Theyre Great As Friends
They say a mans best friend is their dog, and this is undoubtedly true with a golden retriever.
No other friend is available to you whenever you want to hang out, always wants to do whatever youre doing, never mocks you or tells you that thing youre excited about is a bad idea. Who needs human friends when youve got a dog on your side?!
There Are Three Types Of Golden Retrievers
While you might think all Golden Retrievers look very similar, the breed actually has three different colors — golden, light golden, and dark golden — as well as three different types — English, Canadian, and American. There are subtle differences between the types of Goldens, but they all fall under the same breed.
How do you know what type of Golden Retriever you’ve got? Check their build and coloring. Canadian and American Golden Retrievers tend to have the same build however, Canadians have a thinner coat than the Americans. English Golden Retrievers have a stockier build than the other types, and also tend to have a light golden to white color. To get an idea of what color coat your Golden Retriever puppy will have when it matures, take a look at its ears. The tip of the ears usually show what color the pup will be after they lose their puppy coat. No matter which type of Golden you have, they’ll have an even, enjoyable temperament. Goldens are renowned for their calm, playful, and friendly disposition.
Is A Golden Retriever The Right Dog For You
© Depositphotos.com / VileDevilThe Golden Retriever is a high-profile breed, regularly seen in the media and consistently making top 10 lists of popular breeds for many countries.
They are working retrievers and assistance dogs as well as popular family pets. So theyre seen everywhere and are well-known and loved by many.
But is a Golden Retriever the right dog for you? And are you and your family the right people for a Golden Retriever?
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Golden Retriever Puppies Are In Need To Have Their Room
Golden Retriever Dogs have different sizes. You can buy a retriever puppy that is in a small or medium size. A female golden retriever puppy has the height of 20-22 inches tall or 51 to 56 cm.
They also weigh for about 55 to 70 pounds or 25 to 32 kg. Male golden retriever puppies are much taller and more substantial than the female one.
They weigh for about 60 to 80 pounds or 27 to 36 kg. They also have a height of 23 to 24 inches tall or 58 to 61 cm., and probably need a larger space than the female puppy.
It would be best if you created a room for your golden puppy for them to be able to move freely.
If you have a yard, it will be greatif you will make it as the room of your golden retrievers.
However, as goldens are sociable, they will probably prefer to stay inside your house playing with your family members rather than running around your yard alone.
So before buying a golden retriever puppy, make sure that your apartment or house has enough space to host an intelligent and active kind of dog, even though you have your yard.
These dogs are not the only creature that you can have inside your home.
Have a monthly schedule on cleaning the hair of your golden retriever puppy because their hair shed yearly.
Shedding of their hairs became heavier during the autumn and spring season.
However, a vacuum cleaner will always be the best tool for cleaning the shed hair of your dog from your sofa and carpet.
How Much To Feed A Golden Retriever
Golden Retrievers usually weigh from 55 to 75 pounds and reach their full height and weight when they are 12 to 18 months old. Keep in mind that every dog is an individual and that it can take more or less time for your Golden puppy to reach his adult size. However, your Goldens caloric needs will greatly decrease when he reaches 12 to 14 months and he will no longer need the same amount of food as before.
An adult and active Golden will need to eat between 1,300 to 1,700 calories per day. However, keep in mind that age, weight, activity level, health problems, and overall lifestyle will determine how many calories your Golden needs per day.
For example, nursing mothers and dogs that perform heavy work will need more than 2,000 calories per day in order to maintain their weight and stay healthy. On the other hand, if your pooch is more of a couch potato type than an athlete he will probably need around 1,000 calories a day in order to maintain a healthy weight.
During adulthood, your Golden Retriever feeding schedule should consist of two equally spaced meals ideally, you should feed your dog in the morning and evening. If you opt for feeding high-quality large breed dog food, an optimal Golden Retriever food amount will be:
- Females: 2 to 2 ½ cups a day
- Males: 3 to 3 ½ cups a day
- Active Males: 4 cups a day
- Nursing Females: 5 to 6 cups a day
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Golden Retrievers Have Health Problems
What are the most important things to know about golden retrievers as they age? With an average lifespan of 10-12 years, goldens have inherited many health challenges starting early with skin infections and ear infection during puppyhood to major diseases like cancer and bone problems later in life. It is hence recommended to buy a puppy with healthy parents from a good breeder.
