The Golden Retriever is a breed of dog, historically
developed as a gundog to retrieve shot waterfowl and
upland game during hunting. As such they were bred to have
a soft mouth to retrieve game undamaged and an instinctive
love of water. Their intelligence and versatility sees
them employed in a variety of roles including illegal drug
detection, search and rescue, as hunting dogs and as guide
dogs.[3] Its friendly, eager-to-please and patient
demeanor has also made it one of the most popular family
dogs (by registration) in the world today.
American Variant of Golden Retriever
The ideal Golden is athletic, and well balanced. It is a symmetrical, and
active dog. An American Golden is less stocky and lankier than a British.
A male should stand from 22–24 inch (58–61 cm) in height at the shoulders, and
females should be 21.5–22.5 inch (55–57 cm) at the shoulders. The males weigh
60–80 lb and the females weigh 55–70 lb[10]. The coat is dense and water
repellent, in various shades of lustrous gold, with moderate feathering.
Excessive length, lightness, or darkness is undesirable. The gait should be
free, smooth, powerful, and well-coordinated.[11] They originated in Scotland
during the late nineteenth century and were a mix of the Tweed Water Spaniel,
which is now extinct, and the Wavy-Coated Retriever.[12]
Field line Golden Retrievers tend to be smaller and have a less dense coat than
their conformation line counterparts.
British Variant of Golden Retriever
Golden Retrievers vary widely in color. The coat is dense and waterproof, and
may be straight or moderately wavy. It usually lies flat against the belly. The
American Kennel Club (AKC) standard states that the coat is a "rich, lustrous
golden of various shades", disallowing coats that are extremely light or
extremely dark. This leaves the outer ranges of coat color up to a judge's
discretion when competing in conformation shows. Therefore, "pure white" and
"red" are unacceptable colors for the Golden coat.[9] The Kennel Club (UK) also
permits cream as an acceptable coat color.[6] Judges may also disallow Goldens
with pink noses, or those lacking pigment. The Golden's coat can also be of a
mahogany color, referred to as "redheads", although this is not accepted in the
British show ring.[6] As a Golden grows older, its coat can become darker or
lighter, along with a noticeable whitening of the fur on and around the muzzle.
Puppy coats are usually much lighter than their adult coats, but a darker
colouration at the tips of the ears may indicate a darker adult color. A
golden's coat should never be too long, as this may prove to be a disservice to
them in the field- especially when retrieving game.
Some variation exists between the British type Golden Retrievers prevalent
throughout Europe and Australia,[5] and those of American lines and these
differences are reflected in the breed standards. This type is bigger-boned,
shorter, with a more square head and or muzzle and are generally slightly
heavier. Males should be between 56–61 cm (22–24 inch) at the withers and
females slightly shorter at between 51–56 cm (20–22 inch). Weight, however, is
not specified in the UK standard. The KC standard calls for a level topline and
straight hindquarters without the slight rear angulation found in American
lines.[6][7] The eyes of American line dogs tend to be set further apart than
those of British lines and can appear to be slanted and triangular in shape by
comparison.[8] A Golden Retriever of British breeding can have a coat colour of
any shade of gold or cream, however, red or mahogany are not permissible colours.
Originally cream was not an acceptable colour in the UK standard, however, by
1936 the standard was revised to include cream. It was felt this exclusion was a
mistake as the original "yellow" retrievers of the 19th century were lighter in
colour than the then current standard permitted. As with America lines white is
an unacceptable colour in the show ring. [9] The British KC standard is used in
all countries with the exceptions of the US and Canada.[7] Some breeders of this
type in America may import their dogs to improve bloodlines.
Temperament
The temperament of the Golden Retriever is a hallmark of
the breed and is described in the standard as "kindly,
friendly and confident".[6] They are not "one man dogs" and
are generally equally amiable with both strangers and those
familiar to them.[13] Their trusting, gentle disposition
therefore makes them a poor guard dog.[14] Any form of
unprovoked aggression or hostility towards either people,
dogs or other animals, whether in the show ring or
community, is completely unacceptable in a Golden Retriever
and is not in keeping with the character of the breed and as
such is considered a serious fault. Nor should a Golden
Retriever be unduly timid or nervous.[11][13] The typical
Golden Retriever is calm, naturally intelligent and
biddable, with an exceptional eagerness to please.
