At a glance:
- Breed Group: Golden Retriever
- Height: 23-24 inches
- Weight: 65-75 lbs
- Color: golden color coats.
- Life Expectancy: 10-13 years
- Average litter size: 6
History:
The golden retriever breed originated from Scotland in 1800. There were doubts over the original breeds which were crossed. The original or traditional opinion was believed to be among some yellow complexioned dog with a tweed or water spaniel. They were first recognized as golden retrievers in 1911 and in 1913 a club dedicated to them was also formed. The lineage of all golden retrievers is believed to be hunting dogs.
The type of work the breed does:
These are usually hardy dogs and very useful to humans. They are so lovable that they can win everyone’s heart. In the beginning, they were raised as hunting dogs. A few talents of the golden retriever are tracking, hunting (retrieving ducks and other small prey), agility, obedience, narcotics detection etc. Goldens also work as guides, companions, rehabilitation, and search and rescue dogs.
Physical Representation:
The natural life of a golden retriever is between 10 to 13 years. A male golden retriever can measure between 23-24 inches and a female one between 21½-22½ inches. The males will weigh approximately 65-75 pounds and the females will weigh 55-65 pounds. As with many other breeds today, I have seen goldens bred even larger. Golden retrievers can vary in the color of their coats as they come from different parts of the world. Some are cream in color. Some are of a dark brown or reddish color having a dense coat. Most are said to be of the light golden color, from where the name comes. It comes in various feathering and molding which are of golden, cream etc.
Personality and Temperament:
Usually, a golden retriever is a well-balanced, athletic & good mannered dog. It is very lovable & socially accepted for its friendly nature. They have a patient, fun loving temperament. They are also very intelligent. And, just as noted in its name, it loves retrieving anything like balls, frisbees, etc. It has a fun loving, entertaining temperament which is suitable for interacting with people and makes a great family dog.
Care:
Golden Retrievers, being moderately active dogs (males are more active), require a reasonable amount of exercise each day and are more active in the morning and evening. If they have a companion, they burn more energy through play. Golden Retrievers should be groomed at least once a week because their coats shed heavily the entire year and even more excessively during spring, their shedding season. I would consider feeding a bland diet such as chicken or lamb and rice type foods. Supplementing their diets will also be beneficial to them. Golden retrievers seem to be very prone to skin allergies and cancer. As with any big breed, careful care should be made regarding their hips.
Living environment:
Due to their very mild, calm temperament, they can be easily trained. As mentioned earlier, they are great family dogs as they are very loving and caring. They are not very vocal, so they do not normally bark a lot. Golden retrievers are very patient with children. Aside from bumping into toddlers on occasion, it is very rare to see an aggressive golden retriever. I have said this before and I will say it again. The golden retriever is probably the best all-around family dog (with children) that God ever put on this earth.
Containment:
Golden retrievers do need an area to be able to exercise. The electric dog fence system is a great solution for containing one, but not feeling contained yourself. In my experience, goldens adapt very well to these systems, especially with Contain-A-Pet Fencing, with proper training. Do not allow anyone to just shock these loving creatures, as it is not fair or needed. Never put a golden retriever or any other puppy on these electronic systems before at least 16 weeks of age.
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Oct 05, 2009 | | Dog Breeds, Sporting Dog
This is the next installment for our Dog Fence Reviews series of articles.
You purchase an underground dog fence to keep your dog or cat in their yard, right? What happens if your dog starts running through it? If you are like me, you would want your money back if you did everything requested by the manufacturer.
Sadly, that doesn’t always happen. Did you know that most (probably all) hardware or catalog stores have only a thirty day money back guarantee on their dog containment systems? That is not nearly enough time to be sure a pet fence will contain your dog the rest of his or her life.
It doesn’t get much better with professionally installed dog fence systems. You have to do your home work before you buy.
Some companies have the same miserable thirty day guarantee that the catalog stores do. There is no way I would buy one of those fences for my dogs. Even if I was sure my dog would be contained, why would I want to take that chance if there are better guarantees out there?
Others don’t mention their containment guarantee at all (at least not on their websites). I wonder why they do that? :) I’ll let you be the judge of the reason for this glaring omission. I can tell you one thing, containment is an important issue with dog containment systems.
There are a few companies that offer a one year dog containment guarantee. Even the companies with a one year pet containment guarantee requires some scrutiny.
One company offers a one year containment guarantee with a caveat … If your dog is not contained after 30 days, you only get refunded the cost of the equipment. You lose the labor portion of the installation cost.
There is only one company in the world that offers a full one year dog containment guarantee. That company is Contain-A-Pet. The only thing you have to do is follow your Trainer’s guidelines for containing your specific dog. If you do that and the dog cannot be contained, you will be refunded the purchase price of your system. Why do they do that?
By now you know we are Contain-A-Pet. Why can we offer this No-Risk guarantee to you? We use sound dog training and behavior principles to teach your dog how to stay in his yard. It doesn’t take any longer than the other companies’ fence training; but, it is very effective.
If you are trying to decide if a fence is for you, you can read more articles by clicking Dog Fence Reviews.
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Mar 12, 2009 | | Dog Fence Review
At a glance:
- Breed Group: Toys Group
- Height: 8 – 9 inches
- Weight: 4 – 7 lbs
- Color: They are born black and as adults are blue and tan.
- Life Expectancy: 13-14 years
- Average litter size: 3
History:
The Yorkshire Terrier was originally a product of crossing different small breeds in Yorkshire, England, which is also why the breed has the name it does. The breed was first shown in the beginning part of the 1860’s and that was the start of what we see today. It is believed that many small dogs used in the crossings which resulted in the present day breed came from Scotland with their owners during the mining period in England were the ancestors. However, that is hard to say because no documents were kept and there were no breed standards.
The type of work the breed does:
Yorkshire Terriers were bred to kill rodents, such as mice or rats and was known as a “ratter” for this reason. They could also be used to some extent for hunting and tracking. They are quite capable of digging holes in order to track. Today they are extremely popular as a pet, especially in cities and apartments.
Physical Representation:
The Yorkshire Terrier has a long, silky coat and under that coat there is a compactly built dog. The tail and head are held high when walking or doing something.
Personality and Temperament:
Yorkshire Terriers are very dominant, strong willed small dogs. They know no fear and tend to aggressively protect their territory. They are independent, but also need a lot of personal attention and companionship. They are very focused on their owner and show affection. Although they can get along with other pets and children, one has to have either older children or quiet pets, because otherwise the Yorkie will not be a happy dog.
Care:
The Yorkshire Terrier has a silky coat with long hair and you will have to brush through this hair every day. Many let the hair on the head grow long, and then tie it up with some kind of ribbon. However, if your Yorkie is not a show dog, it might be a good idea to have the hair shortened or even cut very short to make the daily grooming times shorter. The eyes and ears have a tendency to get dirty and should be cleaned on a regular basis, and the same goes for their teeth.
Living environment:
Yorkshire Terriers are small dogs and are perfect for those with a small apartment or for older people who cannot take long daily walks. This breed does not require a lot of exercise, but do love playing and attention. They especially love games tugging games where they can measure their power. They can be easily trained, but you might need to be patient because they are known for doing what they want to.
Containment:
The Yorkshire Terrier works well with electronic fencing as long as the trainer understands their temperament.
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Mar 04, 2009 | | Dog Breeds, General Pet Info, Toy Group Dogs
