^^^great post.
If you're looking for a dog that will have a minimal impact on your schedule, look into getting older dog, like 2 yrs and up. They're calmer, generally need less exercise, already house-broken and usually crate-trained, can be left alone longer and have outgrown/been trained out of puppy antics like chewing everything in sight or left on the ground and nipping and biting constantly. You may not know that golden retriever pups are generally known as "landsharks" due their incessant nipping and biting while growing up.
Another bonus with older dogs is that their personality is already established so what you see is generally what you get (but you can fine-tune with obedience training). If you want a less vocal, child-friendly, less active dog, you can find one in a shelter/rescue and there's little to no guess work.
If you really want a golden retriever, a puppy frm a breeder isn't the only route. There are lots of purebred goldens in rescues and some rescues are golden retriever specific.
http://adopt-a-golden-retriever.adoptapet.com/
http://www.grcab.com/Golden_Retrieve...en_Rescue.html
Check out the Calgary Humane Society - they had an older golden retriever there 2 weeks ago. Because goldens are more popular, they pop up in the shelters more often just due to their numbers alone.