The Golden Retriever is consistently one of the most popular breeds every year. Is it any wonder? Golden Retrievers even-tempered, intelligent and affectionate. A Golden Retriever is just as comfortable lounging around a house full of children and cats as they are out in the field sitting in a bird blind at daybreak waiting to go to work.
History of the Golden Retriever
The accepted history of the Golden Retriever is that Load Tweedmouth (Dudley Majoribanks) started breeding a yellow Wavy-Coated retriever “Nous” to a Tweed Water Spaniel (an extinct breed) named “Belle” in 1868. Tweedmouths desire was to create a retriever suited for the Scottish hunting environment. Lord Tweedmouth took the yellow descendants of Nous x Belle and bred them with both wavy and flat-coated retrievers and red setter and another Water Spaniel and eventually this led to a retriever having many of the traits that exist today in the Golden Retriever breed. The Kennel Club of England recognized the Golden Retriever as a breed in 1911 and the American Kennel Club followed in 1925.
Common Traits of the Golden Retriever
The Golden Retriever is a versatile dog. They are a medium sized, sturdy dog that typically weight between 55 pounds to 75 pounds for the bigger males. Golden Retrievers have beautiful water-repellent coats with feathering on the neck, legs, underside and tail. The Golden Retriever has both a topcoat and an undercoat. The undercoat sheds water and is a great insulator, keeping them warm in the winter and cool in the summer. We’ve had blizzard conditions here in Denver and our Goldens still expect to go out to the park where they can roll around in the snow and if the season is right, run through the stream in under 32-degree weather. They do shed and it is important to bath and brush them often.
Personality Traits of the Golden Retriever
I’ve biased but golden retrievers have the best personalities of any dog breed. Here is a ‘short’ list of their best traits:
- Intelligent
- Affectionate
- Eager to please
- Calm (in general… compared to other retrievers)
- Even-tempered
- Happy
- Easy to Train
- Loves Water
- Gentle
- Soft Mouths
- Friendly… including with other animals
- Devoted
- Brave
- Funny
The list is never ending. It’s not surprise that Golden Retrievers make great therapy dogs, guide dogs, search and rescue dogs, hunting dogs and of course, companion dogs.
One of the greatest traits of a golden retriever is how much of a people dog they are. If they get plenty of exercise, they are more than happy to cuddle with their human for hours.
Different types of Golden Retriever?
Let us be perfectly clear; there is only one Golden Retriever breed. In the United States there has been a trend by some breeders to advertise ‘English’ or ‘Cream’ Golden Retrievers or even worst, ‘White Golden Retrievers. This is a marketing technique to try to imply that their dogs are a rare type of Golden Retriever imported from England. Golden Retrievers around the world come in a variety of colors; just spend some time viewing Golden Retriever posts on social media and you’ll see plenty of lighter Goldens in the America’s and a lot of darker Goldens in Europe. Officially, there are only three different Golden Retriever colors: Light Golden, Golden, Dark Golden. Golden Retrievers that are too dark or too light are considered out of standard.
Golden Retriever Breed Standards
There are 3 major Golden Retriever standard governing bodies. The American Kennel Club (AKC) for the United States, The Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) for Canada and The Kennel Club (KC) in England. The Golden Retriever Club of American (GRCA) maintains the Golden Retriever standard for the AKC. Here is the overall general appearance description from each standard:
Retriever Club of American (GRCA)
Canadian Kennel Club (CKC)
A symmetrical, powerful, active dog, sound and well put together, not clumsy nor long in the leg, displaying a kindly expression and possessing a personality that is eager, alert and self-confident. Primarily a hunting dog, he should be shown in hard working condition. Over-all appearance, balance, gait and purpose to be given more emphasis than any of his component parts.
And a little more concise from the KC…
The Kennel Club (KC)
Symmetrical, balanced, active, powerful, level mover; sound with kindly expression.
As you can see, they are basically the same. There are small differences between the standards, but they are so minor you only need to worry about them if you are showing your dog.
If interested, here are the complete Golden Retriever Breeding standards.
Even with almost identical breeding standards, different areas of the world do tend to breed dogs that have a ‘certain look’ for that area. People tend to categorize them into 3 different Golden Retriever types: American, Canadian and English. American Golden Retrievers are lankier and less muscular with coats that trend towards darker. Canadian Goldens tend to be darker and thinner and will be on the upper range of height. Outside of Canada and the United States a Golden will have a little bigger head and be a bit more muscular and perhaps lighter on average.
That said, I have bought 7 Golden Retrievers over 25 years. Every time I’ve bought a Golden I’ve researched breeders and dogs across American and I’ve seen every type of Golden available. We currently have 3 Goldens:
- Pixie – A blockhead. Broad head which makes her snout look shorter. Blocky, muscular, squarer body. Lighter than our other dogs but not very whiteish. Flowing hair with a lot of feathers.
