Golden retriever

The Golden Retriever can learn almost everything, because he is not more fortunate than a new task from his beloved master. You just have to remember not to spoil your relationship with him with a lack of delicacy.

Nature

Golden retriever has a moderate temperament, cheerful disposition, he is friendly and balanced. He is strongly attached to his family, so he should not be isolated. His readiness to constantly accompany the owner and exuberance can sometimes be tiring. Golden willingly obeys, while bitches are usually calmer and more submissive, and males have greater self-confidence, which is why they are sometimes arbitrary.

Representatives of this breed show a strong instinct for possession, e.g. in relation to food or objects. Therefore, it is worth teaching the pet from the beginning that the toys belong to the owner – he decides when he releases them, and he hides them.

Goldens are considered excellent companions for children. Patient and understanding, they can handle children very gently. However, one cannot forget that they are large, strong quadrupeds and can accidentally knock over a child, therefore their contacts with several-year-olds should be monitored. Younger children should not take these dogs for walks alone.

If we are looking for a good watchman, the golden will definitely not work in this role. Confident and gentle towards people, he will welcome our friends as well as the burglar.

His relations with other dogs and pets are generally good. It will easily accept a cat, guinea pig or rabbit. As a rule, he does not start fights with strangers, although there are exceptions – most often due to educational errors or a defective psyche.

Golden is active, durable and energetic. It requires a lot of movement, but intensive training should not be started too early. An adult animal should be provided with an hour or two hours of walking a day, combined with exercise and following instructions. It should be remembered that golden is the element of water – every lake, river or puddle will be considered a perfect bathing place, regardless of the weather and season. Most representatives of this breed, unfortunately, tend to eat waste.

Skills

Hunters appreciate the Golden Retriever for the delicate grip that ensures that the prey he retrieves is not damaged. The representative of this breed is also a great tracker.

Currently, goldens are mainly companion dogs, but their learning speed, accuracy and excellent memory are used in many areas. They detect drugs, flammable substances, explosives, gas leaks. They work as avalanche, rubble, rescue and tracking dogs. They are great at dog therapy, they are guides for the blind, assist the disabled, they can sense a drop in blood sugar levels or warn epileptic patients against an impending attack.

However, this is not all the possibilities of dogs of this breed – they are suitable for dog sports, including agility, obedience, flyball, dog trekking or tracking. They can take part in retriever attempts (they are voluntary), during which the quadrupeds’ natural ability to take and retrieve from water and land is checked.

To obtain the title of International Beauty Champion (CIB) or the right to start in the working class at the exhibition, a diploma obtained during the retriever competition is necessary – it differs from the attempts at work by the degree of difficulty and the number of tasks – or the hunting dogs competition.

Training and education

Golden is characterized by intelligence and enthusiasm for work. He doesn’t like unaction, so he needs tasks to complete to be completely happy. Learning comes easily to him, and at the same time, he is not bored and willingly repeats the exercises. His favorite delicacy, praise or playing with the owner will be the best motivation for him. Do not treat him harshly or shout at him, because he will lose confidence in the guide and will refuse to cooperate.

Golden is a delicate and submissive dog, so running a puppy too hard will break his character. In turn, lack of consistency and allowing a pet to everything leads to arbitrariness and disobedience. Puppies of this breed are slowly getting used to new situations, so socialization must be started early. The toddler should meet people, other dogs, take him to busy and noisy places, get used to driving by means of communication.

It is worth going to dog’s kindergarten classes. During the period of intensive growth, you should not conduct strenuous training or allow the puppy to race with older brothers. When teeth are exchanged, it is better not to play dragging in order not to deform the bite.

Goldens tend to wear things in their mouths, although they usually don’t damage them. If you are going to take part in competitions or hunting trials with your dog, you should not discipline him because he will not want to retrieve afterwards. It’s best to exchange items for treats or limit access to them completely.

Who is this race for?

The Golden Retriever is an excellent family dog. Sensitive and obedient, does not require much experience, but is not suitable for a household member. Gentleness of the owner is as important for the proper development of the pet as consistency and ensuring his movement and classes.

