Taste Of The Wild Southwest Canyon
Rating:
Southwest Canyon is one of 9 dry recipes included in our review of the Taste of the Wild product line.
- First 5 ingredients: Beef, peas, garbanzo beans, lamb meal, canola oil
- Type: Grain-free
- Profile: All life stages
- Best for:Golden retriever adults and puppies
Taste of the Wild Southwest Canyon acquires the bulk of its animal protein from fresh beef and lamb meal. Dry matter label analysis reveals the recipe contains 32% protein, 17% fat and 43% estimated carbs which results in a fat-to-protein ratio of about 52%.
Southwest Canyon also contains salmon oil. Salmon oil is naturally rich in the prized EPA and DHA type of omega-3 fatty acids. These two high quality fats boast the highest bio-availability to dogs. They help deliver better joint health and a lustrous skin and coat. A super popular brand. Highly recommended.
Sample buyer reviewTaste of the Wild makes both me and my dogs very happy. I have a pack of three that all love it and have beautiful coats that I can only attribute to their diet. As for me, its cost-efficient and doesnt stink like other dog foods. Id recommend it to any of my friends.
Essential Nutrients For Golden Retrievers
If you have ever been on a diet, the chances are that you will either or lose some weight or gain some calories. The same is the case for your pet.
The calories in your dog’s food come from vital nutrients that play an active role in growth and development. Their body needs these nutrients in adequate quantities to thrive.
However, the amount of nutrients your pet needs depends on your dog’s height, age, level of activity, etc. So whether you are feeding your dog with wet or dry foods, you need to check to make sure that the meal contains the balanced nutrients your pet needs.
Your pet needs the right amount of carbohydrates, fats, protein, vitamins, minerals, and water to reach its full potential. And you should keep this in mind when choosing a pet food brand.
Let’s count the necessary macros for your Golden Retriever.
Protein
Protein is an essential nutrient for your pet. It provides enough calories to keep your dog healthy. Proteins also help your pets to
- Build and repair body tissues and muscles and body
- Grow new skin cells, hair, hormones, and enzymes, etc.
So if you are buying commercial food products, you should go for dog foods with at least 30 percent protein content. However, if you are keen on homemade foods for your Goldie, you should consider meals with protein sources like lambs, chicken, turkey, fish, beef, yogurts, and cooked eggs.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates double as sources of energy and glucose supply for optimal brain activity.
Fat
Minerals
- Vegetables
Golden Retriever Grooming What Tasks Need Doing
I could do with a scrub up!
To keep your golden retriever healthy and happy, you need to stay on top of grooming.
Just like humans, dogs must be regularly groomed to stay clean and because of a Goldens long fur, it is essential for preventing matting, which can be painful for your dog and even cause skin trouble.
But grooming your Golden Retriever isnt simply coat care alone, it consists of multiple different tasks, from bathing and trimming their nails, to cleaning their ears and teeth.
The guidelines for each of these grooming acts are slightly different and will depend on the activities you do with your pooch on a regular basis and even where you live. Here are some of the tools you will need to groom your dog.
How To Handle Your Golden Retriever
Bonus Tips To Make Bathing Your Golden Retriever Easier
Tip #1: Introduce your golden retriever to the bath equipment prior to bathtime
Tip #2: Exercise your golden before bathtime
If your golden is full of energy, bath time will be much harder.
Play some games or exercise them beforehand to get some energy out so theyll be more relaxed in the tub.
Tip #3: Give lots of treats throughout the whole process
And if they enjoy it, itll be much easier for you.
Tip #4: Place a bath mat in the tub
If you bathe them in a tub, placing a rubber bath mat on the floor will help them get some traction and not slip and slide all over the place.
Caring For A Fat Golden Retriever
The best way to care for a Fat Golden Retriever is to help him lose weight.
According to the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, excess weight can reduce your pets life expectancy by more than two years.
This is considerable for a breed whose average life span is 10 to 12 years.
Even losing a modest amount of weight can reduce your Golden Retrievers risk of life-threatening diseases, including:
- Diabetes
Grooming Tips For Golden Retrievers
The Golden Retriever is a very handsome dog noted for its intelligence, trainability and loyalty.
It has a wonderful coat which needs regular brushing and occasional washing, dependent on how many times it manages to get very mucky on one of its adventures when out on mucky walks!
As their coats are long, keeping your Golden Retriever well groomed can be challenging.
We recommend that you maintain the quality of their coat with regular brushing and washing of their lower legs with water, and then a dry off with one of our Mega Absorbent PVA Dog Towels .
On occasions, they will require a full shampoo and wash, but please be sparing with these as too frequent washing can result in loss of oils in the coat making it appear dull.
We would also recommend a visit to your local Grooming Parlour for trimming of coat and clipping of nails when required.
