As indicated by their name, their coats occur in light golden to dark golden colours. The topcoat is water-resistant and slightly wavy, and sheds in small amounts throughout the year. The undercoat is soft and keeps the retriever cool in summer and warm in winter; it sheds in the spring and fall.[19] It usually lies flat against the belly. The Golden’s coat should never be too long, as this may prove to be a disservice to it in the field, especially when retrieving game.[20] Golden Retrievers have mild feathering on the backs of their fore legs and heavier feathering on the fronts of their necks, backs of their thighs and the bottoms of their tails.[4]
The American Kennel Club (AKC) standard states the coat is a “rich, lustrous golden of various shades”, disallowing extremely light or extremely dark coats.[21] This leaves the outer ranges of coat colour up to a judge’s discretion when competing in conformation shows. Therefore, “pure white” and “red” are unacceptable, as is black.[16] The Kennel Club (UK) also permits cream as an acceptable coat colour.[14] Judges may also disallow Goldens with pink noses, or those lacking pigment. The Golden’s coat can also be mahogany, referred to as “redhead”, although this is not accepted in the British show ring.[14] As a Golden grows older, its coat can become darker or lighter, along with a noticeable whitening of the fur on and around the muzzle. Puppy coats are usually much lighter than their adult coats, but a puppy with darker ear tips may indicate a darker adult colour.
Golden Retrievers 