Getting A Golden Retriever Puppy
Choosing to adopt or go through a breeder for your new golden retriever puppy is a personal choice that requires research. Thankfully, there are many resources out there to help you find a rescue or breeder that offers healthy, ethically-sourced golden retriever puppies.
Knowing what youre in for when you get a golden retriever puppy is an important step in being a responsible pet owner. Whether you find a responsible breeder or are planning on adopting, its up to you to be prepared for an energetic and friendly addition to your household.
Field Bred Golden Retrievers
Field golden retrievers embody what golden retrievers were originally bred to do: hunt.
Field bred goldens are on the smaller end of the spectrum as far as how big goldens get, theyre athletic, and theyre typically more driven than other styles of goldens.
Their coats are usually shorter and range from gold to red, and they have tons of energy.
They excel at hunting and agility, and make great family pets, as long as theyre trained properly and have a job to do.
They also may be rather mouthy, considering theyre bred to retrieve things with their mouth.
To be clear, field goldens are golden retrievers, theyre just a particular style of golden.
The opposite of field bred golden retrievers are conformation, or show golden retrievers
Bone And Joint Problems
A number of different musculoskeletal problems have been reported in Golden Retrievers. While it may seem overwhelming, each condition can be diagnosed and treated to prevent undue pain and suffering. With diligent observation at home and knowledge about the diseases that may affect your friends bones, joints, or muscles you will be able to take great care of him throughout his life.
Both hips and elbows are at risk for dysplasia , an inherited disease that causes the joints to develop improperly and results in arthritis. Stiffness in your Goldens elbows or hips may become a problem for him, especially as he matures. You may notice that he begins to show lameness in his legs or has difficulty getting up from lying down. We can treat the arthritisthe sooner the betterto minimize discomfort and pain. Well take X-rays of your dogs bones to identify issues as early as possible. Surgery is sometimes a good option in severe and life-limiting cases. Keep in mind that overweight dogs may develop arthritis years earlier than those of normal weight, causing undue pain and suffering!
Don’t Miss: How Much Is A Golden Retriever Lab Mix
When Are Golden Retrievers Sexually Mature
In general, males become sexually mature earlier than females. Male goldens can reach sexual maturity anytime after they are 5 months old.
Female Golden Retrievers can reach sexual maturity as early as six months old, but its more common for them to go into heat when theyre older. Typically, their first heat will occur when they are 6 to 15 months old.
Ensuring Healthy Litters Sires And Dams
Breeding a dog involves a serious understanding of genetics, temperament and the care of both dogs involved. Responsible breeder ensure that their dogs are of proper age before breeding. They also keep the number of litters over the lifetime of a female dog to a level that will keep her and her puppies healthy.
Recommended Reading: Shadalane Golden Retriever
What Kind Of Exercises Do Golden Retrievers Need
Besides walking regularly, it is also important to have some high-intensity exercise and play to help exhaust your golden retriever and retain their muscle tone. Keeping the muscles toned and strong can protect a golden retrievers joints and tendons, as well as avoiding damage to other parts of the body.
Golden Retrievers need three types of regular exercise to thrive and be happy.
1. Long walks The longer the better .
2. Purposeful high-intensity activity and play Activities such as playing fetch, swimming, or running off-leash.
3. Mental exercise Mental stimulation is a form of exercise as well and is absolutely necessary for a healthy golden. Find out which toys golden retrievers love to keep them mentally stimulated in our article here.
The average adult Golden retriever needs at least 1 hour of exercise a day, ideally more. Their genetic bloodlines can also influence how much exercise a golden retriever requires. Golden retrievers coming from a working stock would need much more exercise than golden retrievers bred to be lap dogs.
Failure to provide ample physical exercise and mental stimulation to a golden retriever can contribute to loneliness and behavioral problems. This can include aggressive actions, digging, constant barking, and even running away to have their own fun.
Exercise is the pill that cures most golden retriever mental and behavioral issues, and a good long walk is at the top of the list.
Can I Find Out Ahead Of Time How Many Puppies My Golden Retriever Will Have
It is possible to find out how many puppies will be in your dogs litter by having an ultrasound done by a veterinarian. Twenty-five days after gestation, an ultrasound machine can be used to generate an image of your dogs uterus.
The ultrasound is safe for both mother and puppies. However, puppies can sometimes position themselves in a way that the image might miss them.
A more accurate count can be obtained from an X-ray 45-55 days after gestation. At this time, the puppies bones are harder, and the vet can also make sure they are in the proper position. But, even with an X-ray, you may get one or two surprises on the big day!
