An excellent friend and ally for man is the Golden Retriever, the best pet that anyone can have in the home, however, is an animal that cannot be trusted with the care of the home. Read on to learn more about this wonderful breed.
Golden Retriever History
This dog is from Scotland, it originated in the middle of the eighteenth century, where there was a cross between retrievers and water dogs, the reason for making this cross was basically to use them in the bird house, which were so famous in the time for families with a good economic position. The Golden Retriever was more efficient than weapons for hunting birds, during the 1800s its results were positive during long-distance hunts and in increasingly difficult terrain to reach.
The only problem was that the breed that originated from this cross was very large and they had to cross the dog that came from this cross with another, so that on that occasion they would obtain the results they were looking for.
This happened; With a yellow dog and a white female Spaniel, the Spaniel species is now an extinct breed, but by the 1800s this breed was very common in the Scottish borders.
When the crossing took place a litter of four puppies was born, this happened in 1868, these four puppies were born sand colored, this Retriever dog was created as a hunting dog, the mission of those who wanted to make this crossing was to create a dog with more qualities than those of the dogs that they normally used for hunting, but that at the same time were docile, playful and affectionate dogs, that could be kept as family pets.
This dog is considered very powerful, with a well-developed sense of smell and plenty of energy.
For years it was said that the origin of this breed of dog came in 1952, where several species of golden dogs were used, according to history it says that there were records of this breed between 1835 and 1880, this species of dog was registered by the Earl of Chichester, at that time the Golden Retriever breed began to sound and be known.
It is a species recognized worldwide and very popular in Australia, where it is considered a fairly friendly and docile breed. This breed is known to be just as skilled in the water as it is on land.
His tracking skills also led him to be part of police jobs, although because of his friendly way he was not very functional. He is in the third position of Domestic animals worldwide.
Mutual recognition
There is a club called the Kennel Club of the United Kingdom, which recognized the Gordon Retriever for the first time in 1903, the first exhibition of this breed was in 1908 and in 1911 it won the competition between the breeds, it took only fourteen years for the United States to recognize the golden retriever dog at the American Club.
Only in the year 1938 the United States created the Golden Retriever Club of America, thanks to Mr. Archie Marjoriebank, who took a Golden Retriever to Canada and won the competition that originated in that year, several clubs are known worldwide thanks to this breed, depends on each country the importance they give to associations.
In 2006, the Scottish Golden Retriever club was created, which organized meetings worldwide and adopted one hundred and eighty-eight Golden Retriever dogs that would be the ones in the best condition to win competitions in the following years.
They are recognized worldwide for being the most used dogs in movies, thanks to their ability to obey and the audience they can attract.
Physical features
The traits of golden dogs, depends on the country in which it is born, although they have a very similar anatomy, they are known to have several differences by country.
Europe and Spain
These dogs of British origin, have a lot of difference with dogs of American origin, even science has not found a correct answer as to why this breed is different in certain countries, the differences of the British Golden Retriever are:
- On its face you can see how its snout is flat, a little thicker and with a somewhat square skull.
- Short-legged, with a more pronounced chest and an incomplete tail.
- Its weight is greater than that of the American Golden and its fur is more golden.
- The British Golden Retriever has a skin color between gold and cream, if it is born with a reddish, white or black color, it will not be able to enter the breed dog clubs.
- The eyes of the British dog are rounder than the eyes of the American.
- According to the British Golden Retriever Association, the cream color of the dog's coat must meet certain characteristics, otherwise the dog can be expelled.
- It is not allowed to export litters from other countries, the British Golden Retriever must be born in the countries mentioned above.
- The coat must be short to appreciate the color of the skin and to run the obstacle course in competitions more effectively.
Golden albino dogs also reproduce en masse, let us remember that this condition is a chromosome that affects the pigmentation of the skin, in the case of the Golden albino they are born with a pink nose as well as the edge of their mouth and with a color of eyes clear, which is generally not characteristic of common Goldens.
