Watch As ‘Gentleman’ Golden Retriever Take Gentlest Bite of Food Possible

A golden retriever has been filmed enjoying what might just be the gentlest bite of food a dog could possibly ever take.

Torrie Purcell took to TikTok to share footage of her “gentleman” dog Tucker taking the daintiest of nibbles from a pretzel. Purcell told Newsweek she knows “it’s not the normal for a dog to be so gentle” but that’s just Tucker’s nature.

Golden retrievers are famous for being soft and cuddly canines. It’s a reputation that goes way beyond their irresistibly fluffy fur though.

In 2023, researchers from the University of Helsinki set out to identify the 15 friendliest dog breeds. The resulting paper, published in the academic journal iScience, saw over 11,000 dogs studied with scientists exploring the relationship between breed and personality, including human sociability.

Though bull terriers and teacup dogs were ranked as the two friendliest breeds according to the research, golden retrievers came in a close third, thanks in no small part to their eagerness to please their human companions.

Purcell first brought Tucker home as an eight-week-old puppy back in 2020. Life hasn’t been the same since. ” He is, for sure, a sweet gentle boy, but he’s also insane,” she said. “He is very snuggly, and always has to be on top of anyone and everyone.”

From the sounds of it, Tucker lives the kind of life most dogs dream of. “He loves swimming and swims in pools like he’s a human,” Purcell said. “He is also obsessed with his two dog best friends named Copper and Zero. If you say their name at all, he bolts to the door looking for them to go play.”

But while Tucker is “the sweetest boy” now, his soft and gentle approach to snacking is, partly at least, down to training.

“He was super bitey when he was a puppy and would attack our hands,” Purcell said. “So we introduced ‘gentle.’ I taught him just by holding his treats out and pulling back my hand slowly if he wasn’t going in for it nicely. Once it was nice, I’d give it to him!”

Being a golden retriever, Tucker was only too eager to please and soon made his gentle snacking a regular occurrence. Purcell believes that at least some of it comes down to the fact Tucker is just a naturally soft dog who has benefited from having two humans lavishing him with love.

“He’s very very very spoiled!” she said. “He’s always getting snuggles and kisses and comes with us everywhere.”

Crucially, however, Tucker has always been an obedient dog, perhaps knowing that his soft approach will bag him a few more treats.

“He respects us a lot,” Purcell said.

It sounds like Tucker is the best kind of soft touch.