Golden Retriever History (Scotland, UK)

"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 and] gentleman’s hunting dog.”
~ akc.org

Apple Blossom Kennels maintains the tradition of dispersing our puppies among family and friends first. Please take the time to introduce yourself to us, and let us get to know you and your family better, if you are interested in an Apple Blossom Kennels puppy. 

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. 

Apple Blossom Kennels' Golden Retrievers are superb grouse and upland game dogs dogs. With over 30 years of breeding and training our line with a focus on grouse, and other upland game, our dogs are superior when it comes to hunting the "king of upland game birds."

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

Apple Blossom Kennels maintains the tradition of dispersing our puppies among family and friends first. Please take the time to introduce yourself to us, and let us get to know you and your family better, if you are interested in an Apple Blossom Kennels puppy.

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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

"AKC Conformation has existed for hundreds of years and was started as a way to evaluate breeding stock. Dogs are not being compared to each other; they’re being measured by how closely they conform to the standard of their particular breed. Why? Because the closer a dog’s appearance is to the breed’s standard, the better that dog’s ability will be to produce healthy, purpose-bred puppies that meet the standard." ~ AKC.org