The Golden Retriever

The Golden Retriever, an exuberant Scottish gundog of great beauty, 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. 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.’ 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. Discover more about our Golden Retriever puppies for sale below!

The Golden Retriever is believed to have originated from the Russian tracker dog which has now gone into extinction.

It has its origin from Scotland, United Kingdom and originally bred in Scotland in the mid-19th century. As of then, wildfowl hunting was a quite popular sport amongst the Scottish elite.

The retriever breeds as of then were inadequate in retrieving the games from both land and water and as a result, the best water spaniels as at then were crossed with existing retrievers which is how the Golden Retriever came to being.

The Golden Retriever is best described as a kind, friendly and confident which is why it makes a really good family pet. It also has an eagerness to always please its family. In addition, it is a very active and fun-loving animal with a well-mannered temperament.

This breed is well suited to rural environments and homes that have yards, it can also easily adapt to a cold environment because it possesses a lot of hair.

Although it loves the outdoor life, it still remains a family dog that requires regular family interaction. The Golden Retriever can do well both indoor and outdoor if it is properly trained and stimulated.

Like most Sporting breeds, Goldens need plenty of daily exercise. A Golden who doesn’t get enough exercise is likely to engage in undesirable behavior. Goldens make great companions on long runs and bike rides, although consultation with a vet is recommended before starting strenuous or high-impact activities that might cause stress to the dog’s bones and joints. Many Goldens happily get their exercise on hunting trips or at field trials, as well as by participating in canine sports such as agility, obedience, and tracking.

Goldens heavily shed their thick, water-repellant double coat once or twice a year, and they also shed more moderately on a continuous basis. Most of the time, a good brushing-out with a slicker brush once or twice a week will remove much of the dead hair before it has a chance to fall onto the furniture. During times of heavy shedding, these brushing sessions turn into daily affairs. Baths help to loosen the dead hairs, but the dog must be completely dry before brushing begins. Otherwise, Goldens only need occasional baths to keep them clean. As with all breeds, the Golden’s nails should be trimmed regularly.

Golden Retriever Breed Video

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Frequently Asked Questions

A healthy male Golden Retriever weighs between 65 to 75 pounds while growing up to 23 to 24 inches tall. A female weighs between 55 to 65pounds and can grow up to 21.5 to 22.5 inches tall.

For Golden Retrievers, full physical maturity takes one to two years. Once this is attained, its bones become fully grown and can perform the same amount of physical exercise as an adult dog.

The required food for a Golden Retriever is dependent on its age, activity level, size and built. Vets recommend about 2 to 3 cups of high-quality dry food per day for two meals.

This dog is a sporting breed and therefore requires a whole lot of exercise when fully grown, high-intensity exercise is very beneficial to it. However, high-intensity exercise shouldn’t be forced on a Golden Retriever until about 18 months old to avoid damaging its growing joints.

The Golden Retriever can thrive well in hot climates; all it requires is a shaded and aerated area with lots of water. However, it should not be allowed to exercise too much in the heat.

A puppy Retriever should not be taken from its mother earlier than when it is 8 weeks old. This is because up until that age, it gets important socialization and learns important skills from its mother and siblings.

A Golden Retriever naturally wants to be with its family, if its family is indoor, you will find it right there with them.

The Golden Retriever is not one to bark a lot except in cases of boredom or mental stimulation.