English Cream Golden Retrievers of UK descent,

the American Golden and the Canadian Golden,

all have the same origins. Keep reading to

find out how these countries differed in their breeding program

and why we have such distinct differences within the same breed.

 

English Cream Golden Retriever is an American-made, sometimes controversial term that refers to Goldens bred according to British Kennel Club Standards.  However not all 'English Creams' in the United States have English bloodlines, let alone quality bloodlines, and are simply labled English Creams because they are white or cream in color. It is very important to be aware of breeders that are breeding for color only.  The name does not make the dog, but rather the standard by which they are judged. Our mission is to provide puppies that have excellent temperaments and absolutely the best health clearances. 

All Goldens, both American and European,  descend from the same foundations that originated in Scotland in 1860's and were further developed throughout the United Kingdom (UK). However, in the United States and parts of Canada, the breed has developed a somewhat different look than it did overseas in the early 1900's. The cream color was added to the English standard in 1936 and is an acceptable color, whereas the American Kennel Club states:  "The standard coat color of the golden retriever is a "rich, lustrous golden of various shades." The club further adds that the "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."  The Kennel Club of the United Kingdom seems to agree with the Canadian club's standard when it comes to cream coats. It accepts a golden retriever that is "any shade of gold or cream, neither red nor mahogany." Whereas AKC (the American Kennel Club) does not officially recognize any color lighter than light golden. 

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As you can see, Golden Retrievers around the world can range in color from white/cream, to red-ish gold, but the English Cream Golden Retriever (European) and the American Golden ARE NOT two different breeds, however they do display four main differences:

Color- English Golden Retrievers are known for their brilliant cream/white coats that are much lighter than those of their American relatives. Their coat is often more wavy. 

Temperament– While all Goldens are known as sweet, loving family dogs, the English Golden Retriever enjoys the reputation of being slightly more mellow than the American. This has been confirmed numerous times with our puppies. 

Health- According to studies from the Golden Retriever Club of America and the British Kennel Club, English Cream Golden Retrievers enjoy a 15% greater life expectancy (19-months) than the American Golden, and their risk of cancer is greatly reduced, from 61.8 to 38.8 percent. They also mature more slowly which may contribute to their longer lifespan. Eurpean Goldens average 12 year 3 months whereas American Goldens average 10 years 8 months. 

Build- The English Golden Retriever has a more stocky build, a blockier head, and a frame that is built slightly lower to the ground. European Male: 22-24 in. Femaie: 20-22 in. American Male: 23-24 in. Female: 21.5-22.5 There are also differences in the eyes, ears and neck, which are more visible in a male than a female. The topline is also significantly different and English Goldens are in general more muscular. 

It is important to note that color does not determine the health or temperament of the dog. There are quite a few breeders, in the last 20 years, that have started breeding 'white' or 'English Cream' Goldens retrievers based on color alone, yet their lines do NOT have appropriate health clearances. The color does not make the dog and has nothing to do with their longer life span. That comes from years of excellent and selective screening and breeding done by breeders in the UK.
English Cream Golden Retrievers generally weigh between  55-75 pounds, with males averaging 65-75 pounds and females averaging 55-65 pounds, though occasionally they weigh a bit more due to their muscular and stocky build. 

Golden Retrievers have become one of the most popular breeds in the United States (Number 3 out of 195) and are well loved around the world. They are friendly and kind, and know no stranger. They are people oriented and have a profound desire to please and this is reflected as the first three dogs to obtain Obedience Trial Championships were Golden Retrievers. Golden Retrievers are wonderful dogs for families with children because of their gentleness and patience.  They are highly skilled service dogs, guide dogs, therapy dogs and mobility assistance dogs because of their willingness to please as well as their high intellect.  They are also often used as Search and Rescue Dogs and bomb sniffing dogs. They are great for those wanting to compete in obedience and agility because of their intelligence.  And they do wonderfully  in hospitals serving as therapy dogs because of their loving dependable nature. Our Layla is currently undergoing training to be a therapy dog, as she is a natural. We are working on getting clearances that would allow her to go into court rooms that involve cases with children, such as stressful custody cases or traumatic abuse cases. Golden Retrievers are incredibly intelligent and can learn up to 240 words and phrases! They are ranked at 4th in Stanley Coren's The Intelligence of Dogs.
Golden Retrievers were bred primarily as a gun dog, as the need arose among the Scottish elites, for a dog that was good on land, as well as water. They are great swimmers with a thick long double coat that is built to repel water. They also have webbed feet, so it comes as no surprise that they love water and are very agile in it! We have a pond close by, as well as large lake, and those water excursions are by far a favorite.

