They Are Family Members
As a family pet, especially with children, the breed has few equals, but Golden Retrievers are more than just a family pet they are loyal best friends and loving family members.
Although the breed is capable of living outdoors, Golden Retrievers were bred to work closely with humans and do best living indoors as part of a family. At times, the breed’s desire to be with their family may even come across as needy. There are days my Golden does not leave my side: She will follow me from room to room and stay within arm’s reach regardless of what I am doing. In my experience, if you’re looking for your Golden, they are probably at your feet. Be careful they are a tripping hazard.
If you’ve ever seen the heart-breaking stare of a Golden Retriever watching its family leave on an outing, you’ll likely agree that this is not an independent breed who is happy to be left alone all the time.
Make Your Home And Garden Safe For Your Golden Retriever
Golden Retrievers are a highly intelligent breed and with this comes an unstoppable urge to test, learn and explore. Particularly during their puppy years they can get themselves into all sorts of trouble around your home and garden so you have to undertake a certain amount of puppy-proofing your home:
- Fence off swimming pools or ponds in your yard as they will get in there but being so small they may not be able to swim well and could find it impossible to get out unaided.
- Research the plants and flowers you have in your home and garden as there are in excess of one hundred plants known to be toxic to dogs and Goldens love a good chew!
- Remove or make safe any sharp items in your home that your Golden may play with, rub against or walk over in their playing.
- Hide away any electrical cables because a dogs sharp teeth and electricity are a particularly dangerous combination.
- Install child-proof latches on all your kitchen cupboards and drawers. Goldens can learn to open simple storage units and household chemicals therein are extremely dangerous to your dog.
- Dont leave rubbish, or in fact pretty much anything lying around. Puppies explore with their mouths and whatever they find they will play with and chew and its very easy for a dog to choke on small items, particularly trash thats easily swallowed with the edible scraps they were really seeking.
How Do I Take Care Of A 1
To take care of golden retrievers puppies, you just need to provide them Good nutrition, companionship, and affection, those are important factors for your golden retrievers to be healthy, besides, you need to visit veterinary care regularly, and give them plenty of exercises. Also, to stimulate their mind you need to provide them with the basic canine training so they behave properly in any place.
The only time a golden retriever puppy is going to need special care is when He getS sick, you will have to give him extra attention and treat him depends on the disease He got. It is recommended to check a veterinarian regularly to prevent such problems in the future.
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Things You Should Know Before Getting A Golden Retriever
The Golden Retriever is a dog breed that originated from Scotland, bred to retrieve shot waterfowl, like ducks or other upland game birds. Its a medium to large dog at about 20 to 24 inches tall, weighing between 55 to 75 pounds. The lifespan of the Golden Retriever is around 10 to 12 years.
Golden Retrievers are some of the most popular dogs both in the US and worldwide, thanks to their beautiful appearance and their nice characters.
I wrote this article about some of the things you should know about Goldens, because many of them end up in shelters, abandoned as soon as their owners have realized what having a dog really means.
Contents & Quick Navigation
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They Are A Gardens Enemy
If youre working on an award-winning garden, a Golden Retriever may not be the right breed for you. While the likelihood of digging increases with boredom, Golden Retrievers seem to be attracted to gardens.
As I mentioned, Golden Retrievers love mud, so in addition to digging, Golden Retrievers also tend to play, sleep, or roll in flower beds.
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Feed Them The Best Food Possible
When it comes to feeding your Golden, you should feed the best food you can. A high-quality diet is a must for these dogs, as they can easily develop skin problems such as allergies, and they can easily become overweight.
Goldens love food, and will eat anything!! It is important to keep control and monitor their food intake so that they do not become overweight.
It is certainly not an easy thing to do when they look at you with their sad puppy dog eyes begging for food every time you eat.
The biggest mistake you can make is feeding them from the table. I can attest to this because I used to do it! My dog became slightly overweight, and it was a struggle to shed the pounds off of her.
When Do Retriever Puppies Shed
If you are planning to buy a golden retriever puppy, be ready to tackle their frequent shedding which might irk you till their entire lifespan.
