6 Key Points About the AKC Golden Retriever

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     f you check out the statistics at the American Kennel Club, you will find, with good reason, that akc Golden Retriever is number 4 in the list of dog registration statistics as of 2009.

Number one is actually the Labrador Retriever in '09. Though not my choice of breed it is certainly a find dog, good in the water friendly and attractive also.

Second next to the Lab is the entire lot of German Shepherd Dogs. I do not believe they break out the individual breeds within that group, but on whole thats still a lot of German Shepherd's.

Number 3 on the list is the Yorkshire Terrier. Now this statistic surprised me. I originally believed that the Yorkshire Terrier was a nasty little dog. Nothing could be further from the truth!

A little research shows that while the Terrier is a toy dog they are very eager for adventure. Like my choice, the AKC Golden Retriever they are clever, brave, loyal and highly energetic and always ready for some fun.

The Yorkshire Terrier sometimes get a bad reputation because like all dogs, it must not be leader of the pack. If it believes it's the leader of the pack, it will protect it's human. This results in an overly aggressive against other people, other dogs and in fact their owner.

They sometimes get away with this because of their size, but they really should not. This kind of behavior can actually make the dog neurotic and possessive, qualities that not terrible in human or canine.

However, if you know how to keep the Yorkie in it's place, you will have a wonderful well behaved little friend.If you do not, you will have a pint size terrorist on your hands.

On the registration list after the Yorkshire Terrier comes the AKC Golden Retriever, my personal choice for a dog. Don't misunderstand, I would gladly own each of the above dogs, and have interacted with each over the course of the years but I always come back to my personal first choice, the Goldy.
The reasons for this are fairly simple.

Temperament. There is not another dog that I know that has the even temperament displayed by a Golden Retriever. The Golden just loves people and I don't need a watchdog, I need a dog thats good with kids.
Size. The GR is just the right size for my household. I find the Yorkie too small, the Shepherd and the Lab too tall and too heavy.
Intelligence. Golden Retrievers are just smart. They are easy to train and love a mental challenge.
Noise Level. Goldens will bark, though not very much. When they do bark, it's not a loud deep bark and it's not a sharp high pitched bark. From an aural perspective, this dog suits me perfectly.
Appearance. I find the AKC Golden Retriever specifically versus the British breed, to be a pretty dog. The Yorkie is cute, the Lab hunky and the Shepherd very pointy. Each have their attractive features, but the Golden seems to combine all the qualities I like into the same package.
Low maintenance. The Golden does require it's fair share of grooming, but a couple of brushing's per week is all she really needs. For a dog lover such as myself, thats hardly high maintenance.
So there you have it, 6 reasons to love the AKC Golden Retriever. Personally, I don't need any more than that.