TheGolden Retriever is a Scottishbreed ofretriever dog of medium-large size. It is characterised by a gentle and affectionate nature and a striking golden coat. It is aworking dog, andregistration is subject to successful completion of a working trial.[2] It is commonly kept as acompanion dog and is among the most frequently registered breeds in several Western countries; some may compete indog shows orobedience trials, or work asguide dogs.
Nous, sitting, at Guisachan, 1870sWinifred Charlesworth with two of her Golden Retrievers, 1910s
The Golden Retriever was developed in Scotland in the nineteenth century by SirDudley Marjoribanks (later to becomeBaron Tweedmouth) fromFlat-coated Retrievers judiciously crossed withTweed Water Spaniels and some other British dog breeds.[3][4] Before the 1952 publication of the detailed stud book, meticulously maintained by Marjoribanks, a number of romantic tales about the breed's origins were published.[3][4][5]
In the 1860s, Marjoribanks set out to create what, to his mind, was the ultimate breed of retriever atGuisachan, his Scottish estate.[3][6] He started by acquiring a yellow-coloured Flat-coated Retriever dog named Nous;[note 1] Nous had beenwhelped in June 1864 and was the only yellow pup in an otherwise all black-colouredlitter.[3][5] Although uncommon, occasionally liver-, brown-, golden- or yellow-coloured purebred Flat-coated Retriever pups are whelped to matings of two black parents.[4][7] It was Nous's pedigree that gave rise to the romantic tales of the Golden Retriever's heritage.[3] One early account claimed Nous was purchased from a Russian circus trainer inBrighton; another claimed he was bought from a cobbler; and yet another claimed he was bought from agypsy.[3] The stud book states that Nous was a Flat-coated Retriever bred byHenry Pelham, 3rd Earl of Chichester on hisStanmer Park estate near Brighton.[6][7][8]
In 1868, Nous was mated to a Tweed Water Spaniel female named Belle, who is recorded in the stud book as being whelped in 1863 and being of "Ladykirk breeding".[3][7] The litter from this mating consisted of four yellow pups: Primrose, Ada, Cowslip, and Crocus.[8][9] The female selected from this litter, Cowslip, was mated to a Tweed Water Spaniel called Tweed with the mating producing a bitch pup called Topsy.[6] Cowslip was subsequently mated to aRed Setter called Sampson; that mating produced a dog pup called Jack.[6] Topsy was mated with a black Flat-coated Retriever called Sambo and a bitch pup from that litter, Zoe, was mated back to Jack and two pups from that mating were retained, a dog called Nous II and a bitch called Gill.[6] Gill was mated to a blackLabrador Retriever called Tracer, and a bitch pup from that mating, Queenie, was mated back to Nous II; all Golden Retrievers descend from this mating.[6] The progeny from these various matings varied in colour from pure black to light cream, but it was the golden-coloured ones that were retained and mated to each other, forming the foundation stock of the Golden Retriever breed.[3] Marjoribanks is also known to have used a sandy-colouredBloodhound and another Labrador in subsequent years of the breeding programme.[5][6]
Sir Dudley Marjoribanks's early breeding programme[6]
In 1952, Marjoribanks's great-nephew,Giles Fox-Strangways, 6th Earl of Ilchester, teamed up with Elma Stonex, and together they studied Marjoribanks's stud book.[7] In 1960, their research was published, presenting all of the evidence required to counter all tales of Russian ancestry.[7] The stud book, which covers the period from 1868 to 1890, is preserved in the library ofthe Kennel Club inLondon.[6] In the early days, Golden Retrievers were called the "Flat-coated Retriever, Golden".[note 2] Initially, the Golden Retriever was considered a colour variety of the former breed.[3] In 1903,the Kennel Club recorded the first examples, listing them in the same register as Flat-coats.[3] In 1904 a Golden Retriever won afield trial and in 1908 the first examples were exhibited atconformation shows.[8] In 1911, a breed club for the breed in England, the Golden Retriever Club, was formed, and the breed was given a new name, the "Yellow or Golden Retriever". From this point, they were increasingly seen as a separate breed from the Flat-coated Retriever.[3] It was not until 1913 that the Kennel Club began recording them on a separate breed register from the Flat-coated Retriever, and in 1920, the "Yellow or" was dropped from the breed name, and they were officially called the "Golden Retriever".[3][7]
One early twentieth-century enthusiast of the breed, Winifred Charlesworth, was instrumental in establishing the breed club and in securing its separate Kennel Club recognition.[7] It was she who drew up the first breed standard, which was adopted by the Kennel Club and, with only minor amendments, remains essentially unchanged.[7] She bred and exhibited the first Golden RetrieverShow Champion, was a strong advocate for maintaining the working instincts of the breed, and is credited with popularising it at field trials and introducing it to shooting sportsmen.[note 3][7]
