The History Of The Golden Retriever & AKC Breed Standards

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The History Of The Golden Retriever & AKC Breed Standards

Golden Retriever

A HISTORY OF THE
GOLDEN RETRIEVER
by Malcolm Dupris

     Today's Golden Retriever is most commonly known as a companion animal. Unless you go to, or are involved in, conformation, obedience, field or hunting trials, you may not realize that the Golden Retriever is a far more versatile animal. It also had a reason for having been developed as a separate breed back in the latter half of the nineteenth century.
     Let's first take a look at the type of dog being used for hunting purposes around the year 1865. We find that setters and pointers were being used for locating and holding game birds, such as, pheasant, quail, grouse and woodcock. These birds would normally be found in fields, brush, and thickets. The coat of setters and pointers tended to be silky and light. Spaniels were used in flushing birds, not so much for actually retrieving. The spaniel also possessed a light coat and was small in size. Its light coat would not enable it to work in marshes, and with its smaller size, a spaniel would not be able to break through heavy marsh grass, fight through the mud, or swim in rough water. Now these dogs could retrieve, but that was not their main function. Normally, the hunter would note where the game had dropped, walk over and pick it up.
     Other aspects to look at were the changes in the firearms being used by hunters. Breech loading, and multiple shot weapons were being developed and used, not only by the military but also the gentlemen hunters. Instead of going out for just a few birds for dinner, they could now go out and kill many more. These hunters now needed a dog that could note where the game dropped, wounded or dead, and go out and return the downed prey to the hunter. They needed a dog that worked equally well in woods, marsh, or river bend. And if a wounded bird does manage to escape initial discovery and hides in brush, a keen nose was needed to locate the bird.
     The need for a retriever to gather the vastly larger number of birds being brought down by these hunters was a concern to Sir Dudley Majoribanks, the first Lord Tweedmouth at Inverness, in Scotland. Lord Tweedmouth purchased a yellow colored puppy, whose litter mates all possessed black wavy coats, from a Brighton cobbler in 1865. This yellow colored puppy was named Nous, and was later bred to a Tweed Water Spaniel named Belle. Lord Tweedmouth kept one female from the get of this breeding, and gave away the rest of the litter to neighbors, friends and relatives. For twenty years he would line breed any yellow pups produced by this one female, named Cowslip, and her litter mates, and any yellow pups produced by subsequent offspring. It is also speculated that occasional out crosses to the Bloodhound, Irish Setter and Water Spaniels were employed. By the turn of the century, this yellow dog had become quite popular in Great Britain and was known as the Golden Retriever.
     The Golden Retriever achieved official recognition by The Kennel Club (England) in 1903. The Golden came to America by way of Canada just prior to the First World War. It did not take long for this beautiful animal to become popular with American hunters. Its strength, intelligence and retrieving talents as well as its welcome companionship made it an easy dog to incorporate into the family as well. In the waterways of America there was a superabundance of feathered game. The Golden's use in this environment made it a valuable asset. Droughts in the 1930's decimated the flocks that once migrated through these regions. Once the droughts ended, the marshes eventually did refill and the wild fowl did return, but there were far fewer in number and combine that with stringent hunting regulations, the need for retrievers dropped. It wasn't until the 1950s and 60s that interest in this breed began to increase once again.
     In 1932, the Golden Retriever was recognized by the American Kennel Club. The Golden Retriever Club of America was formed in 1938. An interesting point was that even though the Golden was being used by hunters, and it was growing in popularity, the A.K.C. considered it a rare breed.
     In the 1950's and 60's the Golden experienced a resurgence of popularity as more people began to use this dog in obedience trials and conformation. People were beginning to recognize the talents that had laid hidden for so long. In 1974 President Gerald Ford included in the First Family a Golden Retriever named Liberty. Not long afterward, the Goldens were in the top ten breeds listed by the A.K.C.
     Today the Golden Retriever is still extremely popular and extremely busy. They are being shown in conformation, obedience trials, taking part in agility trials, and demonstrating their ability in tracking, field and hunt trials. Goldens are being utilized in narcotics and arson detection, search and rescue operations, and in law enforcement. They make excellent assistance dogs for those who are physically challenged, serve as guide dogs for the visually impaired, as hearing dogs for the hearing impaired. Goldens are engaged as therapy dogs.
     A beautiful dog, engaged in a work that it loves - serving its master, loving its family, and benefiting mankind by its very existence.

Litter 1 female pup

2006 litter

Golden Retriever Breed Standard
Sporting Group

General Appearance
A symmetrical, powerful, active dog, sound and well put together, not clumsy nor long in the leg, displaying a kindly expression and possessing a personality that is eager, alert and self-confident. Primarily a hunting dog, he should be shown in hard working condition. Overall appearance, balance, gait and purpose to be given more emphasis than any of his component parts. Faults--Any departure from the described ideal shall be considered faulty to the degree to which it interferes with the breed's purpose or is contrary to breed character.

Size, Proportion, Substance

Males 23-24 inches in height at withers; females 21½-22½ inches. Dogs up to one inch above or below standard size should be proportionately penalized. Deviation in height of more than one inch from the standard shall disqualify. Length from breastbone to point of buttocks slightly greater than height at withers in ratio of 12:11. Weight for dogs 65-75 pounds; bitches 55-65 pounds.

