Golden Retriever Adoption

A male Golden Retriever named Tucker.
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When you look at golden retrievers, it is so hard not to fall in love with them.  Their gentle intelligent manner and their playful temperament make them ideal dogs for families big and small.

Are Goldens right for you?

But, is this the right breed of dog for you?  Put aside their lovely open faces for a moment, and really do some soul searching to determine honestly whether this is the ideal breed that will suit you and your life style.

Exercise, exercise and more exercise

Golden retrievers are devoted to their owners and love human contact. They also love to play and exercise. In fact, exercise is a big part to consider when you have a golden, as they need at least an hour of exercise a day to keep them healthy and happy.

Remember they are a hunting and retrieving breed: long walks, running along a beach, playing fetch in a park, rambling on the hills, swimming in a river – these are all the things that they need to do daily. So if you do not have the time, or the inclination to do it every day, then this breed of dog is not for you.

Love human contact and companionship

They also love human companionship, which means if you have a lifestyle that can only devote a small amount of time to them, then you need to look elsewhere. Nothing will depress your golden more than to be left alone all day, or chained outside night and day with no contact, no stimulation and no exercise. In fact, if you have this type of lifestyle, get a goldfish instead.

Golden retrievers are very intuitive and intelligent. They are the dogs of choice for services such as search and rescue, guiding the blind, and drugs and narcotics. They do not need to be shouted at, or worse yet beaten to be trained. They need patience, understanding and lots of positive re-enforcement and in return they will do their best as they are so eager to please.

Mental stimulation

This is a breed that also likes to be stimulated and challenged mentally. Hiding things for them to find, agility training, learning new tricks are all great games for the golden retriever. For them, it will be like doing a job, which is what this breed is trained to do and they will take great pleasure in doing a great job for you.  Your approval and praise means everything to them.

Even if you are a first time dog owner or an inexperienced dog owner, with the right care, patience and time devoted to your golden, you will have a happy loyal dog in no time.

Everyone is their best friend

Golden retrievers consider everyone their best friend. That’s fine with friends, family and even casual strangers but useless when it comes to guarding property. So if you are looking for a fierce guard dog, do not even consider this breed.  The only thing the intruder will risk is being licked to death.

Loves food (too much)

Many golden retrievers can become overweight and suffer from obesity because they just love to eat. More often than not, it is that doleful expectant look that makes you give them too many snacks and too much food. You must try and resist as much as possible because although a young retriever will burn it off more readily and have a smaller chance of obesity; an older obese dog will be plagued with health problems.

Chewing nearly everything

They also love to chew. Shoes, clocks, TV remotes, sunglasses… anything they can get a hold of that looks nice to chew they will do it. So be careful where you put your things (out of reach) and provide your golden with lots of toys and chewy bones to gnaw on to avoid unnecessary surprises.

Hair balls

There are also their grooming requirements to consider. Although they only require a moderate amount of grooming, a good brush of their coats about twice a week is usually what is needed; they do tend to shed. At certain times of the year they can shed quite heavily (allergy sufferers take note) and you will find tufts of hair all over the place.

If you are house proud, this could pose a problem as not only do the golden sheds, they will happily run into the house after getting wet from the sprinklers and rolling in the mud. So be warned!

Um… another kid?

Regular body checks are also needed to make sure their floppy ears are clean, their coats are thorn free from running through bushes and that their nails are trimmed regularly. In truth it is like having another kid in the house, only a furry four legged one.

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The White Golden Retriever

The White Golden Retriever also known as The English Cream Golden Retriever

When we look at golden retrievers, they can range from a light off white color to a dark almost red or mahogany color.

For golden retriever owners, their dog could be anything from the palest cream to an almost rusty red gold color, and the standards vary from each different country.

White or cream golden retrievers are called a large variety of names including English cream golden retrievers, English golden retrievers, European golden retrievers, blond golden retrievers, British cream golden retrievers, white goldens,  platinum blond goldens or light golden retrievers.

This differentiation is found mainly in America to tell the difference between the Kennel Club Standard for British golden retrievers and those that were bred in America.

Differences between American and English Golden Retrievers

A male "English cream" Golden Retriever.

The White Golden Retriever

Although the European pure bred cream golden retrievers can be registered with the American Kennel Club, there are a lot of differences between American and European golden retrievers.

Coat Color

The color of the dog’s coat is the biggest difference between the two continents. In America, the golden retriever standards call for a golden color of various shades.  Both extremely pale or an extremely dark color is undesirable. The European standard on the other hand, calls for any shade of gold or cream but frown upon red or mahogany.

The density and the consistency of the golden coat differ too from the American golden retrievers to the white European golden retrievers.

American Goldens tend to have “too much coat”

The original golden retrievers were bred solely to be hunting dogs.  The breed was expected to survive cold climates, run through underbrush and swim across lakes and rivers to retrieve game.

The retriever’s coats therefore should neither be too long nor too short, but still dense enough to withstand the wet and cold.  The American goldens tend to have fur that is longer and in most cases they have too much coat.

Build and Body Structure

American and European goldens also differ in their build and body structure. The European cream golden retrievers tend to have a mouth that is larger and a nose that is more elongated than their American counterparts.

The English cream has a body structure that is also heavier and stockier with heads that are more squared in shape.  The American Kennel Club makes allowances for lighter amber colored eyes whereas the European Kennel Club would find it unacceptable.

Ear Positioning

The positioning of their ears is different as well.  The American Kennel Club has set standards whereby the ears are set well behind and above the level of the dog’s eyes while the European Kennel Club’s standard for the golden is to have the ears the same level of the eyes.  This alone can make the same breed of dog look very different.

Whether a golden retriever is white, cream, gold or rusty in color, they are still dogs that are affectionate, intelligent, energetic and sweet natured. A breed that is sought after by dog lovers everywhere and getting more and more popular each and every year.

A huge interest in the cream or English golden retriever has developed over the years and although these goldies may not win any prizes in an American Kennel Club show, the white golden retriever has firmly entrenched themselves in the hearts and minds of dog lovers with their endearing personalities.

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