Talk:Golden Retriever

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Article Grading: The following comments were left by the quality and importance raters: (edit comments - comment history - watch comments · refresh this page) More refs would help, especially in the health and history sections. More about care should be added (e.g. grooming needs, more on exercise, dog sports, training etc). --Pharaoh Hound (talk) 14:11, 6 February 2007 (UTC)

Contents 1 Older entry 2 External link 3 Retriever vs Lab 4 Size and Weight 5 Removing some photos to gallery 6 Blind Golden Retrievers 7 Small edit 8 Images 9 Swamp Collie 10 Color 11 Headline text 12 Images (round two) 13 Removed Pictures 14 Temperament 15 "Yellow Retriever" fails Google test 16 Images - 3 17 Temperament Change 18 Thriving 19 Copyedit 20 images 21 HISTORY PICTURE REMOVAL 22 Images 23 Odor 24 golden retirevers 25 Dock jumping 26 Lion CUT??

[edit] Older entry

--62.252.64.15 09:31, 24 August 2005 (UTC)From a duplicate article at Golden retriever - for review and merging:

Golden Retrievers are cute and are a popular breed of medium dog kept as pets. They evolved in Scotland after Lord Tweedmouth crossed the now extinct Tweed Water Spaniel with a wavy-coat yellow retriever in 1868. In 1908, the breed was first exhibited in England, but it was not granted a separate breed status until 1913. In 1920, the name was changed from Retriever (Golden and Yellow) to Golden Retriever. Golden retrievers were first registered in Canada in 1927.

The breed is regarded as obedient and easy to train. For this reason, they are often used as service dogs, and also as gundogs. It is a breed commonly used as guide dogs for the blind. Golden Retrievers are usually friendly with people and other dogs, making them good family pets, but unsuitable as guard dogs. However, their loud bark means they may be kept as watch dogs. Whilst retrievers adapt well to living in a kennel environment, they prefer companionship.

The dogs vary in colour from pale cream to deep gold. They have an average height of 51-61cm and an average weight is 25-36kg. Their litters usually range from six to ten and they can be expected to live ten to 12 years. The most common health problems with this breed involve cataracts, epilepsy and hip problems.

[edit] External link

DMOZ listing of websites about Golden Retrievers

---

You know, this image depicts a retriever whose coat is not too golden. Though undoubtedly a member of the breed, I feel it would be better if someone could provide a photo of a dog more exemplary of the breed. Kent Wang 07:54, 26 Apr 2004 (UTC)

That is quite a pale one - but still within the specification for the breed (I took the photo at a dog show). More importantly, this was one of my first efforts at taking dog photos and is not as clear or large as I would like. If we get a better (and darker coated) image, this one will do to show the variation in the coat colours though. -- sannse (talk) 09:14, 26 Apr 2004 (UTC)

I agree. I have on my "list of photos to get while hanging out with dogs" a photo of a Golden with a dark coat. I think it's useful to show the variations in coats because sometimes they look like entirely different breeds! E.g., would be good to have a yellow Flat-Coated Retriever because they look very similar to Goldens and, although some Flat-coat breeders in the U.S. apparently euthanize their yellows, many people do keep them as pets and they're still purebred. Elf | Talk 03:14, 28 Apr 2004 (UTC)

[edit] Retriever vs Lab

I've got a Labrador Retriever (guide dog in training) and the article for that breed is very unrepresented compared to the Golden, perhaps we could expand? Sorry, I'm new to Discussions on Wikipedia so I hope this comment is ok! User:PopUpPirate

This comment is fine. Wikipedia encourages people to expand articles! Please do! Find accurate info about the breed of any kind, write it in your own words, and add it to the Labrador Retriever article. All the dog articles grow based on who happens to drop by Wikipedia (like yourself), who has an interest in what, what seems more relevant at the moment perhaps based on the development of related articles, or on any other random factor. So have at it.  :-) Elf | Talk 04:28, 29 Jan 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Size and Weight

The article currently says they reach their full height at one and their full weight at two. I agree that they stop growing around one, but when they reach their full weight is a function of how they are fed and exercised. All dogs will gain weight if they are overfed, and many are. The only weight gained after year one should come from muscle mass built from strenuous exercise and higher protein diets. Comments? Wpjonathan 19:04, 17 February 2006 (UTC)

