The Golden Retriever

One of America's Best Loved Dogs

The Golden Retriever was originally bred in Scotland, to retrieve shot game birds from moorland and water. It is a large, strong dog, which is friendly, affable and always eager to please. Golden retrievers have been bred to have a soft mouth to avoid damaging the game they pick up, in common with all the retriever breeds.

Their temperament and friendliness make them ideal family pets, as is evidenced by their popularity all over the world. Statistics of kennel club registrations in 2006, put them in the top ten in terms of popularity, being number four in the American Kennel Club and number seven in the UK Kennel Club. 

Golden Retrievers normally weigh between 55 and 80 pounds and stand from 20 24 inches tall. They are very active dogs and require plenty of exercise, otherwise they are prone to obesity. By reason of their size and energy levels they are probably not suited to a small apartment or to elderly owners who are not able to provide sufficient exercise and stimulation.

The Golden Retriever has a tough, water repellent double coat, which sheds heavily all  year and particularly during the spring. Goldens should be groomed at least once a week, and every day during heavy shedding. While shedding is unavoidable with Golden Retrievers, frequent grooming (daily to weekly) lessens the amount of hair shed by the animal. The color of the coat can vary from cream to various shades of light to dark gold,with attractive wavy patterns.

This breed is highly intelligent and is eager to please and apart from their popularity as family pets, they are commonly trained for use as guide dogs, sniffer dogs and search and rescue dogs. They make good watch-dogs but their affable, trusting nature makes them unsuitable as guard dogs. They are naturally excellent with children and are normally very sociable with other animals. They are very social animals and love to be with the family members. Leaving a Golden Retriever on its own for any extended period can cause great stress.

Golden Retrievers can live for ten to fifteen years. Unfortunately, they suffer from a high incidence of cancer. In a survey conducted by the The Golden Retriever Club of America , cancer was the cause of death in 61.8% of cases. Hip and elbow dysplasia is also relatively common.

Care must be exercised when buying Golden Retriever puppies. The huge popularity of the breed means that unscrupulous breeders treat profit above the welfare of the animals and genetic problems can be a serious concern. You can find invaluable information on buying a Golden Retriever puppy and reputable local breeders from  The Golden Retriever Club of America

Browse this huge selection of books on the  Golden Retriever at Amazon.com

Here are the Breed Standards for The American Kennel Club.

Here are The Breed Standards for the The UK Kennel Club