Golden Retriever
History and origin: The Golden Retriever was developed in mid 19th century England. It is believed that Water Spaniel, Newfoundland, and Irish Setter bloodlines were used to arrive at the present day breed.
Description: The Golden Retriever stands approximately 22 to 24.5 inches at the shoulder and weighs between 55 and 80 pounds. He has a strong, robust, athletic body. His reddish to blond shedding coat is of medium length and requires regular brushing at least every other day. The color ranges from red to tan to light blond.
About the breed: This breed is considered to be the ideal dog for the whole family. He is endearing, playful, trustworthy, and eager to please. Golden Retrievers are used as hunters, as competition obedience dogs, as guide and service dogs, as search-and-rescue dogs, and as film and tv stars. Their popularity comes from their intelligence and their great devotion to humans. Golden Retrievers are athletic dogs and need at least an hour of exercise everyday. They make excellent family pets and love the endless attention from children. They love to retrieve and will enjoy carrying a newspaper home. Golden Retrievers are also quite accepting of strangers, quickly warming up to anyone or any dog. Because of this, they do not always make good guard dogs, because they will rather lick a trespasser to death. Because of their happy and sociable nature, they are not the most loyal dogs and will wander off with anyone. Get a Golden Retriever bred for show and not for field work, unless you intend to hunt with the dog on a regular basis. A field-bred dog will be filled with nervous energy. A Golden Retriever can be overly playful and will constantly desire your attention and love. This can be annoying for an owner who wants his own space. Obedience training is crucial for this breed. His goofy, playful mind-set can get annoying after a while, so it is important to teach him to think instead of just react. Some Golden Retrievers can be aggressive, most of them with the reddish coat. This is an unpredictable type of aggression that appears to be hereditary rather than learned. Once he becomes aggressive, it is nearly impossible to turn the dog around. Some of these aggressive dogs have a hypoactive thyroid condition, which may be a contributing factor. This problem is due to inconsistent, careless breeding. Get a Golden Retriever from a responsible breeder who breeds for temperament first, and make sure you see the parents and the rest of the litter.
Feeding: Recommended feeding for this breed is 1 ½ – 2 ½ cans (13.3oz) of high-quality meaty product with biscuit added in equal parts or 5 cupfuls of a complete dry dog food.
Ideal home: A house with a fenced yard works best with this breed. Goldens are active dogs that do not do well in an apartment. They get along very well with children, and are normally friendly to everyone. However, they can be pushy with their affection, so the owner of a Golden must start obedience training early on and must not spoil the dog. Because of their happy nature and sound temperament, Golden Retrievers are not the best guard dogs.