As the name suggests, the Golden Retriever loves to
retrieve. Whether the object is a thrown stick, tennis ball,
or flying disc, retrieving can keep a dog of this breed
occupied and entertained for hours, particularly if water is
also involved. Goldens might also pick up and "retrieve" any
object that is near to them upon their masters' arrival, all
of this lending to their retriever name.[citation needed]
Goldens are also noted for their intelligence, and can learn
up to roughly 240 commands, words and phrases. These dogs
are also renowned for their patience with children.
By the time they reach maturity however, Goldens will have
become active and fun-loving animals with the exceptionally
patient demeanor befitting a dog bred to sit quietly for
hours in a hunting blind. Adult Golden Retrievers love to
work, and have a keen ability to focus on a given task. They
will seemingly work until collapse, so care should be taken
to avoid overworking them.
Other characteristics related to their hunting heritage are
a size suited for scrambling in and out of boats and an
inordinate love for water. Golden Retrievers are
exceptionally trainable—due to their intelligence,
athleticism and desire to please their handlers—and
generally excel in obedience trials. In fact, the first AKC
Obedience Trial Champion was a Golden Retriever. They are
also very competitive in agility and other performance
events. Harsh training methods are unnecessary, and that
Golden Retrievers respond well to positive and upbeat
training styles.
Golden Retrievers are compatible with children and adults
and are good with other dogs, cats and most livestock.
Golden Retrievers are particularly valued for their high
level of sociability towards people, calmness, and
willingness to learn. Because of this, they are commonly
used as guide dogs, mobility assistance dogs, and search and
rescue dogs.[3] They are friendly and tend to learn tricks
easily.
They are also known to become excellent surrogate mothers to
different species. Kittens and even tiger cubs from zoos are
well taken care of by golden retrievers. In some cases, a
retriever may produce milk for its adopted even though it
may not have been pregnant or nursing recently.
The Golden Retriever's eagerness to please has made them consistent, top
performers in the obedience and agility rings. Plus with their excellent
swimming ability they are great at dock jumping. Their natural retrieving
ability also sees them excel in flyball and field trials.[16]
The first three dogs ever to achieve the AKC Obedience Champion title were
Golden Retrievers; the first of the three was a female named Ch. Moreland's
Golden Tonka.
Care of the Golden Retriever
Golden Retrievers are moderately active dogs, and require
a reasonable amount of exercise each day, although exercise
needs may vary depending on the individual dog and its age.
They are a breed that is prone to obesity, and as such the
average Golden Retriever should never be treated like a
small dog, or sedentary house pet. Some dogs may be too
active to be easily exercised by elderly owners.
Goldens should be groomed at least once a week, and every
day during heavy shedding. Their coats shed somewhat during
the year, but are known to "blow coat" twice a year when
they shed profusely. They also need to have their ears
cleaned regularly, or otherwise an ear infection might
occur. While shedding is unavoidable with Golden Retrievers,
frequent grooming (daily to weekly) lessens the amount of
hair shed by the animal. Severe shedding resulting in bald
patches can be indicative of stress or sickness in a Golden
Retriever.
Golden Retrievers are very attached to their owners. Leaving
them alone in a room can cause the dog to become very sad
and distressed. They have a need to always have something in
their mouth, and like to carry things around. They are great
athletes and must be walked daily, or they will become
restless and anxious. This makes them an ideal family pet.
Health of the Golden Retriever
The median life span for Golden Retrievers is approximately 10 to 12 years.
They do very well in small living areas at least 500 sq. feet. While the breed
is recognized for its vitality, many retrievers are susceptible to specific
ailments. A responsible breeder will proactively minimize the risk of illness by
having the health of dogs in breeding pairs professionally assessed and selected
on the basis of complementary traits.