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Origin of Golden Retrievers
Golden Retrievers came about in the 19th century, specifically 1865, in Scotland,  due to a need for a hunting dog that was good on land and water. The Scottish elite had hunting dogs that were good on land, but needed a dog that was good in water as well. 
The Golden Retriever Club of America states that: "For many years it was generally accepted by authorities that our Goldens were the direct descendants of some Russian circus dogs purchased by a member of the English gentry, Sir Dudley Marjoribanks, later the first Lord Tweedmouth. These dogs, we are told, were taken to Tweedmouth’s Scottish estate called Guisachan where they were used to hunt deer. Pleased with their skills, the dogs were bred and later an out-cross to a sandy-colored Bloodhound was introduced to reduce size and improve scenting ability. It was said that all Golden Retrievers were direct descendants of this out-cross breeding.

This colorful story was accepted as the origin of the Golden Retriever breed until the early 1950’s when Lord Tweedmouth’s original studbooks were made available by a descendant of his. Research into these handwritten books by Elma Stonex lead to the publication of new information, which directly challenged the circus dog story.

The studbooks indicated that Lord Tweedmouth had purchased an unregistered Yellow Retriever named “Nous” from a cobbler in Brighton in the year 1865. After hunting this dog for a time, Lord Tweedmouth bred him to a Tweed Water Spaniel (a now extinct breed from Scotland) that had been purchased. This breeding produced a litter of four bitches from whom all Golden Retrievers today are descended. {Excerpt from Golden Rose Kennels: "One of them, "Cowslip," he bred back to for over twenty years. Over the years, several outcrosses, to black Wavy Coated Retrievers, an Irish Setter, and later a sandy-colored Bloodhound occurred as he sought to improve and fix his new breed. The coat textures of the Goldens of this time reportedly varied, as did the color, which ranged from fox red to light cream." } In the GRCA archives is a photograph of “Lady”, an early Golden Retriever, sitting next to her owner, the Hon. Archie Marjoribanks, a grandson of the first Lord Tweedmouth. This photo was taken in North America around 1898 while Lady’s owners were visiting here. (A copy of the photo appears in Gertrude Fischer’s The New Complete Golden Retriever). According to Elma Stonex , “99 per cent of current Goldens go back to “Lady”. There is a letter indicating that First Viscount Harcourt (of the Culham kennels of Goldens) obtained his foundation stock of two puppies from a Guisachan keeper who said that the puppies’ mother was “out of a bitch called ‘Lady’ owned by Archie Marjoribanks.” It is considered possible that Lady was out of Prim or Rose, thus making her a descendant of the Red Setter ex Cowslip breeding. While there were several out-cross breedings done with descendants of this breeding, all Goldens today are direct descendants of Nous and Belle originally. This is the currently accepted theory of the development of Golden Retrievers." Read entire article here. 

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The breed was developed mostly away from the view of the general public until, Lord Harcourt exhibited a collection of dogs from the breed at the Kennel Club show in 1908 and they proved very popular. They were entered into a class available for ‘Any variety of retriever’ as they were as yet unclassified, but it was at this time the term ‘Golden Retriever’ was first used to described them and so the coining of the term is usually given to Lord Harcourt. The UK Kennel Club first allowed the registration of Golden Retrievers in 1903, though they were registered as flat coats, yellow or golden in color. They were then given a separate status in 1913 when the Golden Retriever Club of Great Britain was formed. It wasn’t until 1920 that the KC recognized and allowed them to take on their present name of ‘Golden Retriever’. To read more about UK Golden Retriever History, click here. 
Although a few specimens were seen in America as early as the start of the 1880s, it wasn’t until more than a decade after the UK KC, that the AKC registered the first Golden Retriever in 1925. And 25 years after their UK counterpart, in 1938 the American Golden Retriever Club was formed. They’re now a much-loved and very popular breed in the US. The history of the Golden Retriever from the AKC can be found here: AKC Golden Retriever history.

1936 is often cited as the year when European breeders took a different direction than American breeders. This was the year that cream was added as an official color to the English standard, whereas the American Kennel Club refused to acknowledge any color lighter than 'light golden'. In the 84 years since then, we now see many differences between the 2 country's lines. Apart from color, there are differences in build and composition, topline and temperament. We are incredibly proud to have lines that reflect Europe's high standards and include many International Champions and a two-time World Champion.

To see our lines and their clearances, click here.

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