The temperament of the Golden Retriever is a hallmark of the breed, and is

described in the standard as "kindly, friendly and confident".[14] Golden

Retrievers make good family pets, particularly as they are patient with children.
[4] They are not "one-man dogs" and are generally equally amiable with both
strangers and those familiar to them.[23] Their trusting, gentle disposition makes
them a poor guard dog.[24] Any form of unprovoked aggression or hostility towards
either people, dogs or other animals, whether in the show ring or community, is
considered unacceptable in a Golden Retriever and is not in keeping with the
character of the breed, nor should a Golden Retriever be unduly timid or nervous.
[17][23] The typical Golden Retriever is calm, naturally intelligent and biddable,
and with an exceptional eagerness to please.

Golden Retrievers are also noted for their intelligence. The breed ranks fourth in
Stanley Coren's The Intelligence of Dogs – following the Border Collie, Poodle, and
German Shepherd – as one of the brightest dogs ranked by obedience-command
trainability.

Typical Golden Retrievers are active and fun-loving animals with the exceptionally
patient demeanour befitting a dog bred to sit quietly for hours in a hunting blind.
Adult Goldens love to work, and have a keen ability to focus on a given task. They
will work until they collapse, so care should be taken to avoid overworking them.

Other characteristics related to their hunting heritage are a size suited for
scrambling in and out of boats and an inordinate love for water. Golden Retrievers
are exceptionally trainable—due to their intelligence, athleticism and desire to
please their handlers—and excel in obedience trials. They are also very competitive
in agility and other performance events. Harsh training methods are unnecessary, as
Golden Retrievers often respond very well to positive and upbeat training styles.
[25]

Golden Retrievers are compatible with other dogs, cats, and most livestock. They
are particularly valued for their high level of sociability towards people,
calmness, and willingness to learn. Because of this, they are commonly used as
guide dogs, mobility assistance dogs, and search and rescue dogs.
Health and lifespan
Golden Retriever litters typically contain five to ten puppies[26]
Goldens have an abundance of energy and require plenty of exercise, excelling at
dog agility competitions[27]

The average lifespan for a Golden Retriever is about 11 to 12 years.[28][29][30]

The breed is susceptible to specific ailments, so pets should be taken to a
veterinarian for yearly checkups.

Golden Retrievers are known to have genetic disorders and other diseases. Hip
dysplasia is common in the breed; when buying a puppy, the pedigree should be known
and be examined by the OFA or by PennHIP for hip disease. Obesity is also common in
the breed because Golden Retrievers love to eat. Puppies should eat about three
cups of food a day and adults three to five cups, depending on the food and how
active the dog is.[19]
Common health problems

Cancer is the breed's biggest killer, causing 61.4% of American Golden deaths
according to a 1998 health study conducted by the Golden Retriever Club of America.
The most common is hemangiosarcoma, followed by lymphosarcoma, mast cell tumour,
and osteosarcoma.[28] A 2004 survey by the UK Kennel Club puts this number at
38.8%.[29] Although most puppies are screened for the disorders before being sold
(by reputable breeders), hip and elbow dysplasia afflict one-fifth of dogs.[31][32]
Eye diseases are also possible in the breed; cataracts are the most common eye
disease,[31] but they can also be afflicted with progressive retinal atrophy,
glaucoma, distichiasis,[33] entropion,[33] corneal dystrophy,[33] and retinal
dysplasia.[33]

They may suffer from heart disease, especially subvalvular aortic stenosis,[31] and
cardiomyopathy and joint diseases, including patella luxation, osteochondritis,
panosteitis, and cruciate ligament rupture. Their long hair also gets knotted up
under the ears and longer hairs on their belly and legs if not groomed, these
dreads can be cut out with scissors with slow rapid cuts. They can cause pain and
discomfort and if left too long will get more matted. In addition to the heavy
shedding they experience (and their constant lighter shedding throughout the year),
Golden Retrievers can suffer from skin diseases; the most prevalent skin problem is
allergies (often leading to acute moist dermatitis or "hot spots"), with the most
common allergy being to fleas.[28] They can also suffer from seborrhoea, sebaceous
adenitis, self-inflicted lick granuloma, and haemophilia.[34]
Grooming

