December 23, 2008

Golden Retrievers Not Good For Everyone

by Carol Matthews

Golden Retrievers are far calmer and trainable than most purebred dogs. Their personalities can only bloom when taken care of properly. Golden Retriever adults (over two years old) are a lot more sensible than the puppies. Golden Retrievers are said to shed and smell more than other dog breeds. You can improve your Golden Retriever’s personality by getting him or her spayed or neutered. Although prone to health problems, Goldens are usually adaptable to them.

Although no two dogs are alike, even if they are from the same breed, Golden Retrievers do bear a lot of similarities in their temperaments. Unless they have been abused or have had no effort put into their training, they are very gentle dogs that try their best to get along with everybody, including other animals. They are great with kids and the elderly (provided they have access to fenced yard to run around in.)

There is also a criterion by which a dog is considered disqualified. For Golden Retrievers, there are two disqualifiers. First, the Golden Retriever will be disqualified if the height is more than one inch from the standard, either too high or too short. The second item is if there is an undershot or overshot bite. Other than these two items, there are no automatic disqualifiers.

The American Kennel Club has laid out specifically how the Golden Retriever should look and behave. You can look up the specifics of the standards at the AKC website. They include many specific items. For example, when the Golden Retriever is trotting, it should be free, smooth, powerful and well coordinated, showing good reach and the legs should not cross each other. The eyes of the Golden Retriever should be intelligent and friendly in expression, and medium large. The preferred color for the eyes is dark brown, but medium brown is okay. The nose should be black or brownish black.

The coat should be a lustrous golden color. The mid-gold range is best, though it can range from lighter to darker. There can be feathering on the lack of the forelegs and underbelly, front of the neck, behind the thighs and underside of the tail. The natural appearance of the coat should be maintained, without any clipping or cutting of the fur, but too long a coat is undesirable. The American Kennel Club has set out the specifics of the Golden Retriever standards. All breeders are aware of the standards and should be selling dogs that meet these standards.

Golden Retrievers are prone to some health conditions, so you should be prepared for such a possibility. They are often prone to eye problems, hip dysplasia, heart conditions and itchy skin problems. However, a Golden Retriever will usually not be so terrified of going to the vet like other dogs. There is a big effort by responsible Golden Retriever breeders to weed out all unhealthy Golden Retrievers from the breeding population. On average, Golden Retrievers live to be between ten and twelve years old.

About the Author:

Carol Matthews is an avid lover of the Golden Retriever and has a popular website where you’ll discover how to have a happy, healthy and well behaved Golden Retriever. Among other topics there, you can also learn all about Golden Retriever FAQs plus a whole lot more.