Cat and Dog Breeds

GOLDEN RETRIEVER

Every individual has his own preference and choice, when it comes to adopting a pet. Yet, most of the people around the globe prefer adopting dogs, rather than adopting other animals. If you think dogs are all about Labradors, Pomeranian and other such breeds, you are yet to witness the beauty of a Golden Retriever!

About The Breed

Golden Retriever is no ordinary breed of dogs; this breed knows the meaning of size. It is a huge sized breed and these dogs are extremely fond of swimming, because of their love for water and nature. They are seen happy in a free and open environment, especially if they are left in nature. For them, it is all about getting some fresh air and running from one corner to the other, apart from taking hundreds of rounds around the trees.
While some people say that this breed is quite similar to that of Labrador, there’s a huge difference in the appearance of both the breeds. While Labradors do not have much of hair on their coats, Golden Retrievers are fluffier and with dense coats.
Golden Retriever weight fluctuates depending on the gender and type of the breed. While the male dogs weigh up to 75lbs, the female dogs weigh up to 70lbs.
There’s only one thing that you need to remember before adopting this breed – you can’t keep it in a complete packed environment. For an instance, they are not suitable or are not seen surviving happily in crazy urban cities, where there are no places for them to hop, run freely or play. This breed needs suburban or more of country environments for its survival. Even if you stay in the outskirts of a city, you need to make sure that you take your Golden Retriever out in nature, at least once in a day to let him breathe the freshness in the air.
As far as intelligence is concerned, this breed knows how to play different roles. Don’t go on the innocent looks of the Golden Retrievers because they understand every word you say to them! However, they need proper training to be understood by the ones that adopt them. Even though they seem reluctant at first, they know how to grasp the things that you try putting into their brains; they have sharp minds.
Whether you want a guide dog for someone who has a weak or no vision at all or a dog that can protect your little kid, Golden Retriever is perhaps one of the best breeds you can adopt.

History

This breed is originally from Scotland; to your surprise, it was originated to retrieve drowned game. Since the breeds that existed in the mid-19th century did not work well with ponds and other such water bodies, the best one crossed were the average retrievers and this breed came into existence.
It was quite difficult, at first, to know which breeds mated to form the Golden Retriever, but after a lot of arguments and disputes, it was found out that the breed has originated from Russian tracker.

How Did Golden Retriever Breed Get This Name?

Since this dog was found retrieving the shot game without causing any damage to it and it originally had a golden fur, the breed was named as Golden Retriever. This dog has always had the spirit of ‘sportsmanship!’

How to Groom Your Golden Retriever?

If you think grooming your Golden Retriever is an easy task, you’ve really got to think again. This is no ordinary dog that can be groomed like just the others; you have to take special care of this breed, since it has a furrier and fluffier coat than the other breeds of dogs.

Following are some of the best ways in which you can groom your Golden Retriever:
• Do Golden Retrievers shed; is this is the question in your mind, then let me tell you that they do shed a lot of hair! Therefore, you need to get a nice pet brush for your dog and use it on his coat to keep it clean and shining.
• DO NOT shave your Golden Retriever; the coat is one of the blessings that it has so all the adopters must remember this.
• Always keep an eye on the nails of your Golden Retriever; with the help of a pair of dog nail clippers, you can keep trimming them from time to time.
• DO NOT use ordinary shampoos for your Golden Retriever dog; make sure you have a separate shampoo for him; give him a bath regularly, to keep him neat and healthy.

How to Keep Your Golden Retriever Happy?

To be honest, you need not do a lot of things to keep your beautiful Golden Retriever dog happy; following are the top five things that make him happy; he wouldn’t stop wagging his tail all around you if you would do these things:
• Throw a ball or a toy-bone for him to catch, since this is what he is made for!
• While most of the breeds are scared while bathing, Golden Retrievers enjoy bathing the most, since they are born-swimmers.
• Forget whatever you wish to, but never forget taking your Golden Retriever out for a walk. Unless you give him his evening walk, he is not satisfied and happy with you.
• When you exercise in the morning, make sure you make him sit next to you so that he can learn the same. It has been observed that a lot of dogs, especially Golden Retrievers, learn different postures and exercises from the ones that they live with.
• Golden Retriever puppies love it when they are clean. Keep them as clean as possible, since it is good for the hygiene of the others in the house, as well.

