Golden Retriever

Breed Type: Sporting
Weight: 65 to 75 lbs for Males, 55 to 65 lbs for Females
Height: 23 to 24 inches for Males, 21.5 to 22.5 inches for Females
Coat Type: Outer coat has smooth wavy hair while the undercoat is weather-resistant.

One of the best hunting companions, Golden Retriever is a lovable and loyal pet as well. The dog breed was developed for serving as gundogs, in order to retrieve birds, upland game, lame hens and other small sized preys. Very fond of playing with its master, Golden Retriever loves to be in water and thus, perfectly suitable for retrieving waterfowl. The eager-to-please dog is always patient and gentle with children. This is the reason why they get well with the little ones. A vibrant history is associated with the dog breed. Given below is some interesting information on the history, appearance and personality of Golden Retriever.

History
First bred in the 1860s, Golden Retrievers have originated from England. It was the discovery of Lord Tweedmouth, who recovered a yellow pup from a litter of black Flat-Covered Retrievers. He the crossed the dog with a deep brown colored Water-Spaniel. He ultimately created the Golden Retriever, what is found today, by crossing Irish Setters with other Water Spaniels. The dog, thus formed, could carry a bird in its mouth without damaging it.

The retrieval trait became the highlighting feature of Golden Retrievers and hence, it was used to accompany hunters. Apart from retrieving the bird, it could sniff out a bird that fell out of sight and even swim in cold water to get a bird. Subsequently, the dog breed was imported to Canada in 1881 and later on brought to United States in 1894. Golden Retriever was given the status of a separate breed in 1925, when it registered by the American Kennel Club (AKC). In 1927, the breed was registered in Canada.

Appearance
Some variations exist between the Golden Retrievers found in Britain and that prevalent in American and Canada. The breed found in British is bigger-boned, shorter and has a more square head than the one available in America. The Golden Retriever of British origin is slightly heavier than its American counterpart is. The eyes of the British Golden Retriever are round and dark, while the American counterpart has triangular eyes, placed in a slanted position. The Golden Retrievers in Canada are similar to their American counterparts in terms of their height and weight.

Generally, the coat of Golden Retriever is found in light golden to dark golden colors. However, there are slight variations in the choice of colors for the coat of Golden Retrievers in British, America and Canada. The double coat of the dog breed, found in British, comes in a variety of colors, the most prominent being gold and cream. Red and mahogany are not permissible in British. On the other hand, the American Golden Retrievers possess various shades of golden. The water-resistant outer coat (of both the breed types) is smooth and wavy, while the undercoat is thick, soft and weather resistant. The coat color is neither too light nor too dark in the Golden Retrievers found in Canada.

Personality
Strong, loyal, easy to train, lovable, well-mannered, friendly, outgoing, happy, trusting and devoted, Golden Retrievers are good hunting companions. They are intelligent, adaptable, bark infrequently, sensitive, self-confident and get along well with children and other pets and dogs in the household. They are sometimes aggressive to strangers. They have a good memory. They enjoy pleasing their masters, love to perform tricks, therefore, obedient training is recommended for them. While training them, it is better to avoid too much strictness. Obedient though, they have very less guarding instincts. However, they are best suitable to serve as watch dogs, because they signal the approach of strangers loudly.