Although your retriever may be best at fetching a stick, Golden Retrievers are powerful dogs that were bred to hunt. They are especially useful for hunting waterfowl, as their thick coat is water resistant and enables swimming in cold temperatures. They were bred specifically to love water, and to have soft mouths that could retrieve fallen fowl without further damage. Golden Retrievers commonly weigh between 65 and 75 pounds, and reach a height (measured at the shoulder) of 23-24 inches. Females are somewhat smaller than the males. Retrievers are generally healthy dogs, although they are susceptible to obesity if their diet is not watched or exercise is not sufficient, and to a few other breed-specific ailments. We can't ignore the career dogs in any list of Golden Retriever facts! Many Seeing Eye dogs are Golden Retrievers, because of these dogs' excellent intelligence and adaptability. Because of their great noses, they are also popular choices to help law enforcement sniff out illicit drugs. They make good search and rescue dogs, as well - and, of course, their happy natures and eagerness to please make them excellent family pets. Excellent surrogate mothers, Golden Retrievers have been known to take care of kittens and even a tiger cub or two! These dogs are sometimes able to produce milk for their foster offspring even if they did not give birth recently themselves. Any lustrous shade of gold will do, for a Golden Retriever's coat. Feathering may be of a lighter shade. The breed was originally developed in Scotland (by a guy later called "Baron Tweedmouth" - imagine!). There are now English, Canadian, and American varieties, with each type possessing slightly different characteristics. Check with the American Kennel Club for more breed-specific Golden Retriever facts. Golden Retrievers continually excel in agility and obedience trials at dog shows. They have been known to learn as many as 240 words and commands - ask your dog how many he knows!