Golden Retriever Facts

Description: The Basics facts about the Golden Retriever is that it has a harmonious, top part of his loins is straight; short, strong back; deep chest; deep and curved ribs. The tail is well-inserted in the hindquarters and falls nicely until the hocks.
Explanation: As a utility dog, the Golden has to be very resistant. The deep thoracic box offers a lot of space for the lungs to stretch well.
Golden Retriever Limbs: The front legs have strong bones; the shoulders are laid back with a stretched shoulder blade. The upper arm is as long as the shoulder blade; the elbows are well-adjusted to the body. The hind part is also strong and muscular; the knee joints can bend well; long legs; straight ankles (as seen from behind), without any inclinations. Paws are catlike. The dog walks energetically and gracefully, straight and front and hind legs advance at the same rhythm, free of any sign of tapping (raising the front paws).
Explanation: Any deviation of the way of walking means that the dog has to make more of an effort to move about. A dog that walks with a deviation gets tired easily when working. Serious posture problems can, with time, lead to painful transformations of the joints.
Fur and Color of Golden Retrievers: Straight and graceful hair; thick waterproof underhair; the whole range of colors from golden to cream color; under no circumstances orange. Some white hair on the chest is allowed.

Explanation: As a water-hunting retriever, the Golden has to dive into the water in any climate to catch his prey, and therefore has to have a lot of resistance when swimming. He doesn't always have the chance to dry off, that's why his underhair needs to be thick and waterproof.

Size of a Golden Retriever: Males  56 – 61 cm, Females 51 – 56 cm

Basically, the Breeds Standard reflects the ideal and the objective of the upbringing of a breed. This ideal image is the parameter for the dogs, but in reality there will always be dogs which come quite close to this objective; others which will look similar or, in a certain way, might be pretty far from the objective itself.