Everyone knows the saying that a dog is a friend of a person. However, those who are going to buy a pet immediately have a huge number of different questions, the main of which is: "Which breed is better to pay attention to?" In this article we will talk about who the golden retriever is: all about the breed and keeping of such dogs.
Legend
The story about the breed is best to start with the history of these dogs. So, it is worth saying that there is a legendary (unconfirmed) version and an official one, to which world-class canine experts have come to thanks to research. So, according to the first version, a golden retriever was bought in a circus by the English Lord Tweedmouth in the second half of the 19th century. He was so struck by the intelligence of these animals that he decided to urgently acquire them. Arriving at home, in a mansion near the well-known Loch Ness lake, the lord began to tell others that these dogs were descended from shepherds - the smartest animals. It is worth mentioning that an article with a similar meaning was also published in the local newspaper Selskaya Zhizn. Why the Lord needed such an unusual story is not entirely clear. However, we can conclude: thanks to such tales, Tweedmouth managed to draw attention to this breed, and noble nobles became interested in the puppies of the golden retriever, giving the lord a chance to get rich on their breeding.
Official version
Where did the Golden Retriever breed actually come from, said dog trainer Elma Stoneks, who was interested in this information and completely did not believe in the "circus" version. After examining the documents and letters, she came to the conclusion that Tweedmouth’s great-nephew was also involved in breeding the breed. The Lord bought a puppy of the most beautiful golden color from a shoemaker from the city of Brighton. Having talked a little with the animal, he gave him the name Nous, which means “wisdom” in Celtic . This dog was mated to a tea-colored spaniel. It is from here that the pedigree of the golden (or Golden) retiriver follows. It will also be interesting that Lord Tweedmouth also crossed the retriever with the bloodhounds and the Irish setters, discarding puppies of a dark color after leaving the mating and leaving only golden ones.
Appearance
What does a golden retriever look like? First of all, it is worth saying that these dogs are perfectly built: everything in their body is proportional. At the same time, they are active, cheerful and always friendly, as their eyes will tell. The muzzle of the dog is not sharp, rather wide and as if deep, but not massive, the transition from the forehead to the nose is clearly visible. It is also important to pay attention to the dog’s eyes: they should be brown in color with the same rim. The jaws are strong by nature, always with a scissor bite, the teeth are large (this is important, because the breed is hunting). The chest of this dog is quite powerful, the ribs are well arched, the back is even, and the croup and tail form its extension, as it were. As for the paws, they are muscular, strong. The elbows of the forelimbs are adjacent to the body, the shoulder blades are laid back. This is an important point due to which the dog will be able to perform its main function - the hunter. As for the size, the golden retriever (male) reaches about 56–61 cm at the withers, the female on average 5 cm less.
Wool
As for the wool, it can be either straight or slightly wavy. The undercoat is dense, thick, which gives a waterproof effect. The following point will be interesting: the dog around the neck should have a mane, longer hair, which gives the dog a good-natured expression of the muzzle, which is so appreciated in this breed. What colors should a golden retriever be painted? So, the American standard does not allow dogs to have a different color than saturated golden. The English version allows for the presence of paler colors. However, the color of the dog should not be red, mahogany, dark gold or even dark.
Character
What character does a golden retriever have? Reviews can only be heard positive. And it is unlikely that someone will be able to find a person who would be dissatisfied with communication with representatives of this breed. As for relationships with people, these dogs are fully human-oriented. They are 100% devoted to their master, all the time they express love and favor to him. This is precisely the reason why, as hunters, these animals are almost never used. Golden retriever make friends, companions, guide, assistants. It will be interesting that these dogs are leaders in working with people (including children) who require zoototherapy. They are able only with their presence to relieve stress, calm a person and even eliminate aggression. Dogs of this breed perfectly feel the mood of people. They understand when someone is crying, trying to calm him down or even cheer him up. These animals never growl and do not grin at a person, even a stranger, therefore it is better not to take them as guards. Golden retriever is as friendly as possible to other animals: they extend their love to everyone, are able to endure the attacks of dogs of other breeds for a long time. However, they can still be brought out, and then the dog will give a full rebuff, showing his power in all its glory. These dogs will always be near the person, they whenever possible always accompany their master, they are pleased to get acquainted not only with various people, but also with animals. Such a dog will play a ball with children without problems, however, in the right situation, he can even save a person without anyone else's command. Representatives of this breed perfectly assess the situation and quickly find a solution.
