Golden Retriever

• Height:

  Male: 22-24in

  Female: 20-22in

• Weight:

  Male: 65-75lb

  Female: 55-71lb

• Lifespan: 10-12 years

  
  

The Golden Retriever was developed in the early 19th century as an ideal hunting companion, able to retrieve birds on both land and water in the marshy Scottish countryside. As a exuberant Scottish gundog of great beauty, it stands among America’s most popular dog breeds. They are serious workers at hunting and field work, as guides for the blind, and in search-and-rescue, enjoy obedience and other competitive events, and have an endearing love of life when not at work. Their friendliness and intelligence make them both a popular family pet and an excellent working dog for roles such as a service dog, therapy dog, or for search and rescue.

The third most popular breed in the US, the American and Canadian Goldens are generally lankier and darker than their British counterparts. Their wavy, feathered topcoat is water-resistant, their undercoat helps them with thermoregulation, and both coats have a tendency for heavy seasonal shedding. Goldens need a lot of exercise, so they do well in an active home (especially if it’s near a body of water for them to take a dip in).

The Golden Retriever is a sturdy, muscular dog of medium size, famous for the dense, lustrous coat of gold that gives the breed its name. The broad head, with its friendly and intelligent eyes, short ears, and straight muzzle, is a breed hallmark. In motion, Goldens move with a smooth, powerful gait, and the feathery tail is carried, as breed fanciers say, with a “merry action.”

In 2013, the 100th anniversary of Britain’s Golden Retriever Club, Goldens from around the world made the pilgrimage to the breed’s birthplace in Scotland, where 222 of them posed in a single record-breaking photo. At the same time, the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study was getting started in the United States, recruiting 3,000 Golden Retrievers for a study aimed at understanding how genetics, lifestyle, and environment influences healthy aging and cancer risk in Goldens.

The Golden Retriever has a wonderful golden coat, which is how they earned the first part of their name. According to the AKC, the Golden Retriever’s broad head, with its friendly and intelligent eyes, short ears, and straight muzzle, are hallmarks of the breed. Intact Golden Retrievers are usually 22–24 inches and weigh anywhere between 65 and 75 pounds once full grown. Female Golden Retrievers are slightly smaller at 21-22 inches and 55 to 65 pounds.

HISTORY

The most complete records of the development of the Golden Retriever are included in the record books that were kept from 1835 until about 1890 by the gamekeepers at the Guisachan (pronounced Gooeesicun) estate of Lord Tweedmouth at Inverness-Shire, Scotland. These records were released to public notice in Country Life in 1952, when Lord Tweedmouth’s great-nephew, the sixth Earl of Ilchester, historian and sportsman, published material that had been left by his ancestor. They provided factual confirmation to the stories that had been handed down through generations.

Goldens are outgoing, trustworthy, and eager-to-please family dogs, and relatively easy to train. They take a joyous and playful approach to life and maintain this puppyish behavior into adulthood. These energetic, powerful gundogs enjoy outdoor play. For a breed built to retrieve waterfowl for hours on end, swimming and fetching are natural pastimes.

The most important name in the early history of the Golden Retriever is Dudley Marjoribanks, the first Lord Tweedmouth, who developed the breed in the Scottish Highlands during the reign of Victoria. For the 50 years between 1840 and 1890, Tweedmouth kept scrupulous records of breedings effected to create an ideal gundog for use at his Guisachan estate in the Highlands, Inverness-shire, Scotland. Tweedmouth wanted a dog suited to the rainy climate and rugged terrain of the area, so he crossed his “Yellow Retriever” with a breed that is now extinct, the Tweed Water Spaniel. Irish Setter and Bloodhound were also added to the mix.

“Through several generations of clever breeding,” an admiring historian wrote, “Tweedmouth created a consistent line of exceptional working retrievers.” With a little more refinement after Tweedmouth’s time, the Golden Retriever came forth as an enduring gift to dogkind from a hunt-happy aristocrat.

The Golden was first seen at a British dog show in 1908, and good specimens of the breed began arriving in America, by way of Canada, at about the same time. Sport hunters appreciated the breed’s utility, show fanciers were enthralled by their beauty and dash, and all were impressed by the Golden’s sweet, sensible temperament.

The Golden Retriever was admired from the beginning of its history in America, but the breed’s popularity really took off in the 1970s, the era of President Gerald Ford and his beautiful Golden named Liberty.

A Stokeshire, we are working with strong Golden Retriever Pedigrees to develop our Goldendoodles to not only be great family companions, but Therapy and Service animals for facilities, schools, and homes. We want to incorporate bloodlines from each of the three distinct breeds to increase diversity and lower COIs - The degree of inbreeding can be measured using a calculation called the coefficient of inbreeding (CoI), or inbreeding coefficient. This calculates the probability that two copies of a gene variant have been inherited from an ancestor common to both the mother and the father.

Types of Golden Retrievers

British

The Golden Retriever was first bred in Scotland. British-type golden retrievers are more muscular than North American varieties, with thick coats and heavier weights

British-type Golden Retrievers are prevalent throughout Europe and Australia.The skull is broader and the forequarters are more muscular than in other types. The muzzle is balanced and well chiseled. The coat is generally lighter in color than in the American types. Males stand between 22 to 24 in (56 to 61 cm) at the withers; females are between 20 to 22 in (51 to 56 cm). Acceptable or expected weights are not specified in the UK standard, but the Kennel Club standard calls for a level topline and straight hindquarters without the slight rear angulation found in American lines.

The eyes are round and dark, which is in contrast to the triangular or slanted composition of their American counterparts. British Golden Retrievers can have a coat color of any shade of gold or cream; red or mahogany are not permitted. Originally, cream was an unacceptable color in the UK standard, but the standard was revised in 1936 to include cream. At the time of this revision, the exclusion of cream as a color was agreed to as a mistake, as the original "yellow" retrievers of the 19th century were actually lighter in color than was permitted by the standards used before 1936. As with American lines, white is an unacceptable color in the show ring. The British Kennel Club standard is used in all countries except the US and Canada. Golden retrievers have muscular bodies with great endurance, owing to their origins as hunting and gundogs.

American

American Golden Retriever

American types are lankier and less muscular than other types, males stand between 23 and 24 in (58 and 61 cm) in height at the withers; females are 21.5 to 22.5 in (55 to 57 cm) tall. Their coats are darker in color and occur in various shades of lustrous gold with moderate feathering. When trotting, they have a free, smooth, powerful, and well-coordinated gait; as the dog runs, its feet converge towards the center of the line of balance. The American standard also makes requirements about the proportion, substance, head and skull, neck, body, topline, forequarters, and hindquarters; in these respects, the American-type Retriever is the same as Golden Retrievers that conform to other national standards. American breeders of Golden Retrievers sometimes import their dogs from Britain to take advantage of the temperament and appearance of the British types.

Canadian

Canadian Golden Retriever

The Canadian Golden Retriever has a thinner and darker coat and stands taller than other types. Males stand 23 and 24 in (58 and 61 cm) in height at withers; and females 21.5 to 22.5 in (55 to 57 cm). Weight for males is between 29–34 kg (65-75 lb); and females between 27–32 kg (60-70 lb).[18]

Source: 1, 2, 3