Introduction
Golden retrievers are medium-sized dogs. These dogs are of British breed. Moreover, the beautiful golden coat of golden retrievers makes this breed eye-catching. People love to have this breed as a pet. In western countries, people are mesmerized by the beauty of this breed. Nearly everyone has this pet in western countries. They have almost all the qualities that an adorable pet should have. Golden retrievers are smart and loyal. These dogs love their parents. Are you considering adopting this expensive and rich breed?. Must read our article till the end. You will know all the advantages and disadvantages of owning this loyal pup.
Quick Facts of Golden Retriever Breed
History of Golden Retriever
People originally bred the Golden Retriever in Scotland in the midst of the 19th century. At that time, the sport Wildfowl Hunting became so popular. Scottish elite who played loved it. However, these retriever breeds were insufficient for retrieving games for both water and land. Furthermore, retrieving is also necessary for both land and water, but the problem is that it becomes rough when the land surface is muddy. Water spaniels were crossed with the present retrievers, resulting in the production of the breed which is known as Golden retriever.
Firstly this retriever was developed near Glen Affric in Scotland, at Guisachan, the highland property of Dudley Marjoribanks, first Baron Tweedmouth. The retriever’s also thought to be known as created from the extinct Russian tracker dog.
In the 1800s, we generated weapons to hunt birds. Sometimes the painful terrains make the hunters tough to reach their hunted birds. For this purpose, they need trained retrievers who can help them in a confusing situation, so the Golden retriever is their best option, and after that, they begin to develop more of these breeds.
Appearance of Golden Retriever
Height
The height of a Golden Retriever varies from age and size. It is different for males and females. However, the general height of the golden retriever is about 22 inches tall.
- Male: 22 to 24 inches
- Female: 20 to 22 inches
Weight
Generally, these dogs weigh around 50 to 60 pounds.
- Male: 65 to 75 pounds
- Female: 55 to 70 pounds
Life Span
The average life span of a golden retriever is 10 to 12 years.
Coat and Color
The Golden Retriever has a dense coat that is water repellent with a thick undercoat. When shown in conformation, the outer coat must not be coarse or too silky. It must lie close to the body and not be puffy; the outer coat can be either straight or wavy.
Additional Traits
- Males have thicker long coats the female dog.
- Males have broader heads and noses than a female dog.
- Males have more muscles than a female dog.
- Golden retrievers are active and good in sports activities.
Personality and Temperament
Good Nature
One of the rarest things about having a golden retriever is their good nature. These dogs are kind and brave. These dogs are not naughty at all. Most of the time, these dogs are jolly and playing. They have so much love to give everyone. A rare number of golden retrievers get furious instantly.
Sharp Instincts
Golden retrievers have remarkably sharp instincts. By spending time with your precious golden retriever, the abilities of your dog will increase to a higher level. They can easily sense whether someone is pissed off or happy. These dogs can change the mood and bring joy to the owner. They always are there with you until you feel better, no matter how long it takes.
Amazing Family Dogs
Golden retrievers love to go outside see different people and different sceneries. Sometimes it’s hard to deal with introverted dogs because they might not come so social and communicate a little bit. However, golden retrievers are lovely animals. They love getting all the attention of their owner and everyone. They want all the love and affection only for themselves. For those who are looking for family-oriented dogs. Then this is the best option. Kids, babies, and older individuals everyone loves them so much.
Jolly and Enjoying
Golden retrievers are not aggressive dogs. Most of the time, these dogs are jolly and enjoying. It is because of the high level of patience and pain endurance. However, let no one be rude or rough with your beautiful and patient canine. Just because this breed is calm most of the time does not mean that it won’t get angry or react harshly. It’s better to be careful, take precautions, and take vital measures. Keeping a pup is an incredible idea. So, as a pet parent, you should take care of these innocent and lovely dogs.
Barking
Unlike other canines, golden retrievers are not fond of barking excessively. They are a generally quiet breed. The reason that these canines barks are because they want attention.
Golden Retriever Care and Maintenance
Taking care of pets is a responsibility, not a privilege. They always rely upon us for various reasons such as food, training, exercising, etc. Therefore, being a guardian of them, you need to feel your commitment. Care can take many forms. We briefly outlined some of them below.
