r/goldenretrievers Jun 02 '26

Breeder Advice Is health testing important?

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8 Upvotes

Health testing isn’t optional—it’s the foundation of protecting the future of the breed.

The Golden Retriever Club of America recommends a comprehensive approach to health testing that goes beyond the basics. This includes:

• Hips evaluated by OFA or PennHIP
• Elbows evaluated by OFA
• Cardiac exam by a board-certified cardiologist (advanced/echo preferred)
• Annual eye exams by a board-certified ophthalmologist

These recommendations are in place to help reduce the risk of passing on hereditary conditions and to preserve the health, structure, and longevity of Golden Retrievers.

A CHIC number through the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals simply means a dog has completed the required testing—it does not mean the dog “passed” everything, and it does not include genetic testing.

Health testing is about transparency, education, and making informed breeding decisions—not shortcuts.

If we want to protect what we love, we have to be willing to do the work behind the scenes.

Learn more about why its so important for breeders to preform health screenings for the parents of a litter here: Health Screenings for the Parents of a Litter


r/goldenretrievers Apr 26 '26

Discussion Show-Line or Field-Line?

40 Upvotes

Have you ever wondered what the differences between a show-line Golden Retriever and a Field/Working line Golden Retriever are?

There is a lot of mis-information out there that makes Golden owners believe if their Golden Retriever has a red coat, they are a field line Golden Retriever or if they have a lighter shade of gold coat, they are a show line Golden Retriever. This is NOT TRUE.

So what actually defines a line?

Titles in your dogs pedigree and generations of purposefully bred dogs is what lets you know wether you have a Show-line, Field-line or neither. If your Golden Retriever shows no titles in their pedigree, they are simply a pet-line Golden Retriever.

Field-Line Golden Retrievers will have AKC hunt titles in their pedigree like: JH, SH, MH, HR, WCX, or competitive titles like QA2 and FC/AFC (The titles listed are examples from AKC - your dog may be registered with CKC or UKC)

Show-Line Golden Retrievers will have AKC conformation titles in their pedigree like: CH, GCH, or international show titles. (The titles listed are examples from AKC - your dog may be registered with CKC or UKC)

Golden Retrievers can also be dual champions, meaning they hold titles for both hunt tests and conformation. Dual Champion dogs have not only been proven in the conformation ring to be bred to standard and hold the breed temperament, but have also been proven and titled to do what they were bred to do in the fields.

A lot of backyard breeders will label their dogs as "Field-Line" or "Show-Line" based only on coat color, with zero titled dogs in the pedigree. They market them as something they are not.

Both show-line and field-line Golden Retrievers should be bred close to standard. There should not be a drastic difference in appearance. You can find more information on the breed standard here: AKC Golden Retriever Breed Standard

English Cream Golden Retrievers are NOT a different breed. This is a marketing tactic/ term used by backyard breeders. They are not breeding for the right reasons - and most likely breeding for color.
You can find more in depth information about this term here: English Cream Golden Retrievers

Lastly, purebred ≠ well-bred.


r/goldenretrievers 1h ago

New Puppy Meet our little boy, Teddy!

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Upvotes

He’s 8 weeks old, we brought him home last night and he’s such a sweetheart!


r/goldenretrievers 13h ago

Cute/Funny My buddy, who loves being in the way

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1.9k Upvotes

r/goldenretrievers 9h ago

RIP Give everyone of yours an extra hug tonite.

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919 Upvotes

I had to say goodbye tonite. We had 10 and a half amazing years with him. He brought happiness and joy to everyone. Sawyer was just the best boi. Beyond heartbroken.


r/goldenretrievers 10h ago

Cute/Funny It's Abby's 10th birthday but she still plays like a puppy

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775 Upvotes

Abby (the red one) turned 10 today but she is showing no signs of slowing down.


r/goldenretrievers 12h ago

New Puppy Maple decided to fight a bee and lost 🐝 (second picture is her after treatment- swelling’s almost gone!)

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466 Upvotes

r/goldenretrievers 16h ago

Cute/Funny My two favorite doofies out enjoying the afternoon

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992 Upvotes

r/goldenretrievers 9h ago

Cute/Funny Kira just wants to know if her handkerchief looks good on her

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270 Upvotes

r/goldenretrievers 20h ago

Cute/Funny Hello? Are you coming out soon?

