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Golden Retriever
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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. They possess a friendly,
eager-to-please demeanor, and are one of the most popular
family dog breeds (by registration) in the world.
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Appearance
American Type
An American Golden is lankier and less stocky than a British Type.
A male should stand 22–24 inch (58–61 cm) in height at the
shoulders, and females should be 21.5–22.5 inch (55–57 cm).
They range in weight from 65–75 lb for males and 55–65 lb for
females. The coat is dense and water repellent, in various shades
of lustrous gold, with moderate feathering. The gait should be free,
smooth, powerful, and well-coordinated.
Coat and color
As indicated by their name, their coat comes in light golden colors
to dark golden colors. 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 like black . The Kennel Club (UK) also permits
cream as an acceptable coat color. 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. 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. The
darker a Golden Retriever is in color, the faster it will whiten. Puppy
coats are usually much lighter than their adult coats, but a puppy
with 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.
Health
The median life span for Golden Retrievers is approximately 10 to
12 years. They do very well in small living areas of 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.
History
The Golden Retriever was originally developed in Scotland at
"Guisachan" near Glen Affric, the highland estate of Sir Dudley
Marjoribanks (pronounced "Marʒbanks"), 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.
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 dog to fill this much needed role.
The original cross was of a yellow-coloured 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.
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.
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Golden Retriever
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Country of origin
Scotland
Weight
Male: 65-75 lbs
Female: 55-65 lbs
Height (average)
Male: 22-24
Female: 21-5-22.5
Coat
Dense, straight or moderately wavy
Color
Light golden to dark golden
Life span
10-12 years
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Golden Retriever Portrait
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