Shedding Level
Golden retrievers shed heavily in the spring season and shed relatively less in the summer and winter. You have to brush them frequently. Cleanliness is important. Taking proper care of the dogs and washing them is necessary. Brushing dogs every day is a good thing. However, you can reduce it according to your dog breed. These dogs require extra care and love.
Exercise
Golden retrievers need at least 2 hours of good exercise a day. Exercises and workouts are necessary even for a dog. We suggest giving your canine running, walking, fetching, hunting, swimming as exercises. You can also use a treadmill. It keeps your dog healthy and lively.
- Various experts train these dogs. However, you can teach them easily at home as well.
- They are one of the most easily trainable dogs. You will enjoy training your pup so much. They love to learn new things, because of the high span of attention, they can efficiently perform tasks. They love playing and learning new stuff. The patience level of these dogs is high. These dogs are in the top five smartest and bravest dogs all around the world.
- These dogs are the best for shows. There are various reasons that we consider golden retrievers the best dogs for show. They are overall wise and top five intelligent breeds. As compared to other varieties, golden retrievers are relatively brilliant and patient. There are many dog competitions held in various countries around the world.
- You can take part in these competitions and shows with your favorite puppy. Just decorate them and train these amazing dogs.
- We have beautiful collars available. Kindly check the article best dog collars to get the best collars for your dog. So you and your dog can enjoy and have lovely memories together.
Golden Retriever Food
Golden retrievers need more food than usual dogs. Therefore it is better to buy dog food from the market. This dog food will nourish your dog and complete the nutritional content of golden retrievers. For golden retriever dog food is better. All the details and necessary things are mentioned on the pack of dog food. Follow all the guidelines written on the dog food packet.
Best Food for Dogs
Worst Food for Dogs
You can feed various other food items to your pup. These can be treats, fruits, or anything else. However, most people do not know what to feed a golden retriever. We have a wide range of articles that tell which food is best for a dog. Must read these articles to know more about a dog’s eating tastes.
Pros of Owning a G. Retriever
- Therapy Dogs: It won’t be wrong to say that these dogs have a literal heart of gold. They are so true, and they naturally have a therapeutic presence around them. However, proper training and disciplining are necessary for a dog to become a therapy dog. Golden retrievers have almost all the traits to become therapy dogs. Anyone who has anxiety or panic attacks should get this dog. They are quick to respond and sharp enough to analyze the situation within minutes. You can gift it to your parents, any older friend, or elder relative that has a hard time being calm and composed. These dogs are best for resolving this sort of issue.
- Loyality and Love: This breed is loyal and loves its pet parent too much. Basically these dogs were bred by various hunters. Their main aim was to keep the families and residents of the house safe. They always do this task successfully. You will notice that your Golden retriever dog will keep returning to you no matter what. However, sometimes this dog will not be in your sight anymore. In the end, it will keep coming back to you. If a golden retriever does not come back, then the chances of them getting lost or kidnapped are high. You can put a GPS tracker to avoid this drastic situation.
- Playing and Learning: It is hard to play with kids because of the fierce and busy routine. However, a kid might throw a tantrum for not playing with them. This dog will solve your problem. The mindset of the golden retriever is having fun and enjoying every moment with the pet parent. These dogs would love to play with your kids or even with you. Other breeds of dogs are less likely to play with your kids. They lose puppy mindset after the age of 2. However, these jolly and active dogs keep that behavior for more than two or three years. You can play with a toy or take them to the park instead.
- No Destruction: I have preached a lot about how good-natured golden retrievers are. There is not a single evil bone in their body. It’s very unusual for golden retrievers to lash out at someone, and if they do, it’s typically taken a lot of incitement for them to do so. Golden retriever gives you many signs before they lose their temper. When their patience is running out, they try to isolate themselves. The dogs try their best not to hurt anyone when they are angry. They go to a different room, isolate themselves, or try to stay alone until they are entirely calm
- Good Watchdogs: With adequate training, golden retrievers would become good watchdogs. The dogs of this breed do not bark regularly, like dogs who bark even when they see a leaf coming towards them. Golden retrievers are not like that at all. However, whenever they bark, the voice is unbelievably sharp and loud. Pet parents have to train their dogs in order to achieve this. We do not consider golden retrievers good watchdogs. It is because of their friendly nature. Attacking is not a trait of these dogs, so they will not attack anyone coming to your house, whether it’s a relative or a robber. However, they will warn you of their presence by barking or any specific thing.
