Golden Retrievers are one of the most popular dog breeds of all times. Here are a few fun facts about what makes this breed a bundle of joy and energy.
Did you know that the Golden Retriever has its origins in Scotland in the 19th century? Those were times when the Scottish elite particularly enjoyed wildfowl hunting as a sport. Unfortunately, they did not have any of the retriever breeds that could work well at fetching from both land and water. This led to cross-breeding between water spaniels and retrievers. There are three types of Golden Retrievers. They are British, American, and Canadian and each of these countries have Golden Retrievers with a few variations.
British Golden Retrievers have a broad skull and are more muscular. Their coat is of lighter colour with shades of gold or cream.
American Golden Retrievers are lanky, and their coats are darker and in various shades of gold. Their movements are smooth and well-coordinated.
The Canadian Golden Retrievers are known for their height as they are taller than the British or American breeds. They also have a thin and dark coat.
The Golden Retriever’s characteristics are a combination of hunting and companionship. They are considered one of the most popular breeds, and they are most adaptable, to apartment living as well as individual homes. Their life span is around 10 to 12 years. If you are thinking of bringing one of them into your homes, here are a few fun facts about Golden Retrievers.
They love water: Golden retrievers love swimming and take to it instinctively. You will find them ready and eager to splash and always willing to play games that involve getting into the water. Throw anything into the water and yoru golden retriever will happily fetch it back for you. Having a water repellent coat only adds to their invincibility when in a water body.
Working dogs: Golden Retrievers have a highly honed sense of smell and are capable of tracking. After all, it is one of their primary traits. Having a Golden Retriever as part of your search and rescue team results in greater success than most other breeds.
Golden Retrievers make for great therapy: By nature, they are easy to train and are friendly dogs. They are known to be a great source of comfort and assistance based on the need. They can help people with physical disabilities as well as those faced with mental challenges. They are great as hearing dogs for the hearing impaired and are also popular as medical alert dogs.
Smart dogs: Golden Retrievers are brilliant and excel when trained. They are also focussed and will not stop till they finish their tasks.
Social breed: They love company and feel sad at being left alone for long periods. They shower love on children and adults alike and are always up for any activity that puts them together with people.
Golden Retrievers as watchdogs: You can task them with watching over children or other pets, and they are great at it. They are loyal and will stay alert and watchful whenever needed.
Adaptable: Let their size not stop you from bringing a golden retriever home just because you live in an apartment. They are flexible and can be calm and patient until the time they go out for fun or exercise. They adapt well to new environments if they are handled correctly during the transition.
They love food: Golden Retrievers love to eat and may put things indiscriminately in their mouths. But, they are eager enough to please, and you can train them to eat what they should. They are known to eat food very fast as it seems to be instinctive. But, it may also have other reasons such as hunger or that once they know it is theirs to eat, they see no reason to dawdle!
Soft mouthed: Golden Retrievers have very soft mouths, and this plays a large role in undamaged retrieval of any object. They can even carry raw eggs in their mouths without breaking the shell!
Excel in competitive sports: One of the interesting facts about golden retrievers is that they always seem to excel in any competitive sport. They are exceptionally athletic and use their intelligence to shine in any sporting activity.
Forever young at heart: Golden Retrievers may grow older, but they remain young at heart. They can always be counted on to become playful and can be goofy well into their adulthood.
Bring home a Golden Retriever by adopting one who was abandoned or given up by a family for any personal reason, and you can expect a very loving member of your family and one who will be with you for a long time. They are unflagging in their love and loyalty.
We strongly discourage buying pet dogs. Breeding of dogs is a highly unregulated market in India and people with no knowledge whatsoever breed dogs in every nook and corner just to make a quick buck. In this illegal dog breeding trade, the lives of countless breed dogs are stuck in suffering and torture. Please don’t be part of this cruelty to dogs. Do not buy dogs. Adopt a sudha desi, Indian stray dog, or if you want a specific breed first look in the nearest shelter or contact NGOs who give rescued breed dogs for adoption. #adoptdon’tshop
Did you know?
VOSD was started by Rakesh Shukla when he got his first dog Kavya, a golden retriever? Watch this video to know about the 10 years in the making of the world’s largest no-kill sanctuary & hospital and a unique social enterprise that provides some of India’s best-loved products and services to dog owners – with all the profits going back to the VOSD Sanctuary & Hospital which has the City of Dogs – a purpose-built space for over 1400 rescued dogs.
Do you find this information useful? For more fun facts about dogs, visit VOSD.in.
