Golden Retriever History

The following article is concerning Golden Retriever history, it’s important to know where specific breeds of dog have come from & what their initial purpose within the canine world was. The dog has possessed so many varying uses throughout time it’s quite remarkable, now we will discover just what the Golden Retriever’s history holds.

      Golden Retriever history shows us that the Golden Retriever is a truly British breed of dog; they were ‘evolved’ in Britain back in the 1800’s.

      A British lord named Lord Tweedmouth likes to take credit for his part in the advancement of the Golden Retriever as a breed. Whilst residing on his vast estate he wished to ‘design’ a dog that was both kind & exceptionally loyal but at the same time displayed a spirited nature coupled with abundant levels of energy.

      He also desired this marvellous breed of dog to have an insatiable appetite for the water, as lakes surrounded his estate. The dog had to have an ability to retrieve from the land as well as the water. Hence the Golden Retriever was born!

      The elements of the Golden Retriever are composed from the, now extinct, Tweed Water Spaniel this was the female of the partnership & she was named ‘Belle’ & the male of the partnership was a yellow, flat coated Retriever called ‘Nous’, interestingly all of his litter mates were born black!

      The couple had the very first litter of Golden Retriever puppies born in the year 1868. They were named Cowslip, Primrose, Crocus & Ada. Through the years the Golden Retriever has been crossbred with other breeds of dog such as the Red Setter, the Newfoundland & the Bloodhound.  

       You can see from these specific breeds of dog where the Golden Retriever obtained its glorious coat from; the Red Setter also has the feathering detail to its coat & the Newfoundland breed has a lovely dense, bear like coat. The ability to retrieve so well has been ‘handed down’ from the original scent breed, the Bloodhound.

      Golden Retriever history depicts that by the time we reached the early 1900’s the Golden Retriever had evolved into a superb hunting dog. The Lords of Britain, including Lord Tweedmouth, wished for ‘their’ breed of dog to look handsome. The Lords were gentlemen you see & everything in the circles that they frequented had to be just right!

      They desired a quick retrieving breed of dog but also one that was aesthetically pleasing too. The Golden Retriever is perfect, it’s a patient dog that will walk quite happily to ‘heel’ or sit quietly next to its owner awaiting the next command. This makes them an exemplary choice of companion for a field trip as they will easily handle the miles covered, are quiet & calm whilst their owner chooses a spot. Then be like a coiled spring awaiting the command to ‘fetch’ or ‘retrieve’ the game.

      The Golden Retriever possesses an exceptionally soft mouth that is specifically designed to gently carry the game totally undamaged.   

      The Kennel Club, English, accepted the initial Golden Retriever in 1903 these were the flat coated variety. They were first shown in 1908, then in the year 1911 were recognized as the breed we know today, the Retriever, both golden & yellow varieties. The name was altered from just Retriever to Golden Retriever in 1920.

      In the world of exhibiting dogs a true English bred Golden Retriever can be any shade from cream through to golden, initially the cream shade was not accepted in the UK but by 1936 the rules were changed to allow cream. Red or mahogany is unacceptable though, on this choice the rules seem to be firmly set.

      So the Golden Retriever’s history is quite a fascinating one, a dog bred for specific purposes but also bred to look pleasing to the eye!

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