Hunting Dog Profile: The Happy People
April 29, 2021;|;By Nicole Qualtieri
Easily one of the most popular dog breeds on the planet, the field-bred golden retriever is also a phenomenal gun dog.
Its unlikely that anyone reading this isnt already well-acquainted with the golden retriever. Their countenance is often seen in dog parks, hanging out of car windows, accompanying kiddos on a neighborhood walk, working avalanche duty on the ski hill, or in the halls of hospitals in a therapy vest.
To say the golden retriever might be the happiest breed of dog could even be an understatement. Their sunny disposition and puppy-like attitude make them entirely irresistible. And theyre the third-most-popular dog in the U.S. because of their merry ways.
The good news is that a field-bred golden retriever is also one of the best, most versatile gun dogs you can take into the field.
Goldens Are Naturally Protective Of Everyone
An extreme example of an overly protective Golden would be one taking the side of a thief who is in trouble with an angry crowd. However, this is still possible with a Golden Retriever.
This is especially likely if you have trained your Golden to be compassionate, which may come very naturally to these dogs. Golden Retrievers will spontaneously offer help to anyone who seems to need it.
While teaching your Golden to be humane is a good thing, this may work against you and others when the Golden needs to identify and catch an impostor.
We recommend you train your Golden to always refer back to you and take commands before acting in favor of a stranger. If thats what you teach them, a simple No will suffice to keep the Golden by your side.
These traits arent deal-breakers at all youll just need to invest some time in training your Golden if you want them to become proper guard dogs.;
Breeding The Golden Retriever
For the history-geeks, youll remember that Britain was a pioneer of industrialization in the 17th to 18th century. So, improving life and the efficiency with which work was done was in the blood of Britons.;
As such, it was obvious for the Scottish hunters to think about refining the retrieving skill of a dog breed imported in 1865 from Brighton, south coast of England, courtesy of Lord Tweedmouth.
Nous, the imported canine, was slow and needed to be made hunting-efficient. So he was bred with Belle, a Water Spaniel. And just like that, the resulting four puppies became the descendants of todays Belle Golden Retrievers.
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Two Presidents Enjoyed Golden Retrievers As Pets While In The White House
Both President Ford and President Reagan enjoyed Golden Retrievers while in office. President Reagan’s Golden Retriever, Victory, was one of six dogs the president owned. President Reagan also enjoyed a stable full of horses at his ranch.
President Ford had a Siamese cat and a mixed-breed dog in addition to Liberty the Golden Retriever and Liberty’s puppy, Misty.
Goldens are also popular as celebrity pets. Celebs who own Golden Retrievers include Miranda Lambert, Jimmy Fallon, Emma Stone, Adam Levine, and Oprah.
Golden Retrievers Are High
Originally bred by Scottish elites for smallgame retrieval, Golden Retrievers are active, high-energy dogs that wont hesitate to protect you from an attacker.;
Premiere guard dogs need high energy in order to become effective at their jobs. If your dog is always lounging around on the couch with you, how do you expect the dog to catch an intruder?
That being said, Golden Retrievers require at least an hour of daily exercise to be both mentally and physically stimulated. Fortunately, tracking a thief may make up part of the Goldens daily dose of exercise.
Given the exercise needs and the purpose they were bred for, theres little surprise that theyre listed on AKCs list of 15 most active dog breeds. As such, our favorite activities for these dogs are fetch and swimming.
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History Of The Golden Retriever Are Golden Retrievers Good Hunting Dogs
One of the top reasons for the popularity of the Golden retriever is their rich history. According to the AKC, they existed as early as the 1800s. Europe can be credited for a good number of modern-day sporting breeds, which include the Goldens. The breed has been known in England and Scotland well over 200 years ago. During that period, medium-sized sporting breeds were an asset for obtaining food such as waterfowl and upland game birds. During the rest of the 1800s, Goldens have become even more popular and desirable. They were officially recognized by the AKC in the year 1925.
Go-to Breeds of Hunters
The breeding practices also lead to division in the breed. There is an ever-increasing portion of litters born every year that do not follow stringent standards. Golden retriever show dogs became much more common, and they were eventually bred to be field dogs as well as show dogs.
It has been two decades since the breed reached its peak; since then, there has been a decline in the Golden retrievers health and hunting drive.
Excellent Pedigrees
However, this is not to imply that excellent pedigrees are completely lost. They still exist. However, it isnt as easy to locate. Too many golden retrievers are bred in puppy mills and other places which do not follow stringent breeding standards.
