Golden Retrievers Make Great Pets

The Golden Retriever is a wonderful dog for a family to own. It has terrific qualities, like being people-friendly, having a great sense of smell (leading to its being used as a narcotics-sniffing dog for law enforcement), hunting ability, confidence and a strong sense of loyalty. They became a breed as a mix of several sporting breeds plus some bloodhound.

Originally, a Scotsman named Sir Dudley Majoribanks experimented by crossing a Retriever that had a wavy coat with a Tweed Water Spaniel that was yellow. The offspring from them were then crossed with an Irish Setter and a Bloodhound that was sandy-colored. The result from this mixing was the Golden Retriever, as we know it today. The breed was officially recognized in Great Britain in 1913. It is now one of the most popular breeds of dog around the world. Families enjoy their good qualities, and they are also used in many other ways because of their tracking ability and great sense of smell.
Golden Retrievers are best if they have a mid-gold coloring and haven’t got any white patches on their fur. They love to be around people. In fact, in order to be happy and not get into mischief, Golden Retrievers need a lot of exercise and human attention.

All that energy can be guided, thankfully, through obedience training, particularly while they are young. Golden Retrievers can be trained to be good watchdogs, barking to signify that a stranger is near. They love to swim, and can be trained to hunt, track, and find narcotics, so they are often used by law enforcement for those purposes. They are also used as rescue dogs. Being highly trainable and sociable dogs, many are trained to be guide dogs. They are also fun to have as a family pet, because they love to please their owners and can do that by being obedient to their training and by performing tricks.
Golden Retrievers can make excellent family pets, as long as certain things are kept in mind. First of all, they need to be obedience trained, starting as a puppy. This is important so that they learn what is acceptable behavior and what isn’t, such as jumping up onto furniture and people, and coming when called. It is much easier to teach them the right behavior from the beginning than to get them to unlearn a bad habit. The owner also needs to remember that their dog will need plenty of exercise. Without exercise, the dog is likely to be bored and will be more destructive, digging holes or hurting furniture. The dog will also need attention from its humans, as it is a highly social animal and is eager to please. Be sure your dog knows you love it, and give it plenty of positive attention when it does behavior you like.

The Golden Retriever is a great family dog, though its natural abilities also lend them to use in law enforcement and as guide dogs for the disabled. They are good at swimming, hunting, tracking, rescue and they are easily trained and love to be with people and other dogs. Anyone seeking Golden Retriever information can find that in this article.

All About The Personalities Of Golden Retrievers

Best selling author Lisa Scottoline has four Golden Retrievers and one Welsh Corgi. She writes about them like this, "When you have a house full of Goldens, you think to yourself, You know, we need a dog". And which dog causes all the trouble in her home? The Corgi. Which dog literally ate part of her finger? The Corgi. Which dog is on doggy Prozac? The Corgi.

This shows the big contrast between Golden Retriever temperaments and the temperaments of most other dog breeds. Although every dog is an individual, for the most part Golden Retrievers are calm, trainable and submissive. However, they need proper nutrition, grooming and exercise to get this good-natured and stay this good-natured. Golden Retrievers aren't the perfect dogs, but for many they are worth their weight in gold for their personalities. If you are ever saddled with a Golden Retriever, you could do a lot worse.
There are some negatives to living with Golden Retrievers that you should prepare yourself for. These will be mild for some people and calamities for others. Golden Retrievers need daily grooming, or they get matted. They shed more than other breeds. It has been said they have more of a doggy odor than other breeds. They also were bred to be Retrievers (hence the name), which means they have a compulsion to pick things up in their mouths and carry them to your home. This can mean they find a big dead rat and carry in into your living room, fully expecting to be showered with praise.

Golden Retrievers, because of their popularity, have been victims of their own success. Some unscrupulous breeders more concerned about how many puppies they can sell as opposed to how healthy the puppies are have over bred them. There is an effort of Golden Retriever breeders to try and reverse health problems that can be passed on through genes. Just to be on the safe side, expect your Golden Retriever to have skin problems, hip dysplasia, eye problems and heart problems.
You can also help sweeten a Golden Retriever's naturally sweet disposition by getting your dog spayed or neutered. This helps reduce your dog's chances of getting in fights, wandering off to find a mate or getting cancers of the reproductive organs. Golden Retrievers also become more interested in paying attention to you instead of their hormones. Still, even a mature Golden Retriever usually does not make a good guard dog, as they want to make friends with everyone.

You also cannot skimp on regular veterinary care. Golden Retrievers are prone to eye diseases, although they can adjust well to being blind. They are also prone to hip dysplasia, but that can be partially prevented and often successfully treated. Golden Retrievers tend to even like their vets and do not stress out as much as other breeds at the thought of going to the vet's or a groomer. They also are very good about taking pills, because they love food. Just slip the pill in food.


Carol Matthews has interviewed many owners, vets and trainers about Golden Retrievers. A Golden Retriever also like to serve as a seeing eye dog or rescue dog. You can find lots of Golden Retriever information on the AKC website.

A Few Historical Facts About The Golden Retriever

The Golden Retriever, a truly intelligent dog among all other breeds, is popular for its all-embracing services in the domains of field trials, obedience, hunting and providing true guidance and services to blind people. In the beginning of the 1800's, people from old England and Scotland considered hunting as their game of interest at one hand, and a mode for collecting food on the other. The talent of the Golden Retriever was first noticed in the domain of hunting, since these dogs are of medium size and have the flexibility to scroll through fowling lands, including upland gaming zone and waterfowl.

Lord Tweedmouth at Guisachan Estate in Scotland first recorded the breeding of the Golden Retriever officially. In the year 1952, the great nephew of Lord Tweedmouth published all the records to the public for the first time. In the middle of 19th century, Lord Tweedmouth bought his golden puppy, called Nous. The breeding location was his estate, where Lord Tweedmouth tried to breed the Golden Retrievers with desired characteristics and temperament.
Tweed Water Spaniels were exclusively used for the purpose of hunting in the early years. It was mainly because these dogs have a true sense of intelligence, bravery and liveliness. The early breeding of the Golden Retriever was largely dependent on the contribution of Tweed Water Spaniels. Breeding between Nous and Belle, a female Tweed Water Spaniel, was held in the estate and they produced four golden puppies. However, the breeding of modern the Golden Retriever is highly influenced by Irish setter, Bloodhound and Tweed Water Spaniel.

The popularity of the Golden Retriever increased significantly during the last decades of 19th century. The Golden Retriever officially appeared to the public for the first time in 1908 at Crystal Palace, England. In the year 1913, the Golden Retriever Club in England was established and with this establishment a separate recognition for this breed was marked. It was 1920 when the Golden Retriever reached to North America and loved by many people.
In the year 1925, American Kennel Club (AKC) gave the breed recognition to the Golden Retriever. The time between the 1930's and 1940's is identified as the most flourishing years of the popularity of the Golden Retriever. This dog is so obedient that it won the Obedience Champ Title from the AKC in 1977, where it competed with other breeds as well. While in the early years of breeding, the efficiency of this truly intelligent dog was only limited to its hunting ability, but later on the Golden Retriever was recognized for its versatile characteristics.

In the initial days, the dark shade of the coats of the Golden Retriever was predominantly preferred by people, however, the preference has changed dramatically in due course of time. Following the years of first breeding, the popularity of this breed has never failed and today this dog has obtained the utmost popularity as a truly intelligent, obedient and courageous dog throughout the world.


The Golden Retriever has gained a worldwide popularity due to its excellence in obedience, outstanding working ability and rich golden hairs. If you would like to get Golden Retriever information, this article will provide it for you.