Dog Breeds: Golden Retriever

The Golden Retriever is one of the most popular dog breeds in America. It has been proven one of the best family dogs, and dogs of incredible athletic ability. Golden Retrievers are rated as one of the "least barking dogs" there is, and as an added bonus their breath doesn't stink when they do bark.

The Golden Retriever is a relatively new breed, having originated only about 100-120 years ago. The breed was originally a mixture of Tweed Water Spaniel and Yellow Retriever, bred by Lord Tweedmouth in the late 1800s in the Scottish Highlands. The idea was to create a breed suited to the scottish environment and retrieving the local game. The Golden Retriever we know today is a mix of the original breed, more Tweed Water Spaniel, Irish Setter, and Bloodhound as a result of advances in long-range hunting rifles. The Golden Retriever was recognized by The Kennel Club of England as "Flat Coats - Golden" in 1903. The breed was then officially recognized as the Golden Retriever in 1925.

There are three major types of Golden Retriever with very subtle differences:

The American Golden Retriever:

• A little thinner than their counterparts and not as large in build.
• Their coat is dense.
• Their fur comes in many shades of gold and even red to mahogany sometimes.

The British Golden Retriever:

• Their fur comes in shades from cream to gold.
• They usually have better temperament and health.

The Canadian Golden Retriever:

• Similar to the American type in size and build.
• Their coats are thinner.
• Their coats are normally darker in color.

This breed is a medium-large sized dog standing on average 20-24 inches tall and weighing 55-80 pounds. Goldens have what is known as a "soft-mouth" which is actually so soft that they can pick up several eggs with their mouth and not even scratch them. Their feet are webbed to assist with swimming, for they were bred to retrieve birds from water. The coat is water-resistant and either straight or slightly wavy. The coat comes in many shades of gold, from pale to dark. Some Golden Retrievers even look as though they have red hair.

The golden retriever is normally:

• Friendly
• Kind
• Trustworthy
• Confident
• Playful

It is not in the nature of the Golden Retriever to be aggresive or hostile, making them some of the best family dogs around. They have an overwhelming need to please their owners and this makes them very good competition dogs. In addition, Golden Retrievers are very easy to train. Although, one must take into account the fact that breed is merely a piece of the puzzle when it comes to behavior. Many factors go into the personality and temperament of a dog.

Goldens were bred to be the best possible swimmers they can be, and they were bred to be agile and quick. For this reason Golden Retrievers are excellent at: swimming, running, agiliy competition, tricks, catch, and various other activities. This combination of abilities allows them to excel at dock jumping competitions.

It should be noted that Goldens need plenty of physical exercise, up to 1 hour per day. They can run around all day without getting tired, and this makes them great with kids or active adults.

The average Golden lives for 10-12 years, and would live longer on average if not for multiple genetic disorders and illness. Here are some common health problems for Goldens:

• According to a 2004 survey by the UK Kennel Club, the cause of death for 38.8% of Golden Retrievers is cancer.
• Hip and Elbow dysplasia is quite common, afflicting every 1 in 5 dogs at some point in their life.
• Eye, heart, joint, and skin diseases afflict Goldens about as commonly as other breeds.
• Some dogs are afflicted by Haemophilia.