Learnability
The following point is also important: the Golden Retriever dog lends itself perfectly to training, it is a very obedient animal. In addition, representatives of this breed always want to be useful to humans. Therefore, often the owners teach them to bring different objects. Having an excellent scent and easily succumbing to training, representatives of this breed often serve at customs, police, and airports to search for weapons or drugs.
Care
The next caveat, which is important to understand: does the breed of dogs require special care Golden Retriever. You can keep these animals both in the house and in the apartment. However, it is not recommended that the dog is often left alone or put on a chain - this can "kill" the psyche of the animal. An interesting feature of this breed is the following fact: the dog does not choose one member of the family who should be engaged in training and care, he allows everyone to do this without exception. Golden retriever puppies from childhood should be trained in the daily routine: food on the clock, mandatory hygiene procedures. In this case, there will be absolutely no problems with an adult dog. The eyes of the dog deserve special attention. The owner should carefully monitor, rinse, clean them after walking. If a dog has purulent discharge from his eyes from time to time, this may be a signal that he has either worms or even a plague. This alignment of events should not be left to chance. Ears should be cleaned at least once a week with an ear stick dipped in a weak solution of hydrogen peroxide. As for water procedures, the dog can be washed 2-3 times a year (if there is no other need). Shampoos need to choose special ones that do not remove the protective layer and do not dry their skin. But the Golden Retriever loves combing, and it is advisable to do this daily. After all, wool is the main advantage of representatives of this breed. A special hairdresser should cut the dogs, only in this case the grooming will not be visible, it will turn out natural.
Parenting
The important thing is that Golden Retriever puppies require training from a very young age. Although these are very smart dogs, you can’t let everything go by itself. The dog should at least know three simple commands: “Fu!”, “To me” and “Next”. However, it’s better not to be limited to this, because the animal can be trained in freestyle skiing (dancing with a dog), agility (something like running with obstacles), circus training. With representatives of this breed, you can put on theatrical performances, perform at events at various levels.
How to choose a puppy
How to choose a puppy of this breed? Do not think that just one look at the golden color of the dog is enough. To really get a representative of this breed, you need to perform a few simple steps:
- Find out if there are breeders of this breed in this city. You can talk a bit with dogs and look at their behavior.
- You need to come to the local cynological club and find out when the next mating will be and if there is an opportunity to queue for a puppy (there are puppies for shows - a special category, more expensive, and there are for the soul).
- If in your hometown there is no such organization, you can find out where the nearest centers are with friends or through the press, and go there.
- Before buying, if possible, you need to look at the parents of the puppy, find out the pedigree. However, this is not a guarantee that the dog will be perfect, it all depends on the upbringing.
Types of Puppies
Do not confuse such breeds as Labrador, Golden Retriever. They are different, although both dogs are friendly and human oriented. It is worth recalling that in this article we are talking specifically about Golden Retrievers. So, there are three types of puppies of this breed:
- Champions. These dogs are bought specifically to participate with them in various exhibitions. It is worth saying that this is not just hard work, but also a very costly affair. Information will turn out to be interesting that not all people will sell such dogs, even if they have a tight wallet.
- The tribesmen. These are puppies that are bought specifically for breeding this breed. They are also very expensive.
- Pets. This is, so to speak, illiquid from the litter. However, these are still worthy representatives of this breed. These dogs become great friends and full members of the families of their owners.
Male or female?
What do golden retriever puppies look like? The photos presented in the article demonstrate this. However, it is worth saying that at a young age there are practically no differences between representatives of different sexes. In adulthood, girls are smaller than boys. It is good to buy a bitch if there are children in the house: she will become a full-time nanny for them, even allowing her to tug on her ears and mustache. Retriever males are also friendly, they can differ only in a more spectacular appearance and male character.
Cost
And how much does a golden retriever cost? The price of representatives of this breed may vary depending on the following factors:
- pedigree;
- Titles
- prospects (exhibitions and shows).
It is noteworthy that in one litter there can be puppies of show class, brid class (suitable for breeding) and pet class (i.e. pets). It is depending on this that the golden retriever stands in different ways. The price, however, for the true representatives of this breed is unlikely to be below $ 500.