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By Jeffrey G. Pepper
One of the most popular breeds today both in the ring and outside, the Golden Retriever entry always seems large in comparison to many other breeds. Indeed, it often is, and as a result the numbers needed for a major are high. The question is, how does one correctly sort through the large entry to find the best dogs. Hopefully, this discussion of the standard will help you when you judge the breed.
It has always been my feeling that in order to judge a breed properly, one must know the history of the breed and its original function. The Golden Retriever was developed in the late 1860’s in Great Britain as both a land and water retriever. Like all members of the Sporting Group, he started out as a functional working dog. A descendant of the same stock that produced the other four retrievers, all of which were created to retrieve game on both land and in water. The Golden traces its history back to a cross between a yellow wavy-coated retriever (probably what we now call a Flat Coated Retriever) and a now extinct breed called the Tweed Water Spaniel. The sire was the only yellow in a litter of blacks. The four bitches produced in this litter are the root stock from which all Goldens descend. Unusually for his day, Lord Tweedmouth ,the originator of the breed, followed a careful plan of line breeding to develop the Golden. His pedigrees are available for study today. Because of the excellent breed records kept by Lord Tweedmouth, we know that with but a few judicious outcrosses, all Goldens can be traced back to this one litter.
When judging the Golden, one must keep this heritage in mind. The breed standard states quite clearly that the Golden is “Primarily a hunting dog….” When looking at the dogs in the ring, the judge must always keep in mind the question "does this dog look capable of spending a full day working in the field?” In order to make this judgement, it goes without saying that every Golden judge will find it helpful to watch a Golden Retriever doing what he was developed to do at least one time prior to judging the breed A dog that does not look like it could hunt should be faulted.
The Golden is a medium sized dog, with males ranging from 23 to 24 inches at the withers and weighing 65 to 75 pounds, while bitches stand 21 ½ to 22 ½ inches and weigh 55 to 65 pounds. A deviation in height of more than one inch either way is a disqualification. This is not a heavily boned, nor clumsy breed. In proportion, the Golden is slightly longer than tall in a ratio of 12 to 11. While one may occasionally see a Golden that is too square, you are much more likely to see a dog that is too long in body. Personally, I will be more forgiving of a bitch that is slightly long in body than I would be of a longer dog, as I feel this extra length allows the bitch to better carry a litter.
The standard asks for a broad skull that is only slightly arched laterally and longitudinally without a prominent forehead or occipital bone. The head should appear somewhat flat on top. In my opinion, there are a number of problems with heads in the breed today. Many Goldens seem to have too round a skull, sometimes giving an apple-headed appearance to the head. Others have a skull that is too narrow in comparison to it’s length, or show too much slope toward the sides on the top of the head. The stop should be well defined, yet many dogs you will see in the ring have much too gradual a stop. The muzzle should be nearly as long as the skull in order to allow the dog to carry a large game bird. A short “bear like” muzzle might be cute looking, but it is quite incorrect and not in keeping with the function of the breed. A Golden with a muzzle that is not straight in profile (one that shows a Roman nose, for example) or one with heavy flews is also incorrect. The lips should show good pigmentation. Overall, the Golden’s head should present a soft, intelligent and kindly expression. It should never be narrow in skull, short in muzzle or have a harsh looking expression. It is, unfortunately, not all that unusual to see heads lacking in breed type.
Properly sized and placed eyes and ears help define the correct soft Golden expression. The eyes should be fairly large and dark brown, the darker the better, with a medium brown acceptable. Light colored eyes seriously detract from the correct soft Golden expression. There should be good pigmentation around the eye. In shape, the eye appears to be slightly almond shaped. Round eyes, slant eyes, and narrow, triangular eyes, all of which can be seen in the ring today, should all be faulted as they also detract from the correct expression.
You may often note relatively long and large ears on some Goldens in your ring. Ears should be short. When pulled forward the tip of the ear should just cover the eye. The ear is set on high, just above the eye when at rest, and should be carried close to the cheek. Ears that are too large or set too low on the head allow water to enter the ear when the dog is swimming. Low set, hound-like ears and ears that are too long should be faulted.
The teeth should meet in a scissors bite. An undershot or overshot bite is a disqualification. You will sometimes see a misalignment of the lower incisors, which is common in certain lines. This, if it affects the bite, is undesirable, as is a level bite. However, neither should be confused with an undershot or overshot bite. Full dentition is required under the standard with obvious gaps to be faulted. This does not, however, mean you need to open the mouth and count teeth. What is desired is that an obvious gap caused by missing molars or pre-molars be considered a fault with the seriousness dependent on the size of the gap – that is the large gap is more faulty than the minor one. In my experience, this is not a problem you will see that frequently in the ring. When examining the dog one must lift the lips on the sides of the mouth to check side dentition so as to insure there are no such gaps.
The body of the Golden should not appear coarse or overdone. The neck is “medium long, merging gradually into well laid back shoulder, giving a sturdy, muscular appearance.” Remember, the neck needs to be long enough to pick up a bird with out the dog having to stoop to reach the bird, and strong enough for the dog to carry the bird easily. The backline is strong and level from withers to slightly sloping croup whether standing or moving. A sloping, setter-like topline might make a pretty picture, but it is undesirable, although you might see it in your ring. There is little tuckup and the loin is short. The tail does not come directly off the back but springs from the croup. It should be noticeably thicker at the base than at the tip. The function of the tail is to act as a rudder both in the water and on land, not as a sail. As such, the tail should be carried with a merry action, level with the back or with a slight upward curve. It should never be over the back nor between the legs.