Golden retriever. Advantages and disadvantages

Disadvantages

• will not work as a watchman
• molts abundantly
• has a tendency to collect waste

Advantages

• excellent family dog
• suitable for children
• gentle and friendly towards people
• intelligent, learns quickly and willingly
• you can do dog sports with him
• tolerant to dogs and pets
• quite easy to care for

Health

Golden retriever is prone to hip dysplasia and sometimes elbow. It is also susceptible to eye diseases – cataract, glaucoma, PRA (progressive retinal atrophy), and retinal dysplasia. Occasionally, enostosis (juvenile osteitis) and osteochondrosis (OCD) occur. Allergies occur on various grounds, inflammation of the ears, and enlargement and torsion of the stomach.

A retriever’s condition is a disease of temporary tail paresis, probably due to irritation of the nerve endings at its root. It usually occurs when bathing in too cold water (in winter or early spring) or in the event of a sudden change in body temperature (e.g. when in hot weather a hot dog suddenly jumps into the lake).

Goldens tend to swallow inedible items, which can lead to serious health consequences.

Representatives of this breed show high resistance to weather conditions. They are not disturbed by low temperatures, rain or humidity. However, in hot weather, training and long walks are better to take in the early morning or evening and provide a shady place to rest and drink water.

Feeding

The dog of this breed has a good appetite and tendency to be overweight, so the diet must be adapted to his lifestyle and not overfeed him. Treats should not be served between meals – except for rewards during learning, but should be included in the main portion. You can use ready-made high-class foods for large breeds with the addition of glucosamine and chondroitin.

If we feed a dog with self-prepared food, we supplement it with calcium and vitamin preparations and to protect joints. The daily portion for an adult is best divided into two smaller ones and ensure that the pet rests after a meal. During the molting period, supplements may be used to accelerate the rebuilding of the coat and contain unsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 and -6).

Care

Golden molts intensively twice a year (in spring and autumn) – there is a lot of hair then, but it is quite easy to remove it from carpets and furniture. Small amounts of hair, however, can fall out all the time, especially if the dog stays a lot in heated rooms.

A representative of this breed is enough to brush once a week (only when changing the coat you need to do it more often) with a powder box brush with longer wires, and then with a metal comb – we pay special attention to the fur on the neck, behind the ears, trousers and tail.

The bath is carried out as needed in shampoos for long-haired or hypoallergenic dogs for sensitive skin. It is worth applying a conditioner or lotion on the coat for a few minutes. We rinse it and squeeze the hair thoroughly with a towel. A soft and fairly abundant coat is best dried with a dryer – it will dry for a long time and may crease. You should regularly cut your hair between the tips, shorten the claws (if they don’t wear off), and check your ears and teeth.

The preparation of golden for the exhibition usually has to start a month earlier, although this is not the rule – it all depends on the method of haircut, type of hair and shade of coat. With scissors, thinning scissors, razors, blunt trimmer or polymer rakes (the choice of tools is related to the quality and quantity of hair), fur is formed on the neck, ears, bust, paws, trousers and tail – this is to improve the dog’s silhouette.

We bathe the pet 3-4 days before the exhibition, using cosmetics suitable for the coat. If the dog is molting, it will be a shampoo to increase its volume. However, with a large amount of hair we use a glossy shampoo. Then apply the conditioner (for rinsing or not requiring it) and squeeze the hair with a towel. We dry them with a dryer set at medium temperature, combine them with a thin metal brush in the direction of growth, slightly rolling them up. Antistatic fluid can be used before entering the ring.

The method of issuing golden depends on the dog’s temperament. You can do it with your free hand, i.e. without touching it – the dog stands in front of the handler, keeping eye contact with it, and lifts the tail itself. The second way is to position the quadruped and hold the tail (in the backline) with your hand. Remember to get your dog used to moving his paws and touching different parts of the body from a puppy. We present Golden on a ring matched to the color.

Accessories

We bring a dog of this breed in a wide, strong collar (leather or fabric) and on a long leash. Breeders do not recommend metal chains because they damage and dirty the hair; puppies should not wear braces.

Golden will be occupied by balls (they must be of adequate size so that they do not swallow them), rubber toys, cotton cords, plush mascots, congresses and natural teethers.