In the years after theFirst World War, its popularity increased markedly, and in the 1920s and 1930s it spread through much of theWestern world.[7] TheCanadian Kennel Club recognised the breed in 1927, and theAmerican Kennel Club in 1932. The first examples were registered inFrance in 1934 and inAustralia in 1937.[3] The worldwide popularity of the breed meant it did not suffer the misfortunes many British dog breeds did during theSecond World War due to British wartime restrictions on the breeding of larger dogs, with ample quality breeding stock available globally to ensure none of its characteristics were lost.[7] Since the 1940s, its popularity has continued to grow, and it has become one of the most recognised and most frequently registered dog breeds in the Western world.[3]
Description
Facial featuresDifferences in coat colours
Appearance
The Golden Retriever is a powerfully built, medium-sized breed of dog; according to the Kennel Clubbreed standard, dogs stand from 56 to 61 centimetres (22 to 24 in) and bitches from 51 to 56 centimetres (20 to 22 in).[7][10] Healthy adult examples typically weigh between 25 and 34 kilograms (55 and 75 lb).[11]
The Golden Retriever has a broad head with a well-definedstop, dark eyes set well apart, a wide and powerful muzzle, a large black nose, dark-pigmented and slightly droopingflews, and ears of moderate size set high and hanging with a slight fold.[11][12] The neck is muscular and fairly long with loose-fitting skin, the shoulders well laid-back and long-bladed, and the body deep through the chest with well-sprung ribs.[7][11][12] The back is usually level fromwithers tocroup, and the long, straight tail is usually carried flat, roughly in line with the back.[7][11][12] The forelegs are straight with good bone, the hind legs are powerful with well-bentstifles and muscular thighs, and the feet are cat-like.[7][11][12]
Thedouble coat is a recognisable and striking feature:[9] the outer coat is long, flat, or wavy, with good feathering on the forelegs, while the undercoat is dense and provides weather resistance.[11][12] The coat can be any shade of cream, yellow, or gold; it typically becomes paler with age.[11][12] The Kennel Club breed standard prohibits red or mahogany-coloured coats, but a few white hairs on the chest are permitted.[10] Originally, only yellow or golden coloured examples were permitted; this excluded many outstanding cream coloured dogs. To overcome this, in 1936, the Kennel Club amended its standard to include the cream colour.[7] The cream colour, which in more modern times can be almost white, has become the dominant colour and is particularly favoured byconformation show exhibitors.[13] Golden Retrievers that are bred for conformation shows tend to have longer and finer coats than those bred for working as gundogs.[13]
The Kennel Club breed standard is accepted by everykennel club worldwide except those in Canada and the United States.[7] Breed standards in North America call for a slightly taller dog[note 4] and the cream colour is not permitted.[7]
Temperament
The Golden Retriever is considered anintelligent, gentle-natured, and very affectionate breed.[4][9] As is typical withretriever breeds, the breed is generally calm and biddable, being very easy to train and extremely keen to please their humans.[7][9] The breed is known to make excellent pets and family dogs, being generally extremely tolerant of children and keen to accompany any family member in a range of activities.[5] Due to their affable natures, the breed is often completely devoid of guarding instincts.[5] However, there have also been reports of some very aggressive Golden Retrievers in certain lineages. It has been suggested thatgenetic factors partially cause these variations in aggression.[15]
The breed usually retains many of its gundog traits and instincts, including an excellent sense of smell and a strong instinct to retrieve; even among those not trained as gundogs, it is typical for Golden Retrievers to present their owners with toys or other objects.[7][9] Compared to other retriever breeds, the Golden Retriever is typically quite slow to mature.[9][13]
Health
A 2024 UK study found a medianlife expectancy (95%CI) of 13.2 (13.1–13.2) years for the breed compared to an average of 12.7 for purebreeds and 12 forcrossbreeds.[16] A 2024 Italian study found a life expectancy of 10 years for the breed compared to 10 years overall.[17] A 2005 Swedish study found that 22% of Golden Retrievers died by the age of 10, less than the overall rate of 35% of dogs dying by the age of 10.[18]
