The Golden Retriever is a fairly new breed and was developed in Scotland in the late 1800s by Sir Dudley Marjoribanks (Lord Tweedmouth), who wanted to develop a good breed of dog for hunting. He wanted a breed that had hunting skills and was beautiful. He first purchased an unregistered yellow-colored retriever in 1865. He named this dog Nous and later bred her with a Tweed Water Spaniel (now extinct) named Belle, producing four bitch puppies that he used for his breeding program. He used Cowslip (one of the puppies) to breed to for 20 years. He crossed her with Wavy Coated Retrievers, Irish Setters, and a sandy-colored Bloodhound while trying to improve his new breed of dogs. Family and friends were given puppies and they also bred them. These puppies were the forerunners of the breed we know today, and bred true to type.
The Kennel Club of England accepted Golden Retrievers for the first time in 1903. They were registered as Flat Coats – Golden. The first Golden placing in a field trial was recorded in 1904. They were finally recognized as a separate breed called Yellow or Golden Retrievers in 1911. Several years later, the Yellow was dropped, and they were only called Golden Retrievers.
Goldens first came to the U.S. around 1890, the first being recorded in 1894. There was more interest in the breed in 1930 when Col. Samuel Magoffin imported them from Canada, after he inherited them from Mr. M. M. Armstrong of Canada. The rare breed of Golden Retrievers was recognized by the AKC in 1932.
The Golden Retriever Club of America (GRCA) was formed in 1938 and is one of the largest breed clubs in the AKC, with over 5,000 members.
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