Golden retriever

The Golden Retriever is a great breed. He has lots of talents to anything from natural retrieving to acting as a guide dog for the blind, a detector of drugs or explosives or a laid-back obedient worker or just a being a most attractive member of the household. The Golden Retriever was developed in Britian in the late nineteenth century.

He stands 61cm (24 inches) at his tallest but gives the impression of being a solid comfortable dog; he loves his food, and owners need to watch his waistline. There is quite a difference in appearance between the retrievers used in the shooting field and the type bred for showing and the home.

The Golden Retriever has a dense undercoat with a flat wavy top-coat. Grooming for this breed is fairly demanding. They love the water and tend to find the dirty puddle to roll in when the opportunity arises. The colour varies from cream to rich golden, which is sometimes very deep. These dogs have generous soft muzzles that are able to carry shot birds, hares or even the newspaper without leaving a mark. He is easy to train, but needs to be kept interested, because he is easily bored. His ability as a guide dog for the blind demonstrates his temperament, as the work involves a great deal of steady, thoughtful walking.

He is one of the most popular breeds because of his sweet loving nature. Such popularity can be a curse because dogs are bred by people who are not always conscientious in their dedication to producing truly healthy stock. As it is true of any breed of pedigree dog, the best source of supply is direct from a reputable breeder who has the welfare of the dogs he or she produces at heart.