The Golden Retriever is a large breed of dog, historically developed as a gundog to retrieve shot waterfowl and game during hunting. They originated in the Scottish Highlands in the late 1800's as hunting dogs. They were bred to have a soft mouth to retrieve game undamaged and an instinctive love of water. They are versatile dogs, and have been utilized in illegal drug detection, search and rescue, as hunting dogs, and as guide dogs. The golden retriever is intelligent and has an eager to please attitude, making it one of the most popular registered breeds in the United States. The golden-colored coat is the hallmark of this versatile breed, and can range from light to dark gold. The coat is also dense and water-repellent, and can be straight or moderately wavey. Puppy coats are usually much lighter than adult coats.
Golden Retrievers are active and energetic, and require daily exercise. They can adapt to various living conditions. Their coats shed seasonally, and regular brushing will be required. Their gentle, friendly, and trustworthy nature makes the Golden Retriever an excellent pet, but also makes the Golden a poor guard dog.
Golden Rretrievers are also noted for their intelligence, and can learn up to roughly 240 commands, words and phrases. These dogs are also renowned for their patience with children. However, as with any breed of dog, if not appropriately trained and supervised, a Golden may accidentally injure a child in play, due to their high-spirited nature. Typically, Golden Retrievers are fairly unruly as puppies and may chew and retrieve everything in sight.
By the time they reach maturity, however, Golden Retrievers will have become active and fun-loving animals with the exceptionally patient demeanor befitting a dog bred to sit quietly for hours in a hunting blind. Adult Golden Retrievers love to work, and have a keen ability to focus on a given task. They will work until collapse, so care should be taken to avoid overworking them.
