Dmmetler Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 One of my friends is fostering a dog for the animal shelter, and I swear this dog is a golden retriever. He acts like one, looks like one, but he's black and less fluffy, especially his tail. He's super sweet, super smart and very trainable. Since he's a shelter dog, no idea who his parents are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 We had a black lab/coonhound mix that looked like that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KSera Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 Flat coat retriever? Or more likely, a mix with a lot of golden retriever in it. Many golden retriever mixes are black due to how their coat color genetics work. Golden retriever-lab? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted February 1 Author Share Posted February 1 I could see golden/lab. If I didn't have four cats, one of whom hates ALL other animals, I'd be tempted to bring him home. I suspect he's going to end up being a foster fail. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 Black coat is dominant, and short fur is dominant, so if it was a black dog and a golden, you get a black dog. My dog is mostly bloodhound and coonhound, but part newfoundland so is black like the newfie but short haired like a hound. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom_to3 Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 5 hours ago, Dmmetler said: I could see golden/lab. If I didn't have four cats, one of whom hates ALL other animals, I'd be tempted to bring him home. I suspect he's going to end up being a foster fail. May I ask why you think it will be a foster fail? I have no experience with fostering, but he sounds like a catch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 2 hours ago, Mom_to3 said: May I ask why you think it will be a foster fail? I have no experience with fostering, but he sounds like a catch. A "foster fail" means that the foster person or family keeps the pet. BTDT several times. I'm a standout foster fail. 😉 And yeah, most often the "fail" is because the pet is such a good catch. It's a "fail" because the original purpose of fostering is to provide an animal with a loving home, get it healthy and teach it some manners, then find a new, forever home. So it's a "fail" if you decide to keep the pet for yourself. There are some genetic throwbacks among purebred dogs. Even really good Lhasa Apso and Shih Tzu breeders will on rare occasions get a prapso (which is a short haired version of either breed). But I've never heard of a similar variation in Goldens. So I'd guess the dog is either a Flat Coat Retriever or a mix of FCR, Golden or something else that lucked out and got a similar temperament. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momto6inIN Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 I had a half German shepherd half Golden Retriever who was black with short hair and looked a lot like a black lab. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 I bet there is black lab in there. Such good dogs! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted February 1 Author Share Posted February 1 6 hours ago, Mom_to3 said: May I ask why you think it will be a foster fail? I have no experience with fostering, but he sounds like a catch. I don't think she's going to be willing to give him back, unless maybe he goes to someone she knows and sees regularly. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 (edited) I've never heard of a short-haired golden. I only heard about a black golden a few years ago when my friend got one - but he also had a stereotypical golden coat, just it was black (with gold highlights.). and very much a golden personality. (my friend had previously had goldens.) could it be a cross? Edited February 1 by gardenmom5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KSera Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 44 minutes ago, gardenmom5 said: I only heard about a black golden a few years ago when my friend got one - but he also had a stereotypical golden coat, just it was black It’s literally genetically impossible for a pure golden retriever to be black. Golden retrievers do not carry the gene that produces black coats. It was likely a mix of golden and something else (or a flat coat retriever), which I’m sure was just as lovely and lovable as a purebred. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted February 1 Author Share Posted February 1 (edited) He looks a lot like a flat coat retriever to me, although golden/lab would also make sense, He's supposedly a year old, but still seems very puppy-like (both in personality and that he still has some of the out of scale-ness in his build) which is apparently normal in FCR's. Edited February 1 by Dmmetler 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KSera Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 5 minutes ago, Dmmetler said: He's supposedly a year old, but still seems very puppy-like (both in personality and that he still has some of the out of scale-ness in his build) which is apparently normal in FCR's. That could have something to do with his shorter than expected coat as well then. Sounds like a sweet dog! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zimom Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 Our service dog organization uses golden retrievers, black labs, yellow labs and mixes of the same. They will often have a cross of a black lab and a golden retriever that looks like a black golden retriever. They are gorgeous to me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
footballmom Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 (edited) Our rescue dog is a black lab / shepherd / golden retriever mix. We missed the golden part because he leans so much to lab in appearance, but he has this crazy fur section around his neck. Once we got the DNA test back and read golden retriever, we were all like ohhhhhhh and the puzzle piece snapped into place. And he is the most perfect dog and your friend should 10000% scoop that puppy up for good. Edited February 2 by footballmom 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 Why do you suspect Golden v Black Lab? I am just curious as a person who owned a black lab and fostered a golden? They are both retrievers, both are usually intelligent- but our.l Labbie was stupid, though. He didn’t rattkesnakes ( like my dh had to save him) or hares and the only thing he was good for was telling me whi was in the yard. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted February 2 Author Share Posted February 2 5 hours ago, TravelingChris said: Why do you suspect Golden v Black Lab? I am just curious as a person who owned a black lab and fostered a golden? They are both retrievers, both are usually intelligent- but our.l Labbie was stupid, though. He didn’t rattkesnakes ( like my dh had to save him) or hares and the only thing he was good for was telling me whi was in the yard. He looks like a golden vs a lab to me. I can't say exactly why, but everything about this dog except his fur screams "golden retriever". But lab being part of his mix also seems very likely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 8 hours ago, TravelingChris said: Why do you suspect Golden v Black Lab? I am just curious as a person who owned a black lab and fostered a golden? They are both retrievers, both are usually intelligent- but our.l Labbie was stupid, though. He didn’t rattkesnakes ( like my dh had to save him) or hares and the only thing he was good for was telling me whi was in the yard. My friend's black lab mix has been bitten by rattlesnakes at least 6 times now...might be up to 7. That dog HATES reptiles of all kinds. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted February 2 Author Share Posted February 2 1 minute ago, ktgrok said: My friend's black lab mix has been bitten by rattlesnakes at least 6 times now...might be up to 7. That dog HATES reptiles of all kinds. Retrievers can be problematic for snake aversion training because they tend to go for the animal vs detecting them and waiting for results. It can be done, but it's harder than it is with a pointer or hound. I know a very small poodle mix who is excellent at finding rattlesnakes and pointing them out-I figure the dog realizes that she's prey! OTOH, one of the herpetologists we know lost his vision as an adult, and when he was matched with his golden lab assistance dog, discovered that she would happily find and bring him box turtles-which let him continue his research. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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