Golden Retriever - 20 Interesting Facts

1) Origin
The Golden Retriever was developed in the 19th century in Scotland. The person who is credited for developing this breed is Dudley Marjoribanks, Lord Tweedmouth. The breeds used in the development of Golden Retriever are today already extinct Tweed Water Spaniel and some yellow colored retriever dog, possibly a Russian Tracker.
2) Nobility
For a long time, Golden Retrievers were favourite hunting companions of Scottish nobility, who used them for hunting wildfowl. Goldens were extremely popular, because they were able to retrieve downed game from land, but also from water and when the hunt was over, they made excellent companion dogs.
3) Soft mouth
If you have a new Golden Retriever puppy you might be surprised that they nip and bite a lot with their new sharp teeth. It is a normal behaviour which should never be supported. But if you will be patient, than the Golden pup will grow into incredibly gentle and soft mouthed dog. They were bred to have this soft mouth so they dont damage the game when they retrieve it and if you have some experiences with Goldens you will most likely agree that these dogs are absolutely gentle with their mouths.
4) Utilization
Even though these dogs were developed for hunting purposes, nowadays they are used for variety of other jobs as well. The Golden Retriever can be trained to be good detection dog, search and rescue dog and extraordinary therapy and service dog. They are commonly used as guide dogs for blind people and hearing dogs for deaf people.
5) Companion
Of course, today, the Golden Retriever is mostly living the typical life of family pet, and they are one of the most popular companion dogs in the world. They are very adaptable, always kind and friendly, it seems that they totally understand how we feel and they just make their people happier. Thanks to that, they also make extraordinary therapy dogs. The Goldens are also known for being amazing playful partners for kids, but of course you should never leave any dog breed with a very young child unsupervised. Goldens can also live with other dogs or other pets in the family, especially if they are socialized together from the puppyhood. ​

6) Forever young
Golden Retrievers are known for maturing slowly and even when they reach the adulthood they often times still acts pretty puppy like. It is normal that relatively old Golden Retriever, lets say around 10 years old, is still totally playful, pretty active and always positive. It is guaranteed that you will never be bored if you get the Golden Retriever.

7) Training
The Golden Retriever is one of the smartest dogs in the world. They are also very eager to please and if you combine these two traits – high intelligence and high desire to please – you will always have amazingly trainable breed. All the Goldens should be capable of learning all the basic obedience commands fairly quickly and with patient and consistent training, you can train them even some advanced tricks without problems. Goldens are food motived dogs, so make sure you always have their favourite treats in your pocket when you start the training session.

8) Food lovers
I just mentioned, that Goldens are food motivated dogs, but its better to say that they just love to eat everything. On your outdoor walks its recommended to closely monitor your dogs mouth so they dont eat something dangerous, such as mushrooms. Golden Retrievers also tend to overeat and because of that they are prone to obesity. It is very important to not overfeed your dog, because overweight Goldens have much higher risk of having problems with joints and bones.

9) Swimming
Golden Retrievers are quite active dogs and they definitely need daily outdoor walks, hikes or jogs, accompanied with some vigorous playtime or fun training sessions. They will enjoy almost any activity, if they can do it with their people. One of their favourite thing to do is swimming and just generally be in the water. Dont be surprised, that your Golden will have tendencies to run into every river or lake they will see. These dogs just love to swim and you should definitely let them swim from time to time!

10) Dog sports
Great way how to deal with Goldens physical, but also mental exercise needs are various dog sports. Golden Retriever are great adepts for obedience trials, agility, dock diving, field trials or flyball.

11) Not a guard
If you are looking for a guard dog for your property, than you should rather get a GSD or some other breed than the Golden Retriever, because Goldens are normally totally friendly towards everyone. They are also trustful even with complete strangers. It is more likely that they would invite the burglar right into your home and help him with the robbery rather than deter him.

12) World records
Golden Retrievers broke at least two Guiness World Records. The first one is for Loudest Bark by an Individual Dog. This record was broken by Golden Retriever Charlie from Australia who was barking at an astounding 113.1db. The second record is cuter, since it is for Most Tennis Balls Held In The Mouth By A Dog. This record is currently hold by Golden Retriever Finley, who was holding six classic tennis balls in his mouth at once.

13) Types
According to different sources, there are two or three types of Golden Retriever – the British, American and Canadian. The British Goldens are more muscular dogs with thicker coat and broader skulls. The American one is leaner and lets say lankier, but they are still strong and muscular dogs. They are also typically little bit taller. The Canadian Golden Retriever is distinguished from the other two by the darker and thinner coat. Other than that, they should be similar to the American type.

14) Color
The Golden Retriever has a two layered long coat, which is very dense and water repelent, which enables them to work in water or in bad weather. As indicated by their name, the coat of Golden Retriever is in gold color, but it can be in any shade of golden or cream color. The official breed standard disallowing extremely light or extremely dark coats.

15) Shedding
Speaking of the coat, its important to mention the shedding. Goldens shed some deal all year long, but especially heavily and profusely twice a year during the shedding seasons. There is no way how to stop the shedding, you can only minimize it by daily brushing.

16) Popularity
The Golden Retriever is just extremely popular all over the world. Their gentle and friendly temperament, high intelligence and high working ethic makes them famous worldwide and in most countries they rank among TOP 10 most popular and most common dog breeds.

17) Size
The Golden Retriever is muscular and athletic dog breed with average height between 20-24 inch, which is 51-61 cm and weight is usually between 55-75 lbs, which is 25-34 kg. The females are naturally little bit smaller than males.

18) Famous Goldens
Some Goldens are especially famous. Golden Retriever Orca was awarded with PDSA Gold Medal for remarkable dedication, tenacity and initiative in saving his owners' life in 2003, when he was still a young dog of 17 months age. The breed also featured in many movies and tv shows, such as Full House, Napoleon, Fluke, The Drew Carey Show or Air Bud. Two Goldens were even living in White house, because they were owned by Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan.

19) Maintenance
Goldens do require regular grooming and occassional bathing to keep their coat in good condition. You must brush their coat regularly to prevent matting. You should pay close attention to the underbody and where the legs and body meet, because those places tend to have excessive matting. Other than that, you should also regularly check their eyes, ears, teeth and nails and clip them or clean them if needed.

20) Health
The average lifespan of Golden Retriever is between 11-12 years, which is average lifespan for dog of this size. Sadly, these dogs are known to be predisposide to some genetic health issues and you should only buy Golden Retriever from reputable breeder with good history of healthy dogs. The health issues common for this breed include hip and elbow dysplasia, cataracts and other eye problems, subvalvular aortic stenosis, cardiomyopathy and patellar luxation.