"In 1868, Nous, a Wavy-coated Retriever, and Belle, a Tweed Water Spaniel were bred together by Dudley Coutts Marjoribanks, later known as Lord Tweedmouth. Fom that breeding he kept two yellow females, Primrose and Cowslip and gave one male, Crocus, to his son, Edward Marjoribanks. For many decades it was thought that there was a fourth puppy, Ada, but that was subsequently determined to be erroneous. Ada was from a second mating of Nous and Belle and was given to Lord Tweedmouth’s nephew, the 5th Lord Ilchester, beginning the famous Ilchester line of retrievers. Thus it was the offspring of Nous and Belle that became the foundation of the breed subsequently known as, and now universally loved as, the Golden Retriever.

       The Guisachan dogs were reportedly given only to family and close friends, all of whom were persons of means and title. Lord Tweedmouth kept copious records in the Guisachan Record Book covering 1865 to 1890, a book that only came to light in 1952 when Lady Pentland, a granddaughter of Lord Tweedmouth made it available to the noted English Golden Retriever historian Elma Stonex. In 1952, her friend, the 6th Earl of Ilchester published a famous article in Country Life which, for the first time, gave a complete and accurate history of the development of the breed. The Guisachan dogs were bred to be strong working dogs hunting grouse, partridge and deer."
~"Friends of Guisachan" Scotland, www.friendsofguisachan.org 

“Marjoribanks retrievers weren’t widely dispersed, but instead were only gifted with great discretion to family and friends, who valued them as the ultimate [lady's] & gentleman’s hunting dog.” ~ akc.org

Golden Retriever Breed Purpose

As Stated by Friends of Guisachan,
"The Guisachan dogs were bred to be strong working dogs hunting grouse, partridge and deer."

The Golden Retriever's original breed purpose was to hunt upland game, which was plentiful in Scotland. The breed was further developed throughout the years to also include water fowl, and other small game, including rabbits. And now, the Golden Retriever is known for being an excellent family dog and companion and serving in many industries like service dog work and drug sniffing.

Our Golden Retrievers are equally versatile as they are excellent family dogs, service and therapy dogs, and perform well in all manner of dog sports and if you are interested in hunting with them they are also superb for grouse and upland game.

All Purebred Dogs Have a Breed Standard

"Knowledge of any purebred dog, ring champion, or pet, begins with its standard, a written description of the ideal specimen of a breed. Standards describe perfect type, structure, gait, and temperament of the breed — the characteristics that allow the breed to perform the function for which it was bred." ~ AKC.org

"The official standard for each breed, and any revision thereof, originates with an AKC parent club, the national organization devoted to a particular breed. Parent-club members vote on the standard or revision, then the club submits it to the AKC Board of Directors for approval. Once approved, a standard becomes both the breeder’s “blueprint” and the instrument used by dog-show judges to evaluate the breeder’s work." ~ AKC.org

"'It’s not how cute a dog is that determines its quality—it’s how closely he conforms to his breed standard,' German Pinscher breeder Dr. Laura Van Horn says. 'Frequently, there is inconsistency in the amount of detail used to describe a particular characteristic or in the wording used for particular characteristics. As a result, standards can be interpreted subjectively and judging decisions may be influenced by an individual judge’s preferences.'" ~ AKC.org

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