When Should You Neuter Your Male Golden Retriever
The perfect age to neuter your male golden retriever is around one year after they reach sexual maturity.
When you neuter your golden at such a young age, you increase their chances of enjoying its benefits while decreasing their chances of suffering from any side effects.
By neutering your golden, you are eliminating their need to find a mate, which is the root cause for many behaviors such as aggression, domination, and escaping. You can learn more about golden retrievers aggression here and about how to stop your golden retriever from running away here.
It also provides major health benefits for your male dog and it significantly reduces their risk of testicular cancer. Learn more about this in the sources section below.
Some vets recommend waiting for two years before you neuter your dog, but the only problem with that recommendation is that neutering your dog after two years will not make any difference in your dogs behavior before its done and it may take them longer to re-adjust.
However, if they are not displaying the aggressive behaviors connected to mating, then you can wait for two years without much worry.
You can always consult their vet if they should do it at that age or not considering that they know your dogs medical history.
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How Often Should You Groom A Golden Retriever
Golden Retrievers are arguably one of the most desired companions for pet owners and especially dog lovers. After all, what is there not to love about them? These dogs are among the most friendly, lovable, and intelligent kinds of dogs out there. People could spend hours upon hours playing with these hunks of fur to be met with the same amount of enthusiasm and energy.
A Golden Retriever is the perfect family pet and a friend to all people. You will find yourself spending a large amount of your time with these playful dogs. As their name might suggest, these dogs have golden fur to compliment their wonderful personalities. This is why pet owners must always remember to take good care and groom their Golden Retrievers.
What Should I Feed My Golden Retriever
Golden Retrievers should be fed a high-quality dog food thats appropriate for their age. Your veterinarian can offer recommendations and advise you on a healthy feeding schedule. Be careful not to overfeed your Golden Retriever. Use a measuring cup to make sure youre providing the right amount of kibble, and dont go overboard on treats, which can be high in calories.
Its important to help your Golden Retriever maintain a healthy weight to avoid problems like joint pain, heart disease, and liver and kidney issues. Like other large breeds, theyre also prone to conditions like hip dysplasia and arthritis, which can become more painful if theyre carrying extra pounds.
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What Age Should You Stop Breeding Your Golden Retriever
You should stop breeding your golden retriever after their third or fourth litter. Or when theyre 8 years old, whichever comes first. Doing this ensures youre going to keep the mother in good health, as well as reducing the risk of pregnancy complications which are a lot more likely in older dogs.
The Pros Of Neutering Your Golden Retriever
Here are the pros of neutering your golden retriever
First, neutering your male golden retriever
- Reduces the level of your male golden retrievers aggression.
- Neutered dogs are more gentle and affectionate
- They will try to escape to find a mate
- Their prostate health will be better
- They will not chase a female in heat
- You will avoid the whole mark my territory part
- They will be calmer
- They are less likely to hump objects, other pets, and peoples legs.
- Neutering them will reduce the chance of having anal fistula ( a condition that develops carbuncles around their anus
- It will control your dogs breeding
Pros of neutering your female golden retriever
- Reduction of their heat period
- Your female golden and house will be cleaner
- They will be calmer
- Reduces the risk of your female golden retriever getting breast cancer.
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Diamond Naturals Large Breed Adult
Rating:
This Large Breed Adult formula is one of 13 dry recipes covered in our review of the Diamond Naturals product line.
- First 5 ingredients: Chicken, chicken meal, whole grain brown rice, cracked pearled barley, ground white rice
- Type: Grain-inclusive
- Profile: Maintenance
- Best for:Adult goldens
Diamond Naturals Large Breed gets the better part of its meat protein from fresh chicken and chicken meal. Dry matter label analysis reveals the recipe contains 26% protein, 14% fat and 52% estimated carbs creating a fat-to-protein ratio of about 57%.
We like the fact that this particular formula contains zinc proteinate and 3 other chelated minerals, costly items not typically found in such a budget-friendly, high quality option. A top pick for adult goldens. Easy to recommend.
Sample buyer reviewWe have seen great changes in our dogs on this food. My beagle is getting older and slowing down. With the Diamond food, he is running all over and back to jumping on the couch and bed again. My male Great Pyrenees had digestive issues that cleared right up. My female Great Pyrenees was always getting skin issues with a rough coat. She isnt scratching and her coat is gorgeous. Thank you Diamond for giving my dogs their lives back.
