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Things you should consider
before getting a Field Trial Golden Retriever
The Golden Retriever is by
origin a gundog breed. Today you will find them used in
various ways both professionally as well as on a more
hobby-oriented level. As a gundog it is primarily used
as a retriever of upland game birds like pheasant,
pigeons or grouse, but with the use of a small amount of
training, you can even use a mature Golden Retriever as
a flushing dog. Because of the calm temper and the
ability as a fast learner the Golden retriever has also
been used, with excellent results, as a search and
rescue dog, blind-aid dog, service dog for disabled
people, narcotics dog, bomb finding dog and many more
functions.
We have put a lot of
effort in breeding what we think is a real Golden
Retriever. This also means that we put a lot of effort
into choosing the right buyers of our puppies. We like
our buyers to train their dogs in the Dansk Retriever
Klub, if they are Danish of course. When the dog has
become the right age, we also like them to participate
in Field Trials. Occasionally we do sell dogs as family
dogs only, but you should always think things thoroughly
through before buying a gundog. These dogs normally
demands more training and handling than a family, just
looking for a family dog, could honour.
We do occasionally sell traditional family dogs every
once in a while, but you as a buyer should think
carefully before getting a Filed Trial Golden. They will
demand extra care such as training, long walks, mental
sparring. Normally this means a fairly large amount of
time invested in a dog, and usually far more than a busy
family can spend. We do not want people buying a Field
Trial Golden Retriever just for the beautiful looks of
the breed and the amber colours.
"A long and exiting day of retrieving has passed"
In the latter you will
find some reasons why you should NOT buy a Golden
Retriever:
Sheds fur and makes a
mess.
A
Field Trial Golden Retriever loves to swim, run,
roll-over and dig holes. A Field Trial Golden Retriever
seeks enjoyment and excitement in everything, and can
make a groomed garden look like the lunar surface in
minutes, when the hunt for gophers and mice. It is not a
dog for allergic people and disabled (unless used as a
service dog or blind aid dog).
Guard-dog? No!
Do not expect a Field
Trial Golden Retriever will protect you, even though a
Field Trial Golden Retriever will bark and make noises
its gentle and mild nature will probably invite the
intruders in for a chat, like they were old friends. The
bark will naturally keep some intruders off, but do not
expect the dog to keep all intruders away as some most
likely will see the wag of the tails and know that this
is not a guard dog. If you are looking for a guard dog,
then keep looking, there are excellent breeds for that
particular purpose.
”Drive”?
A Field Trial Golden
Retriever is as mentioned before a gundog, and as such
bred for working. It has a great stamina and will fetch
wild-game and dummies to the sun turns black. A Field
Trial Golden Retriever has to be stimulated mentally,
and if you do not provide problems to be solved or
mentally sparring, it will find some for itself, and
these are probably not the ones that you want it solve.
You can not just walk you Field Trial Golden Retriever,
and think that it will get tired; you will most likely
be very tired long before it does. You will need to
train, stimulate it mentally and provide it with
sufficient work, but when done so, you will in exchange
have the loveliest and giving dog, which is easy to
handle, considerate, helpful and a very special friend.
If you are not willing or can provide the effort and
time connected to the points above, we strongly suggest
that you look for lesser demanding breeds...
"Så er det hjem og hvile ud til næste weekend.."
Babysitter?NO!
It should be a
no-brainer... do not buy a Field Trial Golden Retriever
as a babysitter for your little child. The breed demands
a handling that cannot be provided by a child. A Field
Trial Golden Retriever is easy to train, but this should
be done under the right circumstances and by adults
only. It is strongly advised to follow training in a
club that conducts retriever-only training, these clubs
usually knows exactly what kind of training the Field
Trial Golden Retriever should be presented to. A Field
Trial Golden Retriever with the drive mentioned before
cannot be mentally stimulated or satisfied by a child,
and if you seek a dog for your child there might be
better choices among the many breeds available, so again
you will have to keep looking.
