Posts Tagged ‘guide dog’

Golden Retrievers — Choosing the Breed of Dog That’s Right for You

Author: Anita Funkhouser

When choosing a dog, it’s important to choose the breed that’s right for you. In order to do that, you need to know the characteristics and temperament of the breed you’re thinking about adopting or purchasing before you do so. The Golden Retriever is just one breed among many from which to choose.

The Golden Retriever was first developed in the British Isles, probably from crosses between the yellow flat-coated retriever, light-coated Tweed water spaniels, other spaniels, setters and even the Newfoundland and possibly the Bloodhound. It was predominantly bred for hunting and made a fine bird dog, both on land and in the water. It has not only been used for hunting and tracking but also for narcotics detection, as a guide dog for the blind, therapy dog and service dog for the disabled. The Golden is one of the world’s foremost family companion dogs.

The Golden Retriever has an average height of 20 to 24 inches and an average weight of 55 to 80 pounds. It is beautiful, sturdy and well proportioned. The coat is feathered, medium length and cream to golden in color. The outer coat is water repellent while the undercoat is dense. The tail is long but never curled. The Golden’s nose is black, and the eyes are brown with dark rims. The ears are pendant and medium sized. This breed is an average shedder.

Golden Retrievers are usually lovable, sweet, loyal, confident, well mannered and eager to please. They are patient and gentle with children. They are intelligent, easily trained and excel in obedience competitions. They can learn up to roughly 240 commands, words and phrases. They make an outstanding family dog and are very attached to their owners and enjoy pleasing them. They are friendly, even towards strangers and other dogs, with very little guarding instincts, however, do make good watchdogs and will loudly signal a stranger’s approach. These dogs love to swim and love to work, with the ability to focus on a given task, and will work until collapse. Goldens may become mischievous and/or high strung if not properly exercised. They may become anxious or distressed if left alone in a room. Golden Retrievers make excellent surrogate mothers to different species. Some of their talents include hunting, tracking, retrieving, narcotics detection, agility, competitive obedience and performing tricks.

Health concerns include hip dysplasia and congenital eye defects. Skin allergies are common and require immediate veterinary attention. Parents should be checked for Von Willebrand’s disease and heart problems.

The Golden Retriever is prone to obesity without exercise. They require a daily brisk walk, jog or run. They like to retrieve balls and other toys. They need to be exercised well to avoid hyperactivity.

Grooming for this breed of dog is easy and consists of combing and brushing at least once a week with a firm-bristle brush, paying particular attention to the dense undercoat. Daily grooming is required during heavy shedding. They should be dry shampooed regularly but bathed only when necessary. The ears should be cleaned regularly or ear infections may occur.

Golden Retrievers do okay in an apartment if they are sufficiently exercised. They are moderately active indoors but do best with at least a medium to large yard.

This breed of dog is lovable, friendly, well mannered, easy to train, good with children and makes a great family dog but requires regular grooming and daily exercise and may be too active for the elderly. If you’re able to provide sufficient exercise and regular grooming, then perhaps a Golden Retriever is the right breed of dog for you.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/golden-retrievers-choosing-the-breed-of-dog-thats-right-for-you-836725.html

About the Author

Anita Funkhouser is the owner of http://www.gogreendogbeds.com, offering high-quality, eco-friendly dog beds, toys and sweaters made from recycled materials, and http://pickofthelitterblog.wordpress.com/, a blog about various breeds of dogs.

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Introduction to English Cream Golden Retrievers by Tom Herry

English Cream Retrievers are one of the most lovable and intelligent dogs around. Their pleasing temperament and character not only make them ideal pets but useful in a variety of other areas as well. Many people looking for a pet choose golden retrievers based on their looks. But these dogs are so much more than that!

Where it all began

Records of English Cream Retrievers date back to the early part of the 19th century in Scotland. During this time, hunting was popular both as a means of putting food on the table and as a sport. These dogs were developed and bred out of the necessity to have a dog of medium size that was agile and flexible enough to retrieve any kind of small game. The popularity of the breed increased remarkably by the end of the 19th century and by the beginning of the 20th, exclusive clubs for the breed came into existence. These clubs were established with the intention of recognizing the breed.

