Golden Retrievers were called gun dogs, bred specifically to help modern hunter’s kill and retrieve water fowl successfully.

In fact, it was the rise of the gun and bird hunting that prompted the breeding of these dogs.  Golden Retriever puppies, in today’s market, are very easy to locate and are great family dogs, which most readers will appreciate and be looking for.

You can find Golden Retrievers for sale all over the place, online, on post-it boards at the coffee shop, everywhere.  But, how to do you find the best deal and get the best dog?

Well, the idea of getting the very best deal on a puppy can lead to folks into the common trap of puppy mills, so we really suggest that you find out what a realistic price for a Retriever in your area is and go to a reputable breeder.

You can check out your local rescue shelter as well, but they generally don’t have many puppies, mostly grown dogs.  Training a puppy early is extremely important, with the average age to begin training being about 10 weeks old.  Pups younger than 10 weeks may cost a little more but it’s generally worth it because they will be easier to train.

These gun dogs were bred to be very intelligent, loyal, and eager to please.  They have a soft mouth, to prevent tearing up the bird, and they also have on outer coat which is very water repellent, making them a breed that actually enjoys the water – which is, of course, important when out hunting in the cold, wet marshes.

These dogs are so smart, eager to please, and loyal that, they don’t only make great family pets, they also make good guides dogs for the deaf or the blind.  They would not however make a good guard dog, because they’re just too darn friendly towards strangers.

But, this trait makes them great family pets because folks can have the neighbors over and not have to worry about an aggressive dog.  It’s really no wonder that this breed is one of the most popular dogs in the world.

This breed of Retriever was officially recognized by the Kennel Club in the early twentieth century and is mainly a mixture of the following breeds: Irish Setter, Bloodhound, and St. John’s Water Dog.  They first started appearing in Scotland in the early 1800’s when the evolution of the gun made it a very reliable tool for hunting fowl.

There are British, American, and Canadian breeds of the dog, and the colors will vary a good bit with many different shades of golden, from yellow, to gold, to reddish, to almost white.

Golden Retriever puppies are gentle and awkward at first, but they will, in many cases, grow into very quick, agile dogs making them a good breed for Agility sports and Flyball, or just goofing around in at the beach.