Golden Retriever

Retriever (Golden)

One of the most popular dogs in the world. Bred as its name suggests to retrieve game in the shooting field, the breed has adapted to so many roles that there is virtuallynothing he doesn’t do, with the obvious exception of being a professional guard dog - a task for which his friendly temperament makes him quite unsuited. He has been a guide dog, a drug and explosivesdetecting dog, a tracker, an obedience competitor, in addition to the job he does so universally and well, simply being an energetic, fun-loving member of the family. Easy to train to basic obedience orhigher standards; rarely a choosy feeder; a thick coat which is reasonably easy to keep clean; it is no surprise that the breed has risen in popularity over the decades. He often has the largest entryat Championship Shows. For many years there was confusion over the origin of the breed but nowadays it is accepted as an undeniable fact that it was the first Lord Tweedmouth who began GoldenRetrievers as a definite breed. ‘Yellow’ Retrievers had existed for many years in the Border Country between England and Scotland and at first Goldens were registered and shown as Flatcoats, being definedonly by colour until 1913. They took their present name in 1920. What about Health Issues? You may be aware that some breeds of dog (and crossbreeds too) can be susceptible to inherited disease. Ofcourse you want to be sure that the puppy you choose is as healthy as possible, and you would like to know that it has not inherited any undesirable disease-causing genes from its parents. There is somehelp in that DNA tests for diseases in purebred dogs are available for some conditions in some breeds, but there are not very many such tests just yet! There are also, however, a number of clinicalveterinary screening schemes that dog breeders can use to increase the probability of producing healthy puppies. Details of the various screening schemes, both veterinary and DNA, that are available to...