History

The Golden Retriever was bred in England at the end of the 19th century. It is one of six breeds of retrievers – dogs for retrieving small game and bird shots. Its creation is attributed to half Scotus, half Englishman Sir Dudley Marjoribanks, Lord Tweedmouth. The first part of the name of the breed refers to the color of the hair of these quadrupeds, the second describes their working method (the English verb “to retrieve” means to bring or retrieve).

There are several theories about the origin of the Golden people. One of them talks about shepherds from the Russian circus troupe. In 1858, in the seaside resort of Brighton, Sir Marjoribanks was to watch a show whose main attraction was a show of obedience performed by yellow-colored dogs. Delighted with their skills, he bought eight quadrupeds and took them to his estate.

Although this history is often cited, it is considered unlikely. In addition to training, shepherds have different skills than hunting dogs. It can only be proved by the fact that for the first time the breed was presented at the exhibition under the name Russian Retriever or Russian Retriever and Tracker.

A more probable and fairly well documented theory is that Sir Marjoribanks crossed his yellow retriever Nousa with Belle in 1868, a tweed water spaniel bitch (a non-existent English breed with adherent curly hair and light-colored coat). As a result of this mating, four fawn puppies were born: Ada, Cowslip, Crocus and Primrose. Over the next 20 years, their offspring were crossed with black wavy coated retrievers, tweed water spaniels, Irish setters, and perhaps also with Labrador retrievers and bloodhounds. The first golden retriever was a descendant of a female Cowslip and a tweed water spaniel.

Lord Tweedmounth in addition to dog breeding dealt with their popularization among the English aristocracy. In 1908, Lord Harcourt showed goldens for the first time at an exhibition at Crystal Palace. Three years later, thanks to his initiative, an English club was created. Until 1913, dogs were registered under the name golden flatcoat (smooth-haired). Later they began to be called yellow (golden) or golden (golden) retrievers. The current official name has been in force since 1920. In the 1960s, the English Kennel Club recognized Lord Dudley Marjoribanks’s breed books as proof of the breed’s origin.

Golden is one of the most popular breeds in the world – wandered, among others to Scandinavia, New Zealand, Australia and the United States. The American type is slightly different from the English original, among others color, head shape and body proportions.

Template

Golden retriever – group VIII FCI, section 1, reference number 111

• Country of origin:  Great Britain
• Size:  height at the withers of dogs 56-61 cm, bitches 51-56 cm
• Coat:  smooth or wavy; longer hair on the chest, stomach, back of the forelegs, thighs and tail; dense, waterproof undercoat
• Ointment:  any shade of golden or cream (not red or mahogany); only a few white breast hair allowed
• Maturity:  2 years
• Lifespan:  12-14 years
• Weather resistance:  high

Interesting facts

Americans bred a different type from European Golden. The coat of this breed of dogs usually has a deeper shade overseas. The American Kennel Club pattern speaks of saturated gold in various shades. Very light and very dark colors are undesirable. In addition, American goldens have lighter heads, a little more reminiscent of the heads of dogs from utility lines, which, in principle, are smaller and more agile.

Hovawart is a breed very similar in appearance to Golden . However, these dogs come in many colors (also black) and have a different character.

Goldens are already enjoying great popularity in Poland and the well-deserved fame of excellent family dogs. In turn, hovawarts are much less known with us. If you dream of a nice and gentle friend, a companion of children’s games – choose a golden retriever. Also if you have no experience in arranging dogs, opt for this breed.

However, if you do not want to have a dog fooling around every person you meet, but rather expect him to scare off intruders – then choose hovawart from blond beauty. Remember, however, that you will have to put more effort into his upbringing. Hovki are quite uneven in terms of temperament. There are both trusting and very distrustful individuals. Some are mild by nature, others sharper.

The average hovawart also requires a greater focus on socialization than the average golden. A bred golden, if he comes from a good breeding, will be the most spoiled dog jumping around strangers on the street to give them a kiss, and not listening to our instructions. Untamed or socially neglected hovek can cause more serious problems, aggressively bark at people or throw on other dogs.