How To Pick a Show-Quality Golden Retriever Puppy

Even experienced breeders can’t always predict what a puppy will look like when it’s mature, and dog show judges spend years studying the breed standard to pick the best candidates.

However, you can evaluate a puppy’s show potential by checking its compliance with the standard, looking at its parents, and asking the breeder for advice.

Remember that a puppy’s inherited traits are only part of show success. The rest depends on your training efforts, grooming, diet, and exercise.

Size & Build

To pick a show-class puppy, you should be familiar with the golden retriever breed standard. Note that a puppy’s appearance can change as it matures, so some traits are difficult to evaluate at a young age.

You will need to compare the puppy’s parents with the breed standard to adequately evaluate a puppy’s odds of becoming a show winner.

According to American Kennel Club, a golden retriever male should be 23 to 24 inches tall and female 21 to 22.5 inches tall.

Dogs that differ from the height standard up to an inch should be penalized proportionate to the deviation, and dogs shorter or taller than the standard by over an inch are disqualified from the show.

The height to length ratio should be 12:11. Male dogs should weigh 65 to 75 pounds and females 55 to 65 pounds. A show-quality golden retriever should have an athletic, muscular build and not be overweight.

Of course, determining how big a golden retriever puppy will grow is challenging, but looking at its parents may help. As for the build, a dog’s weight and body composition largely depend on the diet and exercise, so you will have to invest effort.

Coat Characteristics

The coat plays an important role in the golden retriever’s evaluation at shows. The coat should be dense and water-repellent, neither too coarse nor too silky. The overcoat should be lying close to the body and can be either wavy or straight.

According to the American golden retriever breed standard, coat color should be rich, lustrous gold. Extremely light (cream) or extremely dark colors aren’t a major fault but undesirable. White or black markings and red color are considered a fault.

Since golden retriever coat color changes with age, identifying which color a golden will be when it grows up is tricky. Check the puppy’s ear color and the color of its parents to get an idea of its future coat color.

Note that judges at dog shows give latitude to light puppies if they believe their color will deepen over time. The British breed standard accepts pale coat color even in older age.

Gait

According to American Kennel Club, a golden retriever’s gait should be smooth, free, powerful, and coordinated. The legs should be straight, not turning in or out, and the feet shouldn’t cross.

As the walking speed increases, the dog’s feet should converge towards the centerline for balance. Unfortunately, there’s no way to identify what a puppy’s gait will be like when it’s mature.

However, you can ensure the puppy won’t have health conditions affecting the gait. Ask the breeder for hip and elbow dysplasia clearances for the sire, dam, and the puppy.

Head, Nose, Ears, & Eyes

Golden retrievers should be broad in the skull. The head should be slightly arched in adult age, and since it tends to flatten as the dog matures, give preference to puppies with rounder heads. The forehead shouldn’t be overly prominent.

The stop, or the transitioning from the forehead to the nose, should be well-defined, close to 90 degrees, but not abrupt. A golden retriever’s eyes should be medium in size and set well apart. The medium brown color is acceptable, but dark brown is preferred.

A golden retriever’s eyes shouldn’t be triangular, set too close, or have functional eyelid abnormalities. The eye expression should be friendly and intelligent.

A golden retriever’s nose should be brownish-black to black, but a slight fading into pink due to cold weather isn’t serious. If you notice that a puppy has a pinkish nose in winter, ask the breeder whether it usually has a darker shade.

The front ear edge should be attached just above the eyes, and the tip should reach the cheek. Too long or too low-set ears are considered a serious fault for a show golden retriever and may even lead to disqualification.

Temperament

Temperament affects how a dog presents itself on a show and is especially crucial with golden retrievers that are renowned for their friendliness. A show-quality golden retriever puppy must be sociable, confident, trustworthy, and obedient.

Of course, a dog’s temperament depends not solely on genetics but also on how a breeder and owner socialize it and on the training.

Still, the training will be much easier if a puppy has inherited the desirable golden retriever personality traits from its parents.

Know The Faults

Apart from knowing how a show-quality golden retriever should look, you should know how it shouldn’t look. Learn the golden retriever faults to spot a puppy that has no chance of winning a competition.

Don’t get a puppy whose parents are significantly shorter or taller than the standard for shows. Puppies typically grow to the same height as their parents.

Even if a puppy has a perfect face and color, it is unlikely to win if its height is insufficient. Ensure that the puppy doesn’t have underbite, overbite, or obvious teeth problems. The ears shouldn’t be hound-like, and the eyes shouldn’t be narrow.

Pay attention to the puppy’s and its parents’ build – the chest should not be narrow and the body too long. Even a small black or white spot on the coat is a serious fault for a show-class dog.

Remember that no dog is perfect, so you shouldn’t look for a flawless puppy. However, some flaws outweigh others in terms of the breed standard.

Look at The Parents

Experienced breeders can understand what a puppy will look like when it’s mature at eight weeks old. However, a newcomer may find it challenging to evaluate a puppy’s compliance with the breed standard, so looking at the parents can be highly helpful.

Check how both the parents look, how they behave, and whether they have any faults. Finding out how the puppy’s parents performed at shows helps to evaluate a puppy’s chances for victory.

Sometimes, breeders mate their dams with sires from other kennels and are unable to show both puppy’s parents.

That’s a common practice and nothing to be suspicious about, but you may want to visit both kennels to meet both parents or at least ask for a video.

Read The Pedigree

The pedigree is the most informative piece in a puppy’s document package. It can tell you about the puppy’s bloodline, its ancestors’ show results, and health conditions.

Unfortunately, the presence of pedigree doesn’t yet indicate a puppy’s quality. Pure bloodline and a lack of health conditions are standard requirements for any puppy, not only show quality.

To get an idea of how a puppy would perform at shows, check where its ancestors excelled. Maybe the puppy’s grandmother is a Grand Nite Champion, or maybe its sire is a National Agility Champion.

The more champions are in a puppy’s pedigree, the better, but remember that a particular puppy may not inherit the desired traits.

Visit Dog Shows

Visiting dog shows can be of great help in improving your understanding of the breed and gaining useful connections. When you only see dogs from one kennel, you may fail to evaluate their pros and cons.

However, when you meet dozens of dogs from different kennels, you can compare them and see which better complies with the breed standard. Pay attention to how judges evaluate golden retrievers and which dogs win the show.

Compare your options with dog show winners and ask breeders which traits they prioritize in show-quality goldens. Note that some breeders perceive others as competitors and may be unwilling to share their experiences.

If you’re lucky, you may get important advice or a referral. For example, if a breeder doesn’t have available puppies but knows someone who does, they may refer you to that person, helping you gain their trust.

Talk To The Breeder

Be clear that you’re looking for a show-quality puppy when meeting with the breeder. Dogs of specific lines can have different developmental peculiarities, and no one can predict how a puppy will look better than its breeder.

Giving you a puppy that will win shows is in the breeder’s best interest because the results of their dogs indicate the reputability of an entire kennel. However, be prepared for a hefty price tag because a golden retriever’s price largely depends on its appearance.

Show-quality puppies can cost ten times more than puppies intended for couch snuggles and playing frisbee in the backyard. The average price of a show-quality golden retriever is over $5,000-$12,000 and can exceed $25,000.

An experienced breeder will never sell a show-class puppy cheap. If someone claims they have a perfect puppy for $1,200, you can suspect they don’t know the breed standard or are trying to fool you.

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