Golden Retriever

The Golden Retriever’s coat can be any shade of yellow, ranging from cream to dark gold. Some white hair can be seen on the chest, but red or mahogany shades are forbidden.

The hair is mid-length.

The top-hair is flat or wavy with fringes and the undercoat is tight and provides good waterproofing.
The double coat, thick and silky, allows him to be very comfortable and perfectly protected in the water and against bad weather.

His eyes are brown, the edge of his eyelids are dark.

The dog looks balanced, powerful, sturdy and soft at the same time. A well-proportioned dog.

This dog has a pristine appearance and a superb personality! He is very close to his social group, and his big heart is set on making them happy and providing all the love that his companions need.

This dog is very playful and active, so he will be perfect to keep the children entertained. He will perform small and more ambitious tricks simply to amuse, entertain and attract the attention of all.
Games that are both playful and educational will be perfect to reinforce the obedience of this dog but also to strengthen the relationship that bonds him with his owner.

If his needs are respected and fulfilled and he is well educated, he will be a quiet dog at home.
 
However, it depends enormously on the breeding. Indeed, the strong success of this breed has sometimes led to the production of puppies whose weaker characters have managed to endanger the superior quality of this breed.
Watch out for Golden Retriever farms that favour quantity of pups over quality of dog.

He is versatile. This dog excels in many disciplines which reflects his great intelligence and adaptability. The abilities and personality of the Golden Retriever have even led him to become an excellent assistance dog for the blind and disabled.

The intelligence of the Goldie is recognised by the greatest scientists and specialists in cognitive behaviour. Indeed, a ranking based on instinctive intelligence, adaptive intelligence and intelligence at work placed this dog as the third most intelligent breed. Let us embarrass this modest dog no longer with talk of his tremendous intellectual capacity.

Even though he was naturally made to accompany hunters in the countryside, he needs some training to use him effectively for hunting.

The Golden Retriever dog will be particularly good at playing games, especially in water since this is an environment in which he performs with pleasure and skill.

By no means aggressive or reserved towards strangers, the Golden Retriever is sociable, friendly, and demands interaction with familiar and unfamiliar humans.

He is especially close to his masters and he demands attention, but all the same maintains a certain autonomy within his environment.

He is not a dog made to stay alone long hours. He needs to be accompanied and stimulated regularly.

Life outdoors or in a kennel does not serve him well; this dog needs to live in the family home.

The Goldie is very easy to educate since he will want and need to please his master. Due to his docile nature, he will be eager to learn if the methods employed are respectful of the principles of positive education.

Education should be initiated in puppyhood. Throughout his first 20 weeks of life, his brain will be super-busy. He will need to learn and be stimulated so that his natural abilities develop.

Instinctively, the Retriever puppy will look for a person to count on, which is a role that his owner should fill in order to guarantee the beautiful balance of this breed.

This dog will not be an excessive barker; he will, however, raise his voice in excitement or frustration. A good education and proper handling of his daily needs will help to control this aspect of him.

This adorable companion is not the runaway type as he prefers to stay with his own.

Pay attention all the same to the puppy whenever he goes outside in the garden. He may get bored so he might attempt to escape in order to fulfil his interests and answer the demands of his spirit.

The Goldie reaches maturity late, so destruction may be a common thing. Nevertheless, a good physical and mental workout along with a firm and coherent education can keep this aspect of his character in control.

A greedy fellow, the Golden Retriever loves to request food and treats. This is an asset for the education process but stay vigilant so as to avoid him becoming overweight.

To avoid the dog's gluttonous behaviour during mealtime, rations can be offered two times a day and/or in an anti-gluttony bowl.

Bonus tip: For dogs that tend to eat very quickly, their daily ration can be hidden around the garden. This allows the dog to eat less quickly and to stimulate his sense of smell!

This dog will greet with pleasure and cheerfulness not only guests but also intruders. This is an advantage and a disadvantage, depending on the expectations of the dog's owners.

