The Golden retriever is a type of a gun dog that used to assist hunters in ancient times. That means to say, the existence of this breed is from a long time on this planet. The Golden Retriever as the name implies is bred to retrieve the waterfowls. These waterfowls are comprising of ducks and other non-water fowls. They have an amazing ability to fetch the birds without damaging it. Mostly because of the soft mouth it has. Golden Retrievers can be easily trained to be obedient. Their liking towards water makes it easy for you to train them for advanced standards too.
Apart from being a gun dog, the Golden Retrievers have an amazing temperament. They are named as the best family dog. It can easily mingle with the family members. Moreover, they are family-friendly and kid-friendly too. They are well suited to any environment. Be it the apartment environment or a sub-urban farm environment too.
Origination of Golden Retriever
As we saw earlier that the breed was existing from a very long time. It dates back to 1865 where there was a breed called ‘Yellow Retriever’. It was named Nous. This breed was crossed numerous times with breeds like
- Tweed Water Spaniel
- Blood Hound
- Irish Setter
Eventually, Irish Setter is the prominent breed trait that you may find in the retrievers. Be it the fur coat or the structure. This breed was finally recognized by the Kennel Club as ‘Yellow Retriever’ or ‘Golden Retriever’ in the year 1913. Further, there was a Golden Retriever Club that was started in the year 1920. From then on, the official name was changed to Golden Retriever.
Characteristics of Golden Retriever
The Golden Retriever is a medium to a large gun dog with historical prominence. It has a widespread nationality, it has a few geographical variations in their characteristics. There come to the 3 variations in their physical dimensions and coat type too. But, one aspect that we must keep in mind is, all the Golden retrievers come in the category of blonde, yellow or gold. Moreover, health problems are also similar to each of the different type of breed.
Let us see the three prominent geographical characteristics differences in the Golden Retriever
British
This must be the authentic breed of Golden Retrievers in the past. They are most prevalent in Europe as well as the Australian Continent. The skull of the breed is broader compared to the other breed types. The forequarters are also muscular than the others. The muzzle, i.e. the part of nose and mouth are well balanced in these types.
The British Golden Retriever is light in colour, unlike the American ones. The Male British Golden Retrievers stand anywhere between 22 inches to 24 inches while the female stands between 20 and 22 inches. The eyes of the British Golden Retrievers are round and dark. The American ones have a triangular-shaped eye. The British Golden Retrievers come in Gold to Cream in Colour. You may not find any red or mahogany coloured breeds.
The interesting fact is, the Cream-coloured British Golden Retrievers were not accepted earlier. In the year 1936, it was officially accepted. What is surprising is, the originally unacceptable colour called cream was the actual colour of the Golden retrievers when it was bred first. In the year 1936, when the colour was included in the accepted standards, the mistake of not including the colour was also accepted. The British Kennel Club standards are accepted all over the world except for the US and Canada.
American
The American Type is longer, lankier and not as muscular as the British. Their lengths also vary because of the dimension differences. The American type male Golden Retriever shall stand between 23 and 24 inches while the female stand between 21.5 inches to 22.5 inches. The coat of the breed is a lot thicker compared to the British counterparts. Also, the colour of the coat varies from lustrous gold to light colours too.
The American Breed is exactly made to be in proportion with the American Kennel Club standards. When the dog trots, they have well-coordinated gaits. At the same time, when it runs it has a perfect balance too. The head, skull and body type is structured exactly to match the standards of AKC. Also, the breeders have the habit of importing the British Golden Retrievers to retain their temperament.
Canadian
This breed is taller than the other two types. They have a darker coat but are thinner compared to the British as well as American breeds. The male dog stands between 23 to 24 inches while the female dog stands between 21.5 inches to 22.5 inches. The Canadian Golden Retriever dogs can weigh up to 34 kilograms, whereas the female dogs up to 32 kilograms.
Coat and Colour
The coat of the Golden Retriever differs from breed to breed. There are different colours in Golden Retrievers. The ones that we were discussing is mostly on the Golden as well as cream colour. There are wide ranges of colours from Cream to Red or Mahogany too. Moreover, their coat thickness also differs from colour to colour. At the same time, their shedding is always normal throughout the year irrespective of the colour they have.
The cream coloured Retrievers have a thin coat and does not shed as much as the others do. They resemble the Labrador a lot. The red or mahogany coloured Retrievers have medium to thick fur but mostly straight. The standard Golden coloured retrievers have a thick coat and they look lustrous too.
The American Kennel Club does not recognize a few coloured Retrievers. The cream and the red coloured ones are not officially accepted. At the same time, the other colours like the standard gold and the dark gold colours are allowed to participate in the AKC shows.
