Painting by Reuben Ward Binks.
Most golden retriever people are of an agreeable sort.
Do not assume that I am.
I’m really a contrarian. It’s my default position.
I often called it my “Prussian personality.”
But there are many things that bother me.
One of these is the problem with the golden retriever.
Miley is currently grounded due to lameness. I think it’s in her hip, and although she’s a very athletic sort of dog, she has some issues with her conformation.
One is that is she is a larger dog than a golden retriever bitch should be. She weighs anywhere from 73 to 77 pounds, which is actually on the upper end of what a golden retriever dog should be.
She has quite a bit of bone, though not as much as other golden retrievers, and although her legs are relatively short compared to her body size, she normally can move really efficiently and quickly.
But this lameness in the hip really has me bothered. I wonder if she had a lighter frame and a smaller body, if she’d be having these problems.
My old dog never had any lameness. She was built like a red rocket of a retriever. Soaking wet, she was 6o pounds of hard muscle,
She was of the old red retriever type that used to comprise the bulk of the golden retriever breed in the Midwest and much of the rest of the Flyover Country. She lived to the ripe old age 13, broke ice to swim in ice covered pond, and was the most annoying obsessive retriever that ever lived.
She was a good dog.
She is one of the muses of this blog.
I’d really like to have a dog like her again.
This old red dog haunts me, as do the photos and paintings of all the old red and dark golden retrievers of yore.
I still get nostalgic when I see the old Bush’s Baked Beans ad from 1996.
I get nostalgic when I see this photo of the first dual champion golden retriever in the United States, Dual Ch. Stilrovin Rip’s Pride:
These dogs are not cute.
The are comparatively harder to live with that the laid-baid, “sooky” type of golden retriever.
They are also annoyingly intelligent dogs, the kind that can open doors and train people to do their bidding.
The golden retriever has become domesticated, suburban animal.
The old type of dog doesn’t fit in that world very well.
But it’s still a good dog.
There is a sadness in me that so few people will ever know that there are golden retrievers like these dogs
There is also a sadness in me that is nothing more than I miss the old dog.
I never get over the loss of dogs or people. Over time, I just sort of get accustomed to their absence.
But I never let it go.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7xLKqgFRig Still gets me every time I see it.
Chance: But we didn’t ask for this job.
Shadow: We didn’t have to. It’s built in. Has been ever since the dawn of time… when a few wild dogs took it upon themselves to watch over man, to bark when he’s in danger, to run and play with him when he’s happy, to nuzzle him when he’s lonely. That’s why they call us man’s best friend.
Shadow, the Golden in Homeward Bound, was a very wise dog. The dog who acted that role was, as well (I know that dog’s breeder). Goldens, like most any breed, can come in widely varying personalities as well as appearance. The most intelligent, most courageous Golden I ever knew might have looked like a blond sweetie (and he could be), but he had the heart of a lion, could do anything asked of him (and did), working full time in law enforcement as a scenting specialist until 14 years of age.
If you want a contrarian retriever, you might try switching to a Chessie :-)
I wouldn’t blame hip problems on build.
I’ve know a lot of bulky Labs, most of who had no hip problems. I have a 9 year old bitch now, short by USA standards, roughly 80 lbs, big chested, big boned, and a little overweight. She shows no sign of arthritis. Her hip scores are OFA excellent and her elbows normal….I think that’s more important than body type.
I said I’m a contrarian, not the dog.
“My dog is (a little) overweight.”?
And are you actually doing something about that? Those extra kilos are ruining a dog’s health and it isn’t hard to keep your dog slim and trim. Feed less, stay active.
Just generally I see too many people with fat dogs and they even say: “yea, I have a ‘big’ dog but they need that much food. They are always hungry.”
I also believe that body type is playing a role. Big bulky Goldens simply aren’t as agile and fast as the old hunting Golden Retriever. Though I agree they can be healthy without hip problems.
MYOB. Judgemental cow! I confer with the vet on every visit. The vet always says she’s ok. I figure she’s a little overweight. I can feel ribs, but she’s saggy (she’s has several litters) and I prefer a leaner dog.
I love the little red dogs. My favorite Golden I ever met was a 55 pound red bitch with the great joi de vivre imaginable. She was also an unstoppable hunting dog.