America and Canada
The American male is usually taller than the British, he is about two feet tall standing on his hind legs, the females are fifty-six inches tall, the color is bright gold in different shades.
Regardless of the length of their fur, they are part of the Kenner American club, oriented to aquatic competitions, for their incredible precision when swimming.
While the Canadian Golden is characterized by a straight and dark coat. In the competitions that are organized in this country they are not so strict with the characteristics of the Golden, they only require the pedigree verification.
Both countries accept the export of litters, to improve the common physical characteristics of the lineages.
Characteristics of the Golden Retriever
coat and color
As its name indicates, it is a gold-colored dog in its different shades, the fur is usually wavy at the ends, impenetrable by water, while when touched and caressed it is silky and straight.
It is characterized by having long fur, therefore it changes frequently, for this reason it is recommended that the hair be kept short and in this way skin diseases or parasites such as fleas or ticks are also avoided.
All the associations in different countries indicate that the coat of the Golden must be gold. Colors such as white, black, red, among others, are not admitted as pure Golden Retrievers.
The characteristic cream color of some countries is accepted, since at present there are very few specimens that are born with a bright gold color, when carrying out the pertinent studies on dogs of this color, they concluded that if they are pure and that to fix the lineage and the color of the same must be crossed with a darker Golden.
Currently, births have been observed with mahogany-colored specimens, which are frowned upon by the judges, since it is assumed that they originated from the crossing of some other species with the Golden, since the breeds in which this species originated are not They had these shades.
The fur of this kind of dog is everything and is what brings it closer to winning competitions or being disqualified. It is also not acceptable that the specimen has colored spots, that is a disqualification without having started the competition.
These spots are usually on their legs, tail, head or chest, as well as spots on the skin that are in the dog's belly area, for some they are just moles, for the judges they are defects in the dog. The females are a lighter gold color than the male.
While this dog as a pet the only defect it may have is restlessness and the need for attention that it needs, compared to other pets the Golden Retriever is special even with babies, they are considered very overprotective.
intelligence and temperament
Like any animal, its temperament will depend on its upbringing, if it has had a difficult upbringing, they cannot expect the dog to be docile, happy and playful. If this breed is well raised, it is usually protective, kind, friendly and protective with those who are part of its family, an animal that you can not only see as your pet, it is like another child to whom you must give all the attention, love and care, that you give to a child.
His behavior is naturally destructive, you have to take into account the upbringing you are going to give him, if as a puppy you give him a toy shoe, even a big one, he will destroy the shoes, the wood of the house will scratch them, and this is Due to the smell that the wood emits, remember that they are hunting dogs and that the way to mark their territory apart from urine is to scratch the wood, furniture and everything that is their property.
Ideal to protect the home, since they are very jealous of their territory, at that time this dog shows how aggressive it can be, however, this depends on the upbringing if you call attention to it for barking or for not wanting strangers in the house, the same when protecting the home creates a conflict for what was learned and for what must be done to protect the home.
This conflict is due to the intelligence that characterizes the Golden Retriever, positioned in third place among the intelligent dog breeds, competing with one hundred and thirty-one different species, in the first place, the German shepherd and in second place the border collie. This position is earned by her ability to take orders and by understanding him.
Training
It depends on why you want to have the company of this dog, the training you must give it, if it is to hunt you have to take into account that it must be more disciplined than if it is only for pets, the Golden Retriever is capable of following precise orders, but as a puppy he must learn to abide by them.
Keeping it in a place where it is surrounded by prey but which in turn are not within its reach, is a good technique for the Golden to learn to be patient and calm when hunting.
To have him at home it is useless to punish him, the Golden Retriever will always look for a way to get the attention of his master and for that reason when he is punished he will seek to destroy something, the best thing is to give him the love and attention that the Golden gives him. offers to each member of the family, with them everything must be reciprocal.
