The Golden Retriever was originally bred in Scotland in the mid-19th century. At that time, wildfowl hunting was a popular sport for the wealthy Scottish elite, but the existing retriever breeds were inadequate for retrieving downed game from both water and land. Consequently, the best water spaniels were crossed with the existing retrievers, resulting in the establishment of the breed today known as the Golden Retriever.

The breed has a number of now-extinct ancestors, including the Tweed Water Spaniel, the St. John's water dog, and the Russian Retriever.

Its webbed feet help it swim faster and much more efficiently than a dog without webbed feet.

While you might think all Golden Retrievers look very similar, the breed actually has three recognized colors--golden, light golden, and dark golden.

Golden Retrievers are noted for their intelligence. In fact, they rank 4th out of 138 breeds in Stanley Coren's The Intelligence of Dogs, which presents a ranked list of breed intelligence based on a survey of 208 dog obedience judges across North America.

Gerald Ford acquired Liberty, a Golden Retriever, as a puppy in the fall of 1974. She grew up in the White House, where she gave birth to her first litter of puppies. Liberty was frequently photographed with Ford in the Oval Office, in the swimming pool at Camp David, and on the South Lawn of the White House. Photographs of the dog were autographed with a rubber stamp of her paw print. And according to some sources, when Ford wanted to end a conversation in the Oval Office, he would signal Liberty to approach the guest wagging her tail.

Their excellent swimming ability makes them proficient at dock jumping. A natural retrieving ability means they are also competitive in flyball and field trials.

The breed's friendly, gentle temperament make it a great family dog, but a very poor guard dog.

In 2020, a six-year-old Golden named Finley bagged a world record for holding six tennis balls in his mouth. The previous record, also set by Finley, was five.

Their devotion to any task they are trained for, and their natural work ethic, make Goldens a wonderful guide dog. In fact, 15% of all guide dogs are Golden Retrievers. The breed is also used in search & rescue and bomb sniffing.