Read Also: When Can Golden Retriever Puppies Go Up And Down Stairs
Quality Akc Golden Retrievers
A Family of Breeders all over Idaho raising quality AKC Golden Retriever puppies. From light cream, to dark red – and every shade in between. Raised in a family environment, health tested, spoiled, and ready to join your home!
Questions? Overall Process is available here.
Upcoming
3 MALES, 1 FEMALE AVAILABLE
Past
Do You Need To See A Veterinarian
To be able to prepare properly for the dog pregnancy, you should visit your vet after the 45th day of the dogs pregnancy.
Your vet can take an x-ray and tell you how many puppies to look for during delivery.
Your vet can also help prepare you for what to expect and how to help your dog during pregnancy, go over their diet, which at this stage should have high calories and enriched in nutrients.
They will also advise you to have a backup plan or inform you where your nearest local emergency animal hospital or clinic is.
Recommended Reading: How Much Does It Cost To Own A Golden Retriever
How Many Puppies Do Goldendoodles Have
Goldendoodles are a highly popular breed. In recent years, many families have found themselves inquiring about adding one to their home for them to love and care for.
Although there are many breeders, there seem to be long waiting lists at most of them.
The demand for this dog breed has led many to search worldwide for a Goldendoodle puppy to add to their family.
This situation leads to the question how many puppies do Goldendoodles have?
Recommended Reading: Can Golden Retrievers Eat Ice Cream
How Many Puppies Can A Golden Retriever Nurse
She will become restless and walk around a lot, too. Once the golden retriever has delivered, she still has quite a job ahead of her nursing all eight or however many puppies. You should clear a place for the mom and babies to sleep and offer the mom as much food and water as she needs to encourage milk production.
Recommended Reading: Best Golden Retriever Breeders California
Dog Mating Twice On Same Day
When you are stepping into the world of breeding its important to understand its main parts. Therefore, its crucial to understand how many times you can actually breed a male or a female dog and how often. Moreover, you need to know if you can breed male or female twice on the same day. So, can a dog mate twice on the same day? Long story short, yes. But, should you allow it is another story. If you are mating your dog in the right period, one breeding should be enough to produce a litter. However, if you allow canines you can expect different outcomes:
That being said, you need to pair your bitch with only one dog. Why? Dogs can easily get pregnant by two dogs. This is possible because sperm can remain viable in the female reproductive tract for seven days, and female doesnt have to ovulate necessarily on the day she is mated to fall pregnant. So, if different males mate with the female on different days, she can easily fall pregnant by both of them.
How Cute Are They
Golden Retriever dogs are very cute and are popular pets for humans across the globe. Their cute face and golden coat make them look so adorable and cute! Moreover, their sweetness and calm nature are more great traits of the breed. Goldens are outgoing, trustworthy, and eager to please family dogs. Their sweet nature makes them look even more adorable.
Don’t Miss: How To Draw A Golden Retriever Face
Recommendations For Breeding Age
While an older dog can have litters, it’s generally accepted practice among responsible breeders to stop breeding a female dog around age five to seven years. After this age, it’s more likely that she’ll have problems giving birth which can result in an unhealthy litter or no litter at all due to a miscarriage. It also can cause health problems for her because of the strain on her body as she ages.
Expectations And Questions To Ask
All puppies are hard to resist, and cute can cloud judgement, so its usually wise to learn about the breeder and the litter by phone or email before planning a visit. This document should help guide your evaluation, and may be printed to take notes initially when talking by phone and later when you meet in person.
Don’t Miss: How Often Should I Bathe My Golden Retriever
Neutering Can Cause Health Issues To A Golden Retriever
Researchers at the University of California have discovered that neutering has negative effects on Golden Retrievers, increasing your dogs chances of getting joint disorders and cancer. In this post, Dr. Karen Becker talks about alternative methods of keeping your dog from breeding, such as a vasectomy or tubal ligation.
Even if you choose not to neuter your dog shes still prone to a long list of medical conditions, which include:
- hypothyroidism
- eye disorders
- skin problems.
If you own a Golden Retriever you need pet insurance that covers her for a wide range of health issues, besides accidents. This can increase your regular expenses, but its usually a good investment as Goldens are in the top of the most expensive breeds in terms of medical costs, with an average of $961 a year.
Factors That Influence Litter Size
A variety of factors determine the size of a Golden Retriever’s litter.
- If your Golden Retriever’s mother had large litters, she may too. Litter size in Golden Retrievers can be influenced by their parents health.
- Physical condition is more influential though. For example, an obese dog is more likely to have a small litter size.
- Age is an important factor too. Litters are smaller when females are younger and when they’re older than when they’re 3 to 5 years old range tend to have more puppies.
- The size of your dog will influence her litter size as well. Since a Golden Retriever is considered a large breed, her litter size will be relatively large too.
- Her diet is also a major influence. Good nutrition is important to maximize the size of a litter.