So, to keep your Golden Retriever in tip top condition we recommend the following.
Before you start your shower and grooming sessions, give your Golden Retriever a good brush and then make sure you have all tools and materials required:
Shampoo Make sure you use a Dog Shampoo, not made for humans. This will ensure that the fur stays in a great condition as human shampoos have different formulas not always compatible with dogs.
1 x Good quality dog brush We recommend
A good supply of treats
Whats The Best Shampoo For Golden Retrievers
When choosing a shampoo for your golden, here are a few things to keep in mind:
We use this for Oliver and we like it, and you can learn more about the best shampoos for golden retrievers here.
Wellness Complete Health Large Breed Adult
Rating:
Wellness Complete Health Large Breed Adult is one of 14 dry recipes included in our review of the Wellness Complete Health product line.
- First 5 ingredients: Deboned chicken, chicken meal, ground brown rice, barley, peas
- Type: Grain-inclusive
- Profile: Maintenance
- Best for:Adult goldens
Wellness Complete Health Large Breed Adult derives the bulk of its animal protein from chicken and chicken meal. Dry matter label analysis reveals the recipe contains 29% protein, 13% fat and 50% estimated carbs which produces a fat-to-protein ratio of about 46%.
The classic, grain-inclusive, large breed design contains no meat by-products and no BHA or other cancer-causing synthetic preservatives. Easily recommended for adult goldens.
Sample buyer reviewOur dog had developed a bit of a gas issue with another leading brand that featured mostly red meat, so I wanted to go back to a food with mostly chicken. After a lot of research, I settled on Wellness Complete, and weve been very happy with it. Our dog readily goes for the food, and for the first time with any kibble, she will eat a few pieces out of our hand as a treat. I am impressed by the nutritional balance and the glucosamine and chondroitin since she is 80+ pounds, and it seems to have eliminated the gas problems.
Another Dog Bathing Tip: Towel Drying After Bathing
Use a towel to wipe off the remaining water, using a patting or squeezing motion rather than a rubbing one. This will avoid matting or tangling the fur.
Dry the top of his back and head first, then his belly and legs.
When you let him out of the dog bathing area, don’t be surprised if he charges around the house like a wild thing. There’s something about finishing a bath that makes the calmest dog go temporarily crazy.
Maybe he’s just really glad it’s over!
What Can You Do To Stop Your Golden Retriever Smelling
Fortunately, there are a number of things you can do to stop your golden retriever smelling. Here are some practices that need to happen throughout your golden retrievers life.
Work On Their Dental Health
First of all, make sure youre working on your retrievers dental health. You should start by trying to brush their teeth with a doggy toothbrush and dog toothpaste. As well as this you can feed them things like .
And of course, you should also make sure that youre taking your pup to the vet for check-ups to make sure nothing is going wrong with their teeth.
Make Sure Youre Drying Them Properly
If youre taking your golden retriever for walks in the rain or youre letting them swim, then you should make sure youre drying them thoroughly afterward as well. If you dont dry them enough theyre going to have that wet dog smell, and the oils could be stripped from their coat and skin.
Keep Them Well Groomed
You should also make sure youre keeping your golden retriever well groomed. Brushing them frequently is the best way to remove any grime and dirt and anything smelly that may be in their fur, but youll also need to wash them every 3-4 months.
If you notice that your golden retriever has rolled in something foul, you should hose them down, but avoid shampoo where possible as its bad for their fur and skin.
Use Doggy Deodrant
Make Sure They Dont Roll In Anything Smelly
Change Their Diet
Take Them To A Vet
Best Food For Golden Retrievers Of 2021
Although all dogs are susceptible to specific health problems, Golden Retrievers are plagued by joint genetic issues, various forms of cancer, and allergies.
Unfortunately, many of these conditions cannot be diagnosed in growing puppies, which is why responsible breeding practices are so important.
Choosing high-quality dog food for your Golden can also reduce the risk of health problems.
It is better to understand your dogâs nutritional needs and make an informed decision based on those needs. Take your dogâs age, breed, and activity level into account to make the best decision.
Here are our top choices for the best dog food for Golden Retrievers:
- has a long shelf life
- useful for cleaning the teeth of dogs
- easy to use as training aids
However, many dog owners are concerned that a continuous diet of chunks can be boring and monotonous for puppies.
How To Feed Golden Retriever Puppy
So that your puppy can focus on the business of eating, make sure he eats at the same time every day. Each meal should last between 20-30 minutes. If he doesnt finish the meal within the time allowed, you can pick him up and serve the same amount of food to each person.
When should you increase his food allowance? Hell finish every kibble at all three meals. If he does, you can increase his food portion. At first, start with a 1/3 cup. If hes still hungry, go up to a scant 1/2 Cup.