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More traits and characteristics of Golden Retrievers
If I was considering a Golden Retriever, I would be most concerned about…
To help you train and care for your dog
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South Dakota Hunting Dogs
Hi, my name is Chuck Deckert and I own Silver Lake Retrievers. I have two exceptional female pure-bread golden retrievers, Maggie and Ellie. These two dogs are persistent, loyal, athletic hunting dogs that come from a great bloodline.
We are actively breeding and have puppies available, contact us for more info on our puppies. We are located about 30 miles west of Sioux Falls, SD.
I think that the two most enjoyable days of raising a litter of puppies are the day the puppies are born and the day that their new owner picks them up at the farm. Watching a new a life start is always exciting and theres the wonder of the new life that God created. I watch with fascination as the mother dog knows how to care for the puppies instinctually.
The new owners are always excited and usually leave the yard with the puppy cradled in their arms. These puppies thrive on attention and in turn become man’s best friend.
Fun Facts About Golden Retrievers
- There have been two Golden Retrievers to live at the White House, President Gerald Ford had a Golden Retriever named Liberty and President Ronald Reagan had a Golden Retriever named Victory.
- The movie series Air Bud was named and loosely based off a real-life Golden Retriever that starred in the original film. Air Bud was a stray dog found by Kevin DiCicco in 1989. Kevin would go on to teach Buddy to play several sports, his favorite being basketball. Buddy made his first appearance on Americas Funniest Home Videos and would go on to make three times on the Late Show, and starred in the Air Bud movie. Buddy passed away at the age of 9, and since his passing, 7 more films were made based off the story line from the Air Bud movie.
- Golden Retrievers are the fourth smartest dog breed according to a study by American Psychological Association.
- Golden Retrievers make great working dogs, being trained as search and rescue dogs, for use with the seeing impaired, and bomb dogs. One of the more famous search and rescue dogs, Bretagne, at two years old searched through the rumble of the World Trade Centers and later went on to aid to rescue efforts during Hurricanes Rita and Katrina.
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An Incredible Sense Of Smell
When you think of an incredible sense of smell you probably think of working and police dogs like German Shepherds, but golden retrievers have one of the strongest senses of smell in dogs.
Their noses makes them amazing hunting dogs that can track down birds no matter how far they glide after being shot, and they are able to track them down even in areas where there are lots of smells.
There are many hunters that swear that out of all retrievers, goldens have the strongest sense of smell and their goldens can track down birds that their friends dogs often cant.
Advantages Of Hunting With Mans Best Friend
There are many benefits to owning a hunting dog that specializes in a specific prey or task, as well as putting a good all around breed to work. Obviously any good dog can have natural instincts, but the best hunting dogs generally have very specific training applied to their upbringing.; Training your dog doesnt have to be expensive if you plan on being a part of the process, but it does need to be very consistent, and if you are unsure of your own training abilities you may want to invest in a good trainer.;;
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They Are Sporting Dogs That Need Plenty Of Exercise
As hunting dogs, Goldens had to run fast and walkfor long hours with their hunting asters. Today, these high-energy hunting dogs still require plenty of exercise.
They need an hour of exercise per day at minimum, though more is recommended if you can handle it.;The best way to go about this is to make it less of a chore, but more of a fun activity to build a stronger bond.
If Goldens dont get their allotted daily exercise, they can become moody and destructive. Exercises such as hiking, swimming and games like fetch and catch are perfect for the athletic and agile Golden Retriever.
Besides, Golden Retrievers are often involved in sporting competitions in high-energy games like flyball, dock diving, rally obedience, disc dog competition, and retrieving trials, among others.
The AKC conducts Retriever Field Trials every year to measure retrieving abilities of dogs. Their retrieving speed is measured at field distances longer than what Retrievers would have to cover in an ordinary hunting test.
Best Bird Hunting Dog Breeds
A bird hunters success depends largely on the speed and skills of his or her hunting dog. A dog that has been bred and trained to hunt can point, flush out targets, and retrieve quickly, talents that help a hunter bag his or her limit each time. When you want to enjoy the success and fun that comes with hunting pheasants, quail, doves, and other birds, you would do well to choose a dog that comes from one of these proven bird hunting breeds.
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Can Golden Retrievers Duck Hunt
Yes, Golden Retrievers can duck hunt. Goldens can be trained to do anything their owner wants them to, and they excel at retrieving birds, ducks, and geese thanks to their energy, keen sense of smell, and eagerness to please their owners.
However, some golden retrievers are better at it than others, and field-bred golden retrievers tend to be better for hunting than other goldens.
Why Goldens Are Great Retrieving Dogs
Four distinguishing characteristics made the Golden Retriever the perfect hunting dog. All of which, are still commonly seen in modern Golden Retrievers today.
