Hard to go wrong with any retriever breed from a quality breeder. I've known really good performers among Chesapeakes, Labs, and Goldens when I lived in Skagit County. So many Labs and Goldens are bred and sold as pets, so I think it's critical to know something about the breeder you get a pup from. I got two Goldens, one from a field trialer and the other a hunter. No dogs could have been easier to train, and they both were competent to voice, whistle, and hand signals by 6 months. They're smart and steady to gunfire. Any behavior problems are more likely than not handler problems, unless the dog is one of those one in a million blockheads. I'm surprised to read here about Goldens being hesitant about cold water or duck retrieves. I know mine weren't impervious to cold, but they sure acted like it. Ice water couldn't stop them, and the first one would just crash his way through thin ice for a dummy retrieve.

The only downside I can think of with Goldens is the hair that others have described in this thread. You might only have to vacuum twice a week with a Lab, but with a Golden in the house, you just never put the vacuum away. You need it at least once a day, and that's with weekly brushing. Any dog that sheds more than a Golden is . . . , well I can't believe there is one.

I know there are more modern methods that a lot of dog owners swear by, but I trained my dogs according to Water Dog by Richard Wolters. Follow it exactly and you end up with a dog so good that everyone who meets it will think you're the world's best dog trainer.

Sg