They Increase Our Lifespan
Various studies have suggested that people with dogs live longer on average than people who dont own pets.
There could be several reasons for this, one of the primary ones being that dog owners tend to get more exercise and have been found to have lower than average cholesterol levels.
Whatever the reasons, if our canine companions help us to live longer, thats another added bonus!
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They Are Not Aware Of Their Size
Adult Golden Retrievers typically weigh between 5575 lbs, but don’t tell them that. And while Golden Retrievers are seemingly unaware of their actual size, for people, the combination of their size, enthusiasm, playfulness, and desire to be very close to their owners makes them seem larger than they are.
Be prepared for your full-grown Golden to think they are a lapdog.
Give Your Golden Retriever Puppy The Right Food For Them
Pet owners who have this kind of dog breeds always want to give the food that will suit to their tummies.
However, it is challenging to search for foods that you can find from the different markets near you.
You, as a pet owner is in need to be trained to be a label reader to find the foods that will fit for your golden retriever puppy.
You can search for different foods that were made for puppies, but there are some manufacturers of dog food that will give you a specific food that can suit the needs of your dog breeds.
It is imperative for you, as a pet owner to feed you golden retriever for about three to five meals per day, for the first two-quarters of the life of your puppy.
Moreover, after the two-quarter of your puppys life, you can now feed your golden retriever puppies for about two time small meals per day.
If you have the right schedule on feeding your puppy will help you to monitor the food amount that your puppy ate easily.
This will also help you to have easier potty training for your new puppy and will help you to control the weight of your golden retrievers.
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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.
When Is The Best Time To Spay A Golden Retriever
For Golden Retrievers, this typically occurs before they are one year of age. Most veterinarians recommended spaying before your pup is 6 months of age. However, for Golden Retrievers, this recommendation has now changed to 18 months. Golden Retriever Behavior After Spay
In general, neutering a dog becomes safer after hes had all his puppy vaccines and weighs a bit more. Taking all factors into account, most veterinarians prefer to have male dog neutering take place at around five to six months of age.
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Its Not All About Time Do You Have Enough Energy
Even if you do have enough time to sufficiently exercise a Golden, do you have enough energy?
If youre an outdoor type, who loves swimming, walking, hiking, getting out in nature and exploring with your dog every day with no exceptions, a Golden Retriever and you are a perfect fit.
But if youre the stay at home type, whod rather kick their feet up in front of the TV five days a week, or wont venture out in the cold winter months, its probably best you go for a lower energy breed.
Goldens have energy-a-plenty and need an owner with energy levels that match. Somebody who will always cater to their needs for training, exercise and play.
Locked up indoors for any length of time they will become bored and hyperactive which is unfair on a Golden and will likely end in being just as unkind to your chair legs, shoes and any other belongings within reach of their bored mouths and minds.
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Golden Retrievers Are Excitable
All their life! They never seem to calm down. They are excited about baby, to see owner, to meet people, for food, to see another dog or puppy, to see squirrels and rabbits you name it and theres a golden waiting to jump on something interesting. It takes a lot of effort and dog training to get them to control their impulses to some extent. Nevertheless, they still retain their character their entire life.
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Golden Retrievers Are Intelligent
Originally bred to help us hunt prey, Golden Retrievers rank as the fourth smartest dog breed around, only coming in behind border collies, poodles, and German shepherds.
For those who own goldens, this probably isnt a surprise: Whether its playing fetch or doing tricks, retrievers often showcase their knowledge!
Having a smart dog offers a lot of fun and unique advantages. For example, because of that intelligence, you need to constantly teach golden retrievers new tricks and new games to challenge their minds.
They wont thrive with walking the same path every day theyll want to explore their surroundings, learn, and experience new things.
It might seem like a lot of work, but this is how you build a real bond with your pet: Exploring with them, teaching them tricks, playing with them, and molding their mind will help you create amazing memories together.
Retrievers Are Easy to Train
With the golden retrievers exceptional intelligence, you can train them to do many skills.
Thats a big reason retrievers are one of the most common breeds for therapy and guide dogs and even search-and-rescue teams.
With a long history of hunting and retrieving game, goldens are great listeners when given direction and are a great choice for people looking to teach a dog to handle tasks other breeds just cannot.
Golden Retrievers Are Loyal
Golden retrievers are so loyal they actually get stressed if they dont see their owners for long periods of time.
Golden Retrievers Are Obedient