Golden Retriever:

With its lush golden color and its incredible family-like sense, it’s no wonder why people love the medium-sized dog of a golden retriever. According to the American Kennel Club, the golden retriever is friendly, trustworthy, and reliable.

This sociable breed interacts well with other domestic animals as well as children. While it’s known to be a good guard dog it won’t bark excessively which is good in quiet neighborhoods. In fact, this kid-friendly dog is one of the most popular breeds of dogs. Due to its lovable sense and ability to be trained easily, the golden retriever is a no-brainer for families looking for a loyal companion. However, similar to other breeds, the golden retriever is not suited well for confined areas of city living.

The golden retriever also loves to exercise which could result in healthy benefits for its owners as well! It thrives on a well-balanced diet such as the BARF diet and since it loves attention it particularly enjoys getting trained due to the time spent with its owner.

Interestingly enough, the golden retriever is apparently a disobedient puppy. As they age, they remain fun-loving while developing more patience as it relates to downtime with its family or attention devoted to training. This breed is known to be great swimmers and they particularly love water. Actually, due to its name and being a retriever, they are known to retrieve a variety of items so playing a game of “Go Fetch” is not uncommon, even when water is involved.

Since this is an active breed, they require a lot of exercise. In addition to walking them twice a day, additional exercise may be helpful since this breed is susceptible to obesity. In addition to maintenance as it relates to their health, they need to be groomed a few times each week. Although their coat is quite beautiful, it sheds frequently during the entire year and it’s more pronounced during shedding season in the spring. They’re also susceptible to ear infections; in addition to grooming, be sure to clean their ears at least once a week. In addition, regular visits to the veterinarian are mandatory. After all, this breed is particularly vulnerable to hip dysplasia, heart disease, cancer, and cataracts and eye-related diseases.

Most golden retrievers live at least ten years, interesting for a breed which was originally developed in Scotland and England in the late 19th century for the primary purpose to retrieve birds in land and in water. Apparently it was originally cross-bred with a tweed water spaniel female dog which is now extinct. With continuous breeds, the idea for the breeder was to create a strong hunting dog that would also be gentle and affectionate towards people and easy to train. In 1903 this breed was first recognized by the Kennel Club of England as a dog with a golden coat. In 1911 they were first described as golden retrievers as we know them today.

For more information about the golden retriever contact your local veterinarian or AKC.