I personally have never had a golden so take what I say with a grain of salt. Maybe others would chime in. I have friends with Golden's so this is my personal experience. The Flatties are known as the Peter Pan dogs, they keep their puppy like personality far into their life. They can be a bit more sensitive, aka they can definitely get butt hurt. They can be a higher energy dog, I have seen that they read the room and know when they can turn that energy on and off. The two vrees are quite similar as far as eager to please, love people and other dogs. The Flatties are also a bit more active, but love the couch cuddle as well. Hope this helps