There is a marked difference between lines of dogs that are bred purely for confirmation showing (bench goldens) and those that are actively bred for performance in the field (field goldens).
When you’re talking about dog breeds, there will always be exceptions to the rule(s), but generally speaking…
Bench goldens are much larger, heavier set, tend to be rather pale yellow in color with a very thick, fluffy coat that takes constant brushing. They typically have bigger, broader heads, and are very mellow, laid back dogs. My parents have one named Jack–he’s basically a dog shaped puddle. His loftiest aspiration is to hold the carpet down and make sure it doesn’t go anywhere. They are exceptionally good-natured dogs. I’ve never seen one with a strong tendancy towards dominance or dog aggression, and never with human aggressive tendancies. This is speaking about well-bred dogs. I’m sure there are goldens somewhere who have bitten or mauled people, but for the most part, they have almost NO drive at all, heh. He still has vague retriever tendancies, one of which is a total sock fetish wherein he has to, at all times, have one in his mouth, preferably recently worn. Sometimes a dishrag will do, but its just not the same.
Field goldens, on the other hand, are MUCH smaller and far more lightly built. They have about 10% of the amount of coat that a bench golden has (remember, bench goldens are bred almost exclusively for appearance and personality), so they don’t have those dramatic, fluffy patches of feathering on the back of the legs and tail which would fill with burrs and mat practically instantly running around a field. They tend to be much darker golden or reddish in color. You see far fewer displastic dogs in field strains as function and structural integrity are key. Most importantly, they are ULTRA high-energy dogs. Go go go go go. Very bright, very in need of constant physical stimulation. Most working dogs are. Bench goldens really are not working dogs anymore. Once, my dad tried to take Jack duck hunting, and Jack huddled in the blind the entire time crying and wanting to go home, heh.
This dog is fairly typical of the appearance of a field-bred golden, while this dog is more along the lines of what show breeders strive for.
Again, all broad generalizations and many dogs will fall somewhere in the middle. However, there is a fairly distinct difference between lines bred purely for field work and lines bred purely for confirmation showing.
Peace,
~mixie