When professional photographer Mark Atwater saw the next dog walking to the line at the HRC Grand Hunt Test, he wasn’t expecting much. He’d captured many fantastic pictures that day from his hiding spot, all exceptional Labradors until this point. Atwater was a lab aficionado himself, having owned and handled several solid dogs in the past. The dog at the line was a field-bred golden retriever, sitting on the left side of legendary Arkansas trainer Chris Akin.
Aiming his long-range lens, Atwater noticed an intense look in the dog’s eyes: focus on the job at hand. Three marks hit the ground while the dark red colored retriever sat patiently. What happened next took Atwater completely by surprise.
“That dog erupted like he was shot from a cannon,” Atwater recalled. “Chris called his name, and he took a beautiful straight line to the first mark. The next two were a repeat of the first, all handled with speed, grace and style. I’d never seen a golden with that kind of talent before. To say I was intrigued was an understatement.”
Later, Atwater approached Akin to learn more about that wonderful dog he learned was named Ready, and thus began his love affair and journey with the golden retriever.
Ready’s ancestors began their lives in Scotland, on an expansive estate named Guisachan owned by Dudley Marjoribanks, the first Lord Tweedmouth. The official history is that Majoribanks procured a yellow wavy-coated retriever named Nous from a local cobbler and paired him with a tweed water spaniel named Belle in the late 1860s. The subsequent four puppies born of this breeding formed the field golden retriever foundation, with the breed recognized by the Kennel Club of England in 1913 and the American Kennel Club in 1925.
Notice that the goldens mentioned are “field” style dogs. There has been a divergence in the golden lines over the past few decades into two distinctly different dogs: the “pet/show” version and the “field” type. It’s easy to distinguish between the two as the “show” lines tend to be much larger and blonder in color than the smaller, more “red” dogs of the marshes and meadows. The AKC even has a color box on registration forms labeled “dark golden” for the hunting golden lines.
Atwater ended up with a puppy out of Ready, and he called him “Yeti.” He was, without a doubt, an exceptional animal with the “off switch” that field goldens are known for. That term is thrown around a lot; it means that the dog can “turn off” its intense instincts when away from training, testing or hunting and simply relax. Many field goldens take it a step further; they possess that calm demeanor when the action is slow or it’s not their turn on the line.
Yeti had a funny habit, though; if nothing was flying, he would chew on the blind! More specifically, the brush — that dog had a beaver gene in his blood. He loved to carry and chew on tree limbs whenever he could.
Golden retrievers are different from labradors and other retrieving breeds in training. They need to be taught more than forced; they need to believe that what they are being shown is the correct way. A less intelligent dog with a lot of drive is easier to train, as they will follow orders without question. Goldens need to trust their handlers and know that what is being asked of them makes sense in their minds. Training patience is a must, but when it all comes together, goldens are truly outstanding dogs with no limits.
Affectionately known as “swamp collies,” the field golden retriever has no peer in the looks department either. Their dark red coats distinguish them from other retrieving breeds, so much so that they are often mistaken for Irish setters. Their personalities are infectious, and they love people deeply. They are normally very friendly with other dogs, and the word “aggressive” is seldom a golden retriever description.
A true all-around dog, there are few jobs they do not excel at, from bomb and drug detection to search and rescue and everything in between.
Need a trusted friend? Get a golden. Need an outstanding hunting companion? Get a golden. Need a great dog?
Well, you get the picture.
