History of the Golden Retriever

The origins of the pure breeding of the Golden Retriever go back to England and the breed historians agree that Lord Tweedmouth was the creator. He bought a young yellow Retriever born in 1864, who he called Nous, and was mated in 1868 with Belle, a Water Spaniel from Tweed. From this mating, three yellow puppies, the ancestors of the GOLDEN RETRIEVER, were born. The mating was repeated and as result another yellow female dog was born. With these dogs, Lord Tweedmouth started a well planned breeding in his rural residence. With time, he even crossed a Tweed Water Spaniel, an Irish Setter and a Bloodhound. All the current Golden Retrievers descend from those Guisachan dogs.

The term "Retriever" at the beginning wasn't applied to a determined breed, but to all the animals who could work in a determined way. All the dogs that chased and caught their prey were called Retrievers. Only in 1913 was the breed registered in the English Kennel Club as a purebred, and the Golden Retriever Club was formed in England.

Towards the end of the 19th century, the first Golden Retrievers arrived in the USA, and around the 1920s some also arrived in New Zealand and Australia. In the 30s, the first Golden Retrievers crossed the English Channel towards France, Holland and Belgium, and towards the middle of the 20th century they also arrive in Scandinavia. In Germany, they arrived around the late 50s.