Golden Retrievers require regular grooming and occasional baths.[4] Their coats
shed somewhat during the year, but are known to shed profusely twice a year. They
also need to have their ears cleaned regularly, or ear infections might occur.
While shedding is unavoidable, frequent grooming (daily to weekly) lessens the
amount of hair shed by the animal. Severe shedding resulting in bald patches can be
indicative of stress or sickness.
Activities
Goldens excel at dock jumping

The Golden Retriever's eagerness to please has made it a consistent, top performer
in the obedience and agility rings. Its excellent swimming ability makes it
proficient at dock jumping. A natural retrieving ability means it is also
competitive in flyball and field trials.[5]

The first three dogs ever to achieve the AKC Obedience Champion title were Golden
Retrievers; the first of the three was a female named 'Ch. Moreland's Golden
Tonka'.[35]

Since Golden Retrievers are so trainable, they are used for many important jobs,
such as guide dogs for blind people, drug or bomb sniffing at airports, or helping
to rescue people from earthquakes and other natural disasters.[19] This breed is
also used in water rescue/lifesaving, along with the Leonberger, Newfoundland and
Labrador Retriever dogs[citation needed]
Origins and history
Bred to retrieve, Goldens have a "soft mouth" grip

The Golden Retriever was originally bred in Scotland in the mid-19th century.[3][5]
At that time, wildfowl hunting was a popular sport for the wealthy Scottish elite,
but the existing retriever breeds were inadequate for retrieving downed game from
both water and land. Retrieving from both land and water was necessary because the
hunting grounds of the time were pocketed with marshy ponds and rivers.
Consequently, the best water spaniels were crossed with the existing retrievers,
resulting in the establishment of the breed today known as the Golden Retriever.
[36] The Golden Retriever was first developed near Glen Affric in Scotland, at
"Guisachan", the highland estate of Dudley Marjoribanks, 1st Baron Tweedmouth.[37]
The breed is thought to have originated from the now-extinct Russian tracker dog.
[38][39]

Improvements in guns during the 1800s resulted in more fowl being downed during
hunts at greater distances and over increasingly difficult terrain, leading to more
birds being lost in the field. Because of this improvement in firearms, a need for
a specialist retriever arose, as training setter and pointer breeds in retrievals
was found to be ineffective. Thus, work began on the breeding of the dog to fill
this much-needed role.[23]

The original cross was of a yellow-coloured retriever, 'Nous', with a Tweed Water
Spaniel female dog, 'Belle'.[40] The Tweed Water Spaniel is now extinct, but was
then common in the border country. Marjoribanks had purchased Nous in 1865 from an
unregistered litter of otherwise black wavy-coated retriever pups. In 1868, this
cross produced a litter that included four pups; these four became the basis of a
breeding program which included the Irish Setter, the sandy-coloured Bloodhound,
the St. John's water dog of Newfoundland, and two more wavy-coated black
retrievers. The bloodline was also inbred and selected for trueness to
Marjoribanks' idea of the ultimate hunting dog. His vision included a more vigorous
and powerful dog than previous retrievers, one that would still be gentle and
trainable. Russian sheepdogs are not mentioned in these records, nor are any other
working dog breeds. The ancestry of the Golden Retriever is all sporting dogs, in
line with Marjoribanks' goals. The Golden Retriever was active and powerful and had
a gentle mouth for retrieving games while on hunts.[4][full citation needed]
In the United Kingdom
A Golden retriever puppy at play

Golden Retrievers were first accepted for registration by The Kennel Club in 1903,
as Flat Coats – Golden. They were first exhibited in 1908, and in 1911 were
recognized as a breed referred to as Retriever (Golden and Yellow).
In Scotland