55-60 pounds is a good size for a bitch. The color of a fox or a setter.
You’ve gone and made me nostalgic for my first dog. She was a collie x golden retriever. Red as a fox with ears to match, she was the best of both breeds in looks and temperament. Had her ears been dropped, she would have been a shoe in for some of the old red working goldens. The ideal hiking partner, loved swimming to the point of being a pain the ass and she would tire my throwing arm out playing fetch with a tennis ball (I got a frizbee in the end!). Intelligent and biddable, but with just enough cunning and common sense to earn her the nicknames “little human in a dog suit” and “Lassie” by friends and family. She was a very good dog indeed.
We miss them all, two or four legged. But it’s a sadness to bear with pride, even when we occasionally get a bit melancholy. As for the sadness about the breed, I think most of us here with a great love for a breed have similar feeling, if for different reasons. With my two it’s playing health Russian roulette with one and the fear of the other breed turning into a real mastiff.
I hope Miley is feeling better today. Is she going lame a lot, or is it just a one off?
Another photo of Rip’s Pride can be seen here: http://grca.org/history_breed/gr_firsts_field.html This dog had quite a bit of tuck up and when I sit Conformation side I hear breeders putting down tuck up… I think they are wrong. I love the look of this dog and the fact that it could really move. I also like a lighter Golden with less bone than what is in the breed ring. They are getting like Cumberland Spaniels. Miley, however, isn’t huge enough to blame her size for lameness. It is possible she pulled a muscle and needs to rest for a bit. Dogs can get injured too.
I have a Golden that has run many miles with me. She turns 8 this month and can still move and still has great drive. She has put on weight though since I spayed her at age 6. She had always been 58 pounds and now is 67 pounds but she can still really move. Not sure if she gained due to her spay or if family members are feeding her snacks since she is a champion begger and does some very clever tricks for food.
That look of excess “substance” in the show ring is exacerbated by the grooming practices that puff up the coat by backcombing and blowdrying and adding “product” to it. Anathema to the few purists left in the breed!
Yes, wouldn’t it be nice if the dogs were all hosed down before going into the ring? I feel like I am looking at fur coat sales models. I think product in the coat should be a disqualification, also the extremely long coats that are sculpted down to change the illusion of the dog’s shape… who knows what they are purchasing if you just see these coiffed coats?
The worst example of that as a breed are Russian Black Terriers and it’s a requirement rather than a sly trick. What on earth is going on there at all? It’s like a lesson in how to shave a dog to make it look as unbalanced and ugly as possible.
I was recently told that there is a short coat in BRTs. It’s a DQ fault so you don’t see it much, but she had a photo & it was a GORGEOUS dog. No beard, glossy black double coat, about the length & texture of Howavart. Kind of looked like one, too, but larger & with cropped ears. I asked her why it was a fault, since the BRT is supposed to be a working dog. Many people reject them because the coat is so much work, but the short coat dog would be wash & wear, like any correct double coat. No brushing or clipping required. She didn’t know, only knew it was a fault so of course didn’t breed this dog.
“She didn’t know, only knew it was a fault so of course didn’t breed this dog.”
— That’s a large part of what is wrong with purebred dogs today: people who don’t ask “why” but just blindly accept the status quo. Sigh.
In THEORY, that’s why the judge is putting hands on them–to feel the structure. Also, “product” in the coat IS supposed to be verboten (it is supposed to be all brushed out by the time the dog enters the show ring). That said, the chalk dust in the air during a Sheltie specialty speaks for itself.
Hi! If you are nostalgic for the ‘red’ retrievers, you might enjoy looking at my web site http://www.grahamgolden.com, especially my Golden Gallery page. Regards Alexandra Graham
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From: The Retriever, Dog, & Wildlife Blog [mailto:comment-reply@wordpress.com] Sent: Saturday, May 11, 2013 11:12 AM To: alexgraham@kw.igs.net Subject: [New post] The old red retriever
retrieverman posted: ” Most golden retriever people are of an agreeable sort. Do not assume that I am. I’m really a contrarian. It’s my default position. I often called it my “Prussian personality.” But there are many things that bother me. One of these is th”
Those are some nice dogs!
The older I get, the more I seem able to extend my affections to creatures living beyond my own front door.