It can also be trained as an assistance dog, for people with some difficulty or with a health problem, they are characterized by being good guides for people with a lack of vision and company for the elderly alone. They also serve as guide dogs in large litters.
Food
Being a relatively large breed, the dog should eat at least twice a day, in the morning and at night, without the need to breed bad eating habits and avoiding sweets as they are harmful to their health.
The Golden Retriever must have a strict diet of only dog and sometimes you can give it carrots to strengthen its fur and give it more shine, its teeth must also be protected for that reason it is not recommended that they eat bones.
They must avoid being overweight in this breed, since their bone structure is not designed to bear weight. Puppies should eat three times a day to grow healthy and should only eat puppy dog food; This is because it is not that hard and can be easily chewed by the small teeth of puppies.
Care
Taking into account that it is a very active animal, you should make sure to take it for a walk to a place where it can run and drain all the energy it has, if there is the possibility of taking it swimming it would be fabulous because in this way it would grow up in the environment in which their descendants were created.
His coat should be combed about once a week and when bathing he should use dog conditioner. It is recommended to use anti-flea powders since, due to the Golden Retriever's long coat, they are prone to contamination with these parasites that can cause serious health problems.
Grooming is very important in every way, both to avoid a skin disease and an infection in the mouth or ears.
Games
This breed loves to play with the ball and races, if you take it out for a walk in a park it will not stop running, you should always try to keep them hydrated, at home you must have a toy with which it can entertain itself biting and chasing.
To sharpen their sense of smell, they can play with the Golden Retriever to find the candy, hide a small portion of dog biscuits somewhere in the house and make your pet look for it, this is usually a lot of fun for him and like any breed of dog Encourage him and congratulate him when he does a good job.
Health
With proper care, this breed can live up to twelve years, as it suffers from quite strong congenital diseases such as displacement of the hips. As it is a congenital disease, the ideal is to have proof that your predecessors did not suffer from this displacement of the hips.
Skin problems due to the length of her hair and the heat, so she must bathe once a week.
Being overweight is also a common disease in this breed of dog, for that reason it is necessary for the dog to visit the vet every three months at the most, it is also necessary to administer all the vaccines on time and give him daily vitamins.
Food is part of your health, for the same issue of obesity, diseases will depend on the physical condition of the dog.
Common diseases
- Cancer: This disease has been the cause of death of at least sixty percent of American Golden Retriever dogs and forty percent of British Golden Retrievers, this calculation was last updated in 2004. Currently, clubs around the world have not commented on the reason why this dog frequently dies.
- Obesity: By not taking care of their diet, they are prone to this disease and it leads to other diseases, such as displacement of the hips.
- Hip displacement: At least twenty percent of this breed of dogs suffer from displacement of the hips and become disabled, in the same way they can suffer from displacement in the elbows, which is not very common in these animals, but originates when there is excess weight.
- Eye diseases: The most common disease in these dogs is glaucoma and cataracts.
- Skin diseases: Such as seborrhea, allergies due to parasite bites such as fleas and ticks or acute dermatitis.
- Heart diseases: Caused by obesity, their common heart disease is cardiomyopathy.
- Common diseases: Common diseases that most dogs get are:
- Distemper
- El Parvovirus canine
- Lyme's desease: A disease that affects the animal only in the last years of life and is caused by a bacterium that affects the dog's blood, it is common in farm dogs, since the bacterium is caused by ticks from bovine animals.
Vaccines
The first vaccines that are given to the Golden Retriever at forty-five days of birth, when he is given his first dose of parvovirus and distemper, after that in the following summer he is vaccinated again and the date may vary depending on the outbreak that there are canine diseases in the area where the dog lives.
Fifty or sixty days after birth, a dewormer should be placed, this will make the puppy have a more adequate way of eating and without diseases that can affect it later, it is assumed that the parasites already come from the mother's milk in the puppies and In this way it is very important to deworm it so that it does not present complications.
