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Golden Retriever

Appearance: The Golden Retriever should be athletic, well balanced, and symmetrical. Its appearance should reflect its merry and outgoing temperament, and it should never look sulky or aggressive. This large breed is similar in appearance to the yellow Labrador Retriever , especially when young. The most obvious difference is the Golden Retriever's luxuriant coat, which is usually goldish yellow. The outercoat is dense and waterproof, and may be straight or moderately wavy, sometimes flat. It should not be silky, hard, or wooly, but the shine must be present. It must lie flat against the body. Feathering is heavy on the front of the neck, back of the tighs, and underside of the tail. Feathering is moderate on the back of the front legs and the underbody. The American Kennel Club (AKC) standard states that the coat is a "rich, lustrous golden of various shades", disallowing coats that are extremely light or extremely dark. This leaves the outer ranges of coat color up to a judge's discretion when competing in conformation shows. Judges may also disallow Golden Retrievers with brown or pink noses, though these are very rare. The Golden's coat can also be a 'mahogany' color, referred to as 'redheads' in people. As a Golden grows older, its coat can become darker or lighter tints of brown, along with a noticeable whitening of the fur on and around the face. Golden Retrievers reach their full height around one year of age and full weight around age two, though they may retain their puppyish nature for life. The weight and sizes standards determine whether dogs can compete in sanctioned dog shows; individual Golden Retrievers may be larger or smaller, but may not compete. Today's Golden Retrievers fall into two groups: show dogs and field dogs. The Goldens in the show group are generally bigger-boned, longer, and heavier. The champagne color and long flowing coat are highly prized in the show ring. On the other hand, field Golden Retrievers tend to be smaller, longer legged, and be a more reddish shade. These two strains derive from champion Golden Retrievers from the 1960s. Gold Rush Charlie moved the show Goldens toward their present characteristics, while Holway Barty greatly affected the field group. Contemporary breeders attempt to unite these two strains into the all-purpose Golden Retriever.

History: The Golden Retriever breed was originally developed in Scotland, at "Guisachan", near Glen Affric, the highland estate of Sir Dudley Majoribanks (pronounced "Marchbanks"), later Lord Tweedmouth. For many years, there was controversy over which breeds were originally crossed. In 1952, the publication of Majoribanks' breeding records from 1835 to 1890 removed doubt about a romantic story concerning the purchase of a whole troupe of Russian sheepdogs from a visiting circus. The original cross was of a yellow-coloured dog, Nous , with a Tweed Water Spaniel female dog, Belle . The Tweed Water Spaniel is now extinct but was then common in the border country. Majoribanks had purchased Nous in 1865 from an unregistered litter of otherwise black wavy-coated retriever pups. In 1868, this, cross produced a litter that included four bitch pups; these four became the basis of a breeding program which included the Red Setter , the sandy-coloured Bloodhound , the St. John's Water Dog of Newfoundland, the Springer Spaniel , and two more wavy-coated black Retrievers. The bloodline was also inbred and selected for trueness to Majoribanks' idea of the ultimate hunting dog. His vision included a more vigorous and powerful dog than previous retrievers, that would still be gentle and trainable. Russian sheepdogs are not mentioned in these records, nor are any other working dog breeds. The ancestry of the Golden Retriever is all sporting dogs, in line with Majoribanks' goals. The advent of the breech-loading shotgun enabled hunters to down enormous quantities of ducks and they needed large-bodied dog to both locate and retrieve game. The Hon. Archie Majoribanks took a Golden Retriever to Canada in 1881, and registered Lady with the American Kennel Club (AKC) in 1894. These are the first records of the breed in these two countries. The breed was first registered in Canada in 1927, and the Golden Retriever Club of Ontario, now the Golden Retriever Club of Canada, was formed in 1958. The AKC recognized the breed in 1932, and in 1938 the Golden Retriever Club of America was formed. Golden Retrievers were first accepted for registration by the The Kennel Club of England in 1903, as Flat Coats - Golden. They were first exhibited in 1908, and in 1911 were recognised as a breed described as Retriever (Golden and Yellow) . In 1913, the Golden Retriever Club was founded. The breed name was officially changed to Golden Retriever in 1920.

Temperament: Typically, Golden Retrievers are fairly unruly as puppies. However, once they reach maturity, Golden Retrievers remain active and fun-loving while developing an exceptionally patient demeanor, as befits a dog bred to sit quietly for hours in hunting blind. Other characteristics related to their hunting heritage are a size suited for scrambling in and out of boats and an inordinate love for cool water. They are noted for their affection for people, and their tolerance of children. There are few breed as gentle, affectionate, playful eager to please and devoted to their owner as Golden Retrievers. They are natural clowns, which characterizes them as great therapy dogs to use in hospitals or retirement homes. Most Golden Retrievers require lots of companionship to be happy, which can be annoying sometimes, but they compensate that for being sweet dogs and ideal playmates for children Due to their intelligence, they do well in obedience trials and make excellent assistance dogs. While they might not do quite as well in field trials as Labrador Retrievers , they are excellent hunters, known for outstanding scenting ability. However, many Golden Retrievers will not express their desire to "fetch" until adulthood. The Golden Retriever loves to retrieve. Retrieving a thrown stick, tennis ball, or flying disc can keep a Golden occupied and entertained for hours, particularly if there is also water involved. If Golden Retriever lives in the house it is recommendable to have fenced yard, as they tend to wander of following their noses. They are poor guard dog.

Health issues: Goldens shed a lot and they need to be brushed and combed often. At least two or three times a week. Their exercise need is covered with everyday brisk walks and playing with other dogs. Breeding Goldens can be profitable for puppy mills and backyard breeders; as a result of careless breeding for profit, Goldens are prone to genetic and other diseases. Hip dysplasia is very common in the breed; when buying a puppy its parents should have been examined by the OFA or PennHIP for hip disease. Common diseases in the breed include: Cancer, the most common being hemangiosarcoma, followed by, lymphosarcoma, mastocytoma, and osteosarcoma. Cancer was the cause of death for 61.8% of Goldens in a 1998 health study conducted by the Golden Retriever Club of America, making it the breed's most deadly disease. Hip and elbow dysplasia. Eye diseases, including cataracts (the most common eye disease in Goldens), progressive retinal atrophy, glaucoma, distichiasis, entropion, and retinal dysplasia. Heart diseases, especially subvalvular aortic stenosis and cardiomyopathy are major problems in this breed. Joint diseases, including patella luxation, osteochondritis, panosteitis, and cruciate ligament rupture. Skin diseases, with allergies (often leading to acute moist dermatitis or "Hot Spots"), particularly flea allergies, being most common. Others include seborrhea, sebaceous adenitis, and lick granuloma. Autoimmune hemolytic anemia, Bloat, Cushing's Disease, Diabetes (occasionally), Ear Infections, Epilepsy, Hypothyroidism, Laryngeal paralysis, Liver shunt, Megaesophagus, Myasthenia gravis, von Willebrand Disease, Haemophilia