When deciding on a family pet, one should consider the golden retriever. These wonderful family friendly pets are extremely patient and gentle with children. This breed does not make a very good choice for a guard dog because they are friendly to everyone. On the intelligence scale golden retrievers are rated with a 4. These wonderfully intelligent, eager to please dogs make great service dogs or special family companions. Most golden retriever breeders will be thrilled to have families select dogs from them. If you were looking for a dog to do agility trials or just toss a ball of Frisbee to, these dogs have the energy for it.

Good golden retriever breeders will want you to give your pet obedience training to help curb unwanted behaviors like chewing and scratching. These wonderful dogs are very eager to please and adult dogs of this breed will work on a task to exhaustion. For this reason, care should be taken with them. These dogs were bred to be waterfowl retrievers for hunters and are part of the AKC sporting group. This breed originated in England and purebred golden retrievers from England look just a bit stockier than ones bred in the US today.

Many golden retriever breeders who breed purebred golden retrievers do screenings for the common health problems that plague their breed. These include but are not limited to: hip and elbow dysplasia, cataracts, heart problems and skin diseases. Golden retrievers are prone to skin problems and any problem should be treated right away. Cancer is the top killer of Golden Retrievers, as found in a 1998 health study conducted by the Golden Retriever Club of America. If you are looking seriously at a puppy from any golden retriever breeders you should ask about their parents’ health problems. Hip dysplasia is common and genetic testing is done to track it in litters.

Golden retrievers love to train; hence this breed makes wonderful service dogs, narcotics dogs and therapy dogs. Their gentle and kind nature endears them to all. Any aggressive or threatening behavior is not normal for this breed and should be addressed right away. Golden retrievers live an average of 10-12 years. Popular golden retrievers include: President Gerald and Betty Ford’s dog Liberty, Duke the Bush’s Baked Beans dog, and Buddy from Air Bud movies.