- Magnet for Charming People: Golden retrievers are attractive and good-looking dogs. People love to see beautiful things and animals. People won’t be able to resist your dog and stroke your dog. They will shower their love on the dog. For those people that are new in any area or city, and want to make quick friends. Your best friend, golden Retrievers, can help you make many friends.
- Healthy Behaviour with Other Pets: These dogs make friends pretty quickly. The credit goes to the jolly and social behavior of this breed. They do not attack other animals unnecessarily. For those pet parents that already own cats, dogs, parrots, rabbits, and many other animals, then this is a perfect breed for you. According to various surveys and reports, Golden retriever saves a lot of animals. They rarely see other animals as their rivals. However, you must introduce animals to each other. It is helpful in building a bond between the animals of different breeds or different animals in general. This breed cares for other pet friends a lot.
Cons of Owning a G. Retriever
There are many logical reasons you should adopt this cute and smart puppy. There are some things you need to know before purchasing a golden retriever. Here we will tell all the possible drawbacks of owning a golden retriever. Must read it before the end to know about this lovely breed.
- Big Eaters: First of all, they are big dogs. However, they still love to eat food so much. Give them a chance. These dogs will eat almost all the food. So you should be very aware of how much you need to feed them and make sure you don’t overfeed them. By eating overly much food, these dogs become big quickly. It will lead to the dog becoming overweight. For an overweight dog, you need more food than usual. So keep in mind that being a golden retriever parent is costly.
- Sucker of 24/7 Attention: One of the biggest cons of looking after the golden retriever is that they don’t like to be left alone. This dog loves attention. Being a parent of a golden retriever means you can not leave home. At least not for more than 5-7 hours. You must come back after 6 hours. One of the best things you could do for your golden retriever is live in the house. However, assuming that you cannot give time to your dog for a long time period. They may end up suffering from separation anxiety and other abandonment issues and engaging in destructive behavior like chewing. There are many people who work for several hours. We recommend you to make a dog daycare. It will distract the mind of a dog. This way, the dogs might not show any syndromes of anxiety and so on.
- Big Room Require: Golden retriever loves to play. It is like these beautiful dogs. However, they are not comfortable in narrow houses or dorms. One must have a big apartment and a garden. A garden or park nearby is very crucial. These dogs do not like staying at home for many hours. They want to play outside. These dogs usually love it.
- Chewers: With the name retriever, it’s rarely a surprise that these dogs can often be chewers. These dogs pick up things with their mouths. It is a normal thing for them. So chewing is not a big deal for these dogs. However, training a golden retriever makes this task easier. With proper training and discipline, you can eliminate this habit gradually. Ultimately, the nasty habit of chewing everything will end.
- No Good Guard Dog: A golden retriever is not a good guard dog. There are many other breeds that make good guard dogs. These dogs are friendly and loving by nature. This breed can be friends with literally anyone. They don’t care if the person is a stranger, robber, or anyone. It is easy for them to make new friends quickly.
Golden Retriever Health Issues
Golden retrievers are also prone to certain diseases and health conditions. It can affect their quality of life. The most common health problems of these dogs are pain in joints and dysfunctional hips. However, eye issues like cataracts and increased thyroid quantity are also observed in several unhealthy golden retrievers. One should get health insurance for your canine. This way you will save a lot of money.
People who should own G. Retriever
- Social and Extrovert: Golden retrievers are the perfect companion for those owners who love to go outdoors. For outdoor traveling, these dogs are the best companions. You can go to various places and travel with your precious golden retriever.
- Have Family: Another great thing about golden retrievers is that they love kids, other pets, and the rest of the family. If you have kids or have a big family, then golden retrievers are best to adopt. You only need to train them and teach them to be less boisterous around children and also teach your children to let their dog alone when they want time to themselves.
- Want Leisure Time: You get bored smoothly, and you have no idea how to spend this free time. Not always do we want to read the book or do something productive. Sometimes, we want to play and have fun. For these times, the golden retriever is the best option. Spend quality time with them. They will love you. Thus both of you will be happy.
