Official standard of the golden retriever
The Board of Directors of the American Kennel
Club has approved the following revised Standard for Golden
Retrievers submitted by the Golden Retriever Club of America,
Inc., to be effective September 1990:
General
Appearance -- a symmetrical, powerful, active dog, sound and
well put together, not clumsy nor long in the leg, displaying a
kindly expression and possessing a personality that is eager,
alert and self-confident. Primarily a hunting dog, he should be
shown in hard working condition. Over-all appearance, balance,
gait and purpose to be given more emphasis than any of his
component parts.
Faults: Any departure from the
described ideal shall be considered faulty to the degree to
which it interferes with the breed's purpose or is contrary to
breed character.
Size, Proportion, Substance -- Males
23-24 inches in height at withers; females 21 1/2-22 1/2 inches.
Dogs up to one inch above or below standard size should be
proportionately penalized. Deviation in height of more than one
inch from the standard shall disqualify.
Length from breastbone to point of buttocks
slightly greater than height at withers in ratio of 12:11.
Weight for dogs 65-75 pounds; bitches 55-65 pounds.
Head -- broad in skull, slightly arched
laterally and longitudinally without prominence of frontal bones
(forehead) or occipital bones. Stop well defined but not abrupt.
Foreface deep and wide, nearly as long as skull. Muzzle straight
in profile, blending smoothly and strongly into skull; when
viewed in profile or from above, slightly deeper and wider at
stop than at tip. No heaviness in flews. Removal of whiskers is
permitted but not preferred.
Eyes -- friendly and intelligent in
expression, medium large with dark, close-fitting rims, set well
apart and reasonably deep in sockets. Color preferably dark
brown; medium brown acceptable. Slant eyes and narrow,
triangular eyes detract from correct expression and are to be
faulted. No white or haw visible when looking straight ahead.
Dogs showing evidence of functional abnormality of eyelids or
eyelashes (such as, but not limited to, trichiasis, entropion,
ectropion, or distichiasis) are to be excused from the ring.
Ears -- rather short with front edge
attached well behind and just above the eye and falling close to
cheek. When pulled forward, tip of ear should just cover the
eye. Low, hound-like ear set to be faulted.
Nose -- black or brownish black, though
fading to a lighter shade in cold weather not serious. Pink nose
or one seriously lacking in pigmentation to be faulted.
Teeth -- scissors bite, in which the
outer side of the lower incisors touches the inner side of the
upper incisors. Undershot or overshot bite is a
disqualification. Misalignment of teeth (irregular placement of
incisors) or a level bite (incisors, meet each other edge to
edge) is undesirable, but not to be confused with undershot or
overshot. Full dentition, obvious gaps are serious faults.
Neck, Topline, Body
Neck -- medium long, merging gradually
into well laid back shoulders, giving sturdy, muscular
appearance. Untrimmed natural ruff. No throatiness.
Back line -- strong and level from
withers to slightly sloping croup, whether standing or moving.
Sloping back line, roach or sway back, flat or steep croup to be
faulted.
Body -- well-balanced, short coupled,
deep through the chest.
Chest between forelegs at least as wide as a
man's closed hand including thumb, with well developed forechest.
Brisket extends to elbow. Ribs long and well sprung but not
barrel shaped, extending well towards hindquarters. Loin short,
muscular, wide and deep, with very little tuck-up. Slabsidedness,
narrow chest, lack of depth in brisket, excessive tuck-up, flat
or steep croup to be faulted.
Tail -- well set on, thick and muscular
at the base, following the natural line of the croup. Tail bones
extend to, but not below, the point of hock. Carried with merry
action, level or with some moderate upward curve; never curled
over back nor between legs.
Forequarters -- muscular, well co-ordinated
with hindquarters and capable of free movement. Shoulder blades
long and well laid back with upper tips fairly close together at
withers. Upper arms appear about the same length as the blades,
setting the elbows back beneath the upper tip of the blades,
close to the ribs without looseness. Legs, viewed from the
front, straight with good bone, but not to the point of
coarseness. Pasterns short and strong, sloping slightly with no
suggestion of weakness. Dewclaws on forelegs may be removed, but
are normally left on.
Feet -- medium size, round, compact and
well knuckled, with thick pads. Excess hair may be trimmed to
show natural size and contour. Splayed or hare feet to be
faulted.
Hindquarters -- Broad and strongly
muscled. Profile of croup slopes slightly; the pelvic bone
slopes at a slightly greater angle (approximately 30 degrees
from horizontal). In a natural stance, the femur joins the
pelvis at approximately a 90-degree angle; stifles well bent;
hocks well let down with short, strong rear pasterns. Feet as in
front. Legs straight when viewed from rear. Cow-hocks, spread
hocks, and sickle hocks to be faulted.
Coat -- Dense and water repellent with
good undercoat. Outer coat firm and resilient, neither coarse
nor silky, lying close to body; may be straight or wavy.
Untrimmed natural ruff; moderate feathering on back of forelegs
and on under-body; heavier feathering on front of neck, back of
thighs and underside of tail.
Coat on head, paws and front of legs is short
and even. Excessive length, open coats and limp, soft coats are
very undesirable. Feet may be trimmed and stray hairs neatened,
but the natural appearance of coat or outline should not be
altered by cutting or clipping.
Color -- rich, lustrous golden of
various shades. Feathering may be lighter than rest of coat.
With the exception of graying or whitening of face or body due
to age, any white marking, other than a few white hairs on the
chest, should be penalized according to its extent. Allowable
light shadings are not to be confused with white markings.
Predominant body color which is either extremely pale or
extremely dark is undesirable. Some latitude should be given to
the light puppy whose coloring shows promise of deepening with
maturity. Any noticeable area of black or other off-color hair
is a serious fault.
Gait -- when trotting, gait is free,
smooth, powerful and well co-ordinated, showing good reach.
Viewed from any position, legs turn neither in nor out, nor do
feet cross or interfere with each other. As speed increases,
feet tend to converge toward center line of balance. It is
recommended that dogs be shown on a loose lead to reflect true
gait.
Temperament -- friendly, reliable and
trustworthy. Quarrelsomeness or hostility towards other dogs or
people in normal situations, or an unwarranted show of timidity
or nervousness, is not in keeping with Golden Retriever
character. Such actions should be penalized according to their
significance.
Disqualifications -- 1. Deviation in
height of more than one inch from standard either way. 2.
Undershot or overshot bite.