Golden Retriever
Golden Retriever Appearance: The Golden Retriever is beautiful, athletic, graceful and friendly. This medium to large sized dog stands solidly at a height of 20 to 24 inches, has a wide chest and long tail. The Golden Retriever has a medium length coat and can have a color of blond, cream, golden, dark golden and butterscotch that is feathered or straight and is weatherproof. The undercoat is thick and soft. They have a wide head that tapers with soft and medium sized ears that flop over. They have brown eyes and dark rims and a black nose. You might say the main attention getter of the Golden Retriever is its beautiful coat - and with that comes a lot of shedding. But..no dog is perfect, right? Read on and see…
Golden Retriever Temperament: Not only do Golden Retrievers have a beautiful appearance, they also have a beautiful personality. This loyal dog breed is full of energy and desires to please its owner. Golden Retrievers are very smart and easy to train. Ever wonder why they are called Retrievers? Well, they love to retrieve, fetch and play. They also enjoy swimming and make a great companion for hunting or similar outdoor activites. They love companionship, so it is best not to leave them alone - otherwise they may get a bit nutty. On one hand they can make a good watchdog as they will bark when a stranger comes near. On the other hand, they are so friendly they will rarely attack. This sweet dog breed does very well with children and is also used often as a service dog for the handicapped. They also do well with other dogs. Golden Retrievers have so many great qualities, it is likely to be a very loved member of your family and a dog you will enjoy for years.
Golden Retriever Health: Golden Retrievers typically weigh between 55 to 80 pounds and have a life span of 10 to 13 years. Some health concerns include skin allergies, heart problems, hip dysplasia, cataracts, epilepsy, arthritis and thyroid problems. They should be checked for Von Willebrand’s disease. As with all dog breeds, take your Golden Retriever to the vet on a regular basis to maintain optimum health.
History of the Golden Retriever: Unlike other breeds, the origin of the Golden Retriever is more well known. The Golden Retriever was developed in Scotland by Lord Tweedmouth in the 1800’s. He kept very good breeding records and it is believed the breed came from crossing a Tweed Water Spaniel and a Yellow Retriever. He wanted a dog breed that could endure extreme weather conditions and one that could retrieve for hunting purposes. The breed was introduced to the U.S. in the early 1900’s as a Retriever, and later the name was officially changed to Golden Retriever. It is now considered one of the most popular breeds in the United States and because of its great learning abilities is a favored breed to help the handicapped.
Golden Retriever Breed Group: Retriever, gundog, sporting
Video: A touching tribute to Rookie and Carolyn Scott, Canine Freestyle dance partners. A very, very well done tribute…
Are you the proud owner of a Golden Retriever? Please leave a comment below to add your thoughts about this dog breed. Also, if you have a web site or video featuring your Golden Retriever, leave that as well.
July 10th, 2007 at 8:39 pm
I had not known the story of Lord Tweedmouth starting the retriever breed.
Interesting, he did a good job!
Of course the reasons he wanted an easy going, placid, but intelligent and friendly animal would have been slightly differnet from the current one as a companion and pet.
I think that while their Lordships were shooting the retriever would have been required to go and pick up the bird and bring it back for the pot!
August 17th, 2007 at 9:52 am
As far as I know, the Golden Retriever very friendly, not particularly aggressive, beside extremely intelligent dog. Real family pet, great with kids and other pets!!
Odett
October 25th, 2007 at 3:10 pm
Hi I am a middle school student and I have my own blog for a class that I am in. Each week we get different blog posts to do. This week we had to find another persons blog about any topic we wanted and leave them a comment and then blog about how we found the blog we did, why we picked it, ect. So I love Golden Retrievers so much so I typed in Blog+Golden Retrievers and I clicked on yours. I really like the video you have of your dog dancing with you. That dog is very talented. I have a Golden Retriever and I got her when I was 8 years old for Valentines Day. I’ve wanted for so long and finally my parents said yes (but just barely) and so we went to the pet store not knowig i was going to get one and i asked to take one out and they said yes and of course by the time I was done playing with her I fell in love with her and asked to take her home. I knew they would say no, but since I gave them that really sad look there was no way they could say no to me. =) Anyways, I think that they are beautiful dogs and I would have 100 of them if I could.
Thanks- lexx2816
October 30th, 2007 at 2:09 am
I remember when my first Alsation got arthritis and there wasn’t much we could do. That’s changed now - but it’s still a debilitating condition. If you have had success with an arthritis treatment please post a comment on the link below. Thanks
Dog Arthritis Treatments
December 16th, 2007 at 12:14 pm
Goldens certainly are a fine breed, not only as companion pets for the family, but also as hunting retrievers of waterfowl–ducks and geese. They also excel at upland bird hunting, where they seek out game birds, such as ringneck pheasants and ruffed grouse, which they flush out of the cover for the hunter.
Although many Golden retriever owners today don’t hunt, it would be a shame not to breed Goldens with an eye toward their origin and purpose. Bred from hunting stock, a Golden will still make an excellent family pet.
One of my pet peeves is hearing people refer to the breed as “Golden Labs.”