Breed History

Below is a fairly condensed version of the Golden Retriever breed history. There’s also a series of links to other resources that were very informative when researching the breed and its history.

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In circa 1897 in the Highlands of Scotland at Guisachan House on the Glen Affric deer park the Golden Retriever breed comes in to being.It was the result of the breeding actions of Dudley Marjoribanks, later to become  the 1st Baron Tweedmouth.
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Marjoribanks purchased a puppy called “Nous” in 1865 from, a cobbler in the Brighton area. The puppy from a litter of black wavy coated retrievers is yellow. The young dog joins his extensive sporting dog kennel at the Guisachan estate.
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Marjoribanks was active in breeding both livestock and dogs to improve their quality. He wanted to create a retriever that would work well in the Scottish terrain  and was suited to the available game.
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Around 1868 to 1871, he bred Nous with a Tweed Water Spaniel named Belle. This gave rise to a number of yellow pups that would become the core for a distinctive line of yellow retrievers.
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Marjoribanks (Lord Tweedmouth) kept one of the female pups called Cowslip. She was mated with a Red Setter producing further pups.
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Subsequent methodical line-breeding from Cowslips pups with  another Tweed Water Spaniel, black wavy and flat-coated retrievers a Red Setter and a light coloured blood hound set the foundations for the breed we recognise today.
Our Golden Retriever Barley wondering if she can get the ducks swimming in the river Tay
Barley desparate to jump in to the river Tay to swim with the birds!

Golden Retriever resources you might find interesting and helpful in researching the Golden Retriever breed history

We try to ensure the links below remain active however, if you do find any that are no longer working let us know.

If you know of other resources that you think should be included again let us know and we will look to include them.

  1. Golden Retrievers The first Century in the Show Ring Book (There is no need to purchase as, you can view the various sections in PDF format)
  2. Country Sports and Country Life – The Golden Retriever
  3. The history of the English Golden Retriever
  4. The Origins of the Golden Retriever Revisited – Golden Retriever Club of America (grca.org)
  5. History of the Golden Retriever: From Unfashionable to Wildly Popular (akc.org)
  6. The Kennel Club – Golden Retriever Breed Standards
The success of Lord Tweedmouth in creating what would become known world wide as the Golden Retriever 

 

The breeding skills of Lord Tweedmouth produce the gun dogs with the characteristics he set out to achieve and desired – loyal and kind, highly energetic, good strong spirit, a love for water, a soft mouth and a love of retrieving waterfowl.

Lord Tweedmouth kept detailed records and notes in his stud book. This was first brought to light by his great-nephew, the Earl of Ilchester in 1952.

The emergence of the stud book put paid to previous views regarding the origins of the breed such as those around Russian circus dogs.

In 1908 the breed came into the public eye when Lord Harcourt go together a collection of dogs at Nuneham Park that were descended from Lord Tweedmouth’s original breedings. The dogs were displayed at the Kennel Club Show in 1908. This generated a lot of interest.

The breed was accepted by the Kennel Club in 1913.

In 1932, the The Golden Retriever was recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1932.

Click here to view the breed characteristics