Golden Retriever

Moderate Maintenance: Goldens need the occasional bath to keep them clean and looking their best. Grooming can be a wonderful bonding experience for you and your pet. Their strong fast-growing nails should be trimmed regularly with a nail clipper or grinder to avoid overgrowth, splitting and cracking. Their ears should be checked regularly to avoid a buildup of wax and debris which can result in an infection. Teeth should be brushed regularly.

Hypoallergenic: NoGolden Retrievers are known to have genetic disorders and other diseases. Hip dysplasia is common in the breed; when buying a puppy, the pedigree should be known and be examined by the OFA or by PennHIP for hip disease. Obesity is also common in the breed because Golden Retrievers love to eat. Puppies should eat about three cups of food a day and adults three to five cups, depending on the food and how active the dog is.

Easy Training: The Golden Retriever is particularly easy to train. They are very sensitive to harsh treatment, so excessive strictness is not recommended. They learn very quickly and are extremely adaptable, making them perfect for therapy or service jobs. Golden Retrievers can learn many tricks and will remember what they are taught for the rest of their lives. Obedience classes are recommended.

The Golden Retriever is a medium-sized to large, well-balanced dog with a distinctive golden-colored coat; small, drop ears; and a natural tail carried level with the back or with a slight upward curve. The correct relationship of length of body to height is 12:11. The Golden Retriever is a dog without exaggeration. The Golden Retriever should be evaluated as a working gun dog, and exaggerations or faults should be penalized in proportion to how much they interfere with the dog’s ability to work.

The breed’s most readily identifiable characteristic is its rich, lustrous golden color. Another essential characteristic is proper temperament. A Golden Retriever is friendly, calm, compliant and compatible with people and other dogs. Goldens are particularly good with children. The Golden Retriever’s friendly temperament is reflected in his kindly expression. The Golden Retriever is a powerfully built dog, with a good nose for tracking, a soft mouth, and an eagerness to learn.

Originating in the Scottish Highlands in the late 1800s, the Golden Retriever was developed by Lord Tweedmouth, by crossing the original yellow Flat-coated Retriever with the now extinct Tweed Water Spaniel. He later crossed in the Bloodhound, Irish Setter and more Tweed Water Spaniel. The dogs were called the Golden Flat-coat and only later were they given the name Golden Retriever. The Golden Retriever is one of the most popular breeds known today, not only as family companions but for obedience competitions, hunting and tracking, as a birddog on both land and in the water, narcotics detection, service dog for the disabled, a guide for the blind and as a therapy dog. The Golden Retriever was first recognized by the AKC in 1925.

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