Baby retrievers shed their extra thick coat till the next 6 months after which they will start growing the adult fur.
These double-coated retriever puppies shed their coat twice a year during the spring to grow small hair that keeps them cool the entire summer and during the fall making space for long hair to dare the chill.
But dont worry you can easily get rid of their fur from your couch, carpets, sofa, car or bed with a pet vacuum cleaner that removes the fur giving you a clean and allergy free home.
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Golden Retriever Coat Care Golden Retriever Society
Golden Retriever Coat Stages. Golden Retriever puppies are born with fluffy, fuzzy hair coats. This fur is very soft and fine, and it helps to keep puppies warm due to its insulating properties. Golden puppies begin to grow adult hairs around three to four months of age, starting at the tail and then gradually moving up the body.These slightly coarser outer hairs are called guard hairs, and
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Raising A Golden Retriever Puppy Finding A Vet
Most of us have our puppies vaccinated. Vaccines are not completely without risk, but the risk of serious disease for unvaccinated puppies is usually considered by experts to be much greater.
Most puppy parents want to know which shots their puppies need, when their puppies can go outside safely, a few want to know what happens if they decide not to vaccinate their puppies.
Youll find information on all those topics in the articles below:
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Taking Care Of Your Golden Retriever At Home
Much of what you can do to keep your dog happy and healthy is common sense, just like it is for people. Watch her diet, make sure she gets plenty of exercise, regularly brush her teeth and coat, and call us or a pet emergency hospital when something seems unusual . Be sure to adhere to the schedule of examinations and vaccinations that we recommend for her. This is when well give her the necessary check-ups and test for diseases and conditions that are common in Goldens. Another very important step in caring for your pet is signing up for pet health insurance. There will certainly be medical tests and procedures she will need throughout her life and pet health insurance will help you cover those costs.
What To Watch For
Any abnormal symptom could be a sign of serious disease or it could just be a minor or temporary problem. The important thing is to be able to tell when to seek veterinary help and how urgently. Many diseases cause dogs to have a characteristic combination of symptoms, which together can be a clear signal that your Golden Retriever needs help.
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A Good Feeding Schedule Is Important
As a puppy grows up, the nutritional needs also change, as does the feeding schedule. To be on your A-game, you should feed the puppy according to the needs of his age group.
Take a quick look at our cheat-sheet:
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Puppies between 8-12 weeks of age need four meals per day
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Pups between the ages of 3-6 months need to be fed thrice a day
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Puppies aged 6 months to 1 year will need two meals a day
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Dogs older than one require just one meal a day
However, you also need to keep in mind that larger breeds should be fed two small meals a day rather than just one to avoid life threatening diseases such as Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus.
Things To Take Care Of While Buying A Collar For Your Golden Retriever
So here Im adding some tips which will be definitely helpful for you to choose your Goldens collar like a pro!
- As you know, this breed is famous for its long hair. Keeping it in mind, you need to buy a collar that is a bit loose from your dogs neck size. Because a tight collar can get rubbed a lot with your Goldens fur and you will see his hair breaking.
- Dont buy a heavy collar because your dog will not be able to move freely with that. Go for a lightweight one, especially if you have a puppy.
- Goldens are pretty active dogs so they need a wide collar for better support and strength. And if we talk about the exact width then for these dogs, the collar should be 1 inch wide for puppies and 1½ inch for adults.
- Your Retrievers collar should be long enough that it can easily fit two fingers between your dogs neck and the collar.
- The collar should be loose but at the same time, it should be able to pull your dog comfortably without choking him1.
Understood all of these? Lets move to the next point!!
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Chapter : Exercise A Physical Importance
Exercise? Yes, these energetic dogs require regular exercise of almost 20-30 mins a day. Go for a walk, can play some games with your pup in the park or in the backyard of your house.
Also, make sure that you dont give more time than recommended to your canine during the exercise which may cause a few joint problems. Be safe and make your mind well educated before you start exercising with him.
