Overview
Golden Retrievers are one of the most popular family dogs. Friendly, loving and obedient they offer everything an owner could want in a dog and are great with children, never showing aggression. As will all dogs, they need regular and sufficient exercise to stay stimulated and healthy, but they will reward your time handsomely with all the love and devotion you could need. They possess enormous intelligence are keen to make their master or handler happy, so training them is an enjoyable and relatively simple process. They benefit from their owner displaying leadership and it is possible that behavioral problems can develop if this is not shown.
Appearance
They are sturdy dogs of a medium to large build. They have quite a broad head with a long straight muzzle. Their nose is usually black and they tend to have very dark brown eyes. They have quite short ears which hang down over the cheeks, and will just about cover the eyes if pulled forward in this manner. They have a long tail that is feathered on the underside and their coat is quite dense and always slightly wavy. Colours can vary between light cream to a deep golden colour. Male heights range from 22-24 inches, and female heights 20-22 inches. Weight is around 27kg for males, and 25kg for females.
Temperament
Golden Retrievers are very obedient and intelligent dogs. They are well-mannered and very eager to please their handlers. They always make friends with humans and other dogs easily and carry out orders and instructions easily. Training them is rewarding as they are able to follow directions well. They are very unlikely to attack anyone or anything, however they do make good guard dogs as they loudly signal a stranger approaching. They are very energetic and happy dogs likely to charm anyone who comes into contact with them with their limitless devotion and self-assurance.
Working and Tasks
Golden Retrievers are very good at hunting, retrieving and tracking. They are extremely agile and obedient, and these qualities all ensure they make good police sniffer dogs. They can be easily trained to detect narcotics and are often the breed of choice for police and military organisations. They can be taught to perform numerous tricks and are good swimmers too. Training needs to be done in a very calm yet firm way to ensure they know at all times who the pack leader is.