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The Golden Retriever hails from Britain when in 1830 sportsmen started on a breed to be used solely for retrieving. Shooting had become a part of country life and with the introduction of new weapons better guns led to better shots. Sportsmen needed a dog to retrieve the game they had shot with a good nose and soft mouth.

The emergence of the Golden Retriever came from the bright thinking of Lord Tweedmouth who was born in 1820. Lord Tweedmouth was a keen sportsman and a devoted animal lover which led to him acquiring the Guisachan shooting estate. He kept many animals including horses, ponies and dogs but it wasn't until he bought the first yellow retriever. He named the dog Nous and later mated him with Belle who was a Tweed water spaniel that had been given to Lord Tweedmouth.The resulting four yellow puppies marked the foundation of the distinctive Golden Retriever breed. The litter consisted of three females and one male. One of the puppies was given to the Earl of Ilchester which then began the Ilchester strain where black crosses were freely used. From 1868 to 1890, Lord Tweedmouth's stud book shows how thoughtfully the matings were planned. Prim and Rose were the last two yellow puppies recorded before his death in 1894.

The Golden Retriever Club(of england) formed in 1913 and in the 1920s the breed arrived in North America. The American Kennel Club registered the breed in 1925 and the Golden flourished during the 1930s and 40s, proving strong in the show ring with the darker gold colors being favored over the lighter.

The Golden Retriever is an intelligent, kind and loving breed that works well in every aspect, from a successful guide dog to an enthusiastic gun dog. Golden Retrievers are medium sized dogs who are not cheap to feed if fed properly. They need regular exercise and should not be kenneled as single dogs. When the decision is made to purchase one of these dogs it is important to spend time carefully choosing your puppy. The secretary of the Kennel Club will have a list of breeders where you can be confident that you are buying a healthy, well reared puppy.

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