Breeding Golden Retrievers can be profitable for puppy mills and backyard
breeders. As a result of careless breeding for profit, Goldens are prone to
genetic disorders and other diseases. Hip dysplasia is very common in the breed;
when buying a puppy in the US the parents should be examined by the OFA or by
PennHIP for hip disease.
Common diseases
Cancer, the most common being hemangiosarcoma, followed by lymphosarcoma,
mast cell tumor, and osteosarcoma. Cancer was the cause of death for 61.8% of
Goldens according to a 1998 health study conducted by the Golden Retriever Club
of America, making it the breed's biggest killer.[18]
Hip and elbow dysplasia.
Eye diseases, including cataracts[19] (the most common eye disease in Goldens),
progressive retinal atrophy, glaucoma, distichiasis,[20] entropion,[20] corneal
dystrophy[20] and retinal dysplasia[20]
Heart , especially subvalvular aortic stenosis[19] and cardiomyopathy are major
problems in this breed.
Joint diseases, including patella luxation, osteochondritis, panosteitis, and
cruciate ligament rupture
Skin diseases, with allergies (often leading to acute moist dermatitis or "hot
spots"), particularly flea allergies, being most common.[18] Others include
seborrhea, sebaceous adenitis, and lick granuloma.
Haemophilia[21]
History of the Golden Retriever
The Golden Retriever breed was originally developed in Scotland and England
at "Guisachan" near Glen Affric, the highland estate of Sir Dudley Marjoribanks
(pronounced "Mar-banks"), later Baron Tweedmouth. For many years, there was
controversy over which breeds were originally crossed. In 1952, the publication
of Majoribanks' breeding records from 1835 to 1890 dispelled the myth concerning
the purchase of a whole troupe of Russian sheepdogs from a visiting circus.[16]
Improvements in guns during the 1800s resulted in more fowl being downed during
hunts at greater distances and over increasingly difficult terrain. This led to
more birds being lost in the field. Because of this improvement in firearms, a
need for a specialist retriever arose as training setter and pointer breeds in
retrieval was found to be ineffective. Thus work began on the breeding of the
Golden Retriever to fill this role.
The original cross was of a yellow-colored Retriever, Nous, with a Tweed
Water Spaniel female dog, Belle. The Tweed Water Spaniel is now extinct but was
then common in the border country. Majoribanks had purchased Nous in 1865 from
an unregistered litter of otherwise black wavy-coated retriever pups. In 1868,
this cross produced a litter that included four pups; these four became the
basis of a breeding program which included the Irish Setter, the sandy-colored
Bloodhound, the St. John's Water Dog of Newfoundland, and two more wavy-coated
black Retrievers. The bloodline was also inbred and selected for trueness to
Majoribanks' idea of the ultimate hunting dog. His vision included a more
vigorous and powerful dog than previous retrievers, one that would still be
gentle and trainable. Russian sheepdogs are not mentioned in these records, nor
are any other working dog breeds. The ancestry of the Golden Retriever is all
sporting dogs, in line with Majoribanks' goals.[3]
Golden Retrievers were first accepted for registration by the The Kennel Club of
England in 1903, as Flat Coats - Golden. They were first exhibited in 1908, and
in 1911 were recognized as a breed described as Retriever (Golden and Yellow).
In 1913, the Golden Retriever Club was founded. The breed name was officially
changed to Golden Retriever in 1920.
The Honorable Archie Majoribanks took a Golden Retriever to Canada in 1881, and
registered Lady with the American Kennel Club (AKC) in 1894. These are the first
records of the breed in these two countries. The breed was first registered in
Canada in 1927, and the Golden Retriever Club of Ontario, now the Golden
Retriever Club of Canada, was formed in 1958. The co-founders of the GRCC were
Cliff Drysdale an Englishman who had brought over an English Golden and Jutta
Baker, daughter in law of Louis Baker who owned Northland Kennels, possibly
Canada's first kennel dedicated to Goldens. The AKC recognized the breed in
1925, and in 1938 the Golden Retriever Club of America was formed.
