by Kristen Moore

Created on: June 17, 2010

The Golden Retriever is by far one of the most popular dog breeds in the country. It is a versatile dog that exhibits a winning personality. While most people see the Golden Retriever as the ultimate companion breed, this dog can actually take on a myriad of roles. Following is a detailed description of the Golden Retriever. Perhaps learning more about this breed could help to explain its popularity.

Origin

Breeders believe that the Golden Retriever dates back to roughly the mid 1900’s. Most likely, this particular dog came into existence due to the intermingling of the Bloodhound and an unidentified breed brought to England by the Russian circus. This unidentified Russian breed has been described as having a golden coat.

Appearance

Weighing in at 65 to 75 pounds, the Golden Retriever is a rather large breed. This dog maintains a strong muzzle and a scissors bite. The eyes are always a shade of dark brown and often exhibit a meek expression. The Golden Retriever has medium-sized ears that hang down. It has a muscular neck and chest, and a long tail that almost never curls. Its coat is shiny and wavy with a feathered texture. Because the Golden Retriever is well-adapted to water activities, it maintains a water-resistant coat. All Golden Retrievers should be in shades of gold and cream. Shades of red are considered to be a defect in breeding.

Personality

The Golden Retriever is a very active breed. It is usually kind, well-mannered, affectionate and loving. It should be noted that the Golden Retriever was originally a hunting breed and thrives during outdoor activities.

Uses

This dog is adapted to work well both on land and in the water. Hence the name, the Golden Retriever is skilled at retrieving fallen birds for its master. This breed exhibits an extraordinarily soft bite, which makes retrieving birds its specialty. This dog is also skilled at pointing out fallen prey for its master. Aside from a loyal hunting partner, the Golden Retriever is also prized as a wonderful family companion. This breed is fond of people of all ages and often exhibits an extreme fondness of small children.     

Overall, it is probably the winning personality of this breed that makes it such a wonderful family companion. Just remember that if you choose to own this breed, make sure that your dog receives plenty of time to run freely outside, even if you keep the dog indoors most of the time.

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