r/ExplainLikeImCalvin • u/Worried-Ask-949 • 11d ago
ELIC: Why do golden retrievers have that name? They don't retrieve gold.
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u/artrald-7083 11d ago
Yes they do.
They just don't retrieve it for you.
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u/Beagle_Knight 11d ago
Yup, it’s a well known fact that they are one of the biggest gold hoarders, alongside dragons and leprechauns.
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u/MyWibblings 11d ago
They used to. They were great at it. Every pirate had one. But they only do it when you give them the secret gold retrieval command. And frankly even then, they are mostly too spoiled nowadays to want to do it. But if you treat your GR really well and bribe it with lots of treats AND you give it the proper secret command, it might bring you some. Try it!
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u/shadebug 11d ago
That’s a common misunderstanding.
In a game of association football you have the goal den where you kick the ball into to score points. Nowadays these are made of modern, strong and flexible fibres but traditionally they were made of cheaper, natural fibres like sisal. Also, the footballs themselves used to be much heavier, basically medicine balls (that’s why old matches look so slow and boring).
What this meant was that the nets would regularly break and the ball would fly off into the distance so sports grounds would employ dogs to retrieve the balls that had broken through the goal den and, over the years, the most popular breed of dog for the job came to be known as golden retrievers, kinda like how people now think duck tape is called duct tape
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u/Cheese_Cake_13 10d ago
They would need to be named "Gold retrievers" for the name to indicate they retrieve gold. The name "Golden retriever" is just a description of a Retriever. The dog retrieves stuff, and he's gold. That's all the knowledge I have. Sorry
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u/Nowardier 10d ago
They do retrieve gold. They just don't like you enough to give you any 'cause you don't clean your room.
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u/QuentinUK 11d ago
They are goldEN retrievers and not gold retrievers which means that their fur is a striking golden coat.
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u/slanderedshadow 11d ago
Well Im going to explain like Im hobbes, because the tigers already retrieved all the gold.
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u/captain_toenail 10d ago
Gold is a euphemism, they can be trained to perpetrate B&Es while you stand guard, as mention3d they dont retrive gold explicitly, but their hauls tend to consist of a lot of jewelry
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u/FoxtrotGaming1 6d ago
There's a secret ancient code word to make them do it, but it's in a language nobody can speak or understand.
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u/Prudent-Elk-4012 11d ago
I mean gold and golden aren’t the same word. Is it possible the golden refers to their colour?
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u/StarkAndRobotic 10d ago
They are not GOLD retrievers. They are GOLDEN retrievers, implying their Color.
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u/southernseas52 11d ago
They used to. But in 1933, Roosevelt terminated the gold standard for the US currency so banks couldn’t export or convert money to gold anymore. Nowadays, the name’s just a memory for old-times sake, remembering when your dog’s ancestors worked as accountants and bank tellers until the Roosevelt administration.