Golden Retriever



The Golden Retriever is a large sporting dog. It is known for its golden color, high intelligence, and good temperament. According to Wikipedia, it is "the third most popular family dog breed (by registration) in the United States, the fifth most popular in Australia, and the eighth most popular in the United Kingdom." The Golden Retriever is a member of the Sporting Group.

Breed History
It is said that the Golden Retriever has origins in the Russian Tracker and that its ancestry is all sporting-class dogs. It was bred in the mid-19th century in Scotland for both land and water retrieval.

Temperament
The Golden Retriever possesses a good temperament that makes them popular as family dogs. They are not appropriate as guard dogs because of their patience, gentleness, and trustiness. Despite their patience, they are very interested in play and will do so to the point of exhaustion. They have a great love of swimming that pairs well with their water-repellent coats.

The Golden Retriever ranks as number 4 in Stanley Coren's The Intelligence of Dogs.

Appearance
Golden Retrievers, as their name implies, are various shades of gold in color, ranging from a whiteish-gold to a dark brownish-gold. There are three types of Golden Retrievers: British, American and Canadian. The British types are shorter and stockier while the American and Canadian types are leaner and taller. The British and American types have thicker coats than the Canadian type. The Canadian type also tends to have a darker colored coat.