Because the crossbreed outcome was a perfect sportive dog fit for retrieving game, the Golden Retriever continued to be bred and was soon adopted in other parts of the globe, including the United States.
Want to see the Golden Retriever in action? Check out this amazing dog retrieving ducks and other waterfowl for his human hunters:
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How To Pick The Perfect Golden Retriever Are Golden Retrievers Good Hunting Dogs
Hunters who are after a waterfowl and upland game will often choose the Lab for obvious reasons, but a Golden, with the right temperament, will fill the role just as well. A Golden retriever with a proper introduction to bodies of water will be able to hand their masters ducks all day long.
FIELD-BRED VS. SHOW-BRED
Are golden retrievers good hunting dogs? When experts are asked what to look for in a golden pedigree, they will have plenty to say. First, a golden that is field bred must be borne from generations of hunters. They typically have shorter coats. They may look a bit different from goldens that are bred for show. Goldens bred for hunting are characterized by their prey drive and passion for retrieving.
A majority of golden retrievers will make excellent house pets, but you want some stellar qualities if you want them as a hunter. A truly amazing hunting dog must be field bred or nothing.
It would help if you examined the health of the dog. Many problems come up due to poor breeding. Breeding is a process that must ensure a healthy litter. This means looking at the health clearances concerning hips and elbows, among many others. You may have to get the canine ophthalmologists opinion for eye health clearances and a dog cardiologist for heart health clearances. It is also beneficial to conduct an array of DNA assessments to ensure that proper breeding was followed.
Health clearances
Field bred golden retrievers
TRAINING & HUNTING
Upland hunting
Pheasant hunting
Meet The Golden Retriever
Like many exceptional working dogs, golden retrievers originated in Scotland. And they have a more-than-interesting origin story.
A man by the name of Dudley Coutts Marjoribanks founded the breed singlehandedly in the late 1860s. He bought a brown, wavy-haired dog named Nous, and then bred him to Tweed Water Spaniels and Irish Water Spaniels, with the first true golden retriever litter born in 1868.
Today, the typical golden retriever averages 21-25 inches in height and typically weighs 55-75 pounds, with males on the higher end of both. They have a life expectancy of 10-12 years and throughout their life, their attitude for work and play remains exuberant. Of course, daily exercise and high-quality dog food will keep your golden in good health for the long haul.
Golden retrievers take on jobs that range from hunting to search and rescue to seeing-eye dogs to avalanche work and more. But with the popularity of the breed, a split happened between field- and show-bred retrievers. Read on for more.
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What Is The Best Companion Breed To My Golden
According to information on;Purinas website, among the 25 listed best breeds for multi-dog households are the following breeds:
- Pekingese
- Golden Retriever
- Pug
You may be wondering, as am I, which breed would best pair with your Golden.; I believe it is a matter of breed preference.;
You are already familiar with the temperament of your Golden Retriever, so I would suggest reading material for specific breeds before making a decision:;Best Dog Books For New Owners
Perhaps you may even consider another Golden Retriever to complete your pair.;
To further your dog education, you might want to speak with your veterinarian, and maybe some folks who currently have a two-dog household with a Golden.
Golden Retrievers: What’s Good About ’em What’s Bad About ’em
Golden Retriever temperament, personality, training, behavior, pros and cons, advice, and information, by Michele Welton, Dog Trainer, Behavioral Consultant, Author of 15 Dog Books
The Golden Retriever’s kindly expression says it all. This is one of the finest family dogs in the world: cheerful, demonstrative, trustworthy with everyone, and forgiving of any mistakes made by inexperienced owners.
Give this breed two brisk walks each day, play fetch games, and take him out for a good run once a week, and he is adaptable to almost any lifestyle.
Friendly with everyone , his bark is welcoming rather than protective.
You must control his tendency to chew on objects and to mouth your hands — provide a box filled with toys so he can carry things around in his mouth.
A Golden Retriever remains enthusiastically puppy-like for many years, so early obedience training is required to instill calmness and good manners.
Eager to please and wonderfully responsive, he is nonetheless distracted by exciting sights and sounds, so you must be both patient and persistent.
The mind and heart of a Golden is sweet and gentle, but his body is robust — until he’s taught not to pull on the leash, you’ll need good biceps to walk him.
If you want a dog who…
- Is large, athletic, and natural-looking
- Has a pretty feathered coat
- Has a cheerful, tail-wagging nature
- Is steady-tempered and dependable with everyone
- Is peaceful with other animals
- Is eager to please and very responsive to training
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