You can try these 5 Best Joint Supplement For Golden Retrievers if your Golden is experiencing pain or discomfort in their joints.
Golden Retrievers were developed as a sporting breed .
And also remember that The younger the golden, more exercise they will need.
Adopting Golden Retriever Puppies
According to the AKC, most breed rescues report that a majority of their rescue dogs come from individual owner surrender, with the most common reasons being a change in lifestyle or the breed not being a good fit. This means that there may be many dogs and puppies out there that are looking for a new forever home.
The main difference between a breeder and a rescue is that a rescue may not always have young puppies to choose from. The benefit, however, is that most are mandated to only adopt out dogs that have been microchipped and spayed/neutered. This means you may end up with a dog thats already been housebroken, and doesnt need these common medical procedures. You may also find a golden retriever mix that has all the traits you want from the breed, but with a little extra thrown in.
Finding a golden retriever rescue can be as simple as searching the internet. The AKC also has an excellent list of golden retriever rescues on their site.
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Pet Safe Martingale Dog Collar
If you think you will have a hard time putting the collar on or taking off your dog then this collar is for you!
This new style collar comes with a quick snap buckle that makes it super easy to put on and take off. Also, this martingale collar is much safer for your dog as it only tightens when it needs to be.
That means, it tightens when your pup pulls and loosens when he stops. So no risks!
Also, it has 10,940 reviews with a 4.5-star rating. Dog owners are really loving it!!
Feeding Your Golden Retriever
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Is A Golden Retriever High Maintenance
The interesting thing about a retriever is that they come in three coat types: smooth, wavy, and rough. All three of those types are considered high maintenance.The nature of the coat determines how often grooming needs to be done. A retriever with a smooth coat only needs grooming every now and then because it has an oily substance on its skin that prevents dirt from sticking to their hair, but this oil also blocks off your dogs natural sebaceous glands which produce oils for all over the dogs fur and skin. This means that without regular baths or other treatments to help revitalize these glands, your pet will experience dryness around the eyes and elsewhere where moisture is necessary ? all too common among golden retrie.
Raising A Golden Retriever Puppy Setting Up
Before your puppy comes home, you should work to set up everything that theyll need. Its much easier to do this before you have an excited puppy running around your feet at every turn.
Three of the most important things to set up are your crate, your puppy zone, and any baby gates that youve bought.
Make sure your puppys crate is big enough for him to turn around in, and sleep comfortably in. But, remember that if its much bigger than this, your Golden may try to use one end as a bed and the other as a toilet.
If your crate is too big when your puppy comes home, you can use a crate divider to create a smaller bedroom area.
A puppy zone is an area in your house that is puppy proof. It usually contains your puppys crate, some toys, and fresh water. You may choose to feed your puppy in their puppy zone too.
Some people create a puppy zone within a playpen. But others like to dedicate an entire room, like the kitchen. If you want to do this, its best to use baby gates on the doors, so that you can get out easily without releasing your puppy.
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Final Thoughts On How To Take Care Of A Golden Retriever
I believe the number one thing that any dog owner can do is to show their dog lots of love!
The Golden Retriever especially needs a lot of love and attention in order to be happy. They value the time spent with you, and any dog owner knows that the time spent with their beloved Golden Retriever is never enough.
A Golden Retriever quickly steals your heart and becomes your best friend. Their beauty both inside and out becomes addicting that most owners of this beautiful breed usually own more than one.
Keep in mind that if you let a Golden be a Golden, by letting them do what they love such as meeting new people and going swimming, then you will be rewarded with a happy dog.
How do you take care of your Golden Retriever to ensure their happiness?
Naming Your Golden Retriever Puppy
Whatever you decide to name your puppy, make sure you like it, because you sure are going to be saying it a lot.
There are no real guidelines, although most people try to at least avoid intense names, like Killer, because golden retrievers are well, golden retrievers.
Some people go with human names, like Doug, others go with plant names, like Aspen, there are food names, like Cashew, and there are the names of other animals, like Bear.
If you need some name inspiration, check out our giant list of golden retriever names here.
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