The English Retriever is a type of Golden Retriever that was developed in the U.K. to retrieve waterfowl. They are known by a variety of different names including English Retrievers, English Golden Retrievers, British Retrievers, British Golden Retrievers, English Goldens, British Goldens, Golden Retrievers and Goldens. A man by the name of Lord Tweedmouth began the development of Golden Retrievers in Scotland during the mid-19th century. His goal was to create a dog that could navigate the rugged conditions of the area. He began by crossing a Wavy-Coated Retriever with a Tweed Water Spaniel, which resulted in puppies that had excellent bird hunting abilities. Still not satisfied, he crossed yellow Wavy-Coated Retrievers with such dogs as black Retrievers, Bloodhounds, Setters and Tweed Spaniels. These breedings produced puppies with distinct yellow coats. Tweedmouth's sons brought some of these dogs to the U.S. in the early 1900s, and they were formally recognized as Golden Retrievers in 1912.
English Retrievers are somewhat large dogs that can weigh between 55 and 80 pounds as adults. They have medium-length hair that is longer on the tail, forelegs and chest. Accepted colors are any shade of red, orange, gold and cream. This is a stocky-type dog that has medium-length drop ears, a square muzzle and dark eyes.
Personality
English Retrievers are intelligent dogs that are eager to please their owners. They excel in a variety of areas including hunting, obedience, agility, search and rescue, and tracking. They are also commonly used as assistance, therapy and seeing-eye dogs. If you choose to add an English Retriever to your family, you will want to make sure that you provide it with plenty of attention, love and exercise. Just as with other types of Golden Retrievers, English Retrievers are highly intelligent and extremely easy to train. They are also very gentle and loyal making them fantastic companions and family pets. Despite their hunting instincts, English Retrievers get along quite well with other pets including small animals such as cats and rabbits.
Breed Characteristics
| Life Span: | 11 - 13 years |
| Nicknames: | English Golden Retriever, British Retrievers, British Golden Retrievers, English Goldens, British Goldens, Golden Retrievers, Goldens |
English Retriever Build Information
English Retrievers are somewhat large dogs that can weigh between 55 and 80 pounds as adults. They have medium-length hair that is longer on the tail, forelegs and chest. Accepted colors are any shade of red, orange, gold and cream. This is a stocky-type dog that has medium-length drop ears, a square muzzle and dark eyes.
| Size: | Large |
Behaviour and Personality
English Retrievers are intelligent dogs that are eager to please their owners. They excel in a variety of areas including hunting, obedience, agility, search and rescue, and tracking. They are also commonly used as assistance, therapy and seeing-eye dogs. If you choose to add an English Retriever to your family, you will want to make sure that you provide it with plenty of attention, love and exercise. Just as with other types of Golden Retrievers, English Retrievers are highly intelligent and extremely easy to train. They are also very gentle and loyal making them fantastic companions and family pets. Despite their hunting instincts, English Retrievers get along quite well with other pets including small animals such as cats and rabbits.
| Activity Level: | Moderately active |
| Affection Level: | Very affectionate |
| Kid Friendliness: | Very friendly |
Appearance
You will need to brush your English Retriever's coat every day and more often during shedding season. These dogs have a thick double-coat and are known to shed profusely two or three times a year. You will also want to bathe your pet one or two times a month and check its ears regularly for any excess wax buildup.
| Shedding: | Heavy |
| Grooming: | Moderate |
English Retriever Common Health Conditions
However, they can be susceptible to a variety of health issues including hip dysplasia, obesity, mast cell tumors and Von Willebrand's disease. Other problems that have been associated with the breed include skin allergies, heart problems and congenital eye defects.
English Retriever Pet Insurance
When adding a dog or cat to your family you want to make sure your pet is happy, healthy and protected. During its lifetime your pet is exposed to many illnesses and diseases and some breeds are affected by a congenital disease which is a condition existing at birth. At these moments when your pet is ill or maybe needs surgery, you want to be protected for the unexpected and high veterinarian costs.
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Breed Talents and Facts
The average life span for healthy English Retrievers is about 11 to 13 years. Golden Retrievers were featured in many movies and TV shows including Full House, Homeward Bound, Fluke, Airbud and Napoleon. President Ford owned a Golden Retriever named Liberty, and President Reagan owned one that he named Victory. Golden Retrievers were first recognized in England by the Kennel Club of England in 1903.
| Training: | Easy to train |