorgeous and def. a golden.
> 
> ...



Yep... totally agree. Look at the three Goldens that I have had the privilege to have known and to have loved.

The first is Penny, the second is Leia, and the third is Lady (after grooming her paws and giving her a bath). They are all so different!


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## BayBeams (Jan 3, 2010)

the_watsons said:


> Also, does this breed put on weight easily? I can't see his ribs, but I can easily feel them. He just is very thick, stocky, and just solid. A lot different than our lean female GSD. I feed him according to the dog food guidelines on the bag. They're either fed Orijen or Taste of the Wild High Prairie. He will eat until he busts, I think. His appetite is always on. So weird. We sometimes have to make our GSD eat by coating her food in yogurt. Not Harley, he eats ANYTHING! If, according to his pictures, you guys think he looks a little on the beefier side, please tell me. I do not want him to carry unnecessary weight at all. I'm unsure of his current weight. Will check this weekend. I know it's right around 70 pounds though maybe a little over.


Goldens do put on weight easily, you are correct to avoid unnecessary weight. One thing to keep in mind is that most bags of food suggest a larger amount of food than your dog actually needs. How much are you feeding a day and how active is your pup?

Your pup is a lovely Golden. I once had someone ask me if my golden was a Saluki. She is long and lean but ,really, a Saluki!!


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## momtoMax (Apr 21, 2009)

I'm going to say this one more time thinking I should have said this before? Your dog does not need to gain weight IMO. She's carrying a bit more then my Max and my Max is lean and mean and at a totally acceptable weight. You don't want to get her to be overweight and that is too easy of a thing to do with doggies.


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## Jbird (Nov 2, 2009)

I get comments like this all the time so it makes me feel better I'm not alone. Jake is definitely on the smaller side for a male (only 54 lbs) and people constantly make comments about being a mix breed and how skinny he is. Especially lately because he has shed a lot of his coat in this heat. Personally, I think his body type is just leaner than other goldens. Your dog looks beautiful!


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## esSJay (Apr 13, 2009)

Just like other posters have mentioned, there are many GR's out there who don't have a really long, fluffy coat. Molson is one of them. I've had people tell me that he's a beautiful lab. When I correct them to say he is a golden retriever, they have corrected ME to say that for SURE, he is a lab. :doh: :doh:









(Molson is on the left)








Molson's coat is also very smooth and flat so everyone is also very surprised when they say "oh wow, he just came from the groomers!" or "You must have JUST brushed him." and I tell them it's been a couple days since a brushing and a month since his last bath.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

Suuuure esSJay...I still think you carry a brush with you everywhere you go...AND a crimping iron for his ears!:

I find it hilarious that the goldens are getting called labs being of a "short" coat and Ranger got called a "long-haired" lab the other day! It's amazing goldens aren't extinct with all these labs running around!


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## crh131 (Jun 1, 2010)

I am glad I found this thread,..the trainers at his dog school were questioning me about what his "mix" was,..and kept insisting he had lab in him.
Lots of people ask me if he is a lab and I don't care, ..he gets called, "marley" too.
But the trainers bugging me about it annoyed me. I guess because I think they should know better that not all Goldens look the same..and mine is so young (13 weeks.)
Like the one trainer was nearly arguing with me saying, "well see how the tips of his ears are darker,.and down his back,...he has a mix in him."

I don't know A LOT about GR's, but I know enough that his ear tips are supposed to be different colors as a puppy as they are taste of the color that is to come for the rest of him. (like they normally get a coat the same shade as their ear tips.)
And the stripe down his back is just how the golden's do it around 12 weeks or so.

Anyway,..I was annoyed that this really pricey trainer would question me about those things.
I felt so defensive I wanted to whip out his papers..lol (I had them bc I had his folder that had his immunizations in it to sign up.) His "papers" even had pics of his parents..and they are beautiful goldens!


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## GoldenSail (Dec 30, 2008)

crh131 said:


> I am glad I found this thread,..the trainers at his dog school were questioning me about what his "mix" was,..and kept insisting he had lab in him.
> Lots of people ask me if he is a lab and I don't care, ..he gets called, "marley" too.
> But the trainers bugging me about it annoyed me. I guess because I think they should know better that not all Goldens look the same..and mine is so young (13 weeks.)
> Like the one trainer was nearly arguing with me saying, "well see how the tips of his ears are darker,.and down his back,...he has a mix in him."
> ...



It is not so much that they don't know for me, as it is that they INSIST they are right and you are wrong. :uhoh: If someone tells me their dog is [fill in the blank] and I just take them at their word, generally.


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## the_watsons (Apr 1, 2009)

Thank you to everyone who replied and showed pictures! I love learning about the Golden Retriever breed. You all are great! 

We've been MIA for a bit. I have finals this week and our Harley has had a hematoma pop up on his chest. We had it checked out and a lighter red, transparent solution came out of it, so she thinks it was just from trauma from Harley and my GSD Hannah playing rough. We hope it goes away within a few weeks. Harley is on Cephalexin (spelling?).


