Articles

What Exactly is an “English” Golden Retriever?

By Bev Brown

englishIt seems to have become the custom for people in North America to describe as “English” any Golden Retriever that looks like the Goldens bred overseas, when in fact the dog might have been bred in Scotland, Holland, Norway, Australia, Canada or even the United States, and not England at all.

All Goldens descend from the same foundations that originated in Scotland in 1868 and were further developed throughout the United Kingdom (UK). However, in the United States and parts of Canada, the breed has developed a somewhat different look than it did overseas.

To try and answer “What Exactly Is an English Golden Retriever?” let’s look at the following questions:

  1. What do people really mean when they refer to an “English” Golden Retriever?
  2. How do they differ from Goldens from American lines?
  3. How do the Goldens in Canada fit into this?
  4. How did this all come about?
  5. In order to answer all of the above, we need to start with a few explanations and some historical background. Let’s begin by defining “parent club” and “breed standard.”

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