re: Advice on buying a golden retriever.

Regarding "inbreeding" and "overbreeding" with Golden Retrievers, read a little bit into the Coefficient of Inbreeding (COI). The COI can be found on the dogs pedigree from K9data.com. Breeders use this as a quantitative method to weigh the risks and benefits of breeding a particular dog. In short, the higher the COI, the more consistency you would have in a breed (e.g. coat color) but at the detriment to health. This is why I didn't focus on a breeder who breeds dogs for a particular coat (English Cream). Breeding for coat color would typically mean a higher COI and thus, a higher risk for health issues resulting from inbreeding/mutation of genes. Goldens in general have a higher than average COI, which contributes to their health issues.