Some pups are extremely picky eaters and will eat all of their food. While others may be more picky and just nibble on their food, some are more savvier. Some puppies have eating spurts. They will eat faster or slower at certain times. Its okay to relax. Do not worry if your puppy is overweight. Keep him lean.
Tip #2: After You Brush Them Rub Them Down
This is something I recently started doing and its been amazing for keeping fur out of the house.
After you brush your dog, there will likely be lots of loose fur stuck to their coat.
When I would take Oliver inside, he would shake himself and I would watch all of this loose fur float into the air.
So now, after I brush him, I rub him down with my hands in the same direction the fur lies and I get lots of extra fur the brush didnt get off of him.
Thankfully, this fur now ends up in the yard instead of the house.
How To Bathe Your Dog
Bathing a Golden Retriever is a multi-step process, and you should prepare to be equally as wet, if not more so, than your dog by the end of the bath. Wear some old clothes that you dont mind getting soapy and wet.
If you want a suggestion for shampoo, my go to shampoo for my Golden Retriever is . It works great and has helped reduce dog dandruff as well.
Follow these steps to get your Golden shiny and clean:
10Steps To Wash Your Dog
Illness And Puppy Growth
If a puppy has been seriously ill for a prolonged period, it may affect their ability to grow normally. Being heavily infested with intestinal worms like hookworms and roundworms can leach calories and ultimately affect a puppys growth. However, once the puppy is free of worms, they should continue to grow at a normal rate. If youre concerned about your puppys growth rate, its best to contact your vet to make sure there isnt an underlying medical cause.
Royal Canin Golden Retriever Breed Health Nutrition Puppy
Golden Retrievers, like all large-breed puppies, are disposed to malnutrition and developmental orthopedic diseases, including osteochondrosis , hip dysplasia, hypertrophic osteodystrophy , and panosteitis. Although there is a definite genetic element to these conditions, there are nutritional risks that play a large role during the puppy years. These include an excess of calcium intake and rapid growth.
Its essential that large-breed pups are fed a diet that prevents these issues, which is why we think the best dog food for Golden Retriever pups is Royal Canin Golden Retriever Breed Health Nutrition Puppy. Everything about this formula meets the needs of this awesome breed.
The mineral balance and calorie content are ideal for preventing joint and bone issues and the kibble is even designed in such a way to suit Golden Retrievers teeth. They have whats called a scissors bite, with a long snout and mouth. Royal Canin kibbles are thin and square-shaped for optimal digestion and chewing.
Because theyre a slow maturing breed, its recommended to feed Goldens this food until theyre around 15 months old.
Big Fish = Big Trouble
Heres how it works: large fish are typically higher up on the food chain, so they eat small fish, which each small fish, etc. So basically, the largest fish are consuming all of the toxins that smaller fish eat. They also have a longer lifespan, so this means they accumulate even more bad stuff.
So the key is to start at the lowest point on the food chain. Anchovies! Small fish with a short lifespan. Theres some solid scientific research that confirms this. Bonus: anchovies have some of the highest Omega-3 contents of any fish. Added bonus: theyre low in toxins.
Expert Tips For Canine Nutritional Management
- Understand your Goldens activity level
- Age plays a role when choosing a formula
- Your dogs breed needs to be taken in to consideration
- Assess your dogs medical condition
- Consult with your veterinarian for the best nutritional advice
- Look for brands that assist with nutritional management for dogs with medical conditions.
- Dog food formulas need to be tested using the AAFCO feeding trial testing methods instead of by formulation
- The nutritional adequacy statement needs to be on the label
- The dog food formula that you choose needs to be complete and balanced
- The formula needs to be for the correct life stage of the dog
When it comes to choosing the best dog food for your Golden Retriever, keep in mind that a high-quality dog food will have better results in helping to keep your Golden healthy than a lower quality dog food.
Goldens may have diseases which are heavily impacted by their diets like inflammatory bowel disease or atopic skin diseases. These can be helped by feeding the correct diet, since Goldens with health conditions will need to follow a diet that is appropriate to their medical conditions. Always consult with your veterinarian for advice before changing diets.
Fat Golden Retriever: What To Do When Your Dog Puts On Weight
Obesity has become a huge problem for our pet dogs, including fat Golden Retrievers.
A 2017 clinical survey done by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention found 56 percent of dogs surveyed in the U.S. were classified as being clinically overweight.
For the gorgeous Golden Retriever, the data is even more distressing.
A 2012 study by the APOP found that almost 63 percent of Golden Retrievers were overweight or obese.
These are sobering statistics for one of the worlds most beloved breeds.
The friendly and devoted Golden is instantly recognizable for their kind eyes; floppy ears; and long, lustrous coat of golden fur that gives them their name.
