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Golden Retriever

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1. General Description of the Golden Retriever

   The Golden Retriever is a powerfully built and well-proportioned dog, whose looks bring to mind a breed designed to hunt and retrieve. The skull is broad and rounded, with a well defined stop and smooth muzzle with a scissors bite. The nose is black or dark brown, and the eyes are deep brown with an amiable and intelligent expression. The neck, chest and forequarters are strong and well developed; the back is level and the body is short coupled. The feet are medium sized and round, and the tail is thick and carried horizontally. The coat is dense and water repellent and can be either straight or wavy, with some feathering on the forelegs and underbody; coloring is in solid shades of gold, without any other markings.

2. Golden Retriever Temperament

   Best known for its ease of training and obedience, the Golden Retriever is a natural-born hunting dog. A properly trained Golden should be calm and polite in the home but ready to go for a romp outside at the drop of a hat. Golden Retrievers enjoy being treated as an integral part of the family, and the breed will return the affection you shower on it tenfold. Because of the dog’s endearing nature, many owners have a tendency to spoil their Goldens and fail to train them properly in obedience. Do not let this happen, as a poorly trained Golden Retriever tends to be rowdy and obnoxiously over-energetic – have fun with your Golden, but make sure it is always clear who is boss. Ever obedient and eager to please, the Golden Retriever has no problem making friends with strangers, cats, other dogs and children. Make no mistake – this dog is a people pleaser.

3. Caring for a Golden Retriever

   The Golden Retriever is a friendly and sociable animal so it needs human interaction. Daily exercise and challenging obedience lessons and games keep this breed’s body and mind in top form. Although it can live outdoors, the dog prefers to live indoors with its family. The coat does not mat but needs twice-weekly brushing. Major health concerns include canine hip dysplasia, allergies, lymphoma, ear infections and hemangiosarcoma. Less common conditions seen in this breed include elbow dysplasia, entropion, seizures, mast cell tumors and hypothyroidism.

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We include the following list of misspellings so our internal search tools can send you to the right place. People often misspell Golden Retriever as Golden Retreiver.