Golden Retriever

The name of this breed corresponds directly to its appearance, with the Golden Retriever being made of a beautiful gold coat. It’s a breed that’s often looked upon as just for families, although in recent times the police have taken advantage of its obvious versatility. As well as being an excellent companion, the Golden Retriever is renowned as having excellent scent and this has resulted in various authorities using it in search and rescue missions and narcotic detection. Also, the breed is commonly used as a guide dog, with its loving demeanor and excellent senses proving the perfect characteristics for a dog to assist the blind.

The coat of this breed is nearly always in a shade of gold, although some are so light that it looks more like a cream color. It is of medium length, with the outer coat being water-repellent and the undercoat dense. There are no obvious bodily features of this breed, with the head and body being in ideal proportion. The nose is black; the ears are of normal size and flop, while the tail is usually quite long. Although never huge, the body can be described as muscular with the neck and limbs in particular being fairly strong. The height for this breed is usually between twenty and twenty four inches, while the weight can be anywhere between fifty five and eighty pounds depending on the sex.

Without a doubt, the Golden Retriever is a breed that has to be around people for most of the day. That is when the breed revels and its loving, loyal and eager to please attributes really shine. They are perfectly fine with other dogs and children, making them the ideal family dog. They are easy to train as they are always aiming to please and impress their owner, although if they are left alone for a long time there is a chance they could become impish. All in all, this breed’s temperament makes it a wonderful family dog and sometimes owners use it has a watchdog as well, as it vocally signals a strangers whereabouts.

The Golden Retriever can put on weight relatively quickly, meaning that owners should ensure that it gets regular exercise. It’s thought that if this breed fails to get a lot of exercise, its lifespan can be cut by one or two years. Like a lot of breeds, hip dysplasia is a common health problem while congenital eye defects are sometimes frequent issues as well. Unfortunately, the Golden Retriever is also prone to more serious illnesses such as cancer, heart, skin and joint diseases meaning that the average lifespan is only 10-12 years.

Another issue that potential owners should look at is where they are going to find a Golden Retriever. The breed is thought to be very profitable for breeders and this means that careless breeding can sometimes occur, resulting in genetic disorders in the dogs. As soon as a person finds this breed, they should take it to their veterinarian to see if their dog has suffered from any of these genetic problems.