The sweet-faced, lovable Labrador Retriever is America’s most popular dog breed. Labs are friendly, outgoing, and high-spirited companions who have more than enough affection to go around for a family looking for a medium-to-large dog.

The Golden Retriever, an exuberant Scottish gundog of great beauty, stands among America’s most popular dog breeds. They are serious workers at hunting and field work, as guides for the blind, and in search-and-rescue, enjoy obedience and other competitive events, and have an endearing love of life when not at work.  

The Chesapeake Bay Retriever, peerless duck dog of the Mid-Atlantic, is an American original who embodies the classic traits of a good retriever: loyal, upbeat, affectionate, and tireless. The Chessie is famous for his waterproof coat.

The smallest of the AKC’s retrievers, the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever is intelligent, affectionate, and eager to please. Play fetch with a tireless Toller until your right arm falls off, and he will ask you to throw left-handed.

The Peter Pan of the Sporting Group, the forever-young Flat-Coated Retriever is a gundog of relatively recent origin. Happy, self-assured, and willing to please, a good Flat-Coat will retrieve a duck or a show ribbon with equal aplomb.

The Curly-Coated Retriever, among the oldest of the retriever breeds, is a famously versatile gundog and peerless swimmer. Poised, proud, and wickedly smart, the Curly is a thinking person’s retriever who will never quit before you do.

With Retrievers being one of the most popular breeds in America, it’s a safe bet that thousands upon thousands of hours are spent playing fetch each year. While you might think it’s just a form of play (and a fun party trick!), it’s actually much more: It’s a Retriever embracing his [...]

In the 1980s hunters with good retrievers, but without the resources, or time, to be able to be competitive in field trials were anxious to have an avenue to test their dogs for hunting abilities. The Qualifying and then Hunting Dog stake at field trials satisfied that need for a while, but did not offer [...]

You’ve played ball with your Retriever about a million times in your backyard or at the park, but do his fetching abilities automatically mean he’d make a good hunting companion? Not necessarily. The only way to really know is to participate in a Retriever Hunting Test. Ever since the first AKC retriever hunting [...]

Originally bred to help hunters, retrievers were tasked with finding birds or other game and bringing them back undamaged. For this sort of job, the dog needed a “soft,” gentle mouth, where they would carefully carry the prey without damaging it. Also required were strength and agility to traverse a rugged landscape or work in [...]