We want to know everything about dogs. Everything! But there are countless breeds of dog out there, and each one is a unique animal with its own history. That's why every week, we shine a spotlight on a different breed. This week, learn some fun facts about golden retrievers.
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Lord Tweedmouth Created Golden Retrievers
The noble golden retriever has truly aristocratic roots, being the brainchild of Dudley Coutts Marjoribanks, 1st Baron Tweedmouth, aka the Lord Tweedmouth. Lord Tweedmouth developed the breed in his native Scotland during the mid-to-late 19th century. Golden retrievers were bred from flat-coated retrievers and Tweed water spaniels (a breed that is now extinct).
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Golden Retrievers Have an Excellent Sense of Smell
As their name suggests, golden retrievers were intended primarily as hunting dogs to retrieve felled game in the field. Therefore, they were bred to possess an extremely powerful sense of smell, and indeed their olfactory skills are among the best of all dog breeds. While rarely used in hunting today, golden retrievers are commonly employed as bomb sniffers and search-and-rescue dogs due to their keen sense of smell.
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Golden Retrievers Were Named for Their Golden Flat Coats
This breed's name went through a small bit of evolution early on in its existence. At first, the golden retriever was listed as the golden flat coat, and was regarded technically as a color variation of the flat-coated retriever rather than a breed unto itself. Golden retrievers gained their own identity in 1913 along with the founding of the Golden Retriever Club in the U.K.
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Golden Retriever Is Considered 4th Smartest Dog Breed
Looks and brains: Golden retrievers really have it all. These friendly family dogs are also whip-smart. According to conventional wisdom, they are the fourth-smartest breed of all, trailing only border collies, poodles and German shepherds.
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The AKC First Recognized the Breed in 1925
Golden retrievers earned American fans almost from the beginning of their history in the late 19th century, but it took a few decades for the American Kennel Club to recognize the breed officially. They finally did so in 1925. The breed's popularity only took off from there, as it found favor among American families and hunters alike, due to the excellence of their personalities and physical abilities.
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It's the 3rd Most Popular Breed in America
Golden retrievers have sat near the top of the list of America's most popular dog breeds for many years. The breed currently ranks third behind Labrador retrievers and German shepherds. Who knows? Maybe they'll jump to No. 1 next year (but probably not, because Labs have dominated for decades).
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President Gerald Ford Had a Golden Retriever in the White House
One of the most well-known United States presidential pets was the patriotically named Liberty, Gerald Ford's golden retriever. Liberty, whose full AKC-registered name was Honor's Foxfire Liberty Hume, was popular with both the press and the public during the Ford administration. She even gave birth to a litter of puppies in the White House.
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First 3 AKC Obedience Champs Were All Goldens
The American Kennel Club introduced its official obedience trials in 1977, and its first three obedience champions were golden retrievers. The very first was a female named Moreland's Golden Tonka, aka Tonka. During Tonka's career, she earned eight perfect scores and 176 "High in Trial" awards.
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Golden Retrievers Dominated '80s and '90s Entertainment
Golden retrievers are highly intelligent and easy to train. As a result, they're frequently used in television and movies. The breed enjoyed especially notable popularity in 1980s and 1990s TV sitcoms. Golden retrievers featured prominently on "Punky Brewster" as the titular character's dog, Brandon; on "Full House" as the Tanner family's dog, Comet; and on "Empty Nest" as the Weston family's dog, Dreyfuss (although Dreyfuss was half Golden Retriever, half Saint Bernard). The popular family films "Homeward Bound" and "Air Bud" also starred golden retrievers.
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Golden Retrievers Are One of the Most Popular Assistance Breeds
The intelligence and physical skill originally bred into golden retrievers to make them excellent hunting dogs remains in demand today, though less often for hunting and more often for more modern applications. In particular, golden retrievers are prized as assistant dogs for people with various disabilities. Assistance-dog organizations like Assistance Dog International,Canine Companions for Independence and Paws With a Cause all train golden retrievers, Labrador retrievers and Lab-golden crosses for the job almost exclusively.
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