The Golden Retriever

"The angel beauty dog of the precise lord"

Origin:

There are two stories about the origin of the Golden Retriever, one is a romantic tale, the other is the real one. The tale says that a Scottish nobleman, Sir Dudley Coutts Marjoribanks fell in love with the dogs of a Russian travelling circus in Brighton in 1858. He liked the dogs so much, that he bought the whole act for a huge amount of money, and took the dogs to his estate, where he bred lots of dogs. This story about the origin of the Golden Retriever was widely believed till 1959. Then, the very accurately kept stud books of Sir Dudley, the later Lord Tweedmouth were published. The real story is as follows: Lord Tweedmouth saw a yellow dog with wavy coat at the beach in Brighton, which was from flat coated retriever parents. The dog’s name was Nous. He bought the animal and he began breeding three years later, in 1868. As a mate, he chose a reddish brown Tweed Water Spaniel named Belle. The Lord was a real hunter, so he crossed the offspring of Nous and Belle with breeds with which he expected to further improve hunting abilities. So, he involved a few Water Spaniels (disappeared since that), Irish Setters, Black Retrievers, and a sand coloured hound in the bloodline. The new breed found several enthusiasts even in the life of Lord Tweedmouth. The breed excelled in field trials: it followed the scent persistently, retrieved the game securely, with "soft mouth", and was working in water with pleasure, too. The first breed club was founded in 1913, and the standard set that time is in effect even now.

Temperament and working abilities:

The Golden Retriever has been an excellent gundog even from the beginning, its reliable work, soberness and docility made it popular quickly not only among hunters all around the work. In addition to being one of the most popular family dogs, it does a great job as a dog for the blind, searching for drugs, and as a rescue dog after avalanches and earthquakes, It can accommodate itself to almost any climate, it is eager to work in the hot sun in a field, or in the snowy mountains. It is friendly, extremely fond of humans. A real Golden Retriever is never aggressive, loves children, and is good with other dogs. It is strikingly intelligent, it learns quickly and with pleasure. It is a maniac retriever: even if not asked to do it, it brings slippers, the newspaper, or the leash (reminding of the walk time!) to its master with pleasure. Can be kept in a flat or a garden  - maybe the freshly planted flower bulbs will disappear in the latter case. It is a sporty breed needing much exercise, only those should keep it who see a real friend in it, and are willing to spend enough time and energy. In return, they can live with one of the most perfect family dog of the world.

Description:

Elegant, harmonically built, middle-sized dog. The skull is wide, the fang is strong, the stop is definite. The eyes are set wide apart, are dark brown, their expression is kind. The jaws are well developed, strong, has scissors bite. The nose is black. The ears are of medium size, set in line with the eyes. The neck is strong, dry, muscular. The back is level, the loins and the hips are muscular. The brisket is deep, the ribs are bent. The legs are straight, well muscled, the hocks are well let down. The paws are and firm and round. The tail is long, carried in line with the topline, its tip should not curl. The coat is thick, dense, the undercoat is waterproof. It can be straight or wavy, with featherings at certain places.

Coat colour can be any shade of cream or gold, from total white to dark red, but mahogany is not allowed. A few white hairs on the chest are not reason for exclusion.

Height at withers: 56-61 cm for dogs and 51-56 cm for bitches. Weight: 25-32 kg.