Posts Tagged ‘Water Spaniels’

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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Red Golden Retrievers – Are They Really Goldens?
By Ewen Vile

Traditional hunting dogs that Lord Tweedmouth created in his breeding program appeared more mahogany, sometimes auburn and almost red in color. But do Red Golden Retrievers really characterize the breed?

During the 1800s, Tweed Water Spaniels were popular hunting dogs. However they can only locate wild birds and cannot retrieve them because of their small size and light coat. This is one of the main reasons why the gentlemen hunters preferred a medium sized hunting dog.

They wanted one that can retrieve fowl well in the wild and even in rough waters. Apart from extreme hunting skills, they also wanted one that looks sturdy and gorgeous at work with a coat preferably of darker shade.

Starting rom a yellow wavy coated Retriever bred with a Tweed Water Spaniel, brought four yellow pups, Tweedmouth also experimented mating the yellow colored pups to a Red Setter and black wavy-coated Retriever and liver colored flat-coated Retriever. The breeding line brought about different shades of gold, from light yellow gold to a rich and lustrous reddish brown and liver color.

But what does the AKC Standard say about the coat? It says, “Rich, lustrous Golden of various shades. Predominant body color which is extremely pale or extremely dark is undesirable.” An auburn or mahogany may not be ideal, but this is not an automatic disqualification. It would only matter if your Golden is competing for a title. The one with a shade within the required range will be given a higher rank than the ones with extreme colors.

If you wanted a Golden with a darker shade, you might prefer to have an American Golden Retriever. This type resembles more of the hunting dogs. Their coat is more likely inherited from the Red Irish Setters and liver colored flat-coated Retrievers. English Golden Retrievers are lighter in color compared to American Goldens.

Red Goldens or Golden Retrievers with a darker shade are more popular in field trials and canine sports because of their long limbs and agility. Also, the American Golden Retrievers are said to be more active and light weight which makes them efficient in all types of sports and field work. This is in contrast to their cream colored counterpart who is more popularly known inside the show ring.

The color may vary in shades but one thing stands true, we love this breed not just because of its golden coat but because of their heart that is made of gold.

For video and reading about what Golden Retrievers get up to, and for more tips on buying a Golden Retriever, go to https://goldenretriever1.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ewen_Vile

http://EzineArticles.com/?Red-Golden-Retrievers—Are-They-Really-Goldens?&id=3357627

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Red Golden Retrievers, are they really goldens? Traditional hunting dogs that Lord Tweedmouth created on his breeding program appeared more mahogany, sometimes auburn and almost red in color. But do Red Golden Retrievers really characterize the breed? 

During the 1800s, Tweed Water Spaniels were popular hunting dogs. However, they can only locate wild birds and cannot retrieve because of their small size and light coat. This is one of the main reasons why the gentlemen hunters preferred a medium sized hunting dog.

They wanted one that can retrieve fowls well in the wild and even in rough waters. Apart from extreme hunting skills, they also wanted one that looks sturdy and gorgeous at work with a coat that does not get dirty and preferably of darker shade.

From a yellow wavy coated Retriever bred with a Tweed Water Spaniel bringing four yellow pups, Tweedmouth also experimented mating the yellow colored pups to a Red Setter and black wavy-coated Retriever and liver colored flat-coated Retriever. The breeding line brought about different shades of gold, from light yellow gold to a rich and lustrous reddish brown and liver color.   

But what does the AKC Standard say about the coat? It says, “Rich, lustrous Golden of various shades. Predominant body color which is extremely pale or extremely dark is undesirable.” An auburn or mahogany may not be ideal, but this is not an automatic disqualification. It would only matter if your Golden is competing for a title. The one with a shade within the required range will be given a higher rank than the ones with extreme colors.

If you wanted a Golden with a darker shade, you might prefer to have an American Golden Retriever. This type resembles more of the hunting dogs. Their coat is more likely inherited from the Red Irish Setters and liver colored flat-coated Retrievers. English Golden Retrievers are lighter in color compared to American Goldens.

Red Goldens or Golden Retrievers with a darker shade are more popular in field trials and canine sports because of their long limbs and agility. Aside from that American Golden Retrievers are said to be more active and light weight which makes them efficient in all types of sports and field work. This is in contrast to their white counterpart who is more popularly known inside the show ring.

The color may vary in shades but one thing stands true, we love this breed not just because of its golden coat but because of their heart that is made of gold.