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The Golden Retriever Dog



Picture of Golden Retriever Dog


The Golden Retriever Dog originates from Great Britain dating back to the 1800's. Credit for development of this breed usually goes to Lord Tweedmouth of Scotland. Lord Tweedmouth kept meticulous records while carefully and purposely selecting breeding stock to produce the ancestors of today's Golden Retriever. The goals in Lord Tweedmouth's breeding program were not simple. He wanted a breed that could excel at retrieving, was well tempered, was a strong swimmer, had lots of stamina, and could scent very well. To this end he began with a handsome yellow colored retriever named Nois, the only yellow puppy from a litter of black Flat or Wavy coated retrievers. In 1868, Nois was bred to a Tweedwater Spaniel named Belle. The water spaniel helped with the breed's swimming ability, stamina, and pleasant temperament.

All of today's Golden Retriever dogs are descendents of Nois and Belle. However, this was just the beginning. In order to arrive at the breed we know today, Lord Tweedmouth included several more breeds in his program. Included were a red Setter to enhance the golden color and to provide a strong scenting ability. Several Flat or Wavy Coated Retrievers were again introduced to increase the retriever characteristics. To round things out, a bloodhound as added to once again increase scenting.

Although Lord Tweedmouth kept painstaking records, the story behind this development was almost lost. In fact by the 1950's, there were several unsubstantiated stories about the origins of the Golden Retriever dog. One of these suggested that they were offspring of Russian Circus dogs that were brought to Scotland after the Crimean War. The true story of the Golden Retriever's origin was uncovered in the 1960's and is credited to the hard work of two Golden fanciers, Elma Stonex and Rachel Elliott.

Hopefully knowing this background will help you appreciate the talent and quality that resides in you Golden Retriever Dog. These talents, combined with one of the best canine temperaments is what the Golden is all about. The Golden Retriever is a powerful, active, and sound dog. It is not clumsy or the least bit awkward. It has an eager, alert, and confident expression. At heart, the Golden is both a companion and a hunting dog.

The Golden Retriever Dog's temperament is probably its most well known and desirable characteristic.It is indeed the archetype of the family dog. It loves all members of the family from the very young to the very old and everyone in between. It is also very friendly with almost all other family pets.

Today the Golden Retriever is one of the most popular dogs in North America.

Picture of Golden Retriever Dog 2


The Golden Retriver Dog at a glance

Origin Great Britain
Original Use Hunting, retrieving.
Use Today Hunting, retrieving, companion, guide dog.
Temperament It is calm, happy and even tempered. It is loyal, loving, reliable and very willing to please. Once you teach your Golden the rules of the house, it will do its best to keep them and be as pleasant about it as possible. In many ways it is the ideal family dog. All enjoy affection and being pet, but some do not enjoy being hugged or cuddled. If your is one that does not enjoy this excess contact, show the appropriate respect and it will love you all the more for it.
Acceptance of: Other Dogs - Excellent
Other Pets - Excellent
Strangers - Excellent
Children - Excellent
Watchdog Ability It makes a good watch dog and will quickly warn its family of the approach of any strange human or animal.
Guard dog Ability It is not the ideal guard dog, because once a stranger has made an entrance, the Golden will be happy to make a new friend!
Ease of Training Excellent
Living Conditions Can live outdoors in most climates, but because of its social nature, it does much better when living indoors with its family.
Exercise Requires lots of physical and mental exercise on a daily basis.
Coat It has a two layered water repellent coat. The outer coat is of medium length, lying close to the body. It can be straight or curly. The inner layer is short and dense. The coat is of medium texture, not too course nor silky.
Grooming The coat should be brushed about once a week to keep it in top shape.
Colors The Golden Retriever comes in many varying shades of gold.
Height and Weight Ideal weight is 55 to 75 pounds (25 to 34 kg) while the ideal height is 21.5 to 24 inches (54.6 to 61 cm). Variations may occur in individual animals.
Life Expectancy Life expectancy of the Golden is 10 to 13 years.
Group The AKC places the Golden Retriever dog in the Sporting group.

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Picture of Golden Retriever Dog 3

Thanks to Tom and Gwen Beatty for the pictures of their Golden Retriever, Cloe, displayed on this page.

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