Golden Retriever

The origins of the Golden Retriever are controversial. The breed could come from a group of dogs from the Caucasus related to the Leonberger, brought to Great Britain or purchased in 1858 from a Russian circus by the future Lord Tweedmouth. More officially, in 1868, Lord Tweedmouth crossed a yellow wavy coated with a female Tweed Water Spaniel. During the selection of other breeds such as the Irish Setter and the St. John's Dog probably intervened. It is a distant cousin of the Colley and the Shetland Sheepdog going towards the Irish Setter. The Flat Coated Retriever is also part of its ancestors. The Golden Retriever is shown in a dog show for the first time in 1909. The name, meaning in English "golden retriever", refers to the color of its coat or, more exactly, to the outer coat hair which takes on the appearance of gold threads or white in the light. This breed, registered in England in 1913, was developed to serve as a retriever dog, particularly for waterfowl hunting. The breed was recognized in 1931 as a pure breed in England. In France, the first subjects were imported in 1925, but breeding did not start until after the Second World War and since the 1990s, the Golden Retriever has been a popular breed. Births of Goldens soared from 7,347 in 2004 to over 10,000 in 2017. In 2022, births exceeded 14,000. In Canada, the Golden Retriever was the 2nd most popular dog breed between 2015 and 2020, according to the Canadian Kennel Club.

The Golden Retriever is considered an intelligent, sweet and very affectionate dog breed. Like most retriever breeds, the Golden is generally calm, docile, very easy to train and extremely eager to please its master. The breed is known for producing excellent pets and family dogs, mostly very tolerant with children and ready to accompany any family member in a variety of activities. The breed generally retains many traits of a hunting dog, including an excellent sense of smell and a strong retrieving instinct; even among those not trained as hunting dogs, it is common for Golden Retrievers to present toys or other objects to their owners. Compared to other retriever breeds, the Golden is generally quite slow to mature. Because of its friendly nature, the Golden Retriever is often completely devoid of any guard instinct. However, there have also been reports of some Golden Retrievers being very aggressive in certain bloodlines. It has been suggested that these variations in aggression are partly caused by genetic factors.

The Golden Retriever is a medium-sized dog breed, solidly built. According to the Kennel Club breed standard, males measure 56 to 61 centimeters (22 to 24 inches) and females 51 to 56 centimeters (20 to 22 inches). Healthy adult specimens typically weigh between 25 and 34 kilograms (55 and 75 lbs). The Golden Retriever has a broad head with a well-defined stop, dark eyes well set apart, a large and powerful jaw, a large black nose, slightly drooping pigmented dark chops, and medium-sized ears placed high and drooping with a slight fold. The neck is muscled and quite long with loose skin, the shoulders are well angled and long, and the body is deep at the level of the chest with well-arched ribs. The back is generally straight from the withers to the croup and the long straight tail is usually carried flat, roughly aligned with the back. The front legs are straight with good bones, the hind legs are powerful with well-bent knees and muscled thighs, and the feet are similar to those of a cat. The double coat is a recognizable and striking feature: the outer coat is long, flat or wavy and has a good fringe on the front legs, while the undercoat is dense and provides weather resistance. The coat can be any shade of cream, yellow or gold; the coat generally becomes lighter with age. The Kennel Club breed standard prohibits red or mahogany coats, but a few white hairs on the chest are allowed. Originally, only specimens with yellow or golden color were allowed, which excluded many exceptional cream-colored dogs; to overcome this, in 1936, the Kennel Club standard was modified to include cream color. The cream color, which nowadays can be almost white, has become the dominant color and is particularly appreciated by conformity show exhibitors. Golden Retrievers bred for conformity shows tend to have longer and finer coats than those bred to work as hunting dogs.

The Golden Retriever, like its cousin the Labrador, exhibits recurring weight problems. It is essential to adapt its diet to its living habits. Some breeders can thus advise daily rations (to be divided into two meals) consisting of 350 grams of meat (white), 250 grams of carbohydrates, and 250 grams of cooked vegetables; but most will recommend dry food, such as the usual dry kibble.