Golden retriever guide
Brief info about your dog's breed golden retriever:
Weight: male 29 - 32 kg and female 25 - 29 kg
Male 58 - 62 cm female 53 - 55 cm
Energy level: Medium
Life expectancy: 10 -13 years
Tendency to drool: Small
Tendency to snore: Slight
Tendency to bark: Medium
Digging tendency: Slight
Social Needs: High
Asked for: Appearance
Colours: Various shades of golden
Health Concerns: Generally healthy and sound breed, but at risk for hip and elbow problems, among others.
Golden Retrievers are versatile and immensely popular dogs. They love to be occupied and to work, remember they were originally bred to be retrieving bird dogs! Characteristics of a golden are that they are intelligent, playful, affectionate and love to carry things! They often work well with children and other dogs.
Grooming
The coat comes in different shades of golden, some individuals are virtually white while others are dark golden. The long-haired coat is water-repellent and requires regular brushing. A golden needs to be bathed as needed, they love water - both clean and dirty so it can be a good idea to always have a dog shampoo ready in the home for when a bath is needed.
Dog clipping
Your dog's claws need to be taken care of, of course! Claws should be clipped when needed, but a recommendation is not to wait too long, once a month may be just about right. It's better to clip a little and often than a lot and rarely. You need to get your dog used to having its claws clipped from an early age, in the claw clipping course we give you our best tips on how to clip your dog's claws!
Litter
Because a golden retriever is a large dog, it is slightly more common for them to suffer from lameness problems. You can learn more about the different types of lameness and what to do if your dog is lame in the general lameness course.
Weight control
Golden retrievers are often food-loving and don't usually turn down treats that are offered. Because of this, there is a risk that they may eat a little more than they actually need, this therefore means that as a golden owner you need to help your dog maintain the correct weight. You can do this partly by learning about Weight Control but also by learning about how to determine if your dog's coat is good, which you can learn about in this video.
Stomach problems
Food-loving Goldens sometimes also eat things that are not very good for dogs to eat, which can lead to vomiting and/or diarrhoea. Vomiting and diarrhoea are a common reason why dogs take their dogs to the vet, but the fact is that in many cases you can treat your dog for vomiting and/or diarrhoea at home. Learn more about when you can and can't treat your dog yourself at home here.
Socialisation
Remember to socialise your dog. We recommend that you start practicing environmental training at an early age, you need to let your dog experience both sounds and places that it will experience even when it is an adult. Learn more about socialisation and environmental training here.