If you cannot keep a Field
Trial Golden Retriever occupied, then do not get one! A
Field Trial Golden Retriever is a commitment both
mentally and physically. It is not a breed for
everybody, and because of our deep love for the breed,
we do not want to see our dogs or Field Trial Golden
Retrievers in general in dog-rescue centres or kennels,
because of a mismatch between a Field Trial Golden
Retriever and it former owners. All the points mentioned
above, are just examples of what you could run into with
a Field Trial Golden Retriever, but that said, you will
never find a more gentle, caring and loving dog than the
Field Trial Golden Retriever
"All puppies are adorable, but have you thought about
what they’ll demand when they are mature?”
Why would you want a Field
Trial Golden Retriever?
Due to the Golden
Retrievers excellent retrieving instincts the very first
Goldens in Denmark were imported in the late fifties by
breeders primarily for hunting. Goldens were in fact
imported as hunting companions specialized in the
retrieving of upland game birds and they were originally
brought to Denmark because of a perceived need among
Danish hunters for biddable working dogs with a tender
mouth, a fine nose and stamina - dogs which could find
and bring back wounded or dead game. In the sixties and
the seventies the Golden became a very popular family
dog, the breeding thus becoming focused on quantity and
the making of show dogs. As a result of this line of
breeding a Golden Retriever was made with no reference
at all to the gundog that it originally emerged from.
The result was a larger white-coated dog with the looks
comparable to that of a polar bear. Fortunately there
are still breeders around that bring honour to what the
breed was once made to be; a gundog with excellent
retrieving instincts and it's therefore still possible
to get a Golden Retriever with the skills and
capabilities originally brought to this country. You
will find a list of Danish breeders on this site.
A Field Trial Golden
Retriever indicates that the Golden Retriever in
question has been bred with great focus on the breed's
hunting abilities and that some or all of the dog's
ancestors have been field trialled. The Field Trial
Golden is usually a more lean and agile individual and
is known to be more willing to please than its more
popular cousin; the show dog. The Field Trial Golden
Retriever is known to be very eager to work and is
likewise eager to please you and do your bidding. The
more massively build show dog has a tendency to a more
clumsy and heavyset stature and is not very suite table
for a long day of hunting in a muddy field. A common
feature of both dogs is that they are perfect family
dogs and their friendly and loving behaviour makes them
suitable for a family with children. Goldens Retrievers
are renowned for their gentle easygoing ways. They are
happy, people-oriented dogs, patient with children and
adaptable to new situations. They are friendly to a
fault, always greeting people with a toothy smile and a
wag - often carrying a toy or what ever comes in handy.
They are most definitely not guard dogs since they greet
every intruder as a personal member of the family. They
do not do well in kennel environments because they crave
plenty of human interaction to thrive.
The
FT Golden Retriever breed is known for their game
finding ability, the quickness and directness of the
retrieve. They are also known to enforce quick pickups
and fast returns, they have an excellent natural nose,
marking ability, control, drive and style. You will also
find Golden Retrievers used as Agility dogs, Police dogs
(narcotics) or Rescue dogs as well as a Family dogs. The
Golden Retriever's desire to please makes it perfectly
suited for all the above mentioned tasks. The FT Golden
Retriever, however, is not bred to live a lazy life
snoring away under the coffee table. This dog is a
working dog and craves daily exercise as well as mental
training. The mental training can be accomplished by
using dummies to imitate a hunting scenario and to
enforce the dog’s natural interest in retrieving things.
In Denmark you can attend courses made specially to
develop the nature of the breed. The courses are
conducted by:
Retrieverklubben .
How do you choose a FT
Golden Retriever?
If you would like to get a
dog with the above mentioned qualities and if you should
want to use the dog as a gundog, you ought to get
familiar with the pedigree of the dog in question and
make sure that at least some or all of the ancestors
have been Field Trialled or maybe even be FT winners /
FT Champions. By assuring this you will most likely get
a dog with the mental capacity of the Field Trial Golden
Retriever. You will also most likely spend many happy
hours of training your dog. And hopefully you will find,
as we do, that by stimulating and training your dog to
fully develop its natural born instinct - you will in
return get a happier and more joyful dog.
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