The breed is unusually prone to cancer, with one United States study finding cancer to be the cause of death in approximately 50% of the population, the second highest in the study.[citation needed] Several European studies found a much lower prevalence (20% to 39%), which may reflect the significant genetic divergence between the American and European populations.[citation needed] They are especially prone tohemangiosarcoma andlymphoma, with estimated lifetime risks of 1 in 5 for the former and 1 in 8 for the latter. The highprevalence of cancer deaths among Golden Retrievers may partly represent a lack of other congenital diseases.[19][20][21] One UK study found the odds (95% CI) ofmetastaticneoplasia in the breed to be 4.86 (2.48–9.50) times greater than the odds of metastatic neoplasia in a large control population of dogs with Petlogmicrochips in the country.[22]
The Golden Retriever has a genetic predisposition toprimary hypothyroidism; a 2015 review of 5 studies found that Golden Retrievers accounted for 17% of cases.[23]
The Golden Retriever is one of the most commonly kept breeds ofcompanion dog in the Western world, and is often among the top ten dog breeds by number of registrations in the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia and Canada.[3][4][25][26][27][28] It is a frequent competitor atdog shows; separate show lines of the breed have been developed.[4][9][13] The dogs can be trained asguide dogs andtherapy dogs,[4][5] and may compete inobedience trials and otherdog sports.[4][5]
The Golden Retriever is still used as agundog by sportsmen, both as a hunting companion in the field and for competing infield trials.[4][9][13] It is used more for retrieval of land-based gamebirds such asgrouse andpartridge than for wildfowl hunting.[9] Those used as gundogs are usually from working lines specifically bred for field use; dogs from pet or show lines are rarely suitable.[4][9][13] A Golden Retriever with a traditional dense double coat is well suited to working in cold and wet conditions, as the coat provides water resistance and insulation.[9][13] Compared to other retriever breeds, the Golden Retriever is not a strong swimmer; its long coat causes it to sit low in the water when swimming.[9]
The Golden Retriever is much less commonly used by sportsmen as a hunting companion than theLabrador Retriever.[9][13] One reason is that the breed is generally quite slow to mature, particularly compared to the Labrador; often when a Golden Retriever is still in basic training a Labrador of the same age has already completed a season of hunting.[9][13] Another is its long coat, which requires more maintenance and grooming than that of the Labrador, particularly after working in muddy conditions or close cover, as their long hair is more prone to picking up dirt and burrs.[9][13] More Golden Retrievers are bred as pets or for the show ring than for hunting, so it can be hard for sportsmen to find pups bred from proven working lines.[13]
^Accounts vary as to whether Sir Dudley Marjoribanks acquired Nous in 1865 or 1868.[3][7]
^In the 19th century, theFlat-coated Retriever was frequently called the Wavey-coated Retriever, and accordingly the Golden Retriever was often called the 'Wavy-coated Retriever, Golden'.[3][7]
^Charlesworth was still exhibiting and running her dogs in field trials after theSecond World War, and was very outspoken in her views that Golden Retrievers should not be shown without also competing in field trials, calling any handler who did so a "show-bench lounger".[7]
^TheAmerican Kennel Club specifies that dogs should stand from 23 to 24 inches (58 to 61 cm) and bitches from21+1⁄2 to22+1⁄2 inches (55 to 57 cm).[14]
^abcdefghijHancock, David (2013).Gundogs: their past, their performance and their prospects. Ramsbury, Marlborough: The Crowood Press Ltd. pp. 102–105 & 196–197.ISBN978-1-84797-492-1.
^abcdefgWilcox, Bonnie; Walkowicz, Chris (1995).Atlas of dog breeds of the world. Neptune City, N.J.: TFH Publications. pp. 450–452.
^abcdefghiSampson, J.; Binns, M. M. (2006). "The Kennel Club and the early history of dog shows and breed clubs". InOstrander, Elaine A.; Giger, Urs;Lindblad-Toh, Kerstin (eds.).The dog and its genome. Cold Spring Harbor: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press. pp. 27–29.ISBN0-87969-742-3.
^abcAlderton, David (1987).The dog: the most complete, illustrated, practical guide to dogs and their world. London: New Burlington Books. pp. 63–64.ISBN0-948872-13-6.
^Bandara, Y.; Bayton, W. A.; Williams, T. L.; Scase, T.; Bexfield, N. H. (2021). "Histopathological frequency of canine hepatobiliary disease in the United Kingdom".Journal of Small Animal Practice.62 (9):730–736.doi:10.1111/jsap.13354.ISSN0022-4510.PMID34155648.
^Scott-Moncrieff, J. Catherine (2015). "Hypothyroidism". In Feldman, Edward C.; Nelson, Richard W.; Reusch, Claudia; Scott-Moncrieff, J. Catharine (eds.).Canine and feline endocrinology (Fourth ed.). St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier Saunders. pp. 77–128.ISBN978-1-4557-4456-5.
^D'Amours, Genevieve. "The case of the scaly Golden Retriever".VetScript (June/July 2021):48–49.
Pepper, Jeffrey (2010).The Golden Retriever: An Authoritative Look at the Breed's Past, Present, and Future. Freehold, N.J.: Kennel Club Books.ISBN978-1-59378-686-1.OCLC436026633.
Bauer, Nona Kilgore (2003).Golden Retriever (Rev. American ed.). Allenhurst, NJ: Kennel Club Books.ISBN978-1-59378-212-2.OCLC53181705.