Head
Broad in skull, slightly arched laterally and longitudinally without prominence of frontal bones (forehead) or occipital bones. Stop well defined but not abrupt. Foreface deep and wide, nearly as long as skull. Muzzle straight in profile, blending smooth and strongly into skull; when viewed in profile or from above, slightly deeper and wider at stop than at tip. No heaviness in flews. Removal of whiskers is permitted but not preferred. Eyes friendly and intelligent in expression, medium large with dark, close-fitting rims, set well apart and reasonably deep in sockets. Color preferably dark brown; medium brown acceptable. Slant eyes and narrow, triangular eyes detract from correct expression and are to be faulted. No white or haw visible when looking straight ahead. Dogs showing evidence of functional abnormality of eyelids or eyelashes (such as, but not limited to, trichiasis, entropion, ectropion, or distichiasis) are to be excused from the ring. Ears rather short with front edge attached well behind and just above the eye and falling close to cheek. When pulled forward, tip of ear should just cover the eye. Low, hound-like ear set to be faulted. Nose black or brownish black, though fading to a lighter shade in cold weather not serious. Pink nose or one seriously lacking in pigmentation to be faulted. Teeth scissors bite, in which the outer side of the lower incisors touches the inner side of the upper incisors. Undershot or overshot bite is a disqualification. Misalignment of teeth (irregular placement of incisors) or a level bite (incisors meet each other edge to edge) is undesirable, but not to be confused with undershot or overshot. Full dentition. Obvious gaps are serious faults.

Neck, Topline, Body
Neck medium long, merging gradually into well laid back shoulders, giving sturdy, muscular appearance. No throatiness. Backline strong and level from withers to slightly sloping croup, whether standing or moving. Sloping backline, roach or sway back, flat or steep croup to be faulted. Body well balanced, short coupled, deep through the chest. Chest between forelegs at least as wide as a man's closed hand including thumb, with well developed forechest. Brisket extends to elbow. Ribs long and well sprung but not barrel shaped, extending well towards hindquarters. Loin short, muscular, wide and deep, with very little tuck-up. Slab-sidedness, narrow chest, lack of depth in brisket, excessive tuck-up to be faulted. Tail well set on, thick and muscular at the base, following the natural line of the croup. Tail bones extend to, but not below, the point of hock. Carried with merry action, level or with some moderate upward curve; never curled over back nor between legs.

Forequarters
Muscular, well coordinated with hindquarters and capable of free movement. Shoulder blades long and well laid back with upper tips fairly close together at withers. Upper arms appear about the same length as the blades, setting the elbows back beneath the upper tip of the blades, close to the ribs without looseness. Legs, viewed from the front, straight with good bone, but not to the point of coarseness. Pasterns short and strong, sloping slightly with no suggestion of weakness. Dewclaws on forelegs may be removed, but are normally left on. Feet medium size, round, compact, and well knuckled, with thick pads. Excess hair may be trimmed to show natural size and contour. Splayed or hare feet to be faulted.

Hindquarters
Broad and strongly muscled. Profile of croup slopes slightly; the pelvic bone slopes at a slightly greater angle (approximately 30 degrees from horizontal). In a natural stance, the femur joins the pelvis at approximately a 90-degree angle; stifles well bent; hocks well let down with short, strong rear pasterns. Feet as in front. Legs straight when viewed from rear. Cow-hocks, spread hocks, and sickle hocks to be faulted.

Coat
Dense and water-repellent with good undercoat. Outer coat firm and resilient, neither coarse nor silky, lying close to body; may be straight or wavy. Untrimmed natural ruff; moderate feathering on back of forelegs and on underbody; heavier feathering on front of neck, back of thighs and underside of tail. Coat on head, paws, and front of legs is short and even. Excessive length, open coats, and limp, soft coats are very undesirable. Feet may be trimmed and stray hairs neatened, but the natural appearance of coat or outline should not be altered by cutting or clipping.

Color
Rich, lustrous golden of various shades. Feathering may be lighter than rest of coat. With the exception of graying or whitening of face or body due to age, any white marking, other than a few white hairs on the chest, should be penalized according to its extent. Allowable light shadings are not to be confused with white markings. Predominant body color which is either extremely pale or extremely dark is undesirable. Some latitude should be given to the light puppy whose coloring shows promise of deepening with maturity. Any noticeable area of black or other off-color hair is a serious fault.

Gait
When trotting, gait is free, smooth, powerful and well coordinated, showing good reach. Viewed from any position, legs turn neither in nor out, nor do feet cross or interfere with each other. As speed increases, feet tend to converge toward center line of balance. It is recommended that dogs be shown on a loose lead to reflect true gait.

Temperament
Friendly, reliable, and trustworthy. Quarrelsomeness or hostility towards other dogs or people in normal situations, or an unwarranted show of timidity or nervousness, is not in keeping with Golden Retriever character. Such actions should be penalized according to their significance.

Disqualifications
Deviation in height of more than one inch from standard either way.
Undershot or overshot bite.

Approved October 13, 1981
Reformatted August 18, 1990

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