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Golden retriever

The golden retriever was developed in the Scottish Highlands from the 1860s, largely by Lord Tweedmouth, who crossed a yellow retriever with the now-extinct Tweed Water Spaniel to make a dog that would work waterfowl over both land and water.

The result is a medium-large gundog with a dense, water-repellent double coat running from pale cream to deep gold, and a famously even temper. It is that temperament, more than the looks, that has kept the breed among the most popular family dogs in the world for half a century — biddable, sociable, and slow to take offence.

Origin
Scotland, 1860s
Size
25–34 kg, 51–61 cm at the shoulder
Lifespan
10–12 years
Coat
Dense water-repellent double coat, feathered
Temperament
Gentle, eager to please, sociable with strangers
Exercise
1–2 hours daily, plus something to think about

Related: Chesapeake bay retriever · Curly-coated retriever · Flat-coated retriever · Labrador retriever

3 golden retriever photos, newest first

  • Finn, a golden retriever

    Finn

    Finn found the water lighting up around him and has refused to come out of it since.

    FrostyOtter · 5 days ago

  • Marigold, a golden retriever

    Marigold

    Marigold has located the lost luggage. It is all lemons.

    FrostyOtter · 1 week ago

  • Marigold, a golden retriever

    Marigold

    This is Marigold at maximum enthusiasm.

    SunnyHeron · 2 weeks ago

Living with a golden retriever

Goldens shed steadily and then, twice a year, spectacularly. A thorough brush several times a week keeps it manageable; skipping it for a month does not.

Exercise is only half of what they need. This is a working retriever, and a golden given a long walk but nothing to think about is still a bored dog — scent games, retrieving and training work better than distance alone.

Hip and elbow dysplasia are worth checking in a breeding line. The breed also carries an unusually high lifetime cancer risk, haemangiosarcoma and lymphoma in particular, so keep weight off them and have new lumps looked at rather than watched.

General guidance, not veterinary advice. Individual dogs vary, and anything about a specific animal is a question for a vet who has seen it.

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