Retrievers Make Great Pets!

Since she is a mix of golden and labrador retriever, I thought you might want to see the differences in these two similar breeds. Can you see some similarities between her and her relative breeds?

Golden Retriever

Labrador Retriever

Golden Retrievers are known to be very sweet and good natured making them a great choice for a family dog. Children love their playfulness, and adults love their faithful companionship. Their great intelligence makes them easier to train than some other breeds. They are a popular choice to become service dogs in many jobs.

The first retrievers were bred in Scotland in the late 19th century from a combinations of Irish Setters, Bloodhounds, and Spaniels. The breeders hoped to create a dog who would make a great hunter, and they succeeded!

Tons of Golden Retriever Information may be found about their history, characteristics, temperament, health and health related problems, grooming, and more. Find Information & Print Outs about Dogs from Enchanted Learning. Dog Breed Info Center has interesting information about Golden Retrievers and several wonderful pictures of retrievers! The American Kennel Club has detailed descriptions about the physical aspects of golden retrievers.

The Land of Pure Gold Foundation has so much about golden retrievers that I couldn't even start to describe it, but I wanted to share that I was very impressed and touched by the "Loyalty at Work" section (scroll down on the left). Pictures, videos, and stories of all types of service dogs are found here including search and rescue heros, guide dogs for the blind and deaf, therapy dogs, and police / detective partners. Other cool stuff in on the site, also!

The website "How to Love Your Dog" is a fun place for kids to learn about labs! The first retrievers were trained to 'retrieve' wild game for their owners such as water fowl and pheasants both on land and water. Their great intelligence, strength, and temperance made a wonderful combination to help people hunt. Through the years they have been breeded into six main categories of retrievers and several more varieties.

A grown lab may grow to about two feet in height and weigh anywhere from 50 - 80 pounds. Their fur comes in three main colors: black, yellow or golden, and chocolate (a brownish-red mixture). Labs are agile, fast, and highly energetic! They sure like to go for long walks and play outdoor games! Being very social, these wonderful creatures love to be around people and participating in their activities. Besides being gentle friends, lovable family members, and playful athletes, retrievers today may still go hunting with their masters, but they are also being trained to help patients in therapy, people with disabilities, police in drug searches, and rescue personnel with search and rescue efforts. Quite an awesome breed, don't you think? If you want to know more about labrador retrievers, the following will get you started.

Some famous labs include Seamus (the dog that accompanied Lewis & Clark's journey), Ubu (you know, from tv productions - "Sit Ubu, sit."), and Old Yeller (the movie I cry throughout).

This complete research resource about labs gives much information if you are deciding on which type of dog to adopt or if you simply want to know more about the breed. It contains:
Characteristics and Temperament ~ Frequently Asked Questions ~ History ~ Standard ~ Recognized ~ Special Medical Problems ~ The Wind-Morgan Program ~ Resources ~ Books ~ Videos ~ Periodicals ~ Other Publications of Interest ~ Online Resources for Lab Owners ~ Breed Rescue Organizations ~ Breeders ~ Local Clubs.

The Dog Breed Info Center gives information about their temperment, size, health, life expectancy, exercise, grooming, origin, and more. I love the picture of the black, chocolate, and yellow labs on the page!

The American Kennel Club gives the history and a thorough description of labrador retrievers.

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