As in all sporting dogs, overall balance is critical and is more important than individual strong or weak points. Angulation in front should match that of the rear assembly. I’m sure I need not go into correct structure of the body here. As with so many other breeds, straight shoulders and an upper arm that is too short, are problems with many Goldens. Another problem that has recently developed is the Golden that is too short on leg, giving an almost dwarfed appearance to the dog when seen in profile. As a swimming dog, the Golden should be well up on leg with a deep body. The chest should be broad with a well developed forechest. The feathering on the front of the dog may give the appearance of a good chest, but this must be checked by the hand when going over the dog.
The color of coat of a Golden should be rich, lustrous golden of various shades. Feathering is often a lighter color than the body coat. The shade of gold should not be a consideration when judging the breed, so long as it is within the requirements of the standard. Basically a coat that is so light that it appears to be cream-colored (what I tend to call a “vanilla retriever”) or so dark that it approaches an Irish Setter red should be faulted. After all, the breed is called Golden Retriever. You might even see the occasional Golden whose coat almost appears brown. This should be considered a serious fault, as should any off color such as black or white which should be faulted as well. Don’t confuse graying on the muzzle or in the coat of an older dog as being a fault. In my experience, the darker colored dogs tend to gray later than the lighter colored ones. You might encounter a dog that has started to gray in your open class, and this should not be considered faulty. By the way, I have never judged a class where the only way to reach a decision between two dogs was based on color. I doubt I ever will.
Coat can become somewhat of an issue with many Goldens today, but not in terms of color. The standard is very clear in asking for dense and water-repellent coat with good undercoat. The outer coat should be “firm and resilient, neither coarse nor silky, lying close to the body.” It may be straight or wavy, with neither preferred over the other. Despite what you see in the ring today, only moderate feathering is called for in the standard, with excessive length considered to be “very undesirable”. In other words, too much coat or feathering, though eye-catching, is a fault. In terms of grooming, a Golden Retriever’s outline should never be altered by cutting or clipping the coat. It should always look natural. Remember the correct coat lies flat against the body, not standing out from it.
It will appear that many of the exhibitors in your ring today have not read the section of the breed standard regarding coat. As a result, what has become an issue for many serious breeders is the quality and quantity of the coat. A soft, fluffy, profuse coat can be very pretty looking, but it is very incorrect. The same is true of excessive feathering on the body, tail and legs. All this hair can be quite striking in the ring, but long, soft coat is a clear detriment to the intended function of the breed. Remember, the Golden is first and foremost a hunting dog intended to be used on both land and water. On land, excessive coat can get caught on brush. It will tend to pick up all manner of debris that can take hours to brush out of the coat. In the water, excessive coat, especially soft coat, will absorb a considerable amount of water, making it more work for the dog to swim. He will tire much more easily as a result of dragging all that extra weight around. Yet I see many exhibitors blowing out the coat of their dogs, thereby making what might have been a correct water-resistant jacket into a totally incorrect open coat. This is done in the name of beauty and is often incorrectly rewarded by judges. Please remember, this is the exact opposite of what is called for in the breed’s standard. Breeders do not want to see the Golden’s coat go the way of the Cocker Spaniel.
Some exhibitors whose concern is winning may even breed for this excessive coat. They will excuse the amount of coat, saying that Goldens with heavy coat are what win in the ring today, or that many Goldens are now used for a number of occupations other than hunting, and therefore the amount of coat should not be a strong consideration when judging the breed. I must disagree. Not only does the breed standard fault excessive coats, this extra coat can be a burden to those who do not show their dogs. For example, Goldens are often used as assistance dogs to the blind, deaf and handicapped. These owners certainly do not need excessive coats to worry about. The same is true of Goldens used in drug detection, bomb detection and many other useful activities. Needless to say, Goldens used as hunting dogs or obedience dogs do not benefit from excessive coat either. And, as with all pure-bred dogs, most Goldens are sold as pets. Pet owners certainly do not need the additional work created by an excessive coat. Therefore, excess coat should not be rewarded in the show ring.
As is true in so many other breeds, some exhibitors tend to move their dogs too rapidly and do so on a tight lead. As you already know, this results in movement faults. The standard asks that dogs be “shown on a loose lead to reflect true gait”. It is good ring procedure to follow this recommendation. If they are moving too fast, do not be afraid to ask exhibitors to slow down and use a loose lead. And, please remember that correct reach and drive is not related to the rapidity with which the legs move, despite what some exhibitors seem to think!
Finally, a word about temperament. The Golden Retriever’s popularity is a direct result of the breed’s wonderful temperament. The breed has long been recommended as a family pet by most experts and for good reason. The Golden Standard says the dogs should be “Friendly, reliable, and trustworthy. Quarrelsomeness or hostility towards other dogs or people in normal situations, or an unwarranted show of timidity or nervousness, is not in keeping with Golden Retriever character.” This is not a hyperactive “wired” breed. The breed has lost a major and most important characteristic if it looses it’s friendly, outgoing nature. Please, do not reward incorrect temperament in the ring.
This article first appeared in The Bulletin, the publication of the Dog Judges Association of America.
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