Golden Retriever - Breed Standard (American)

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. Overall 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�-22� 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 smooth 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. No throatiness.
Backline: level from withers to slightly sloping croup, whether standing or moving. Sloping
backline, 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. Slab-sidedness, narrow chest, lack of
depth in brisket, excessive tuck-up 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 coordinated 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 underbody; 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 coordinated, 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:

Deviation in height of more than one inch from standard either way. Undershot or overshot bite.