Golden retriever facts and facts about golden retriever, from the Random Facts shelf.
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Labrador Retrievers are the breed used most often as guide dogs for people who are blind or visually impaired. Guide dog schools love them for their intelligence, steady temperament, and eagerness to work, and Lab and Golden Retriever crosses are also common.
The Golden Retriever was developed in the Scottish Highlands in the mid-1800s by Lord Tweedmouth (Dudley Marjoribanks). He wanted a gundog that could retrieve game across both rugged land and water.
The Golden Retriever traces back to an 1868 pairing of a yellow wavy-coated retriever named Nous and a Tweed Water Spaniel named Belle. Their puppies became the foundation of the breed.
Golden Retrievers are known for a "soft mouth," meaning they can carry things gently without damaging them. That trait was bred in so they could retrieve birds for hunters without crushing them, and some Goldens can even carry a raw egg without cracking it.
A Golden Retriever named Finley set a Guinness World Record in 2020 by holding six tennis balls in his mouth at once.
The Golden Retriever Lifetime Study, run by the Morris Animal Foundation, has followed more than 3,000 Golden Retrievers over their whole lives to understand why the breed has such high cancer rates. Cancer is the leading cause of death in Goldens.
President Gerald Ford had a Golden Retriever named Liberty, who even had a litter of puppies while living in the White House.
When the AKC created the Obedience Champion title in 1977, the first three dogs to earn it were all Golden Retrievers, which proves they're not just pretty faces.
The American Kennel Club officially recognized the Golden Retriever in 1925.
Golden Retrievers have a thick, water-repellent double coat that sheds moderately all year and heavily once or twice a year. Owners joke that dog hair becomes a permanent part of their wardrobe.
A Golden Retriever named Buddy starred in the 1997 movie "Air Bud" as a dog who plays basketball. Before that he appeared as Comet on the TV sitcom "Full House."