If you’re talking dogs, you will definitely win with a golden retriever. Its friendly, its cuddly, its eager to please its owner and it loves to play. What can get better than that when it comes to a dog?
It’s one of the most popular breeds in the US and tends to make a great hunting companion, a great guide dog, and a search and rescue dog. Golden Retrievers must have been so named because of their golden colored coats. They are vibrant, adaptable and tend to give their owners very little trouble.
Background
Golden retrievers originally came from the Scottish Highlands in the late 1800’s where they were generally used for hunting. They were then crossed with the yellow retriever and the tweed water spaniel. The whole point of crossbreeding and re-crossbreeding was to get a dog that was perfectly suited to the Scottish Highlands. Later, the Irish Settler and the bloodhound completed the golden retriever as we know it today.
A golden retriever is a dog of few needs especially if you are an outdoors and fun loving person:
- It needs to exercise every day – run, walk, ride – anything, but motion is good for it.
- They love to swim, so there’s another way to give your retriever his exercise and have fun too. And with training they can do all sorts – a swim can become a real adventure.
- They love human companionship – if you can’t spend much time with a retriever, get another kind of a dog that does not need human contact so much.
- Suburbs and the country side are the best for retrievers because of how playful they are and how much they love to run around. An apartment would soon make it feel cramped.
- Get a bunch of chewy toys – they love to munch on stuff, and if they can’t find a toy, they make go for you newest, most expensive cushion!
- If you can ever make the time or find someone who can, get your retriever trained in search and rescue – they have saved many lives which would otherwise have been lost.
- They are playful, very playful. Don’t leave them alone in the room with old grandpa or grandma. Of course they won’t bite her, but they just might push her over. They tend to be really protective towards babies though.
You can expect your retriever to be around for a while – at least between 10 and 14 years. They will suffer from health problems as they age, but nothing that the vet can’t handle. As they grow older, you can expect cataracts, entropion, allergies, maybe cancer, epilepsy and hip displaysia – let’s just say that they age like any normal animal and their health problems increase as they age, but the vet will always be able to advise you on what to do.
If you’re looking for a dog that’s lovely, friendly, playful, eager to please and learn tricks, loves the outdoors and of course beautifully golden, it has to be a golden retriever.