I agree both with your comment about how they should be gaining weight and the observation that that is generally complete around age 2. I don't know that we need to add "unless the dog is overfed and becomes fatter over time." How about something like "...full height at one but continues to mature in in muscle mass and bone structure for roughly another year"? Elf | Talk 20:02, 17 February 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Removing some photos to gallery

This article is starting to collect an overload of photos that don't add anything new. I'm removing a couple to here. Elf | Talk 21:22, 19 March 2006 (UTC)

A patient Golden

Golden Retriever (5 years old), very gentle

i think tey are very cuteCorgilover4eva (talk) 23:21, 1 May 2008 (UTC)corgilover4eva

[edit] Blind Golden Retrievers

Umm I cant seem to find some Blind Golden retrievers on this web page

Why do we need to have a blind one? --APBTgirl (talk) 19:48, 16 February 2008 (UTC)

maybe because some people need guide dogs and are wondering?? honestly that was a stupid thing to say —Preceding unsigned comment added by 202.20.5.81 (talk) 23:09, 1 May 2008 (UTC)

oops that comment before this one was mine i wasnt logged in...doh!!Corgilover4eva (talk) 23:22, 1 May 2008 (UTC)corgilover4eva

[edit] Small edit

I removed the word "paradoxically"--whomever used it clearly does not know what it means. The fact that very light or very dark Goldens are disallowed is in no way "paradoxical", though one could make a case for it being contradictory (it would be a weak and pedantic argument, however.) --Lode Runner

[edit] Images

Is it just me, or is this page becoming overloaded with unencyclopedic, unattractive photos. For example this one, this one (this photo was previously removed, though put back by an IP), and this one. In my opinion, those photos dont't illustrate the breed well, and are cluttering up the page layout. Thus I am removing them, and I may remove this one. Pharaoh Hound 15:19, 27 June 2006 (UTC)

• One more thought, are there any images of a golden just standing? Pharaoh Hound 15:26, 27 June 2006 (UTC)

• I can get a photo of my Golden Bellamy standing at point if anyone would like to see one standing properly... --Allie 02:20, 28 June 2006 (UTC)

• Sounds good! --Pharaoh Hound 11:11, 28 June 2006 (UTC)

• Those pictures are nice Retriever pictures,just because they don't reach 'YOUR' Standards doesnt mean that other people wont like them,It appears to me you only know a small amount of information looking at your plan of how many dog pages you wish to change,May I advise using wiki to just browse at dog breeds and allow the more intelligent of people edit pages?

• First of all, there is no need for personal attacks, at any rate I have learned that most personal attacks are from angry people who feel strongly about an issue and are overreacting. Thus they don't bother me in the slightest, however I advise that you read the civility guidelines. Now then, as for the images, they are all poorly lit, composed, and none of them give a very good idea of what the breed actually looks like, not for lack of good examples of the breed, but for want of composition and lighting that lets one see what the dog looks like. Ask any other Wikipedian who is knowlegable of the standards for image, they will tell you that these images are useless and unencyclopedic. --Pharaoh Hound (talk) 11:50, 15 July 2006 (UTC)

the first person to write on this section you have no respect for other peoples feelings...if you dont have anything nice to say dont say anything at all

hope this settles things...

p.s: those dogs are gorgeous...thanks for shearing them with the world=)202.20.5.81 (talk) 23:12, 1 May 2008 (UTC)doglover101

[edit] Swamp Collie

Just a note. I initially thought that was a bad edit, but then did a search and actually there are hits for swamp collie in reference to Goldies. --Bcsr4ever 08:23, 5 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Color

I agree that the golden retriever on this page just doesn't look so golden. The gold color of a retriever reflects the way the dog has been properly well taken care of. The dog looks okay in the photo so it definetly is not malnurished, but I've seen retrievers that have a nice cold complextion to them

[edit] Headline text

[edit] Images (round two)

Once again, this page is overloaded with images. Therefore, I'm taking the liberty of removing a two of the worst ones. The image I'm removing are:

Bad lighting, very unappealing to look at

bad lighting, low res, not very encyclopedic

I've also found an image for the infobox with a golden standing, and I have added it. --Pharaoh Hound (talk) 14:00, 20 October 2006 (UTC)

honestly you ARE cold hearted some people dont care how dogs look as long as theyve got the best nature and are very loyal202.20.5.81 (talk) 23:14, 1 May 2008 (UTC)doglover101

[edit] Removed Pictures

The image of the retriever sitting on a chair watching TV had been inserted under the title “Temperament” and in support of what was stated in that section “They are natural clowns” I believe it does illustrate this aspect of the breed very well.

