The Golden Retriever Breed - Your Loyal, Loving, Lifelong Friend

Golden Retrievers have to be some of the most popular pets worldwide. They are also known as goldies or goldens. The Golden Retriever breed is recognised by its easy-going disposition and is also highly intelligent. Because of these two factors it make this well-liked dog quite easy to train.

In fact, goldies perform numerous service jobs, such as guiding the blind, assisting the disabled, entertaining the elderly, searching for drugs for the police, and retrieving fowl for hunters. These dogs love to be around people and will willingly obey commands. About the only job they do not excel at is that of guard dog, given their trusting nature.

Golden Retrievers are so incredibly popular right now that it is hard to believe that this breed of dog has not been around for forever. However, this breed was not in existence before the mid-1860s. It was during this time at his home in Scotland, Sir Dudley Marjoribanks (later to became Lord Tweedmouth) grew dissatisfied with how his gun dogs were performing.

The guns he bought were far more accurate and had better distance but unfortunately his hunting dogs struggled to keep up with them. He decided to cross his yellow gundog Nous and his Tweed Water Spaniel Belle. The offspring of this pairing was the basis of the lineage for today's Golden Retrievers.

Tweedmouth line-bred his dogs to specifically create the characteristics found in today's breed of Golden Retriever: an intelligent, gentle, confident, people-friendly dog, with the body characteristics and ease of training that make it an exceptional hunting partner and gundog. This temperament is still a recognisable trade mark of today's goldens, but their actual physical characteristics can be broken down into two basic variations: the English (also known as the British or European) Golden Retrievers and the American ones.

The Canadian goldies differ only slightly from their United States counterparts. The British dogs however, are quite often much lighter in colour, even ranging to cream. A pure bred golden cannot have a pure white coat; these dogs are caused by cross-breeding.

The 2 strains of the breed include general variations in build. American goldies tend to have longer limbs and a smaller frame, while English dogs are shorter but larger-boned. Their faces are different too. With the European dogs foreheads being more square and the eyes much rounder compared to the longer muzzles and squinty eyes of their American cousins.

The American Kennel Club's and the Kennel Club of England's Golden Retriever breed descriptions reflect these differences. People simply seeking pets to love do not seem to mind the differences because both types are such amazing dogs, well-fitted to becoming part of the family.