The temperament of the Golden Retrievers
It is well known that the Golden Retrievers have an amazing temperament. They are known for their friendliness, kind attitude and confidence. Moreover, they are playful and obedient too. Though the emergence of Retrievers happened for hunting purposes, they make amazing family pets. They are poor guard dogs because they get equally friendly with people as they do with the known people. The AKC rule suggests that the Golden retriever cannot qualify if they are found aggressive for no reason. At the same time, they cannot be timid too. The trait of being confident is already inherited from the Irish setters and this is transcending to all the breeds of Golden Retrievers. They are naturally intelligent too. They possess exceptional patience and display unconditional love all the time.
Golden retrievers stand 4th in the world’s intelligent dogs. On the other hand, they are ranked the best as the best obedient dog. They have amazing levels of patience and can sit quietly for hours in a place. They are capable of executing a task and can do till they get exhausted. They are compatible with other dogs too. And yes, they get along with cats as well.
The lifespan of Golden Retrievers
It is always suggested to take the Golden Retrievers to the Veterinarian for regular check-ups. They are susceptible to a few health issues too. The dog must be taken care of wisely. The average life span of the dog is around 11 to 12 years.
The breed is named for inherited genetic disorders. The common sickness is Hip dysplasia. It is always recommended to check the pup for any possible hip disease and then buy it. The retrievers love to eat, that means to say they are prone to obesity. It is also suggested to feed according to their age. Puppies can eat up to 3 cups a day while the adult up to 5 cups.
Health Problems
There are a few catastrophic sicknesses that you may come across in Golden Retrievers. And there are a few common sicknesses too. Cancer is one catastrophic disease that kills the breed. In the year 1998, 61.4% of the dogs died due to cancer. This has reduced in the year 2004 but still with a staggering number of 38.8%.
The pups are named for hip dysplasia and elbow dysplasia. One-fifth of dogs suffer from this. These breeds can have problems with the eyes too. They may have a problem with cataract. A few sicknesses are
- Progressive Retinal Atrophy
- Glaucoma
- Distichiasis
- Entropion
- Corneal Dystrophy
- Retinal Dysplasia
The Golden retrievers are prone to heart diseases too. They can also undergo ligament rupture over time. You must also take care of their fur. They may form knots and create discomfort in the dogs. It shall be painful too. You must groom them properly so that you can avoid such discomfort. Last but not the least, they are prone to skin allergies.
Regular Grooming is required
You must take care of such breeds with utmost care. Though they only require occasional baths, the grooming must happen regularly. Combing their hair, cleaning their ears must be on priority. They shed normally during the year. If the ears are properly taken care, they may aggravate to a skin infection. Of course, you can avoid too much shedding by grooming it from daily to weekly.
Regular Activities and Exercises
Golden Retrievers are obedient and can be trained for your needs. Additionally, they can swim. It can be trained for dock jumping too. Also, it is a retriever type, it can retrieve waterfowls easily if trained well.
They are muscular breeds, they can be trained moderately and offer them exercises that can make it energetic as well. At the same time, overworking can also exhaust them. They are named for executing the tasks with great perfection. They can even guide blind people too. Many trained dogs had saved people from earthquake sites. The life-saving activities can be easily trained and they shall execute it to perfection.
Few Important Facts on Golden Retrievers
- The Golden Retriever is a crossbreed. It came from the Tweed Water Spaniel which is extinct now.
- Golden Retrievers can tolerate pain and also injuries. This is why they make good life saviours.
- The colour of the coat becomes darker as they age.
- The colour of the pup can be easily identified by seeing the adult’s colour of the tips of the ears.
- They are known for sniffing. They have amazing scenting ability than most of the dog breeds in the world.
- They are incredible swimmers. That’s one of the reasons why they are made as life-saving dogs
- A golden retriever may coast you up to $13000 over the life if he lives for 10 years
- Golden Retrievers have two fur coats. One in the inner and the other outer. The inner coat is for providing warmth and the outer is completely waterproof.
Golden Retriever Nutrients Filled Food
You must watch out for this column carefully as the Golden retriever shall live for a quite a long time with you. Feeding them appropriately does not cause any discomfort. Offer the dog nutrient-filled food that shall make the dog live healthily. Moreover, the digestive capacity of the dogs varies with age.
Always provide food that has high Vitamin C and E content in it. This provides anti-oxidant properties. This shall help the dog develop the immune system and protect itself from harmful effects.
For you to maintain the skin and coat in proper order then please feed them with nutrients like iron, manganese, copper and zinc. The food content with such nutrients shall improve the metabolism of the dogs. This shall help maintain their skin and coat in perfect form. Moreover, you can avoid any sort of skin infection as you do this.
Golden retrievers are real golden in their character and their form. An excellent breed with top-class qualities is what we always look for. What was made as a gun dog is serving people to be a very good companion. The procedure to take care of them is simple. You must groom them regularly and take them to the vet at regular intervals. All the best!!!
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