What is a Golden Retriever?

The Golden Retriever is a sporting dog that was developed in Scotland in the 19th century as a gundog and water retriever to assist hunters in recovering game birds. They are strong, hardy, all-around dogs and excellent swimmers with thick golden-brown coats that are long on their neck, thighs, tail, and back legs. Golden Retrievers are known to be outgoing, eager to please, enthusiastic retrievers, and are among the most obedient. They need at least an hour of strenuous exercise daily, such as hiking, jogging, and retrieving activities, and enjoy swimming. Coat care for this breed includes brushing twice a week and occasional bathing.

What does a Golden Retriever look like?

The Golden Retriever is a sporting dog that originated in Scotland in the 19th century to retrieve game birds for hunters. They are strong, hardy, excellent swimmers, and known for their friendly and gentle temperament. Their thick coat is long around the neck, thighs, tail, and back of the legs and comes in any shade of golden brown. Male Golden Retrievers stand 23–24 inches (55–61 cm) tall and weigh 65–75 pounds (29–34 kg), while females reach 21.5–22.5 inches (55–57 cm) and 55–65 pounds (24–29 kg). The breed was first shown in England in 1908 and registered with the American Kennel Club in 1925 and is one of the most popular dog breeds in the United States.

How should you care for a Golden Retriever?

To care for a Golden Retriever , ensure it gets at least an hour of strenuous daily exercise through activities like fetch, hiking, or jogging in cool weather. Off-leash exercise should occur in fenced or road-free areas, as a fenced yard at home is needed. Golden Retrievers enjoy swimming, but monitor them to prevent exhaustion. Provide mental stimulation through agility exercises, play, and field training, such as pointing, trailing, flushing out prey, and retrieving. Regular coat care involves brushing twice a week, increasing during shedding season, and occasional bathing. Feed puppies large-breed puppy food to control growth rate and reduce the risk of hip dysplasia. Monitor their diet to prevent obesity. Golden Retrievers can be difficult to train initially because they are easily distracted. Without training, they can be difficult to walk on a leash.

What are some common health issues in Golden Retrievers?

Golden Retrievers are prone to certain health issues. Like many large breeds, they can suffer from hip dysplasia , a hereditary condition causing arthritis, lameness, and pain due to malformation of the hipbones. They are also somewhat prone to obesity, so monitoring their diet is important. Other common ailments in dogs include fleas and ticks , which can cause irritation and disease, and internal parasites, which can lead to listlessness and anemia. Golden Retrievers can also be susceptible to eye diseases , such as cataracts and glaucoma, and are as much at risk of contracting cancers as people are.

What jobs or activities are Golden Retrievers especially good at?

The Golden Retriever is a sporting dog that originated in Scotland in the 19th century to retrieve game birds for hunters. They are excellent swimmers and all-around strong and hardy dogs. Golden Retrievers are versatile and excel at various activities, including: * Agility exercises * Dock diving * Field training (pointing, trailing, flushing out prey, and retrieving) * Obedience, agility, and field trials * Retrieving activities and games of fetch * Tracking They can also be good companions for hiking and cool-weather jogging. Golden Retrievers have been trained as guide dogs for the blind. They are eager to please, enthusiastic retrievers, and very good at following directions from a distance after appropriate training.

Golden Retriever dog

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A golden retriever mother sits in tall grass outdoors with five golden retriever puppies gathered closely beside her.

Golden retriever in tall grass carrying a retrieved bird in its mouth during a field trial.

Golden retriever with mouth open and tongue out, looking forward against a blurred green background.

Quick Facts

Related Topics:: guide dog; sporting dog; retriever

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Golden Retriever dog

breed of dog

Also known as: Golden, Golden Retriever

Written by

Caroline Coile

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

History

Top Questions

What is a Golden Retriever?
The Golden Retriever is a sporting dog that was developed in Scotland in the 19th century as a gundog and water retriever to assist hunters in recovering game birds. They are strong, hardy, all-around dogs and excellent swimmers with thick golden-brown coats that are long on their neck, thighs, tail, and back legs.

Golden Retrievers are known to be outgoing, eager to please, enthusiastic retrievers, and are among the most obedient. They need at least an hour of strenuous exercise daily, such as hiking, jogging, and retrieving activities, and enjoy swimming. Coat care for this breed includes brushing twice a week and occasional bathing.
1 Britannica Source
1. Golden Retriever dog
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What does a Golden Retriever look like?
The Golden Retriever is a sporting dog that originated in Scotland in the 19th century to retrieve game birds for hunters. They are strong, hardy, excellent swimmers, and known for their friendly and gentle temperament.

Their thick coat is long around the neck, thighs, tail, and back of the legs and comes in any shade of golden brown. Male Golden Retrievers stand 23–24 inches (55–61 cm) tall and weigh 65–75 pounds (29–34 kg), while females reach 21.5–22.5 inches (55–57 cm) and 55–65 pounds (24–29 kg). The breed was first shown in England in 1908 and registered with the American Kennel Club in 1925 and is one of the most popular dog breeds in the United States.
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What kind of personality do Golden Retrievers have?
Golden Retrievers are known for being friendly, gentle, and eager to please, making them excellent family pets. They are enthusiastic retrievers on land and in the water and are very playful and affectionate with their families.

