Looking at getting a new puppy!

Field bred or bench? I have a field golden that I got without seeing first and it was pretty weird, I got my breeder to put me in touch with the owner of the stud. Talked to them on the phone for 30 minutes or so about the stuf. The breeder had the female and I talked to her a lot about her too before buying. Told them what I wanted in a dog and basically came to the conclusion that the pups would be a good litter for me.

I asked her to pick a dog for me and basically just told her to pick the first female that looked her in the eyes when she walked up to the group.

If you're buying from a reputable breeder then you should be good.

Love my golden. You are making a fantastic choicd . Even though mine is a lazy inside lap dog, there quite possibly has never been a more loving, loyal, joyful animal soul ever in this world. It will be a sad day when she goes, already upsets me thinking about that day in the future.

ask if there is any history of hip problems of skin problems in the bloodlines...

Like earlier post said, ask for pedigree. Whether the dog is field bred or bench bred it's important to look at OFA clearances at least up to the grandparents of the pup. Elbow and hip dysplasia are both really common in full bred/high bred goldens, and speaking from experience, you want to avoid that if at all possible. It sucks.

As for what questions to ask the breeder other than what I said earlier, it really just depends on what you're looking for in a dog. My dog came from one of the best field golden breeders in the country so I trusted her a lot as to what I was getting, but I asked a lot of questions. I told her about the area I hunted, what I expected out of a dog, what type of dog I wanted to work with (personality, biddable, independent, etc.), and what plans I had for the dog during offseason. I wanted to know everything about the parents from their personalities in the middle of June when they're fat, happy, and not running trials, to how their drive held up when it was single digits in the winter. Admittedly there are a lot of questions to ask, but field goldens are scarce. If you just want a house pup, then I'd call her up and just ask about the parents, or get in touch with the parents' owners. Ask them about the dogs' personalities, how they are around people, how they are around other dogs, etc. You can get a very, very good idea of how a dog will be based on their personalities and traits of its parents - physically and mentally. If I put a picture of mine next to a picture of her mom, most wouldn't be able to tell them apart. From what I've heard from frequent contact with the breeder and another owner from my litter, she acts the same as her mom and one of her sisters too.