As far as being “Unappealing” or “Unattractive”: This is your personal opinion, which is very welcome, but from offering your opinion to freely removing material based on it there is a big difference. If everyone removed material from Wikipedia because they “don’t like it”, there would be nothing left, or every article would be butchered.

This is an article about dogs, not photography. Lighting or any other “deficiencies” can be fixed. I believe your intolerance is taking away more than what is providing to this article. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Calyponte (talk • contribs) .

• Perhaps I sometimes remove what some might call excessive amounts of photographs, but my view is that for such an insanely common breed wikipedia shouldn't need poor quality photos. This article has quite a few photos, and I removed those ones because there were so many photos that they were clogging up the page layout, if there had been no need to remove photos, I wouldn't have. I'm going to start a gallery to further tidy up the page layout. --Pharaoh Hound (talk) 13:58, 11 November 2006 (UTC)

I agree, they didn't add much. They were mostly "Look at my puppy, he's cute!" ~Crowstar~ 01:23, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Temperament

I think that

"Today's Golden Retrievers fall into two groups: show dogs and field dogs. The Goldens in the show group are generally bigger-boned, longer, and heavier. The champagne color and long flowing coat are highly prized in the show ring. On the other hand, field Goldens tend to be smaller, longer legged, and be a more reddish shade. These two strains derive from champion Goldens from the 1960s. Gold Rush Charlie moved the show Goldens toward their present characteristics, while Holway Barty greatly affected the field group. Contemporary breeders attempt to unite these two strains into the all-purpose Golden Retriever."

should not be under the temperament section. Unfortunately, I am no K9 expert, and I would rather have someone with more knowledge put it where it really belongs. 68.127.209.93 04:47, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

Pharaoh, can you please tell me why you have reverted back to having the above quote in the temperament section. It obviously does not belong there. And it would be nice if you justified your reversion. I am going to have to put it back to appearence section, as it seems like that is where it belongs. Delmet 05:31, 31 January 2007 (UTC)

• My mistake, I didn't realise I was reverting that out. My sincere apologies, and I shall avoid doing so in the future. --Pharaoh Hound (talk) 13:08, 31 January 2007 (UTC)
  • No problem. Mistakes happen. Delmet 21:42, 31 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] "Yellow Retriever" fails Google test

"The Golden Retriever is a popular breed of dog, often affectionately known as a Yellow Retriever." ---- I've never heard the expression "Yellow Retriever". It gets only 624 Google hits. http://www.google.com/search?q=%22Yellow+Retriever%22 ("Golden Retriever" gets 1,850,000 hits.) - IMHO, this doesn't even justify including the term as "sometimes known" or "occasionally known". Therefore, deleting from article. If you wish to revert, please justify here. Thanks. ---- 201.51.211.130 12:30, 15 January 2007 (UTC)

I agree. YR is not common.--Counsel 19:01, 20 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Images - 3

A Golden puppy chasing its tail	A 3 months old Golden Retriever	Bandagedgolden.JPG A bandaged golden retriever	Mischievousgolden.jpg A mischievous golden puppy
Sleepinggoldie.jpg A golden puppy in bed	Bigmealgolden.jpg A golden puppy just enjoyed his big meal

In my opinion, these six images as they currently appear don't seem to be suitable. While first one is a matter of personal opinion, I have legitimate concerns about the other shots. The second one seems a little too close, and doesn't give more information compared to the 2-month old (on the article). Third image seems to place focus on the bandage rather than the retriever. 4-6 appear to be the same dog. Okay to remove? --Sigma 7 05:59, 25 January 2007 (UTC)

I have no problem with removing those. In fact, the gallery appears to be a lot attracting unuseful photos. Perhaps it should be removed? --Pharaoh Hound (talk) 13:57, 25 January 2007 (UTC)

for my opinion// i think they are very loveable and easy to handel. r.neely. ontaro

[edit] Temperament Change

This is rare. Is it worth mentioning? http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/guide-dog-in-puppy-mauling-frenzy/2007/03/21/1174153161861.html 203.213.7.133 21:00, 21 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Thriving

"thrive on attention, regular exercise, a balanced diet, and regular veterinary check-ups." Do they seriously thrive on regular vet check-ups? i think that is a unnecessary statement 03:00, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Copyedit

This article, or a portion of it, was copyedited by the League of Copyeditors in April 2007. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the project and see a list of open tasks. Copyeditor(s): Erythromycin 03:56, 16 April 2007 (UTC) Proofreader: Otheus 00:38, 18 April 2007 (UTC)

