Show Line Golden Retriever | The Refined Dog Breed
The Show Line Golden Retriever is one of the most famous and well-known dog breed of Golden Retriever dogs. They are muscular dogs with a beautiful coat and are known for being friendly and easy to manage, these dogs have been bred to conform to the standard set by kennel clubs. Where the Field Golden Retriever is bred for working capacity, the Show Line Golden Retriever is bred for conformation and therefore their appearance must meet certain standard. This makes them suitable for home use and as show dogs, they are often known to perform well in conformation shows. They are friendly, calm and loving, which makes them ideal for people of all ages, including families or other individuals.
In this article, the reader will learn about the Show Line Golden Retriever breed, its history, and temperament, as well as the training and other requirements that this breed needs.
History of the Show Line Golden Retriever
The Golden Retriever breed was developed in mid 19th century by Englishman Dudley Marjoribanks (Lord Tweedmouth). He intended to set up a dog that can be useful in hunting ground game as well as water fowls. However, as the breed developed two types were then produced namely the show line and the field line.
The Show Line Golden Retriever was developed with emphasis on how the dog looks and conforms to the breed standard. These dogs are bred to fulfill the physical characteristics that are set down by the AKC and The Kennel Club among other organizations. The show line focuses on large and round head, thick and oiled-proof coat, muscular body, and friendly temperaments.
Contrary to other lines of Golden Retrievers, Show Line Golden Retrievers are bred to be specifically trained for dog shows and their performance in the show ring depends on how well the dog can follow these guidelines. Gradually it shifted towards this very sultanic type, gave rise to a stockier physically developed body, increased head size, and a more robust corpus.
Classification of the Show Line Golden Retriever
By Purpose
The Show Line Golden Retriever has been developed mainly for the show bench but they can also be used for family purposes. Their purposes include:
Conformation competitions: It is in these shows where these dogs are taken, and their breed standardized features are assessed. They are characterized by a stocky appearance, beautiful thick fur and friendly temperament when being paraded around the ring.
Family Companions: Although bred mainly for show purposes, Show Line Golden Retrievers are also excellent pets because of their gentle temperament, friendly disposition, and gregarious disposition.
Therapy and Service Dogs: However, show line golden retrievers still have the intelligence and temperament for therapy and service work.
By Size
The Show Line Golden Retriever, in terms of size, is described as follows:
Height (Males): 23-24 inches
Height (Females): 21-22 inches
Weight (Males): 65-75 pounds
Weight (Females): 55-65 pounds
Coat: The Show Line Golden Retriever has a longer and thicker hair than the Field Golden Retriever and is usually curlier rather than straight. It is therefore important to groom it frequently to make sure that their coat remains healthy and shiny.
Most Popular Traits of the Show Line Golden Retriever
The Show Line Golden Retriever is recognized for being elegant in looks and friendly to be with, which is why many people like to breed them for show and for companionship. The following are some of the most conspicuous characteristics of the two types of learners:
The Show Line Golden Retriever is more broad headed, muscular, and has more of a square built than the Working Line. This makes them appear strong and rigid, which is quite appropriate.
Friendly and Affectionate: These dogs are friendly and affectionate, and are known to be friendly and gentle in their behavior. They enjoy the company of people and are more inclined to children.
Beautiful Coat: The beauty of this animal is that they have a long and shiny coat, and it is golden in color. Some of the things that need to be done for them are bathing, brushing of their coats and other grooming activities that are necessary to maintain their coats.
Calm and Composed: Show line Goldens are usually less active compared to working line Goldens and this makes them suitable for families with children or elderly persons.
Intelligence: As with all the Golden Retrievals, show line Goldens are highly intelligent and can be trained easily. They are good in the aspect of obedience training and they also like engaging in things like obedience trials.
Factors to Choose Show Line Golden Retriever
Here are some points that you should consider if you are planning to become a Show Line Golden Retriever owner:
Grooming Needs: As you would expect given their length and thickness, the Show Line Golden Retrievers need to be groomed frequently so that their fur remains soft and shiny.
Grooming: you should brush their coat several times a week to help avoid matting and tangling of the hair. This also helps in minimizing on shedding and also makes their coat to be shiny at all times.
Hygiene: Their ears should be checked always for infections especially due to the nature of their ears.
Nail Cutting: This should be done to avoid the nails growing longer to a point of causing the baby discomfort.
Exercise Requirements: The Show Line Golden Retriever is not as active as the Field Golden Retriever but they should be given a regular exercise to ensure that they are in good health and fit.
Exercise: A daily walk of 30 to 60 minutes will be enough to maintain the physical health of your Show Line Golden Retriever.
Some of the activities could be to set them to play in the yard or if possible take them to a dog park so that they can run around and come to exhaustion.
Other physical activity: Playing with toys, being trained, solving puzzles or even playing simple games such as playing fetch with a ball are other activities that cause stimulation of the brain in Show line Goldens.
Health Considerations: Like all Golden Retrievers, Show Line Golden Retrievers are vulnerable to certain diseases and they are:
Hip and Elbow Dysplasia: There are heritable disorders of development that can cause pain and lameness.
Cancer: All golden Retrievers, including show line dogs, are predisposed to some types of cancer including lymphoma and hemangiosarcoma.
Diseases of the heart: Some of the diseases that may affect the Golden Retrievers include subaortic stenosis.
Eye issues: Some of the diseases, which may affect the Golden Retrievers include cataracts and progressive retinal atrophy, thus requiring regular eye checkups.
Training and Socialization: The Show Line Golden Retriever is intelligent and obedient, and the breed enjoys pleasing its owner, which makes training the dog easy. Puppy socialization and obedience classes should be taken as the basic requirement to make your pet a well-behaved, confident, and well-adapted dog. It is best to use positive reinforcement because the subject responds well to praise and treats.
How to care of a Show Line Golden Retriever
Here are some tips that will help one be a responsible owner of the Show Line Golden Retriever.
Habits in dog care: Ensure that your dog gets regular check-ups to make sure that you notice any form of disease at an early stage.
Proper feeding: Give your Show Line Golden Retriever proper food that meets the age, size and the level of activity of the breed.
Grooming: Maintain grooming to look and feel good to check on them to see that they are well groomed.
Socialization: Training should also involve socialization for the puppy to grow up to become an adult dog that is well mannered and well behaved.
Fun Facts About the Show Line Golden Retriever
Some of the show line Golden Retrievers are known to have done well in dog shows and have even received accolades at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
Gentle Giants: Despite their large muscles and robust body built, Show Line Golden Retrievers are very friendly dogs and perfect for families.
Affectionate: This breed is always willing to obey its master, which makes them good candidates for obedience lessons and dog competitions.
Where to Find a Show Line Golden Retriever
While searching for Show Line Golden Retriever, one should look for experienced breeders who breed conformation dogs or go to petfinder website. The breeders should take a health test and ensure that they have documented their dog’s pedigree. Also, some of the rescue organizations may occasionally have Show Line Golden Retrievers for adoption.
FAQs about the Show Line Golden Retriever
Conclusion
The Show Line Golden Retriever is a graceful, muscular, obedient dog breed, perfect for those, who is looking for a calm dog with attractive coats and friendly character. For those, who want to have a pet for a pet show or as a pet, this variation of the Golden Retriever is the best option. Loyal, smart, trainable, friendly, and good-natured, the Show Line Golden Retriever is a great breed for people who want to have dogs as pets.