Golden Retriever

Description:

The Golden Retriever is a symmetrical, powerfully active dog, and a well built hunter. They are known for displaying a kindly, compassionate expression. Golden Retrievers posses a personality that is eager, alert and self-confident. Primarily a hunting dog, he works well in difficult conditions. medium-sized dog possessing exceptional athleticism and balance. Their well-built frame enables them to have the stamina and ability to hunt waterfowl and/or upland game for long periods of time. The most distinguishing characteristics of the Golden Retriever is its thick, soft, luxurious, water-resistant coat. An important aspect of the Golden Retriever is its above average intelligence. The Golden Retriever is easily trained and make great companions because they have a mild, gentle temperament.

Consistently ranked as the most popular breed of dog, the Golden Retriever personifies everything we love about dogs-loyal, loving, patient, great with children and eager to please. With such great intelligence, it’s no wonder that Golden Retrievers excel in obedience competitions and at performing tricks. It should be no surprise that the Golden ranks highly on list of top 10 most affectionate dogs.

Intelligent:

Golden Retrievers are exceptionally intelligence, and can learn up to roughly 240 commands, words and phrases. The Golden Retriever ranks 4th in Stanley Coren's The Intelligence of Dogs, being one the the brightest dogs ranked by obedience command trainability. These dogs are also renowned for their patience with children.They are considered by many to be one of the most intelligent bird dog breeds. In fact, they are often used as seeing-eye dogs. Since they are so intelligent, they are easily trained, and very obedient. Once trained, they will work diligently for you. They make exceptional family dogs and fantastic gundogs.

Temperament:

Golden Retrievers are calm, well mannered, and extremely affectionate. They are easy to train as well, very intelligent, and great for those who need a companion. Golden's are also loyal to their owners, lovable, and great with children of all ages. They also make great watchdogs as well, as they will bark loud and let you know when a stranger is near. This mixture of intelligence and loyalty mark them as a natural choice for families. This is a devoted breed, one that will do everything they can to please.

Other characteristics related to their hunting heritage are a size suited for scrambling in and out of boats and an inordinate love for water. Golden Retrievers are exceptionally trainable—due to their intelligence, athleticism and desire to please their handlers—and generally excel in obedience trials. In fact, the first AKC Obedience Trial Champion was a Golden Retriever. They are also very competitive in agility and other performance events. Harsh training methods are unnecessary as Golden Retrievers often respond very well to positive and upbeat training styles.

Golden Retrievers are compatible with children and adults and are good with other dogs, cats and most livestock. Golden Retrievers are particularly valued for their high level of sociability towards people, calmness, and willingness to learn. Because of this, they are commonly used as guide dogs, mobility assistance dogs, and search and rescue dogs. They are friendly and tend to learn tricks easily.

Coat and color:

The coat should be dense and waterproof, and may be straight or moderately wavy. It should not be silky, hard, or wooly. It must lie flat against the body. The 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 goldens with brown or pink noses, though these are very rare. The Golden's coat can also be what people call a 'mahogany' color, or what people see as 'redheads' in people. As a golden grows older their coats can become darker shades or lighter tints of brown, along with or excluding a noticeable whitening of the fur on and around the face.

Size:

Golden Retrievers reach their full height around one year of age and full weight around age two, though many owners comment that their dogs retain their puppyish nature for life. They are 56 - 61 cm (22-24 ins) at the withers for males, and 51 - 56 cm (20-22 ins) for females.They weigh 29 - 34 kg (65-75 lb) for males, and 27-32 kg (60-70 lb) for females.

Here are a few more interesting facts about golden retrievers:

- Golden retrievers mouths are very soft, which allows them to retrieve a lot of different things, including living things, undamaged or unharmed.
- Golden retrievers have an instinctive love for water, which is quite different from other dogs. This can make bathing them a little bit easier and also allows them to help hunt game near bodies of water.
- Golden retrievers were bred specifically with human companionship in mind. A golden retriever that has been deprived of a human companion will typically become stressed and hyperactive. (Having a companion dog to be with can alleviate this to some degree, but they still need lots of human interaction.)

Other Interesting Facts About Golden Retrievers.

- Gerald Ford, the 38th president of the United States of America, owned a golden retriever named Liberty.
- Clark Kent's pet dog Krypto in the TV show Smallville is a golden retriever.
- Golden retrievers need lots of exercise. They are very energetic and active and would eventually get sick if not given enough daily exercise. They love to play "catch." One of our favorite games to play is chasing after tennis balls.
- Golden retrievers have a much higher pain tolerance than many other dogs, which makes them ideal for more dangerous roles such as police dog and hunting helpers.
- While instinctively fond of water, golden retrievers can still be a challenge to bathe because their coats are very dense and water repellent.

If you are considering a family pet, I highly recommend a golden retriever. They will quickly become your best friend and life-long companion.