This Retriever is particularly suitable for a first adoption. Docile, affectionate, playful, loyal and sociable, he is the perfect companion dog. He adapts beautifully to all lifestyles and various family structures.

It will, of course, be necessary to learn about the physical conditions of the chosen breed to be sure that the Golden Retriever puppy is balanced and in accordance with the official standard of the breed.

He is sporty and active in nature; this dog will need space to flourish properly. A life in the countryside with a garden and a nearby water point will be the ideal living conditions for this great swimmer.

However, his adaptive intelligence allows him to live in the city, for instance in an apartment, if his needs for physical spending are fulfilled.

The Golden Retriever needs daily walks and another energy spending session to be perfectly balanced physically and mentally.

Long walks with the possibility of swimming should be offered to him as regularly as possible.

This dog excels in many disciplines: hunting, agility, tracking, obedience, races, etc. All of these activities can be offered as leisure.

The size of this dog will hinder his accessibility to some transport, but his need to be with his master and his adaptation skills allow him to be able to travel without too many constraints.

His very sociable personality makes him a dog that can coexist with a cat. This agreement will be accentuated especially if the two animals grow together.

Pay attention all the same to the possibility of aggressive reactions from cats that could injure the dog, especially in the eyes and snout.

He is not a fighter. This dog will often get along very well with his peers, with whom he will like to spend time and energy.

Socialisation during puppyhood will enable him to acquire and strengthen his canine codes of conduct.

Sweet, attentive, friendly and jovial, these dogs make wonderful family pets.

Be careful that young children respect the tranquillity and nature of this dog. Ground rules will have to be put in place to ensure the safety of everyone and to make cohabitation harmonious.

All the qualities and the good personality of this exceptional dog make him appropriate for life with older people.

However, the latter will have to be sufficiently dynamic and ready to support the physical needs of this dog.

This dog sheds regularly and even more heavily during moulting periods, especially in the spring.

The lifespan of this dog can be up to 12 years.

The Golden Retriever is a sturdy dog that has a good lifespan. According to several surveys, few dogs fail to reach the age of 10 years. These dogs are therefore strong and resistant.

He is rather durable, but it will still be necessary to offer him fresh water and to renew it regularly during hot weather. He also needs a place to rest in the shade.

The thick undercoat of this dog and the waterproofness of his coat allows him to withstand the weather, but be careful of freezing temperatures.

Since he is friendly and cheerful, we often tend to please this dog by giving him some treats here and there. However, it is important to be vigilant because the Golden Retriever is particularly sensitive to becoming overweight and could quickly suffer from obesity.

Contrary to common misconceptions, "chubby" dogs are not healthy dogs. Adjusting daily rations is of prime importance to maintain a good physical condition and to avoid excesses.

• Predispositions to cancers (hemangiosarcoma, lymphoma, osteosarcoma, localized mastocytoma)
• Hip and elbow dysplasia
• Hypothyroidism
• Cataract
• Progressive retinal atrophy/Degeneration Ocular Allergies
• Ear infections
• Skin diseases (dermatitis, vitiligo, furunculosis, folliculitis, ichthyosis)
• Hepatitis by copper toxicosis
• Risk of "broken tail" if the tail is not dried well after water contact

Originally from Great Britain, the recognition of the breed is quite recent since it dates back only to 1931; but we know practically nothing of his history. Only legends are known: the most famous one says that in 1858 Lord Tweedmouth bought a couple of Caucasian Shepherds that he had seen working in a circus. Eventually, he kept only the golden puppies to fix the recessive personality of the parents. Another theory argues that the breed originated from the cross between a sandy-coloured dog from St. Hubert (Bloodhound), and a Tweed Water Spaniel that’s now extinct. Other authors still argue that the ancestor of the breed was a yellow dog born from a cross between this water Spaniel and a Flat-coated Retriever.