This breed is among the most obedient, consistently winning in standardized obedience, agility, and field trials. Golden Retrievers are energetic when playing or training but calm down when resting. They make fairly good watchdogs, but poor protection dogs, given their friendly nature. They need mental stimulation and challenges, which can be met by agility exercises, play, and field training.
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1. Golden Retriever dog: Temperament
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How should you care for a Golden Retriever?
To care for a Golden Retriever, ensure it gets at least an hour of strenuous daily exercise through activities like fetch, hiking, or jogging in cool weather. Off-leash exercise should occur in fenced or road-free areas, as a fenced yard at home is needed. Golden Retrievers enjoy swimming, but monitor them to prevent exhaustion.

Provide mental stimulation through agility exercises, play, and field training, such as pointing, trailing, flushing out prey, and retrieving. Regular coat care involves brushing twice a week, increasing during shedding season, and occasional bathing. Feed puppies large-breed puppy food to control growth rate and reduce the risk of hip dysplasia. Monitor their diet to prevent obesity.

Golden Retrievers can be difficult to train initially because they are easily distracted. Without training, they can be difficult to walk on a leash.
1 Britannica Source
1. Golden Retriever dog: Care and upkeep
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What are some common health issues in Golden Retrievers?
Golden Retrievers are prone to certain health issues. Like many large breeds, they can suffer from hip dysplasia, a hereditary condition causing arthritis, lameness, and pain due to malformation of the hipbones. They are also somewhat prone to obesity, so monitoring their diet is important.

Other common ailments in dogs include fleas and ticks, which can cause irritation and disease, and internal parasites, which can lead to listlessness and anemia. Golden Retrievers can also be susceptible to eye diseases, such as cataracts and glaucoma, and are as much at risk of contracting cancers as people are.
3 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What jobs or activities are Golden Retrievers especially good at?
The Golden Retriever is a sporting dog that originated in Scotland in the 19th century to retrieve game birds for hunters. They are excellent swimmers and all-around strong and hardy dogs.

Golden Retrievers are versatile and excel at various activities, including:
* Agility exercises
* Dock diving
* Field training (pointing, trailing, flushing out prey, and retrieving)
* Obedience, agility, and field trials
* Retrieving activities and games of fetch
* Tracking

They can also be good companions for hiking and cool-weather jogging. Golden Retrievers have been trained as guide dogs for the blind. They are eager to please, enthusiastic retrievers, and very good at following directions from a distance after appropriate training.
1 Britannica Source
1. Golden Retriever dog: Care and upkeep
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Golden Retriever dog, breed of sporting dog developed in Scotland in the 19th century as a gundog and water retriever to assist hunters in recovering game birds. It is a strong and hardy all-around dog and an excellent swimmer. Its thick coat is long on the neck, thighs, tail, and back of the legs and may be any shade of golden brown. The Golden Retriever was first shown in England in 1908 and was registered with the American Kennel Club in 1925. Golden Retrievers are one of the most popular dog breeds in the United States. The breed is noted for being friendly, gentle, and willing to work, and it makes an excellent family pet. Golden Retrievers also have been trained as guide dogs for the blind.

Care and upkeep

Although the Golden Retriever needs at least an hour of strenuous exercise daily, much of this can be met with games of fetch and other retrieving activities. It is a good companion for hiking and cool-weather jogging. Though generally not suited for marathons, Golden Retrievers can complete them with proper training and care that guards against overheating. Despite the dog’s obedience from a distance, off-leash exercise for the Golden Retriever should only be done in fenced areas or road-free areas; the Golden Retriever needs a fenced yard at home. It is a water-loving dog that enjoys swimming, but care must be taken not to let it swim to the point of exhaustion.

Breed data

Also called: Golden
Area of origin: Scotland
Breed group: Sporting
Height at withers: 21.5–24 inches (55–61 cm)
Weight: 55–75 pounds (24–34 kg)
Life span: 10-12 years
Did you know?: All Golden Retrievers can be traced back to a litter born in 1868 at Guisachan House, owned by Dudley Coutts Marjoribanks, in the Scottish Highlands. Gerald Ford’s Golden, named Liberty, was often photographed at the White House during his presidency.

The breed requires mental stimulation and challenges, which can be met by agility exercises, play, and field training that can include pointing, trailing, flushing out prey, and retrieving. The breed is one of the most versatile in competitive events, excelling at obedience, agility, tracking, retriever field trials, and dock diving (in which a dog leaps from a dock into the water to retrieve an item).

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Coat care consists of twice-weekly brushing (which should increase during shedding season) and occasional bathing. As with all large breeds, it is advisable to feed puppies a large-breed puppy food to slow the rate of growth, which also lessens the danger of hip dysplasia. Golden Retrievers are somewhat prone to obesity, so their diet should be monitored.

Temperament

The Golden Retriever is well known for being outgoing and eager to please, and it is an enthusiastic retriever both on land and in the water. The breed is among the most obedient, consistently winning in standardized obedience, agility, and field trials. However, Golden Retrievers can initially be difficult to train, as they can be easily distracted during early training attempts. Without training, the breed can be difficult to walk on a leash because of its eagerness to investigate or play. Part of being a successful retriever is being able to follow directions from a distance, and Golden Retrievers are very good at this when given appropriate training.

The breed is very playful and affectionate with its family and fairly friendly toward unfamiliar people and dogs. It is energetic when appropriate for play or training, but it calms down when it is time to rest. Golden Retrievers make fairly good watchdogs but, given its friendly nature, poor protection dogs.

These are well established and widely accepted generalizations about the breed. Individual dogs may differ in behavior and temperament.

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Golden Retriever dog

Care and upkeep

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Temperament