Golden Retriever - the happy golden friend

Golden Retriever is a large-size dog breed with a wavy coat (see dog breed). This dog breed is used primarily as a gundog and a retriever for wildfowl and bird hunting, but Golden Retrievers also become one of the most popular family pets because of its natural character: friendly, kind, and intelligent. In 1925, this dog breed is officially recognized by the AKC, in Sporting Group.

In the mid-19th century, in Scotland, wildfowl hunting was a popular sport for the wealthy Scottish elite, but the existing retriever dog breeds were inadequate for retrieving the downed preys 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 - the wildfowl's habitat. In addition, the improvements of gun during the 1800s resulted in more fowls being downed at greater distances and over increasingly difficult terrain, leading to a need for a specialist retriever, Golden Retriever was bred in this situation.

The Golden Retriever was first developed near Glen Affric in Scotland, at "Guisachan", the highland estate of Dudley Marjoribanks, 1st Baron Tweedmouth. For many years, which breeds were crossed was disputed, but in 1952, the publication of Marjoribanks' breeding records from 1835 to 1890 dispelled the myth concerning the purchase of a whole troupe of Russian tracker sheepdogs from visiting circus, instead it details a careful line-breeding program. Commonly, the breed is said to have originated from the Russia tracker (also called Russian Retriever).

Russian Tracker

The original cross was of a yellow-colored retriever, "Nous" with a Tweed Water Spaniel female dog, "Belle". Nous was purchased from an unregistered litter of otherwise black wavy-coated retriever puppies. In 1869, this cross produced a litter that included four puppies. These four pups 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 - a more vigorous and powerful dog but still gentle and trainable.

The ancestry of the Golden Retriever is all sporting dogs. This dog is active, powerful and had a gentle mouth for retrieving games while on hunts.

Labrador Retriever - Exercise, Health, Feeding, Grooming

Source: dog breeds

Having a dog first time is not easy for everyone. What should we feed them,? What should we do to keep them healthy? What is the potential health problems?... There are many things to learn for a new dog owner, it's hard but nothing is happier living with a unconditionally loyal and loved friend. Labrador Retriever is the most popular dog breed in the world, not only because they are friendly, they are a great choice for new dog owner because they are friendly, easy to train, intelligent, willing to please their owners, not a picky-eater...

Let's start your life with a Labrador with some information you should know. A post to remind myself and everyone who read this blog ;)

1. Exercise

Labrador Retriever is very active. They need daily exercise and best-suited for houses with a yard. They should be walked twice a day for at least half an hour to maintain a lean body shape and avoid anxiety. Labradors often enjoy retrieving a ball endlessly and other forms of activity, so agility, frisbee or flyball may be suitable for them.

With puppies, because their bones are still growing, they shouldn't take a long walk, only five minutes of exercise per day is enough.

2. Coat and Grooming

Labradors have a dense, short and straight coat. Their coat is also waterproof, which help him keep warm in the winter and in water. The recognized colors are black (solid black color), yellow (from cream to fox-red) and chocolate (medium to dark brown). There may be some silver coat Labradors, but the purity of these bloodlines is currently disputed. Occasionally, Labradors will exhibit the small amount of white fur on their chest, paws or tail and rarely a purebred Labrador Retriever will exhibit brindle stripes or tan points similar to a Rottweiler.

They shed regularly so grooming should be performed weekly to keep their coat smooth, soft and reduce shedding. The owner also can trim Labrador's nails to avoid overgrowth, splitting and cracking. Labrador Retriever has folded ears - the best place for debris, moisture and heat build up the environment for bacteria and dirt. Their ears should be cleaned regularly. The owner also should brush the teeth regularly.

3. Health

Labradors are somewhat prone to hip and elbow dysplasia, especially the larger dogs, though not as much as some other breeds. Labradors also suffer from the risk of knee problems, eyes problems, hereditary myopathy, or autoimmune diseases and deafness, either congenitally or later in life… They are all some inherited disorders may happen with a small rate.

Labrador Retriever is an active dog breed, but they like to eat, so if they are not exercised properly, they may become obese.

4. Nutrition and Feeding

Depending on the size and age of your dog to choose a formula that will cater to their digestive needs. Many dog food companies have breed-specific formulas for a medium-sized breed as Labrador Retriever. Owners can work with veterinarian or breeder for the best formula feeding to increase his longevity.

Labrador Retriever is voracious, the owner needs to control their meal, not over-feeding or else they will be obesity. Clean and fresh water should be available at all time.

Although dry and canned food are really convenient, the owner should feed Labrador Retriever homemade food, with a proper nutrition, ingredients for the size of their dog. A healthy meal should include protein, complex carbohydrate, and vegetables. They also need calcium to support bone strength. Meat, vegetables, organ meat, bones (for their teeth), rice... are all good for them. You can cook the food to eliminate possible harmful bacteria, raw meat or fish are also acceptable but it has to be safe.

After all, your dog will be besides you no matter who you are, if you can't buy them high quality food, you can cook them food, share your meal with them, as long as don't include food which may harmful for dog, and the meal should include meat.