markp@tekmdp.UUCP (Mark Paulin) (09/30/83)
Goldens have indeed been bred to the point that hip problems are a definite possibility. A reputable breeder will guarantee good hips, though. I also must agree with the comments about the relative intelligence of Labs over Goldens. Of course it depends upon the dog, but in general I have found that Labs are noticeably smarter and not so totally friendly to strangers. I've yet to meet a Golden who didn't love me at first sight. Not such a hot watchdog. Another good breed is the German Shorthair. I'm biased because this is the breed I had as a kid, but they're really smart, gentle, loyal dogs. If you do not require a purebred dog, I strongly recommend either the Lab/Golden mix (yellow offspring are sometimes called "Yellow Labs") or especially the German Shorthair/Lab mix. I had a dog with the German Shorthair coat pattern, but in black like a lab, rather than brown... Mixed breeds are much cheaper, too. Dalmations are gentle, smart, and a little smaller than Labs... Mark Paulin ...tektronix!tekmdp!markp