Characteristics Of Golden Retrievers
The first thing that might come to mind if you think about the characteristics of Golden Retrievers is big dog with thick wavy reddish/golden fur and a cute face.
You wouldn’t be wrong but there’s a lot more that defines the breed.
The Kennel Club sets out a standard for the breed that is worth having a look at – you can check it out here.
However, without going over the breed standards here’s our overall view based on the dogs we’ve had or had significant contact with.
INTELLIGENCE
Yes Golden Retrievers are on the whole intelligent dogs. For sure we’ve had a couple of air heads but also a couple of really bright dogs with the others somewhere in the middle.
The air heads were Barley and Ember. Now don’t get me wrong they weren’t daft they just took a bit longer to get their heads round things. In some respects they were like perpetual puppies!
The really bright ones were a totally different kettle of fish. Quick to learn and dead easy to train. They also seem to develop more effective techniques of letting you know what they want or need.
TEMPREMENT
All bar one of our Golden Retrievers have been females. All of them have been very gentle and tolerant dogs. With kids and grandkids tolerance is essential!
Our experience is that female dogs are far easier to have as family pets.
They don’t have the need to be dominant in the way male dogs do which makes them far easier to manage.
Sure you have to cope with the issue of the dog coming in to season. Keeping the endless stream of male dogs of that, suddenly appear from nowhere when your out walking off can be a challenge!
FOOD!
Our Golden Retrievers have all been dustbins on legs!
When it comes to food Golden Retrievers will eat anything in site. In fact some of our dogs will eat anything that they can chew up in to pieces they can swallow! I’ve lost count of the times we’ve found, in their poo, pieces of chewed up rubber and covering from the tennis balls people throw for dogs that then get lost in long grass.
As a result of their voracious appetites you have to be careful to control their weight. The last thing you want is a badly overweight dogs who’s hips give out before time!
BUILD
Our Golden Retrievers have covered quite a spectrum of builds.
We’ve had long boned finer ones and short boned sturdy ones and in betweenies.
We’ve had a couple with large paws (Jane and Mica) and one (Fern) with dainty ones.
Barley and Ember were/are long boned lean racing machines. In long grass Barley was like a gazelle when running through it coming out in to fresh air in leaping bounds. She was a like a bendy toy and could wriggle into undergrowth our other dogs wouldn’t go near!
CONSTITUTION
Golden Retrievers can be prone to digestive problems the consequences of which, are not always pleasant to deal with!
The main issues are –
- Acute gastroenteritis
- Colitis
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Pancreatitis
Signs of possible problems with the digestive system can be one or more of the following – soft stools, diarrhoea, vomiting, regurgitation, flatulence or constipation.
CARE & MAINTENANCE
Golden Retrievers have a longish top coat and a dense waterproof undercoat – an excellent combination for holding all sorts of muck and debris collected from the bogs and swamps they adore!
When they moult you will know about it! Balls of fur like tumble weed appear everyday. Clothes and furnishings need endless de-furring!
Golden Retrievers need a fair amount of grooming to keep their coat in good condition and free of knots.
They also need hair trimming of paws, legs, tail, underbelly and haunches.
In the winter months you’ll find yourself hosing them down and drying them off after every off the lead walk.
ENERGY
Golden Retrievers are large dogs with loads of energy and they need lots of daily exercise.
They love nothing better than having large ares to run in with woods and hedgerows to ferret around in.
As the name implies playing fetch is always a favourite with them.
Golden Retrievers don’t care what the weather is like they just enjoy being out with you.
HEALTH
Like all living things Golden Retrievers can have health is.
Some issues are of a general nature whilst other are genetic.
General Health Issues To Be Aware Of
- Parvo, Distemper and Rabies – keep your dog up to date with vaccinations.
- Tooth decay and gum disease – clean your dogs teeth regularly. We give ours a daily dentistick to chew and bones.
- Parasites such ticks, fleas, mites and various worms. Some of these can be fatal and transmittable to you! – treat your dog regularly to protect it from these things.
Genetic Health Issues To Be Aware Of
- Cataracts and Glaucoma – don’t let your dog go blind! Regular visits to your vet for routine health check and vaccination is the best way.
- Cancers – spleen tumours, lymphoma and skin tumours can be more prevalent in Golden Retrievers. Again routine vet health checks help early detection and possible treatment.
- Musculoskeletal- hip and elbow dysplasia and arthritis.
There’s a good article by Wapiti Labs covering the health issues that afflict Golden Retrievers that you might find interesting – Common Ailments of Your Golden Retriever
