In a nutshell: They will try their heart out for you.

Also known as: Goldies, Goldens

Description: Powerfully built sporting dogs, bred to go all day in the field and/or water, retrieving birds.

Temperament: Extremely exuberant and friendly. Should be unflappable.

Advantages as an agility dog:-

• As an agility dog they will try their heart out for you. Very devoted to their owners, and you could not ask for a better team partner.
• They happily will practise things like weave entries over and over again, as long as there is a reward such as food, toys, tuggy, praise, etc.
• Great obedience. Great stays at start line, very honest dog. She will fix my mistakes regularly.

• Very athletic, although they are quite a bit larger than a Border Collie.

Disadvantages as an agility dog:-

• Can be a very soft dog.
• Not meant for tight turns. They can not fling themselves around, as would a lightly built Border Collie.
• Many of them carry far more coat than do Border Collies, and thus do not like working in the hot weather as much. On the other hand few of them care about working in the rain, and will still lie down on the pause table, even if it is pouring.
• Some are obsessed with greeting humans and will stop working to visit a course builder, the timer, the scribe, or a child outside the ring. Love kids, often to the point of distraction while working!

Rating out of 10 and why - 8/10. Can be slow on contacts.

Examples of dogs that have done well in agility - Shorelands Happy Feet. Another tiny Golden. About 20.5 inches. Has the speed and wonderful contacts. Often beats BCs.

What's it like to live with as a pet? Wonderful pets. Good multi-purpose dogs! Calm at home (for the most part) and usually get along with the other animals in the house. Will bark and growl at unusual bumps in the night to warn off predators. Since they are meant to be out hunting all day, they do have a solid exercise requirement to be happy. Goldens can be prone to certain health problems. Check hips, hearts and eyes.

Sources: Ann Greenberg & Jane Parker

Photo: A-frame - Nick Ridley