Golden Retriever

Description:

Golden Retrievers are one of the finest family-oriented dog breeds in the world. The Golden Retriever dog is robust, active and cheerful-looking. The Golden Retriever has a thick weather-resistant undercoat and a smooth and slightly wavy outer coat with abundant feathering. The Golden’s coat may be a rich shade of gold or a lighter cream color. Male Goldens stand 23 to 24 inches tall at shoulder height and weigh from 65 to 75 pounds. Female Goldens stand 21.5 to 22.5 inches tall at shoulder height and weigh from 55 to 65 pounds. See additional information on choosing a Golden Retriever.

Golden Retrievers are members of the American Kennel Club (AKC) Sporting Dog Group.

Golden Retriever Pictures:

                   

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History:

The origin of the Golden can be traced back to mid-19^th century Britain. A Scotsman, Sir Dudley Marjoribanks later Lord Tweedsmuir, developed the breed both as a land hunting dog and a water retriever. The breeding records show that the Golden has a mixture of sporting dog breeds in its lineage. These breeds include the wavy-coated Retriever, the yellow Tweed Water Spaniel, the Irish Setter and the sandy-colored Bloodhound. The resulting line of Golden Retrievers was officially recognized as a pure-bred breed in Britain in 1913 and by the American Kennel Club (AKC) in 1925. This Retriever is a good hunting dog, seeing eye dog, obedience and agility competitor, and outstanding family dog. See our article on the "The Multitalented Golden Retriever" to find out more. The Golden was ranked 2nd out of 154 dog breeds in 2004 AKC registrations.

Temperament:

The Golden is a gentle, confident and loyal dog that is cheerful, trustworthy and responsive to training. This breed makes a wonderful family dog that is friendly with everyone – both human and other animals. This Retriever does very well with children but toddlers should always be supervised as young untrained dogs can be over exuberant. Goldens have a tendency to mouth everything and everybody so should be provided with lots of toys to carry around. A Golden remains goofy and puppy-like for many years so early obedience training is required. Goldens are eager to learn and can be trained to very high levels as seeing eye dogs, narcotics dogs and obedience competitors. It should be remembered that this Retriever is an outdoor hunting dog that needs two good exercise sessions each day. Goldens are suitable for first-time or novice dog owners.

Exercise:

The Golden needs regular exercise and after they are fully grown can be taken jogging, hiking or biking. Goldens love to swim. If this Retriever is given enough exercise it can adapt to most living conditions.

Grooming:

TThe Golden should be brushed and combed on a weekly basis. Excess hair between the pads on the feet should be trimmed regularly and the Golden’s ears should be checked and cleaned.

Health Issues:

Goldens are a fairly robust and healthy dog breed that can be expected to live for 10 to 14 years. Unfortunately, because of the dog breeds popularity some backyard breeders and puppy mills are producing defective and even aggressive representatives of the breed. Common health problems include: inherited musculoskeletal disorders such as hip dysplasia and elbow dysplasia; eye diseases such as progressive retinal atrophy and juvenile cataracts; sub aortic stenosis (SAS) heart disease and hypothyroidism. Information on these inherited diseases can be found in our article on hereditary diseases. Before you buy that irresistible Golden puppy, make sure you ask the breeder for the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) results and the Canine Eye Registry (CERF) recent ophthalmologists report for the breeding sire and dam.

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