Featured Breed of the Week: Golden Retriever
With a life expectancy of around 10-12 years, these dogs require proper maintenance, to ensure they get the most out of each year. Their diets will vary depending or the age of the dog and their own personal needs. For all Golden Retrievers, it is recommended to supply them with healthy, unprocessed foods. This will ensure they have all the nutrition they need, to continue to grow and thrive. They also will need a bath occasionally, their teeth brushed, nails clipped, and to have fresh, clean water. When it comes to the maintenance of their coat, they will need a regular brushing routine. Golden Retrievers are prone to shed a great deal, especially when the seasons change. Proper brushing/grooming helps keep their coats from matting and will remove any tangles and/or dirt. Furthermore, their ears need to be checked on a regular basis. Due to the size of their ears and how they hang down, moisture can easily become trapped inside the ear canal and cause ear infections.
As far as personality goes, these dogs are super friendly. They easily make friends with humans, especially kids and can actually become overprotective of them. Because of their bubbly nature, this is why these dogs make great pets. They are technically considered one of the most popular family dogs in the United States. Not only are they friendly and great for families but they are also very energetic. They do require adequate amounts of exercise each day and this can be two hours per day or more, depending on the dog. They will benefit from an owner or family with an active lifestyle or atleast one that will have the time to give the Golden Retriever the attention and activities they desire. They love to be playful, love to run around, and will be a great addition to a family that does the same.
Golden Retrievers are also known for their excellent hunting skills. When trained to hunt as a puppy, these dogs grow up to become masters at hunting upland game. They are extremely skilled at sniffing out game, tracking it down, and in the end, helping hunters seal the deal. They are always eager to please and dont mind hunting in different types of climates. When out in the field, Golden Retrievers make sure they go the extra mile for their hunters. They run through most types of terrain and can withstand being out on the hunt for hours, without getting tired. These dogs are also exceptional swimmers. They are born with the love of swimming and can also incorporate that into hunting. When a bird has been shot over water, a Golden Retriever wont hesitate to jump into the water to retrieve it. With the word retriever in their name, these dogs are praised for their retrieval skills. They have soft mouths that allow them to bring game back to the hunter without causing any type of damage to it. As long as a Golden Retriever has been trained properly from a young age, they will continue to give their all when in the field and show off all of the skills they have been taught.
With the intelligence and obedience of this breed, Golden Retrievers are also used as part of drug task forces, rescuers, and can be guide dogs for people who are blind. The only thing these dogs have any trouble with is being guard dogs. Due to their social personalities, they will bark at a stranger or strange sounds but will stop immediately and become friendly again.
Related Aritlces
Featured Breed of the Week : American Brittany
The origin of the American Brittany Spaniel is tainted with mystery up to date. Nonetheless, it is believed that in around 1850s, English hunters who went to Brittany to look for woodcock, took with them Llewellyn, Pointers, Irish, English and Gordon setters. When the shooting season ended, the hunting dogs were typically left for the local people to take care of the dogs until when the next hunting season. There is a common belief that the dogs interbred with the residents dogs; native white Spaniel with the setters and English pointers. The interbreeding later brought to the different colors found in the many of Brittanys today. The American Brittany is a dog that is rustic owners were medieval poachers and peasants; people who lived a thriftiness lifestyle. They needed a dog that can do it all hunt and be a companion. This versatility spiraled into Brittanys. This dog today is popular in France, becoming an international loved breed too outside France.
Tall Timbers: Burning Down the House
I’ve heard of folks figuring out the price tag on costs to raise wild quail, but I don’t know of anyone who has kept track of the amount of time that goes into the breeding, training and developing of a championship gun dog. Both are significant. Take that dog number, multiply it by 55, and you’ll have one heck of a lot of hours all represented in the dogs that qualified to run across 28 braces in the February 2025 National Championship for Bird Dogs held at Ames Plantation. The first brace of this 126-year old Super Bowl caliber event commenced on February 10th . The final brace ran over two weeks later on February 27, and during that time weather conditions ranged from a soggy, below-freezing 22 degrees Fahrenheit day to a 75-degree Fahrenheit sweat lodge. If you don’t like the weather in Grand Junction then wait five minutes.
Featured Breed of the Week : English Springer Spaniel
The English Springer Spaniel is a breed of gun dog that is said to have originated in Spain, centuries ago. This dog is known for its medium/compact built and was first bred to be a flusher and a retriever. The colors of the coat range from brown, reddish brown, and even white. They have a double coat that is waterproof and keeps the dogs dry and also warm, at the same time. These coats do shed moderately but this normally occurs in the Spring and Summer months.
