Golden Retriever Breed Profile
The origins of the Golden Retriever can be traced to stud records kept in Scotland from 1835-1890. This breed's intelligence is unquestionable, and the first three dogs of any breed to gain their championships in AKC Obedience Trials were all Goldens. This breed is an excellent gundog, and an excellent family dog as well. It gets its distinctive color from the sandcolored Bloodhound, and is also believed to have been bred from several now-extinct Spaniels, Flatcoated Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers and Irish Setters. Remarkably, both the Flatcoats and the Labradors were black dogs. The Goldens are very popular, due to their intelligence and friendliness, and also excel as guide-dogs for the blind.