Dog Breeds > Golden Retriever
The Golden Retriever
The popular Golden Retriever has proven its worth not only as a useful and dependable pet but also a loving and caring companion of the blind and rehabilitating people.
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Fascinating Facts
The Golden retriever was developed by Lord Tweedmouth in the Scottish Highlands in 1800’s. Using the extinct Tweed water spaniel, Flat Coated retriever, Bloodhound and Irish setter, the Golden Retriever was born. Before it was called Golden Retriever, it was first called Golden Flat-Coat.
This breed is not only popular for its hunting use; in fact, they are also used for detecting narcotics, therapy dog and guiding the blind people.
Physical Appearance
The standard height and weight of the Golden Retriever is 24 – 25 inches and 60 – 80 pounds. This breed is a medium-sized muscular dog. The head is wide while the snout is long and pointy with a blackish or brownish nose. They dark brown eyes are large while the short ears are hanging down on either side of the head. This breed has deep chest and relatively short legs.
The Golden Retriever has thick tail with thick feathers near the base. The smooth coat is water-resistant, allowing the Golden Retriever to maintain warm temperature even after swimming. The permissible colors for the coat are rich golden to cream. Golden Retrievers with a coat color of black, mahogany color or white are disqualified in any conformation shows either in the United States or in the UK.
Grooming
The Golden Retriever’s smooth coat needs regular brushing. The thick undercoat needs more attention when brushing. After bathing, run the coat with chamois or rubber glove to make shiny and neat looking.
Mood
The Golden Retriever is a well mannered dog. They behave themselves accordingly especially in front of their masters. They are energetic and like to please their masters. They are intelligent and possess a large degree of charm, making them an instant favorite. They are friendly with other animals especially with other dogs.
However, this breed exhibits a terrible destructive and dominant behavior if it lacks daily exercise.
With Children
This breed can do very well with children. They are nice, friendly and loving around children. They could also be a wonderful playmate and can exert high level of energy especially if the activity involves running, walking, hiking and most specially swimming.
Training & Exercise
Training a Golden Retriever is easy as long as the owner/trainer/handler is gentle and calm around them. They respond to kind and gentle orders and they do not mind if the training is repetitive. They respond well to food-reward training methods and stimulation.
Like any dogs, the Golden Retriever needs daily exercise to keep it physically and mentally healthy. 2 – 3 hours of running, walking or even swimming is the recommended time allowance to satisfy its exercise needs.
Health & Life Expectancy
This breed normally lives a life of 10 – 12 years. They have quite a lot of diseases to monitor ant these includes Von Willebrand’s, heart problems, cancer, hip dysplasia, skin allergies and eye disease.
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