Golden Retriever Breed Info

The golden angel of the sporting group. Let’s chat about the beautiful Golden Retrievers! Find out if a Golden Retriever is the right dog for your family!

Golden Retriever Facts

Golden Retrievers were bred to cover large fields, including through water, at a high rate of speed to retrieve game. To stand out in the field, their coats are gold, which makes them easy to spot from long distances by hunters. Coat color varies from light, almost white gold, to dark brown gold. Beware of breeders specializing in “rare white goldens.” The color is not rare, it’s just a color variation. When I say beware, some breeders will charge a steeper price. This is your first clue this breeder is not for you.

Goldens are a large, heavy boned dog, standing 21-24 inches at the shoulder and weighing 55-70 pounds as an adult. Goldens can live between 10-12 years old. They are a courageous and lively breed with plenty of energy to master an agility course in lightening fast time. Remember, they were bred to retrieve all day long. 🙂

Temperament

Friendly, smart, happy and social with people and other dogs. They should not be anxious, fearful or aggressive. To keep your Golden mentally happy, provide daily walks, food puzzles for daily meals plus lots of opportunities to earn rewards for polite behaviors.

Goldens are powerhouses and do best in active homes. If you would prefer to stay home and watch TV, this breed is probably not for you. If you enjoy the outdoors, hiking, traveling and socializing, a Golden will fit right in. They will gregariously entertain guests for you!

It’s always important to meet Sire and Dam before choosing a puppy. Their temperaments provide a sneak peak of your puppy’s future temperament. I say “future,” as it’s so important to socialize puppies, especially before 16 weeks of age. Lack of socialization is detrimental for the end result. Hence, his final adult personality (temperament). If his Sire or Dam is anxious, there is a 50% chance your puppy will be anxious too. It’s important to understand, aggression is a symptom of anxiety. If adopting your puppy or older dog, you’re in luck as many knowledgeable shelter workers can temperament test your future dog for you!

Training

As with all dogs, begin socialization early before 16 weeks of age. Due to his large size and activity level, enroll him in a puppy and basic manners course to learn polite manners. Goldens flourish using positive reinforcement training and clicker training! Read tips on locating a professional dog trainer.

To prevent excessive energy, feed his daily meals using food puzzles and daily walks. Also, as a dog trainer, I feel large dogs should focus on a few different behaviors than smaller dogs so it’s important Goldens learn these polite behaviors. Now, you may notice your Golden puppy loves to pick up and hold things in his mouth, as he was bred to hunt and retrieve game. Sometimes rocks, sticks and your arms become game so it’s important to manage puppy mouthing.

Goldens can pretty much do it all. They can hunt, retrieve, run agility courses, excel in obedience venues, move beautifully during conformation shows and even barn hunt! Goldens are fantastic at service and guide dog duties. They’re large enough to easily pick up items, strong enough to brace a person trying to stand up, powerful enough to pull wheelchairs and smart enough to train for anything. Yup, that’s a Golden in a nutshell!

Health Issues

Goldens are susceptible to hereditary Hip and Elbow Dysplasia, which are painful malformations of bones. Cancer is common in the breed too. Also, a small percent develop hereditary heart issues. To minimize these risks, only purchase dogs from reputable breeders that health test their dogs. Now, many unethical breeders are getting smart and advertise health testing, but don’t really do it, so always ask for health certificates from the Orthopedic Foundation of Animals (OFA).

If adopting a Golden, it’s important to understand health issues plaguing this breed and keep an eye out for any signs or symptoms for these diseases. When in doubt, contact your vet.

Grooming

Goldens have a dense coat, which should repel water. Hence their retrieving background. They should be brushed weekly with a slicker brush and mat rake, which removes undercoat, dead hair and keeps their coat tangle free. Using blunt-nosed scissors, trim hair between pads to prevent sliding on smooth surfaces. Don’t forget weekly nail trims, ear cleanings and tooth brushings. While many Goldens have beautiful flowing furnishings (longer hair on backs of front and back legs), these furnishings don’t require trimming unless they’re tangling. To trim furnishings, locate a professional groomer who can trim back their furnishings without shaving them. Even better yet, keep their flashy furnishings and invest in a great coat detangled. 🙂

Find a Golden Retriever

Before buying or adopting a Golden, please choose adopters and breeders from the Golden Retriever Club of America. These folks are the experts on this breed and will guide you in the right direction. For rescues, view Petfinder to locate a Golden in need near you!

Tell me about your Golden Retriever!