Is my Golden Retriever really smiling or just submissive grinning?

Golden Retrievers are very smart! They love pleasing their people, and they are intelligent, making them one of the most trainable breeds out there. To learn more about Golden Retrievers, I suggest you visit PetCoach's breed page: www.petcoach.co/breed/golden-retriever

Golden retrievers love to play fetch, and have fantastic demeanours. If you are very interested to know the exact heritage there are blood tests your vet can run to tell you the genetics of your dog and exactly what breed it is! Or if you have a picture to share I can try to help as well. But from the behaviours you are describing it sounds like you have a dog with a fantastic personality!

Dogs in general evolved to be scavengers, and Golden Retrievers are an exceptionally food-motivated breed. While this makes them very trainable, as they respond very favorably to food rewards, owners of Golden Retrievers should be diligent about keeping food and garbage secure, to limit the possibilities that their dog will eat excessively, or will eat something dangerous to him. To learn more about Golden Retrievers, I suggest you visit PetCoach's breed page: www.petcoach.co/breed/golden-retriever

That is hard to say. It’s possible there is some sort of irritation on that part of the muzzle or on the gum tissue underneath. Lift up his lips and look on the underside of the lips as well as the teeth for any obvious lesions or problems. Examine the exterior very closely for any thorns or anything abnormal. If you do not find an obvious reason, I recommend to have him examined by the veterinarian to be safe and check for any evidence of neurologic disease. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

The behavior by itself is hard to discern out of context. You want to look at body language as a whole. A dog that is playing will have a loose, wiggly body, may hop around or play bow, and may have high pitched growls along with playfully biting or showing teeth. A dog that is not playing will often have a stiff, tense body, be staring down the other dog, low or straight out tail, hackles raised, and with bared teeth may be telling the other dog to go away and leave them alone.

Both can be great dogs. With either breed be sure you are committed to brushing daily and possibly having groomed monthly (or doing it yourself). Sammies were bred to be more of a northern breed and have a double coat. If you are in a very warm climate a GRT may be a better choice. In my experience samoyeds tend to be a bit more standoffish than golden retrievers. They aren't quite as goofy and approachable but they are majestic dogs. A lot depends on your lifestyle. Both are active dogs but samoyeds are a herding breed and may become bored easily if not given a job. Whichever you choose be sure to thoroughly socialize the pup and work on training from the moment you get it. Either breed can make a wonderful pet. http://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/ Thank you for using PetCoach.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Based off the pictures, Bran looks like a golden retriever to me. There is always a little breed variation, and you may be able to contact your breeder regarding the specific appearance of Bran's parents to get a better sense of what he will grow to look like. I hope this helpful!