Great utility dogs

Everyone is aware of the fact that English Cream Golden Retriever Puppies grow up to make great family pets. However not too many people are aware of the fact that these dogs make great utility dogs as well. Because they are extremely affectionate, pleasantly tempered, easy to train and are very loyal these dogs make great guide dogs as well. In fact, the Golden Retriever is the most preferred guide dog for the blind worldwide.

Ideal family dogs

White golden retriever puppies make a great addition to a home, especially if there are children around. The retriever forms a strong bond with its primary care giver and trainer, but unlike other breeds, it never becomes possessive of or protective of its “��alpha”�� human. In addition, you will always find them eager to please their owners and extremely easy to train. If you are looking for a happy go lucky tail wagging furry friend, there is no better choice than a golden retriever.

For more details, please visit us at http://www.nicholberrygoldens.com

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Buying A Golden Retriever Puppy

Author: Peter Finch

Golden Retrievers are obedient, beautiful, make fantastic family pets as well as hunting dogs. This breed is also the most preferred guide dog for the blind and for important things like narcotic detection dogs and tracking dogs (used to find missing people) among others.

Among the many other breeds available as good pet options, the Golden Retriever remains one of the most versatile and most surprising breeds.

But before you take the plunge and finalize on buying a Golden Retriever puppy, you need to learn more about this breed. Try and attend dog shows where you can meet owners who have Golden Retrievers as pets as they can give you a lot of important information about this breed – information that a breeder may not give you since he is interested in making a sale. Check you local kennel club again for information.

People who own Golden Retrievers are quite proud of them and are always willing to talk about their pet especially if they find you interested in the same breed.

When you buy a Golden Retriever puppy, your best bet is to look for one at a backyard breeder or the local puppy mill. Backyard breeders care a lot about their puppies so they will have a lot of information about the dogs and they also would like to get the best possible homes for their litter.

Visit the local branches of the Golden Retriever club of America and get a list of the breeders in your area. It is important that you get your Golden from a reliable source. All puppies come with some built in friskiness and other attitudes. You need one that is best suited to your family. The breeder knows his pups very well and he will be a good judge of which pup will suit you based on some questions he may ask.

Do not rush the buying, take you time and look at all the options available. Get all the pertinent information about your puppy regarding its medication, its injections, and its food and training requirements etc.

Once you have all this, then try and get a questionnaire or list of points to consider while buying a golden Retriever pup from some Golden owners and the local vet. Take it to your breeder and ensure that the pet you get matches at least 95% of the points you have.

Remember you are buying a friend for life so you want a pup that has a good temperament and is warm, open and responsive. A pup from a breeder, who is only in it for the money, will invariably end up being of poor quality along with a nasty disposition.

A little patience and research will get you the best there is in Golden Retriever pups.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/buying-a-golden-retriever-puppy-183187.html

About the Author

Don’t get ripped off. If you are looking for information on golden retrievers? or advice on buying a golden retriever or house breaking your golden retriever, visit us now. GoldenRetrieverAdvice.org is a goldmine for information on everything related to golden retrievers.

The Versatile Golden Retriever

Author: Mike Mathews

So you are interested in acquiring a Golden Retriever because you think it is a friendly and good looking dog breed and you have heard that it behaves well with children. Well you are right in that the Golden is one of the best family-oriented dogs in the world as well as being one of the best looking and friendliest of the retriever dog breeds.

However, to simply limit the Golden’s description to child-friendly and good looking is to do the dog breed a major disservice. The Golden Retriever is one of the most versatile dog breeds known to man. This retriever is a good hunting dog, guide dog for the blind, narcotics dog, as well as an outstanding competitor in agility, retriever field trial, and obedience competitions. The versatile Golden manages all this while being an outstanding family dog. The list of superlatives that can be used to describe this breed are endless, but we can limit ourselves to: gentle, confidant, loyal, cheerful, trustworthy, active, friendly, intelligent, eager to please and responsive to training. It is these last three characteristics that enable the Golden to be trained to such a high-level for work and competition. Additional information on activities for dogs can be found in my article Fun Dog Activities at http://www.dog-breed-facts.com/articles/fun-dog-activities.html

