Let's take a journey back into Golden Retriever history to see where the Golden originated and how it became the distinctive breed it is today.
Everything we know about Golden Retriever origin was carefully recorded by Dudley Coutts Marjoribanks (pronounced "Marshbanks"), the first Lord Tweedmouth, in a stud book.
From this book (now owned by the Kennel Club in London, England), we know that Lord Tweedmouth purchased a yellow pup from a cobbler in Brighton, England, who had received the puppy from a gamekeeper as payment of a debt.
The First Puppy This pup, which he named Nous (Gaelic for "wisdom"), was the only yellow dog from a litter of black, wavy-coated puppies born in 1864.
Existing photos of Nous show a large, handsome dog with a very wavy, medium-colored coat.
He actually looked much like the present-day Golden Retriever.
The other half of his breeding program was a Tweed Water Spaniel named Belle.
The now-extinct Tweed Water Spaniel was a popular hunting breed in the region at that time.
These dogs were medium in size, had a tightly curled coat with very little feathering, and ranged in color from any shade of yellow to a medium brown.
They were known for their swimming ability, superior intelligence and wonderful temperaments.
The First Golden Litter Nous and Belle had a litter of four yellow puppies in 1868.
These four puppies, named Crocus, Ada, Cowslip and Primrose, formed the foundation of Golden Retrievers as a distinct breed.
Golden Retriever history can be traced through the lineage of these four special pups.
Crocus, the only male, was given to the Hon.
Edward Marjoribanks (the second Lord Tweedmouth).
Ada was given to Lord Tweedmouth's nephew, the fifth Earl of Ilchester, who established his own purebred line.
The Earl loved Ada so much that after she died, he set up a gravestone in her honor.
It can still be found on the Ilchester estate at Melbury, England.
It's inscribed to "Ada--with the Golden Hair.
" Cowslip and Primrose were kept in the home kennel as the foundation stock for Lord Tweedmouth's carefully planned breeding program.
Cowslip was bred to Tweed, another Tweed Water Spaniel, and later to Sampson, an Irish Setter.
The Setter breeding helped to fix the color.
Sometime later, a bloodhound was added to the mix to improve the breed's tracking abilities.
Golden Retriever Hunting Skills Being an avid sportsman, Lord Tweedmouth enjoyed hunting game birds of all kinds.
Shooting parties were frequent events at Guisachan, his extensive Scottish country estate on the Tweed River in the rolling hills of Inverness, Scotland.
Nous proved his worth retrieving birds, and he passed along his exceptional hunting skills to the puppies he sired.
Because these talented dogs were owned by prominent families, they were seen and eventually bought by other wealthy sportsmen as they visited one another's estates for hunting parties.
Thanks to Lord Tweedmouth's careful documentation, we have a clear picture of Golden Retriever history from the date of the first litter in 1868 to the end of the stud book's record in 1890.
He passed away in 1894, leaving a legacy of having established the much-loved and distinctive Golden Retriever breed.
Everything we know about Golden Retriever origin was carefully recorded by Dudley Coutts Marjoribanks (pronounced "Marshbanks"), the first Lord Tweedmouth, in a stud book.
From this book (now owned by the Kennel Club in London, England), we know that Lord Tweedmouth purchased a yellow pup from a cobbler in Brighton, England, who had received the puppy from a gamekeeper as payment of a debt.
The First Puppy This pup, which he named Nous (Gaelic for "wisdom"), was the only yellow dog from a litter of black, wavy-coated puppies born in 1864.
Existing photos of Nous show a large, handsome dog with a very wavy, medium-colored coat.
He actually looked much like the present-day Golden Retriever.
The other half of his breeding program was a Tweed Water Spaniel named Belle.
The now-extinct Tweed Water Spaniel was a popular hunting breed in the region at that time.
These dogs were medium in size, had a tightly curled coat with very little feathering, and ranged in color from any shade of yellow to a medium brown.
They were known for their swimming ability, superior intelligence and wonderful temperaments.
The First Golden Litter Nous and Belle had a litter of four yellow puppies in 1868.
These four puppies, named Crocus, Ada, Cowslip and Primrose, formed the foundation of Golden Retrievers as a distinct breed.
Golden Retriever history can be traced through the lineage of these four special pups.
Crocus, the only male, was given to the Hon.
Edward Marjoribanks (the second Lord Tweedmouth).
Ada was given to Lord Tweedmouth's nephew, the fifth Earl of Ilchester, who established his own purebred line.
The Earl loved Ada so much that after she died, he set up a gravestone in her honor.
It can still be found on the Ilchester estate at Melbury, England.
It's inscribed to "Ada--with the Golden Hair.
" Cowslip and Primrose were kept in the home kennel as the foundation stock for Lord Tweedmouth's carefully planned breeding program.
Cowslip was bred to Tweed, another Tweed Water Spaniel, and later to Sampson, an Irish Setter.
The Setter breeding helped to fix the color.
Sometime later, a bloodhound was added to the mix to improve the breed's tracking abilities.
Golden Retriever Hunting Skills Being an avid sportsman, Lord Tweedmouth enjoyed hunting game birds of all kinds.
Shooting parties were frequent events at Guisachan, his extensive Scottish country estate on the Tweed River in the rolling hills of Inverness, Scotland.
Nous proved his worth retrieving birds, and he passed along his exceptional hunting skills to the puppies he sired.
Because these talented dogs were owned by prominent families, they were seen and eventually bought by other wealthy sportsmen as they visited one another's estates for hunting parties.
Thanks to Lord Tweedmouth's careful documentation, we have a clear picture of Golden Retriever history from the date of the first litter in 1868 to the end of the stud book's record in 1890.
He passed away in 1894, leaving a legacy of having established the much-loved and distinctive Golden Retriever breed.