Litter size is also determined by the time of breeding. It can also depend on how strong the male dog’s sperm was or if your dog was in heat for the first time when she was bred or not.
Don’t Miss: How To Draw A Golden Retriever Face
Youll Have To Hide Your Shoes Because Goldens Love To Chew
These dogs like to carry things and, often when theyre bored, will start moving your stuff around the house. Theyre famous for their chewing habits so provide her with resistant toys, specially made for heavy chewers, and dont let her get too bored during the day.
Lock up your shoes, telephones, remote controls, games, kitchen utensils, clothes, and small pillows, or theyll meet a very messy end. Also, move your garbage can inside a cabinet or in a place your dog cant access.
She should never go through your dinner leftovers as eating human food can harm Golden Retrievers. For safety reasons, hide all electric cables before bringing your puppy or new dog home.
The crate is a good way to keep your dog away from temptations when youre not around. This way shell be in a safe place and you wont have to worry about the Nintendo youve forgotten on the sofa before going to bed.
You May Like: Groomed Golden Retrievers
How Long Can A Golden Retriever Hold Its Bladder
Golden Retriever puppies would normally need to go every hour or two hours, this period of time becomes longer as your pup ages until they become older than 6 months old, then they would need to pee every 2-6 hours.
Adult Goldens will need to pee less regularly, but seniors will need to pee more frequently, due to their decreased ability to control their muscles, so they should go every 4-6 hours until they are 12 years old, then every 2-4 hours.
Many factors influence how long your golden retriever can hold his or her bladder, including:
Their size
A puppys bladder is small like them, and they cant keep it in as well. A puppy should urinate every hour, but youll probably discover that your little one goes more frequently, possibly every 20-30 minutes.
A golden retrievers ability to contain their urine will improve by the time theyre 12 weeks old. This is due to the fact that both their bladder muscles and their brains will have matured to the point where they will be able to hold it.
How much water your Golden Retriever drinks
Its natural for your golden retriever to pee more regularly if theyre active and drink a lot. This is especially important during the summer months when they need to stay hydrated all the time as their body is fighting to stay cool. You can check my guide to keep your golden retriever cool in the warm weather here.
Metabolism
You May Like: Golden Retriever Harness
Read Also: Best Chew Toys For Golden Retrievers
If Youre A Couch Potato Then This Dog Is Not For You
Golden Retrievers have high energy levels and they need to burn this energy off. Give your dog one or two hours of exercise every day otherwise shell mess up your home. Theres plenty of activities you can do, as Goldens are great companions for walking, running, playing in the park, swimming, and even hiking.
Besides running, Golden Retrievers need mental stimulation to thrive. You can teach her obedience training by yourself, as these dogs are known to be among the most obedient breeds. Other stimulating activities where Golden Retrievers register great results are canine freestyle and agility training.
Golden Retrievers were bred to work, so they need to be active to stay happy. Furthermore, the lack of exercise will generate a series of medical problems, including obesity and other related issues, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, or problems with ligaments and tendons.
Read Also: Healthy Weight For Golden Retriever
Are Golden Retrievers Good Family Dogs
Yes, Golden Retrievers make for a very good family pet thanks to their sweet and loving temperament. Goldens love to spend time with their owners, and don’t mind living with a big family. They are also very good with kids and are wildly popular amongst families for this reason. Dogs of this breed are really smart and caring dogs who can adjust well to other animals as well. Golden Retrievers are highly social and affectionate dogs.
Golden-coated Retriever dogs are genuinely friendly and affectionate dogs and they are full of joy when they have a toy to fetch and retrieve, such as a ball or a cuddly toy. A Golden Retriever puppy is quite expensive and can cost you somewhere between $1000-$2000. It is important to consult an expert breeder and ask for valid health certificates of both parents, before buying a puppy. These young Golden-coated Retriever dogs grow very quickly in their first four to seven months, making them sensitive to bone disorders. So, until your puppy is at least two years old and his joints are fully grown it is important not to let him run and play for long periods of time on very hard exteriors. Normal play is great though, and so are puppy training classes and obedience training at home.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other mammals including the Pitbull Chihuahua mix, or the Cheagle.
Also Check: How To Potty Train A Golden Retriever In An Apartment
Golden Retrievers Are Record Holders
A couple of Golden Retrievers have made it into the Guinness Book of World Records. An Australian Golden holds the world record for the loudest bark, measured at 113.1 decibels — 3 decibels louder than a buzzing chainsaw. Another Golden Retriever holds the record for the most tennis balls held in the mouth, at five tennis balls.
Golden Retrievers are an impressive bunch, as any Golden lover knows. It’s no wonder they are the third most popular dog breed in the U.S.