Ava Williams
Shoulder height: 51-61 cm
Weight: 30-40 kg
Age: 10-12 years
Color: gold or cream
Use: hunting dog, working dog, companion dog, the family dog
The Golden Retriever belongs to the group of retrievers and originates from Great Britain. Due to its well-balanced, friendly nature, its good compatibility with strangers, children, and other dogs, and its pronounced will to obey, it is one of the most popular pedigree dogs in Anglo-Saxon and German-speaking countries.
Origin and history
The Golden Retriever originated in Great Britain and was bred from the Yellow Labrador, Irish Setter, and Water Spaniel in the late 19th century. His original job was hunting. It was used to retrieve shot birds from the water. Hence his great passion for water. Golden Retrievers are usually very good swimmers and absolute “water rats”.
The breed grew in popularity very quickly until it experienced a real boom in the early 1990s with frequent appearances in television commercials and films. Today, the Golden Retriever is one of the most popular and, according to puppy statistics, one of the most common pedigree dogs in Anglo-Saxon and German-speaking countries.
Appearance
The Golden Retriever is one of the medium-sized dog breeds (up to 61 cm). Its physique is harmonious, it has strong muscles and a well-developed skeletal system, which enables it to move powerfully.
A Golden Retriever’s coat is straight or wavy, but not curly, with shades of gold or cream. The fur has a dense, weatherproof undercoat, so this dog breed can cope well even with extreme, wet and cold weather conditions.
Nature
The Golden Retriever is an extremely friendly, trusting, and lovable dog. The breed is known above all for its well-balanced nature, and its good compatibility with strangers and especially with children. The Golden Retriever impresses with its pronounced will to obedience ( will to please ). With some consistency, it is therefore easy to train but needs clear leadership to take its caregivers seriously and to follow them reliably.
The breed is calm, patient, alert, and not aggressive. In comparison to other dog breeds, its protective instinct is only rudimentarily developed – if at all. It is therefore completely unsuitable as a guard dog.
The Golden Retriever likes to work very much and needs a meaningful task, preferably retrieval work or search work. Due to its easy handling and high level of intelligence, it can also be used in a variety of ways as a hunting dog, rescue dog, companion dog for the disabled, or sniffer dog for customs and the military.
It is happy for people who can spend a lot of time spending time with their dog. Easy-going people who are only looking for a companion to go for a walk will soon be underwhelmed.