The origin of the Golden can be traced back to mid-19th century Britain. A Scotsman, Sir Dudley Marjoribanks later Lord Tweedsmuir, developed the breed both as a land hunting dog and a water retriever. The breeding records show that the Golden has a mixture of sporting dog breeds in its lineage. These breeds include the wavy-coated Retriever, the yellow Tweed Water Spaniel, the Irish Setter and the sandy-colored Bloodhound. The resulting line of Golden Retrievers was officially recognized as a pure-bred breed in Britain in 1913 and by the American Kennel Club (AKC) in 1925. The Golden’s water-repellant coat may be a rich shade of gold or a lighter cream color. The coat is easy to care for and only requires weekly combing and brushing except when shedding. Male Goldens are fairly large and stand 23 to 24 inches tall at shoulder height and weigh from 65 to 75 pounds. Females are smaller and stand 21.5 to 22.5 inches tall at shoulder height and weigh from 55 to 65 pounds. The popularity of the Golden is not due to its prowess as a hunting dog or its ability to be trained to a high-level for work and competition. It is largely based on its popularity as a family-oriented dog breed. The Golden was ranked 2nd out of 154 dog breeds in 2004 AKC registrations.

It isn’t, however, all smiles and chuckles when raising a Golden. The Golden Retriever remains goofy and puppy-like for several years. This can be amusing but it can also be frustrating. Young Goldens tend to be overly exuberant and you must supervise young toddlers around them in order to avoid toddler knock down. Therefore Goldens should be socialized and obedience trained when they are puppies. On the other hand, young children also must be supervised as the Golden is so docile it will let them do almost anything to it – even dress the dog up like a doll. Goldens also have a tendency to mouth everything and everybody so they should be provided with lots of toys to carry around. The friendly Golden, with its constantly wagging tail, will clear coffee tables wherever it walks. Goldens should be given regular exercise, not too vigorous, several times a day when they are young. After the Golden is fully grown it can be taken jogging, hiking or biking. These retrievers love to swim whenever possible and if given enough exercise can adapt to most living conditions.

If you are seriously interested in acquiring a Golden Retriever then you should check with your national pure-bred dog organizations such as the American (http://www.akc.org) or Canadian Kennel (http://www.ckc.com) Clubs to look for conformation shows in your area. Make sure you talk to owners and breeders at these shows to see if your lifestyle is really suited to this breed. Additional information on Goldens and on specific shows and competitions in your area can be found by checking with the national Golden Retriever Clubs. In the US it is the Golden Retriever Club of America (http://www.grca.org) and in Canada it is the Golden Retriever Club of Canada (http://www.grcc.net). Both of these umbrella organizations will point you to the local chapter closest to your home that will be able to provide you with information on reputable breeders. They can also provide you with information on Golden Retriever rescue organizations in case you wish to obtain an adult dog.

The national Golden Retriever clubs are dedicated to improving the bloodlines of Golden’s and eliminating and reducing the incidence of inherited diseases. These clubs will encourage you to ask the breeder for the health clearances appropriate for Goldens. Goldens are a fairly robust and healthy dog breed that can be expected to live for 10 to 14 years. Unfortunately, because of the dog breeds popularity some backyard breeders and puppy mills are producing defective and even aggressive representatives of the breed. Common health problems include: inherited musculoskeletal disorders such as hip dysplasia and elbow dysplasia; eye diseases such as progressive retinal atrophy and juvenile cataracts; sub aortic stenosis (SAS) heart disease and hypothyroidism. Information on these inherited diseases can be found in my article Hereditary diseases at http://www.dog-breed-facts.com/articles/hereditary-diseases.html. Before you buy that irresistible Golden puppy, make sure you ask the breeder for the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) results and the Canine Eye Registry (CERF) recent ophthalmologists report for the breeding sire and dam.

I am sure your life will be greatly enhanced with a Golden Retriever as a companion.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/automotive-articles/the-versatile-golden-retriever-24881.html

About the Author

About the Author – Mike Mathews is a contributing writer and editor for the popular dog breed site: www.dog-breed-facts.com . He provides informative, real-world advice and tips on dog breeds, dog health , dog grooming and more. As well be sure to check out his free report on Dog Training.

After 18 months in the slammer, 2 Golden Retriever dogs are released from Auckland’s women’s prison.