If your dog's photo is missing, check to make sure it wasn't simply moved. But if it wasn't moved, I removed it for a good reason; don't put it back, please. --Otheus 00:40, 18 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] images

I reverted to the original infobox image. No sufficient reason was given why the new one was a better illustration of the breed (also remember that this article is not a vehicle for asserting the primacy of AKC/UKC standards), and the original was of better quality photographically (clearer background, better expression, looks more professional). I also removed the guide dog photo bc, while it would be nice to have a photo of GRs as guide dogs, the image was stacked (see WP:Images) and as an overhead shot it was confusing and not clear that it even was a golden. I moved the presidential image to avoid more image stacking and text conflict as it was rather large. Overall I wanted to avoid something discouraged by WP:Images and WP:IUP, which is stacking a whole bunch of images one on top of the other the whole length of the article. It looks awful. VanTucky 18:06, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] HISTORY PICTURE REMOVAL

Why was my picture of the nine week old golden retriever puppy was taken off AND replaced with a labrador retriever fetching a duck in a lake? This is ridiculous! Please correct this immediately! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.137.67.246 (talk • contribs)

The replacement image better fits in with the article, showing the retriever and giving a quick description of their roots. A simple nine-week old image isn't really that encyclopediatic - and also there was bulk removal of gallary-style images (as you should have seen from the discussion above.) --Sigma 7 03:10, 3 July 2007 (UTC)

oh my gosh, whatever. its funny two other Wiki professional "page watchers" said it was fine. thanks for all you do, you rent-a-cop. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.137.67.246 (talk • contribs)

And as I said, the image was replaced with something "better" than "fine". The original simply showed an image with a basic caption, while the replacement showed an image with a detailed caption. Also, making personal attacks is a common symptom of those who think that Wikipedia is a Myspace provider. --Sigma 7 21:17, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

Article seems to have a negative slant towards the breed.

Go post it on a Golden Retriever site. I believe there's a pet wiki somewhere out there that would be glad to take it. I'm sorry, but it was taken off for a reason: the new one shows the retriever-ness. Crowstar^caws 01:03, 27 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Images

Would anyone mind if I add this image to the main wiki page? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Omniii (talk • contribs)

It depends on where you want to put it. It's a quality image, and in my opinion would be good somewhere in the body of the article (such as the Hisory section). But a lead image (in the infobox) should be a neutral portrait that clearly shows all of the subject in a natural stance. The running image doesn't do this like the present one does. VanTucky ^(talk) 16:13, 6 August 2007 (UTC)

What if it was added to the Coat and Color section? Seems to be fitting as it is an unusually colored dog and the coat is shown nicely in my opinion. Omniii 20:42, 6 August 2007 (UTC)Omniii

♣== List of Dogs that don't bite ==

Are Golden Retrievers the top of the list of dogs that don't bite? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.13.142.46 (talk) 17:32, 4 September 2007 (UTC)

Bred for their high fowl mandibular delicacy yes, very high on the list Gropo (talk) 04:49, 22 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Odor

I have a Golden, and there are days when we consider having her live in the garage until someone can give her a bath. I've discussed this with other owners (including those who live in other parts of the country w/ different climates) and they have encountered the same problem; several (who'd been dog owners of other breeds for years)even took their Goldens to the vet as puppies thinking that the pup must have some sort of skin/ear infection. There's a Catch-22 here though-that would be original rsearch, and the fact that a typical, relatively clean Golden frequently gives off the sort of odor where the backyard is checked for decomposing animals that said Golden could have rolled in is not prominently featured in dog books. If anyone knows of a source, either add it to the article, or contact me on my talk page to let me know where I could find said info.LeeRamsey (talk) 03:07, 28 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] golden retirevers

a golden has been around about 150 years and allmost all the golden —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.75.13.232 (talk) 00:10, 30 January 2008 (UTC) Millions of years ago, dogs used to be like gods to the ancient egyptians. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.93.199.233 (talk) 00:24, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Dock jumping

Just added Dock jumping hope nobody has a problem with that.--gd8man 04:38, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Lion CUT??

What is up with the pic?

I mean who would butcher a golden like that? One thing the breed is noted for is the long (sometimes wavey) coat, nice feathering on the back of the legs. And what relevance is it to this article? I would think a pic of a golden participating in a [dog sport] would be better.

gd8man 07:48, 28 May 2008 (UTC)