December 9, 2008

Loving A Golden Retriever

by Carol Matthews

The Golden Retriever is a wonderful dog for a family to own. It has terrific qualities, like being people-friendly, having a great sense of smell (leading to its being used as a narcotics-sniffing dog for law enforcement), hunting ability, confidence and a strong sense of loyalty. They became a breed as a mix of several sporting breeds plus some bloodhound.

Officially, the history is that back in the 1800’s in Britain, Sir Dudley Majoribanks, a Scotsman, created the breed by first crossing a wavy-coated Retriever with a yellow Tweed Water Spaniel. The resulting offspring were then crossed with an Irish Setter and a sandy-colored Bloodhound. Continuing the line brought us to the current Golden Retriever. It was officially recognized in Britain in 1913, and has been gaining popularity throughout the world ever since.

Golden Retrievers are beautiful and sturdy, with medium-length fur, ranging from almost white to a rich, honey-colored gold. The best color is the mid-gold color, and having no white patches or other noticeable markings is desirable. They learn quickly, and have been used not just as family dogs or to assist law enforcement with narcotics or tracking purposes, but they are also coming into their own as guide dogs and rescue dogs.

Best if they are a mid-gold color with no white patches, the Golden Retriever is a mid-size, well-proportioned dog. They learn easily, especially when young, and it is best to obedience train them from when they are puppies rather than try to fix bad habits once they are older. They can be highly trained, however, and that makes them very useful for law enforcement, with tracking or finding narcotics, but also very useful as guide dogs for the disabled. They are also being used more as a rescue dog.

They do have a lot of energy, but that energy must be guided, as Golden Retrievers will get into mischief if they are left alone for too long or if they don’t get enough exercise. If they are trained while young, however, they can be taught to be gentle with people and to signal the approach of a stranger. They also love to swim and can be taught to do many tricks to please their humans.

Being highly trainable and sociable dogs, many are trained to be guide dogs. They are also fun to have as a family pet, because they love to please their owners and can do that by being obedient to their training and by performing tricks.

The owner also needs to remember that their dog will need plenty of exercise. Without exercise, the dog is likely to be bored and will be more destructive, digging holes or hurting furniture.

Your dog will also need to be getting enough attention from you, as they are very social animals and need the positive attention when they do things that you want them to do. Be sure to give your dog plenty of love.

About the Author:

Carol Matthews is a passionate lover of the Golden Retriever and owns a popular website where you’ll discover how to have a happy, healthy and well behaved Golden Retriever. Among other topics there, you will find out more about Golden Retriever FAQ plus a whole lot more.