The time was 1868, the place was Scotland. Dudley Coutts Marjoribanks, most commonly referred to as Baron Tweedmouth of Guisachan, bred together his two dogs; "Nous" a Golden Colored Wavy Coated Retriever, with "Belle", a Liver Colored Tweed Water Spaniel (both breeds are now extinct). With this pairing, the first litter of Golden Retrievers was born, and they were all yellow coated with various shades of gold. The puppies named Cowslip, Crocus and Primrose (named after wildflowers) were used as gundogs and favored for their “soft mouth” grip. Their skill of retrieval was unrivaled as they could retrieve both in water and on land. The gold-colored retrievers weren’t widely dispersed, but instead went to family and friends who valued them as the ultimate gentleman’s hunting dog. Marjoribanks’ son, Edward was given Crocus. Edward also owned a red setter named Sampson which might explain the deep red that is part of the color spectrum seen in the Golden Retriever even today. A female named Ada, who was from a repeat breeding of the famous Belle to Nous, was given to Marjoribanks’ nephew, the Earl of Ilchester, whose subsequent line of Golden Retrievers at Melbury Hall in Dorset became famous. Majoribanks son, Archie took a male named Sol, to Texas, where his Rocking Chair Ranch raised some of his family’s Angus Aberdeen cattle. Soon after that, Archie brought a female named Lady to Canada, when he was appointed camp assistant to his brother-in-law, Canadian Governor-General Lord Aberdeen. In America today, people commonly go by 3 sub-types of pure bred Golden Retrievers:
-
American
-
Canadian
-
European/English
The American is most prevalent in America, Canadian in Canada and the European in Europe and Australia. Each breed standard is set by its own set of standards: American Kennel Club, the Canadian Kennel Club and the Kennel Club (KC), respectively.
While the 2 types are both considered 100% Golden Retriever, there are genetic differences between them. Each type having been raised across such great distances for such a long time, and each following different breed standards has allowed for these visually differentiating physical characteristics:
Eyes
English: Dark brown, Level
American: Preferably dark brown to medium brown, Slanted
Ears
English: Set approximate level with eyes
American: Well behind and just above eyes
Tail
English: Level with back
American: Level or with some moderate upward curve
Muzzle
English: Powerful, wide and deep
American: Straight in profile, blending smoothly and strongly into skull
Topline
English: Level slope
American: Level with sloping croup, pelvic bone 30 degrees from horizon
Height
English: 20-24 inches
American: 21.5-24 inches
Neck
English: Shorter, muscular, clean and often trimmed ruff
American: Medium long, muscular and often untrimmed ruff
Color
English: Cream to gold
American: Light golden to dark golden (red mahogany)
​
The breed didn't become popular in the U.S. until the 1920s when anything British was cherished, including dog breeds. The first Golden Retriever records in America are in 1910. In 1925, the first American Golden Retriever was registered with the American Kennel Club. The Golden Retriever was first recognized by the British Kennel Club in 1911. The American Kennel Club does not recognize "English Cream" separately, instead all Golden retrievers are either dark golden (registration code 080), golden (registration code 093) and light golden (registration code 119).
The AKC Breed Standard: “Predominant body color which is either extremely pale or extremely dark is undesirable.”
The UK breed standard: “Any shade of gold or cream, neither red nor mahogany.”
The Canadian Breed Standard: “Lustrous golden of various shades”
National Golden Retriever Council Australia: “Any shade of cream or gold but neither red or mahogany.”
So although the American Breed Standard does not like the cream color, other countries are more accepting of it.
The breed standards are different in the UK and in America. In America, the breed standard for males is 23-24 inches tall at the withers and 21.5-22.5 inches for females. In the UK, the breed standard is 1 inch shorter at 22-24 inches tall for males and 1.5 inches shorter at 20-22 inches tall for females. So the UK is more accepting of shorter goldens, which is one of the common traits of English type goldens.
In the early 1900s Golden Retrievers were competing in dog shows in England. Dogs that won these competitions were called “English Champions” in the United States. This name has stuck to this day and describes Goldens with "Cream hair". That is how “English” made its way into the name of the "English Cream". Today, most English Cream Golden Retrievers found in America are usually either imported from European countries or bred here in America.
​