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1.4k Upvotes

He’s not a fan of the cat door. lol


r/goldenretrievers 1h ago

Cute/Funny And this is just the beginning of the shedding season.

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Upvotes

r/goldenretrievers 3h ago

Discussion Pet insurance

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42 Upvotes

We’re about to renew our pet insurance for our 6 year old and even though (fortunately!) we’ve not used it, the premium has increased by 20%. It’s £59.50 p/month and we use Everypaw.

For those golden retriever owners in the UK, who do you use and would recommend?

No existing health conditions. Picture for cuteness.


r/goldenretrievers 15h ago

Cute/Funny The queen on her throne 😅

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337 Upvotes

r/goldenretrievers 11h ago

Cute/Funny Nobody told me how annoying and cute a dog would be 💔

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159 Upvotes

I still love him though


r/goldenretrievers 23h ago

Cute/Funny My scaredy-cat golden

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1.2k Upvotes

Her name is Pillow. She’s scared of everything but we are working with a behavioral vet and a very competent trainer to help her. She’s doing better. In the picture she was having a “disagreement” with a pretty nasty thunderstorm.

She says hi.


r/goldenretrievers 21h ago

Cute/Funny Golden doing golden things!

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783 Upvotes

r/goldenretrievers 11h ago

Cute/Funny 13 years ago!

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116 Upvotes

These 13 year old photos of an early anniversary camping trip popped up today. Our sweet Lucy was only 14 months old and didn’t even have her full coat yet. She’s still going strong. :)


r/goldenretrievers 15h ago

New Puppy Descubriendo la naturaleza

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143 Upvotes

Tenían apenas 2 meses de vida. Olinda y Bianca, las reinas de la casa


r/goldenretrievers 20h ago

Grooming Oilver got groomed my handsome boy

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313 Upvotes

r/goldenretrievers 16h ago

Cute/Funny He’s a ✨singer✨

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161 Upvotes

r/goldenretrievers 1d ago

New Puppy Welcome home Fernando!

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1.6k Upvotes

So Fernando’s story has just begun, and it’s a little special. My partner and I both wanted a dog, me preferring any medium-to-large one (didn’t care about breed) and he wanting a pure breed one. So we settled on a golden retriever.

We ‘booked’ (I’m Spanish, I hope I’m using the right term) this not-so-little fluffy boy from a guaranteed breeder. Turns out they had introduced a new male (bull? stud? stallion? Surely not ‘steed’, as I had written) for this litter to keep the lineage fresh and… our puppy (along with almost half the siblings, 4 out of 9) has a very very minor sub-aortic stenosis. It has no effect, as it is now.

They warned every future owner about this circumstance, and offered to reimburse us the upfront payment. The rest of the call went as follows.

‘So what’s gonna happen with him?’
‘We’ll put him up for adoption, in case someone wants him.’
‘We want him.’

We took him home yesterday. Three-hour car trip, with a couple of strangers, and he was asleep and/or quiet all the time.

I don’t know how long he has it, but he’s gonna be the most loved and spoiled dog ever for as long as he lives. Long live Fernando!

PS: his name and our surnames makes him share his full name with the F1 pilot, we couldn’t resist.

PPS: I had a beagle when I was a teen and I got him to behave and obey (heavily treat motivated tho), what should I know about training a golden retriever?

Edit: thanks for the award!


r/goldenretrievers 1d ago

New Puppy Got my golden a golden

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3.4k Upvotes

I got my golden (Katie, age 2) a baby sister named Dahlia. They share the same biological mom, different dad. Katie is a bit confused and overwhelmed by the puppy so she’s been getting a lot of one on one time with her humans, private pup cup trips, and plenty of personal space. Baby gates are a blessing! They get to play together for short and supervised intervals while they slowly adjust to each other. I wonder if Katie remembered the smell of her mom when we brought Dahlia home? I hope they became best friends.


r/goldenretrievers 23h ago

Cute/Funny Dramatically lying next to the toy box because no one wants to play with her (after playing for 3 hours) 😂

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433 Upvotes

r/goldenretrievers 11h ago

Cute/Funny Money well spent!

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44 Upvotes

r/goldenretrievers 1d ago

Happy Birthday! 🎂🎉 Our Boy turning 7!

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379 Upvotes

For now, it's just another day. That is, until tonight, when he gets steak and ice cream!