I recently lost my Lab and am weakening on getting a hunting Golden. Any breeder recommendations?

TRIEVEN-SUNGOLD KENNELS Lovell WY

I bought my last two from a gal who now lives in Douglas, Wy.. I have had seven goldens.. They are beautiful friends and great hunters IF you buy from the good kennel.. I have heard of Sunggold, but never bought from them.. I'll contact the gal at her new address if you like.. Her dogs are NOT cheap, but they are wonderful..

Top Brass, Frisbie, Sunggold are all good stock to have late in the pedigree.

They have not updated in a while, 2013 litter date...


Here are a few locals I googled, any name recognition?

http://www.huntersgoldstrike.com/index.htm

http://www.shaffergoldens.com/ourdogs.html

I have had 4 generations of Field Goldens There are a number of breeders around. These people raise good dogs and in fact have a bitch from my bloodlines.

http://www.goldngunretrievers.com/

http://ponderaygoldens.com/index.asp?ID=3

WCH, lots of Sungold in their lines and I suspect your dogs' pedigrees will reflect that.

For the OP, Field Goldens will not look like the big blocky, long haired (mostly light/blonde coated) specimens shown on dog food commercials.

Those are show dogs and are not bred for hunting drive, love of water, athleticism, nose, stamina, etc.

As it turns out, I have a friend that is using one of the kennels I listed above and he was very complimentary of the training there. He does not even have a Golden. His dog is being field trial finished there and had nothing but good things to say. So, I reserved a pup from the next litter.

Best wishes on the pup supercrewd.

add, that is the gal.. Since no one requested her name, I did not check it.. But that is her.. I have two of her females.. Peach is 11 and Kate is 3.. Both are superb hunters.. Considering the little training each has received, it is easy to see the hunting instinct is bred right in to these dogs.. The older dog, Peach is more laid back one word and she minds.. Kate is more head strong and a bold hunter, but she does listen very, very well.. I could not be happier with my pals.. When that time we all dread comes, I will look first ad Ponderay.. thanks for the post..

Still not even conceived yet, but thanks for the good wishes.

My first hunting dog was a Golden. I was a teenager and didn't have a clue on how to train a dog. Luckily for me she was smarter than me and trained herself. She was a working dog until the very end at 12 years old. She could usually out work dogs that were several years older than her. She was very special! Good luck with your search for a Golden. Nothing is prettier than a Golden on a retrieve, and they know it!

What he said, I am sometime asked if my Goldens(from multiple FC/AFC lines) are Irish Setters

Fox, beautiful goldens.. mine are not that red.. I only had one blond golden.. He was from a local lady, but one fine hunter...

My latest one who is the 4th generation in my bloodlines is not red, she will end up a dark golden when she is finished darkening I think. You can see the darkening process in these pix
Cali @ 8 weeks with her Grandmother


Cali @ 12 weeks


Cali @ 6 months

My first dog, not the family dog but the first one I raised and trained, was a Golden. She was not some lettered hunting stock but a barn born papered dog. As a young man, that dog lived thru the greatest times of my life with me as a great friend. She died at 14.5 and I was heartbroken. I still tear up thinking about her. I could not replace her with another Golden. It would never stand the comparison. I ended up with a pair of Labs, good dogs, good hunters but never quite the personality of the prior dog.

Now that one is gone and 14 years have passed, I think I can take the leap again. I may not survive another dog (I am not dying) but my kids will certainly get to know the joy...

He is a photo of my two kids, a happy day for them:

Your story touches my heart. I went through the EXACT same with my last Lab I had him from 16-32 and he went every where with me and hunted every game bird B.C and Alta. had to offer. When I lost him at almost 17 I could not face another lab for the same reasons as you. I got into Springers and then Goldens. I could probably have a Lab now but I am so invested into my Goldens I will just let that last black "super dog" be a warm spot in my heart on those misty opening mornings when the cries of geese are in the air.

I also had a golden that looked like an Irish setter from Top Brass. They are not the breed standard but I didn't care about that. Good dog, lots of energy, lost him at 6 1/2 to cancer, that one wounded me more than any other I lost due to his young age, still miss him years later.

Unfortunately as with many of the gundog breeds "breed standard" is unrealistic for a working dog. They seem to adhere t the thinking of form(or at least a few peoples idea of it) over function. My best Golden is about 55 lbs with "little coat" but she knows her job and is happy doing it all day long. I doubt if some of the "cart horse" show dogs I have seen could even start to keep up.
32 ducks, 20 geese.


-10c 40 retrieves for the day

Awesome!!!!

I think a little bigger than breed standard is OK but I must admit my two labs were bred big. Male at 110 pounds which caught up with him in the long run.

Posthumus Glamor shot.