Bred as a Scottish gundog in the early 1800s, the energetic breed was built to retrieve waterfowl.
This muscular dog bears a wolflike physique and moves with a graceful, athletic bearing.
Swimming, fetching, running and jumping come naturally for this active dog.
So why is the Golden Retriever getting fat in such alarming numbers?
Rolling On Smelly Substances Or Water
Your dog may become smelly if it rolls on smelly substances. Consider taking steps to ensure your dog does not roll on smelly objects, including grass and dirt.
Dogs that have been in water also smell bad. If your Golden has been playing in rain or pool water, its fur may produce a distinct, unpleasant smell.
If your dog has been playing on dirty water, consider washing it before the water sticks to its coat. In addition, avoid letting it inside your house after washing it.
American Journey Large Breed Chicken And Sweet Potato
Rating:
Large Breed Chicken and Sweet Potato is one of 14 dry recipes evaluated in our review of the American Journey product line.
- First 5 ingredients: Deboned chicken, chicken meal , turkey meal, peas, chickpeas
- Type: Grain-free
- Profile: All life stages
- Best for:Golden retriever adults and puppies
American Journey Large Breed Chicken acquires the majority of its meat protein from poultry. Dry matter label analysis reveals the recipe contains 33% protein, 13% fat and 45% estimated carbs which yields a fat-to-protein ratio of about 40%.
This large breed formula also contains a prebiotic. Prebiotics can help support the growth of healthy bacteria in the large intestine for better digestion. An exceptional, budget-friendly option. Easily recommended.
Sample buyer reviewI have four furry children from small to extra large, all picky in their own way : Treats, bones, & obviously food. All four of em absolutely loved this brand! Theyve been on it for only a week, & I can already tell how healthier their coats look, & a bit of needed weight loss.
Earthbath Oatmeal & Aloe Dog Shampoo
If youre looking for an affordable option in general-purpose shampoo that will cleanse and moisturize your dogs skin and coat, try this Earthbath Oatmeal & Aloe Dog Shampoo. Made with all-natural ingredients, this shampoo is soap-free and supplemented with oatmeal and aloe to prevent over-drying. It has a lovely vanilla and almond scent, plus it is 100% biodegradable and free from paraben and phosphates. This shampoo will keep your dogs skin feeling soft and supple while his coat retains its natural shine between baths.
What Is The Average Golden Retriever Size
How big will your Golden be when fully grown? Golden Retrievers are sturdy but elegant medium to medium-large size dogs. Golden Retriever size can be influenced by genetics, whether your dog is male or female and even where you live!
Did you know that there are some small size and body type differences between English and American Golden Retrievers? Because they have been bred from different lines, English Goldens tend to be slightly stockier than the taller American Goldens, but these variations are minor.
Sex differences are linked to size in Golden Retrievers, with males being 12 inches taller and around 10 pounds heavier than Size-based sex difference in animals is known as sexual size dimorphism. In dogs, these differences tend to be more noticeable in larger breeds than in small or toy breeds. Lets look at specific height and weight ranges for Goldens next!
Step 7: Rinse Them Off
Leaving shampoo in your goldens coat is an easy way for them to develop skin problems, so rinse them off until the water coming off of them is clear and theres for sure no more shampoo in their coat then rinse them some more.
And like when you were soaking them at the start of the bath, protect their ears and nose from getting water in them as youre rinsing them off.
Golden Retriever Grooming Guide
Blog Contents
The Golden Retrievers bright golden coat is their pride. To let that coat stay bright and shiny requires a lot of maintenance. Not only for the appearance but to keep your golden healthy, a proper grooming routine is necessary.
Heres a simple guide to grooming a golden retriever
First Things First
Start by training your dog to let you touch its body, including the head, ears, mouth, and feet.
Once your dog has accepted the treat, set a standard monthly, weekly, and non-disruptive schedule.
Keeping your dog in good condition requires routine
On the day of preparation, assemble the tools before you start. In addition to your favorite company-kept playlist, heres a list of everything youll need to fix Golden:
- Pin the brush
- Metal comb with medium to wide teeth
- Quality quality shampoo
- Canine conditioner or shampoo with conditioner
- Towels
- Canine bath or indoor bath or shower
- Canine grooming table or outdoor picnic table
- Canine depletion scissors
- Canine bright or sharp scissors
- Canine nail clippers or Dremel
- Canine toothbrush and toothpaste
- Animal ear cleansing solution
- Synthetic drugs and ticks
Regular grooming of the coat, feet, teeth, ears, and eyes of the dog will also pay for health benefits. If lumps or skin diseases appear, you will see them early enough to visit a veterinarian for a check-up.
Coat Management
Wash the coat twice, as the double Gold coat saves the car. Dry towel completely.
Nails and Paws
Oral care
Ears, Eyes, and Skin Care