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## firedancer722 (Apr 12, 2010)

Just wanted to chime in and say that I have heard "ohh, your dog has purple spots on his tongue so he's definitely a chow mix" more times than I care to mention. Now, I don't KNOW that he doesn't have chow in him, but I actually HAD a chow mix as a young girl and her tongue was totally purple ... plus, Charlie looks and acts like a total golden to me! So, I have learned it's easier to just say "yeah, I'm not sure because he's a rescued dog, but I love him just the same." Anyways, my point is that I've learned through this forum that Goldens really do come in various body types, coat types, colors, sizes, etc... and a lot of times, people just don't know what the heck they're talking about but THINK they do. LOL :doh:

Your boy is BEAUTIFUL and from what I've learned here, looks like a Golden to me!


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## kira (Jan 13, 2009)

You will be interested to know that Murphy is also MOST CERTAINLY mixed with something, according to Random Dog Park Lady #234587. Gee, those papers he came with must have been fake and I guess maybe his parents secretly adopted him?

He is just over a year and still just under 60lbs and is a bit lacking in coat right now. I think he and Molson might be secret twins from the same mysterious mixed breed. People are always surprised by how soft he is and think he must have just been brushed/groomed.










It is hard for me to tell (maybe because of the curly coat at the waist) but I would say your boy is on the heavier side of his correct weight range but not overweight.


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## 2DogsN3Cats (May 25, 2010)

I got told this weekend that Max is most definately part mastiff because of how big he is. I know Max is HUGE! When he sits down in front of me his head is touching my belly button hes just a big big boy but to say hes part mastiff...I mean really come on mastiffs are smooth short coats right?!? Max has more fur on his tail feathers than I have on my whole head I swear there isnt a hairier dog available haha Ive got proof check my vacuum bag and watch the fur fly when he wags his tail! 

Some people I swear just feel the need to spout off nonsense just to make themselves feel better. Its like the lady that says my mini doxie is a standard..Ummm no, he is on the larger side of the breed standards but he is 100% mini...Or that he is a mix because he has spots...Hello there is a coat type called dapple!!! Geez people are just looney sometimes!


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## HovawartMom (Aug 10, 2006)

Priska,my old golden,has been certified an Irish Setter by many people cos she was red!.I have,also,been told she was small,even though,she was on the higher side of the standard.She was 23 inches for 63 pds so perfect size but not fat,just,fit!.
Check her video,under my signature and you will see her!.
Yr boy is gorgeous and perfect!.


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## Rochester (Apr 6, 2010)

It's not too surprising that people mistake goldens for other dogs. I was just at the National Geographic Website and they have mistakenly labeled a golden retriever as a yellow lab. See: _and_ Man _created_ Dog I was surprised that National Geographic would make a mistake like this.

I e-mailed them about it. We'll see if it gets changed.


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## Bob-N-Tash (Feb 24, 2008)

Rochester said:


> It's not too surprising that people mistake goldens for other dogs. I was just at the National Geographic Website and they have mistakenly labeled a golden retriever as a yellow lab. See: _and_ Man _created_ Dog I was surprised that National Geographic would make a mistake like this.
> 
> I e-mailed them about it. We'll see if it gets changed.


 
LOL Rochester... looked at the photograph. That must be one of those 'golden labs'.


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## Maxs Mom (Mar 22, 2008)

Just last night we were walking the dogs and someone said "there goes a black lab and an irish setter". I corrected them and said golden retriever : Happens ALL the time.... I find it funny as I see very few irish setters anymore, and goldens ALL the time. 

What REALLY annoys me is when someone calls a yellow lab, a golden lab. NO SUCH THING! Yellow lab, golden retriever get it right! I find it funny that really bothers me. 

Ann


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## Bender (Dec 30, 2008)

Maxs Mom said:


> Just last night we were walking the dogs and someone said "there goes a black lab and an irish setter". I corrected them and said golden retriever : Happens ALL the time.... I find it funny as I see very few irish setters anymore, and goldens ALL the time.
> 
> What REALLY annoys me is when someone calls a yellow lab, a golden lab. NO SUCH THING! Yellow lab, golden retriever get it right! I find it funny that really bothers me.
> 
> Ann


 
When people say that I ask them if they mean a golden retriever crossed with a yellow lab, because there is no 'golden lab' breed. But yeah drives me nuts too.

Lana


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## Bob-N-Tash (Feb 24, 2008)

Maxs Mom said:


> What REALLY annoys me is when someone calls a yellow lab, a golden lab. NO SUCH THING! Yellow lab, golden retriever get it right! I find it funny that really bothers me.
> 
> Ann


I know that there is no such thing 'officially'.... but I suppose that the designer dog label for puppies from a mating of a Golden Retriever and a Labrador Retriever might be just that. 

I suspect that this comes from people who have heard about retrievers but have probably never owned one, not a Yellow, Chocolate, Black, Golden, or Nova-Scotia Duck Tolling retriever. But they have heard the names and the combination Golden Lab seems to fit what they are seeing.

That they would mistake my dog for something that it isn't doesn't bother me. What is bothersome are those who insist that they are right about my dog and I am wrong.


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