Golden Retriever Physical Characteristics - What You Should Know About His Height, Head and Eyes

The standard Golden is a medium sized dog. Measuring a dog's height is done by using a yardstick and a flat surface, for example, a sheet of cardboard that is gently placed at the flat area where the neck and back meet. A Golden's height may vary an inch over or under and remain within the standard. The Golden should be slightly longer in body than height. The weight recommendations are meant for dogs of proper height that are in working condition.

Obviously, an overweight dog will not fall within these weights. The tendency for Goldens to be larger than the standard allows is due to certain trends over the years; a moderate sized Golden is more suitable for the various jobs it performs and will be subject to fewer soundness problems.

The way the head is proportioned and the facial expressions define the Golden Retriever. The stop is the area between the eyes from the top of the head to the beginning of the muzzle or nose.

There should be a definite difference in these two planes. A dog with no stop has only a slope from the head to muzzle as opposed to an angle that indicates depth. The muzzle should taper slightly to the tip of the nose, but it should not be pointed.

The eyes are the single most important physical characteristic of the Golden. The eyes mirror the dog's personality and character, which are what make a Golden what she is, intelligent, trusting and fun loving.

The eye abnormalities mentioned above need to be diagnosed by a veterinarian. Adult make Golden Retrievers are usually 23 to 24 inches tall, with females coming in at about 1-1/2 to 2 inches shorter.

The eyes are his most important physical characteristics, they reveal a lot about his personality.