- Copper – A red-head golden. Very dark. Thinner and lanky but muscular in her forequarters. Coat is not as flowing and less feathering.
- Autumn – In between both of the other dogs. Flowing coat but less feathering than Pixie. Not as blocky. Back is more relaxed and not as straight. Head is smaller with thinner snout.
Each dog matches the defined English, Canadian, and American Golden Retriever. However, in all cases they are all multi-generation American bred.
The very minor differences are only important and noticeable in competitions. If you view Golden Retrievers on social media around the world, they all look the same.
Conformation vs Performance Golden Retrievers
There are various types of competitions for Golden Retrievers; ranging from the very serious conformation shows to very informal, but fun, dock diving events. Because the Golden Retriever is so versatile and extremely trainable, they can be bred to compete in most dog events.
However, when researching reputable breeders you will find that they usually tend to breed towards two styles: Conformation or Performance.
Conformation Golden Retrievers
‘Conformation’ is the official term for a dog show. If you watch something like the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show you are watching a conformation dog show. The term means: ‘the act of conforming’. In a dog show a Golden Receiver is being judged on how well he or she conforms to the Golden Retriever breed standard. Breeders that show their own dogs are always trying to breed Golden Retriever puppies that perfectly match the standard.
Performance Golden Retrievers
Also known as ‘Field Goldens’ or ‘Hunting Goldens’. Perhaps this topic should have come 1st. After all, Goldens are ‘retrievers’ originally bred as hunting dogs and classified as ‘Sporting Dogs’ by the AKC and ‘Gun Dogs’ in Canada and England. ‘Performance’ is a general term for dogs bred to do their true job, retrieving on a hunt.
Is there a difference between Golden Retrievers bred for confirmation or performance? In our experience, yes. Our dogs that came from hunting backgrounds tend to be darker, more muscular, ‘mouthier’, and need more exercise. Our dogs from breeders that show their dogs tend to be calm, medium to light in color, and more content to lounge around the house.
But don’t make too many assumptions. All Goldens share the same traits no matter what they were bred from. Our Pixie dog came for a breeder whose dogs all had confirmation and/or agility titles. However, when excited she must have something in her mouth and will fetch tennis balls non-stop when on walks. Copper, a typical red-head field Golden will retrieve training bumpers endlessly on walks but at home she is a calm dog that will curl up next to you all night. Autumn came from a breeder that did both. Most of their dogs have hunting titles but many of them have show titles and agility titles also. She’ll fetch a tennis ball or training bumper on a walk but it’s not a priority. She, out of all the dogs we’ve had, fits the breed standard the closest and her favorite thing to do is cuddle up next to you.
No matter what your Golden Retriever was bred for they most likely will exhibit the typical Golden Retriever characteristics… which mean they will be a perfect companion dog.
Golden Retriever Health Issues
With the good comes some bad. Golden Retrievers do suffer from some prevalent health issues. To mitigate the chance of buying a Golden Retriever with health issues only buy from reputable breeders and research the parents pedigrees in depth. Do all your potential puppys relatives have their health certificates and are they long-lived or do many of them pass away before the typical age of a Golden? Do the parents look healthy and happy? You are making a big commitment; make sure you do the research upfront.
Golden Retriever Lifespan
The average lifespan for a Golden Retriever is 11 to 12 years.
Cancer
Cancer is the biggest killer of Golden Retrievers; over 60% of American Golden Retrievers die from it. The number is much better in the UK where the number is only 38%. All four of our Golden Retrievers that have crossed the bridge died from cancer. However, the one that came from a reputable breeder lived to be 12 years old. The ones that came from poor quality breeders all died young. Our current 3 Goldens all come from quality breeders and we expect them all to live past 10. Bloodlines do matter!
Hip and Elbow Dysplasia
Dysplasia is another common aliment of Golden Retrievers. Always make sure your puppys parents and grandparents all have been tested and have up to date health certificates AND THAT they tested ‘Normal’ or ‘Good’ or higher.
Epilepsy
Golden Retrievers can suffer from epilepsy. Our 1st two dogs had seizures, one often and the other rarely. The seizures manifested in different ways. For AspenLeaf it was a full-body Grand Mal type of seizures: jaws clenched, and every muscle contracted. Brandy would just lose control of her entire hindquarters. It is frightening to watch your dog seize but our veterinarian gave us shots that would relax and calm the dog. Again, picking a dog that has healthy bloodlines minimizes the changes your Golden Retriever will have epilepsy and none of our since our 1st two have had issues.
