Golden Retriever Dog Breed Information, Origin, History, Appearance, Temperament, Health
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The Golden Retriever is a medium to large sized dog breed, which was originally bred to be a retriever both on land and water. This is one of the worlds most popular and recognized dog breed. The Golden Retriever is very friendly, intelligent, affectionate and loyal dog breed. He loves to be with his family members and develops strong bongs with them. Due to its intelligence and calm nature the golden retriever is able to effectively play the roles of therapy and assistance dogs. He is an excellent swimmer and is very good at tracking and retrieving the game in the water.
Origin : Scotland
Avg. Age : 10 to 12 years
Group : Sporting
History :
The Golden retriever was developed in Scotland in the mid 19th century. During those days, the wealthy Scottish elites were very fond of the wildfowl hunting. But they were not happy with the existing retriever breeds due to their incapability to effectively retrieve the game; both form water as well as land. This was necessary because the hunting grounds were having several marshy ponds and rivers. They wanted a dog which could be excellent at retrieving on both land and water, as well as be even tempered and loyal to his master at home.
This lead to the crossing of the best water spaniels with the existing retrievers. The descendant dogs were further bred with the wavy and flat coated retrievers, leading to the development of the Golden Retrievers. They were named so, due to their yellowish golden colour and retrieving abilities.
As the sport of hunting gained its popularity, the Golden retriever also took his share. He was very much appreciated and liked by the hunters for his amazing retrieving abilities as well as his intelligence, even-tempered nature and loyalty towards its owners. In the year 1911 they were officially recognized by the Kennel Club in England as a distinct breed and were given the name – “Golden Retriever” in the year 1920. Today the Golden Retriever is one of the most popular and recognized dog breeds in the world.
Appearance :
The Golden Retriever is a medium to large dog breed with a strong and athletic body and a sturdy appearance. This is a beautiful dog with a dense, shiny and wavy hair coat. The head is broad with slightly pronounces eyebrows. The eyes of the Golden retriever are very kind and soulful. The muzzle is of medium length with strong jaws. The ears hang down the cheek. The neck is of medium length giving a powerful and sturdy appearance. The body is strong and well balanced with a deep chest and a heavily feathered tail. The toes are webbed, which help them to swim effectively. The coat is dense and water repellent. The hair is straight or wavy with feathering on neck, back of thighs and under the tail. This beautiful dog carries the expressions of intelligence, calmness, friendliness, loyalty and self confidence.
Temperament :
The Golden retriever is a calm, friendly, affectionate and confident dog breed. This beautiful dog makes a very good family dog. He is an active and lively dog, who enjoys company of children. The Golden retriever is a job oriented dog, and enjoys performing different tasks. He is very intelligent and learns very quickly, making him easy to train. Due to his intelligence and calm nature the golden retriever is able to effectively play the roles of therapy dog, search and rescue, retriever for hunters and assistance dog.
The Golden Retriever is an active and fun loving dog, making it very important for him to receive sufficient exercise on daily basis. This makes him a poor choice for a watch dog.
This is one of the world’s most popular and recognized breed as a companion dog.
Health :
The Golden Retriever is generally a health breed, but can be affected by some heath issues. Not all Golden Retrievers get affected by some or all of these diseases, but it is good to know about them if you wish to have a Golden Retriever as your companion dog. They are prone to hip and elbow dysplasia, as well as cancer, the most common being hemangiosarcoma. Golden Retrievers can also be affected by some eye diseases like cataracts, Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA), glaucoma,distichiasis, entropion and retinal dysplasia. Other health issues involve subvalvular aortic stenosis, cardiomyopathy, patella luxation, osteochondritis, seborrhoea, Lyme diseases and other skin allergies. The Golden Retriever love to swim in water and their ears can trap moisture in them, which could further lead to ear infection. The ears must be checked and cleaned regularly.
The Golden Retrievers are very fond of food. They are ready to eat at any and every time. An improper diet can dead to obesity, which could further add on to a number of health issues like heart and bone & joint issues. Sufficient exercise must also be provided to keep the dog health and happy.