Harmonious, equilibrated, active, the Golden Retriever is a strong dog with a gentle expression and an elegant look: obedient, intelligent, friendly and sociable, it is predisposed to work. In Italy the standard one is registered with the number FCI Standard No.111 / 28.10.2009, but we have three different standards in America: the American Golden Retriever, the English Cream and the Canadian.
American Golden Retriever: its features
The Golden breed is born from a cross breeding between a yellow Retriever with a Tweed Water Spaniel, actually extinct: during the years there have been other cross breeding.
From these combinations it is born the Golden as we know it today, equilibrate, strong, but with a gentle look.
Actually, we are talking about the British Golden Retriever, the original breed from which all the others are born, and it has been introduced for the first time in Usa through Canada. Only by the Second World War the British and the American type started to really differ one from the other, since the breeder made some crossing between American dogs, so in time the American breed started to clearly differ from the British one.
In Europe (standard FCI) only a Golden Retriever breed exists, but in Usa it has been given the name English Cream Golden Retriever to dogs of lighter colors, whose origin has been certified to be English, European, Australian and Canadian.
The American Golden Retriever is less common in Europe, so ist price in Italy is generally higher than the English one.
But which are the features of the American Golden? It has narrow and slanted shaped eyes. Medium sized ears put a bit higher compared to the eyes, contrary to the Golden Retriever ones which you will find in a lower position.
But big differences concern the size: it is a medium sized dog, but there are specific standards about it.
The American standard is from 58 to 61 centimeters high at the wither for adult males, while it is 54-57 centimeters for females.
The weight you should respect is 29-34kg for males, while it is 25-29kg for females. The fur color could be cream, dark red, without waves. Basically the American Golden Retriever is a hardy and strong breed that present a relatively recent historical selective, but the American Line is characterized by a higher height at the wither.