Designer Golden Retriever Breeds
It became a trend since the 1990s to cross Golden Retrievers with other breeds. The goal is producing a dog that contains the best traits of both breeds. However, in general the best qualified Golden Retriever breeders would never consider mixing breeds so it is left to amateur breeders to create these ‘designer breeds’. Since the dogs are typically bred to make a profit and the fact that there are no breed standards the results of mixed breeding are unpredictable. It is just as likely the undesirable traits of each dog become prevalent as the desirable traits as more generations are produced. The proper way to do it would be to keep re-introducing high quality purebreds into successive generations to reinforce the positive traits, but this is rarely happening.
The AKC, CKC and KC do not recognize designer Golden Retriever breeds and they are not allowed to compete in official events. Although many of the individual designer breeds turn out to be great dogs, we do not recommend purchasing one. If you do not want a purebred Golden Retriever there are many accidental Golden mixes that need adopted and would make great companion pets.
Common Golden Retriever Terms
Block Head Golden Retriever – Has a distinctive broader, ‘blockier’ head. More prevalent in Goldens bred as show dogs and European Golden Retrievers.
Field Golden Retriever – Term for a Golden bred for hunting. They tend to be darker with a big desire to ‘retrieve’.
Red-Head – Dark Golden color. Not truly red which would be outside the breed standard. Usually a field Golden.
English (British) Cream Golden Retriever – Very light-colored golden retriever. Be wary of breeders marketing them. While Goldens can be light golden a reputable breeder does not breed specifically for a certain color.
White Golden Retriever – Run, run away. White is not an acceptable color for a golden retriever and breeders advertising white goldens are breeding outside of the standard.
Sire/Dam – Sire is the male parent. Dam is the female parent.
Confirmation – Dog show where Goldens are judge on their ‘confirmation’ to the breed standard.
Agility – Timed event where dogs navigate an obstacle course.
AKC (CKC, KC) Registration – Kennel clubs keep a registry of pure-bred dogs including full ancestry. If your Golden does not come with official AKC registration it was from an unofficial breeding
Limited AKC Registration – An officially registered purebred dog that is not allowed to be bred on its own. Most Golden Retriever puppys are sold with a limited registration and the owner is required to have them neutered/spayed. If a Golden Retriever sold with a Limited ACK registration is bred the puppies will not be allowed to be registered with the AKC. Most Golden Retriever puppies sold as companion dogs will come with a limited registration. Some breeders will offer full registrations for a higher cost, but many will only do it if you intend to compete in events and are willing to ensure that the bloodline remains high quality.
Full AKC Registration – An officially registered purebred dog that is allowed to be bred to other registered dogs. The puppies would also be eligible for AKC Registration. Most reputable breeders will not sell a puppy under this registration unless they are confident that the new owners will ensure that the dog is bred to other high-quality dogs to preserve the bloodline.
Dog Name Prefixes/Suffixes – Various title and awards the dog has won. Some examples are: (Agility) OAP, AXP, MFP, (Conformation) CH, GCH, (Field) FC, NBC, (Hunting) JH, SH, (Companion) CD, CDX, (Rally) RN, RA. There are 100s of them. Visit [Golden Retriever Competitions] for information on how to gain titles for your Golden Retriever and [Golden Retriever Titles] for a full list of titles.
Pick of the Litter – Means the breeder reserves the right to designate certain people (including themselves) to have 1st choice in picking out a puppy. If a breeder primary breeds dogs to compete in AKC events they want the puppies most likely to win titles to go to people that are serious about competing with them. The characteristics they are looking for cannot be determined until the puppies are almost ready to go home. Do not be concerned if your breeder has one or more people guaranteed to be at the top of the list; the qualities they are looking for in a puppy have little bearing on how good of a companion dog your Golden Puppy will be.
Mentoring – Great Golden Retriever breeders not only want to breed puppies that can complete in events and advance the breed standard but also sometimes want to help mentor new owners that show a desire to compete with their dogs. Before asking a breeder if they will mentor you or agreeing to be mentored make sure you are willing to put in the time, effort, and expense of competing with your dog.
Co-Ownership – In this case the breeder LEGALLY co-owns the dog with you, sometimes for a limited time and at other times for the life of the dog. There are many reasons a breeder might to this:
- To mentor the new owner.
- To have some control over the breeding of the dog.
- To protect the dog if the new owner wants to give it up.
- To use the puppy for future breedings.
If a breeder offers a co-ownership of your puppy read the contract terms carefully. It is a legal binding contract. You might be required to give the puppy back to them when they are old enough to stud or have a little.
If you are serious about competing with and breeding Golden Retrievers a co-ownership might be a great way to get real mentorship from experienced breeders. But before entering into the contract make sure you are willing to follow through with the terms.
Back to Back Breeding – When a Dam is bred in consecutive heats. Sometimes breeders will breed a Dam every time she is in heat until she is past her breeding age. This is hard on the dog. Reputable breeders will judge the health of the Dam and quality of her past litter before deciding if she is ready to be bred again or needs a rest.
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