The Golden retriever’s origins stem back to mid-19th century Scotland, where the breed’s founder Baron Tweedmouth sought a specialist gundog that was able to retrieve birds over longer distances and in more difficult terrain.
The working Golden retriever has a keen desire to work in cover and water; it’s a top performer in field sports, including agility, obedience, and working trials. This breed is well-suited to working as a peg dog, picking up, or wildfowling, and it’s also widely used in service roles.
Golden Retriever: Key Characteristics
Golden retrievers are intelligent, gentle, confident, and highly adaptable - they’re willing to carry out many more tasks in addition to retrieving.
The Golden retriever dog is attractive and athletic, with a broad skull and a beautiful medium-length coat in many shades of gold. Sensitive and slow to mature, the golden retriever doesn’t respond well to harsh handling or training, but it’s an ideal choice for families with children, as this breed gets along well with other people and other dogs.
Owning A Golden Retriever: Pros And Cons
Golden Retriever Pros
- Calm, friendly nature
- A good family dog - good with lots of people, children, and other pets, including cats
- Very playful
Golden Retriever Cons
- Often hungry - needs a lot of food to stay satisfied
- Sheds a lot - twice a year, golden retrievers will shed their coats in full, but they can shed hair on a daily basis
- Needs around one hour of exercise every day
- Needs company - not good at being left alone all day
- May be at risk of eye conditions such as retinal dysplasia, ear infections, and skin problems including ichthyosis
How Much Exercise Does A Golden Retriever Need?
A Golden retriever will need at least 2 hours of exercise per day - this could take the form of walking, running, play time, or training.
Golden retrievers won’t need quite as much as 2 hours of daily exercise while they’re still growing; it’s important to avoid over-exercising this breed before it’s fully mature to reduce the risk of joint problems in the future.
How To Groom A Golden Retriever
Golden retrievers require regular grooming to keep their coats in good condition. These are the main points on how to groom a golden retriever that are important to keep in mind:
- Grooming - these dogs will shed their coat twice a year; it’s important to brush their coat before bathing to help remove any hair that’s being shed. It’s also recommended to use a canine shampoo during bathing
- Ear Care - due to their floppy nature, a golden retriever’s ears can easily become infected, so make sure to check them weekly for any debris, and clean as required
- Oral care - aim to brush your dog’s teeth 3 times a week
- Nail care - trim your pet’s nails every 4-6 weeks to keep them in good condition
Explore more gundog breeds.
FAQs
Golden Retriever: Key Characteristics
What two breeds make a Golden Retriever? ›
The breed was created by Sir Dudley Marjoribanks at his Scottish estate Guisachan in the late nineteenth century. He cross-bred Flat-coated Retrievers with Tweed Water Spaniels, with some further infusions of Red Setter, Labrador Retriever and Bloodhound.
Which Golden Retriever breed is the best? ›
The American Golden is considered the general standard of the breed. While there are similar Canadian and British counterparts, the American is the most popular. The American Golden Retriever has a rich gold coat. The shades of gold can vary slightly but can be neither too light nor too dark.
What is the most common cause of death in Golden Retrievers? ›
Golden Retrievers have a high chance of getting cancer. About 60% of golden retrievers die because of cancer. In the 1970's, their lifespan was between 16 and 17 years old, and now they live until 9 or 10 years old. We recommend taking your Golden to the vet at least twice a year to make sure everything is ok.
How to pick the best Golden Retriever puppy? ›
A Golden Retriever puppy should have bright eyes, a thick lush coat, a black wet nose, and clean ears. A puppy should have several puppy shots and be wormed by the time they are ready to go to their new homes.
What dog is mistaken for a Golden Retriever? ›
The Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever is a medium-sized gundog bred primarily for hunting. It is often referred to as a "toller". It is the smallest of the retrievers, and is often mistaken for a small Golden Retriever. Tollers are intelligent, eager to please, alert, and energetic.
What are the three types of Golden Retrievers? ›
While you might think all Golden Retrievers look very similar, the breed actually has three different colors -- golden, light golden, and dark golden -- as well as three different types -- English, Canadian, and American. There are subtle differences between the types of Goldens, but they all fall under the same breed.
Which is calmer male or female Golden Retriever? ›
Female Pet Breed Overview
Female Golden Retrievers are much calmer than males. Though they are still playful and silly, they are a lot less hyper than the boys.
Are girl or boy Golden Retrievers nicer? ›
Some claim that males are more loving or females are more laid back, but we have not noticed a definite trend in gender-based personality traits. We have had extremely loving females and independent ones as well.
Are male or female Golden Retrievers better behaved? ›
Male dogs are not necessarily more friendly, than female Golden Retrievers. In most cases, the differences will come from the individual personality of the puppy in question, rather than the gender.
They must be near their humans to be happy. Be prepared to do a lot of hands on petting with your golden – they love it. Some goldens are downright needy in their desire for attention from their humans.
Why do Golden Retrievers not live longer? ›
“We assume that the majority of golden retrievers have a genetic predisposition to cancer, but if some of them are living to be 14, 15 or 16, we thought there could be another genetic factor that is helping to mitigate the bad genes, and the gene that popped out for us is HER4,” said co-corresponding author Robert ...
What strange is happening to Golden Retrievers? ›
Golden Retrievers, one of the most cherished canine breeds worldwide, are facing a disquieting threat. With research indicating a staggering 65% likelihood of these dogs dying from cancer, the urgency to understand and combat this disease has never been more pronounced.
What is the hardest age for a Golden Retriever? ›
The adolescence period starts about the age of 5 months and lasts until they are about two to three years old. The most difficult is usually between 8 and 18 months (which is when most dogs are surrendered to rescues and shelters).
Which shade of Golden Retriever is best? ›
The most popular Golden Retriever color is largely claimed by the classic shade of gold, which ranges from a light cream to a rich, deep gold hue. This iconic color has become synonymous with the breed's name itself.
What are red flags when picking out a puppy? ›
All the puppies should be clean, bright and alert with a healthy coat and not showing any signs of ill-health, such as discharge from nostrils or eyes, snuffling or coughing." ✅ A good breeder will...let you see the whole litter in the place they were born. They won't hide anything from you.
What is the genetic makeup of a Golden Retriever? ›
Golden Retrievers are all BB (black pigment) – their red/ yellow colour results from the recessive gene pair ee at site E. Yellow is on an entirely different spot on the chromosome so is independent of black/ chocolate status. The gene pair at site E determines the ability to distribute dark pigment in the coat.
What breeds make a retriever? ›
The Curly-Coated Retriever is considered to be one of the oldest of all the retriever breeds. They are thought to be descended from the 16th-century English Water Spaniel, the St. John's Newfoundland, the retrieving setter, and, in the late 19th century, the Poodle.
What is the mix between a lab and a Golden Retriever? ›
The Goldador is a fairly common crossbreed of the Labrador Retriever and the Golden Retriever. Usually already successful working dogs will be mixed to produce puppies who will be further suited to work as guide dogs, assistance dogs, search and rescue dogs or working gundogs.
What breed group is a Golden Retriever? ›
Naturally active and alert, Sporting dogs make likeable, well-rounded companions. Members of the Group include pointers, retrievers, setters and spaniels. Remarkable for their instincts in water and woods, many of these breeds actively continue to participate in hunting and other field activities.
