Golden Retrievers: Everything You Need to Know

Golden retrievers are one of America’s most popular breeds for a reason: they’re gentle, smart and love people. Spend five minutes with a golden and you will understand the appeal. They greet visitors like long-lost relatives, carry toys around the house with great pride and seem to genuinely enjoy whatever their family is doing, whether that is a long hike or a lazy afternoon on the couch. But behind that sunny personality is a big, athletic working dog with real needs for exercise, training, grooming and health care. Before you bring one home, it helps to know what life with a golden is really like, from the shedding to the snacks to the sheer volume of tail-wagging. Here is our complete guide to one of the friendliest breeds around.

A breed built for work and play

Golden retrievers were originally developed in the Scottish Highlands in the 1800s as hunting companions, bred to retrieve waterfowl from lakes and marshes. That history explains a lot about the modern golden. They have soft mouths for carrying birds without damage, water-repellent double coats, a strong desire to work with people and a love of water that many owners discover the first time they walk past a pond.

Today, goldens are family pets, therapy dogs, service dogs, search-and-rescue partners and enthusiastic competitors in obedience and agility. Their combination of intelligence and eagerness to please makes them highly trainable. Adult males typically stand around 23 to 24 inches tall at the shoulder and weigh about 65 to 75 pounds, while females are slightly smaller. Most goldens live around 10 to 12 years, though individuals vary.