Detailed Information about the Colors and Coat

You know what is the best thing about Golden Retrievers? Their coats! They have fabulous coats and that’s one of the major reasons why adopters take their puppies and grow them with all their hearts.
Fluffy, yet beautiful in appearance, the coat of a Golden Retriever grabs all the attention of the one who lays his eyes upon the breed’s beauty. While some of these dogs have longer and fixed coats, the others look like hair-covered balls running on the streets!
If you look at the Golden Retriever puppies, you fall in love with their shiny appearance. Unless the puppy is unwell or has some sort of a health related problem, you fall in love with the way his coat shines; his innocent eyes are equally hypnotizing!

There are basically three main Golden Retriever colors:
• Brown
• Pure golden
• Pale white

Most of the people prefer pure golden colored Golden Retriever because they are the cutest and fittest from all the existing types and colors of this breed. Although the pure golden dogs of this breed resemble the appearance of Labradors, their coats are shinier and far fluffier than that breed.
It has been observed that people prefer pale white Golden Retrievers, when it comes to adopting puppies, but when someone wishes to adopt a grown dog of this breed; he prefers golden color, as mentioned earlier.
You also have black golden retriever, white golden retriever and crimson red golden retriever available for adoption, depending on the country you live in.

Three Types of Golden Retriever

Following are the three main types of this breed:
1) American – These types of Golden Retrievers are not very strong and bulky in appearance. They have slim bodies and average heights. As compared to the other two breeds, they have darker and less shiny coats.
In order to get better breeds of Golden Retrievers, most of the American breeders prefer importing British type Golden Retrievers from Britain.
2) Canadian – There’s not much of a different between the American and Canadian Golden Retrievers, apart from the coat and color. The Canadian types have less furry coats and are quite darker in their appearances. However, when it comes to their weights and heights, they may vary a little from the American type.
3) British – The best and the most beautiful type is the British Golden Retriever. It is observed that the skull of this type is broader than those of the other two types of this breed. Also, this type is much broader in body and is witnessed in different shades of Golden to pale White.

Common Health Issues

• Cancer – Most of the Golden Retrievers die due to Cancer. Even though these dogs are active in playing and extremely conscious about keeping themselves in a joyful mood, it is difficult for their adopters to keep them away from this life-threatening disease. A lot of them lose their most faithful Golden Retrievers to the hands of Cancer.
• Heart problem – The second thing that puts the lives of this breed in danger is the heart problem. The worst thing is that this problem happens all of a sudden to them. They do try coping up with all the stamina that they have, since this breed is known for its intelligence and pain bearing characteristics, but that doesn’t help them survive through this problem.
• Ligament rupture – This can happen anytime to them, despite their age or inner stamina. A lot of Golden Retrievers go through this serious issue, but this does not lead to death, unless they go through some other illness, along with this.
• Lyme borreliosis – This disease generally happens when the owners or adopters of Golden Retrievers are unable to pay proper attention on their hygiene and cleaning. You’ve got to pay special attention on the coat and body of your dog, if he stays with you. Lyme borreliosis is a result of Borrelia type bacteria. You may see redness on the coat of your dog, if he is suffering from this problem.
• Joint pains – Since Golden Retrievers are seen jumping, hopping, running and doing hundreds of different activities in a day, it is difficult to keep them away from joint pains. If you play a lot with them, they are bound to go through problems like these.
• Severe headaches – Your Golden Retriever may not seem active to you, if he is going through a moderate to severe headache, which may even be a result or symptom of a severe Lyme borreliosis.
• Skin diseases – Such problems may happen to Golden Retrievers if proper attention is not paid on their hygiene. Despite the location they live in, they are meant to be cleaned, so that they can enjoy their life to the fullest. To be honest, you’ve got to treat your Golden Retriever like you would treat your kid!

Merits and Demerits of Adopting a Golden Retriever

Planning to adopt a Golden Retriever? Let us see the merits of adopting this breed:
• You would never see this breed getting tired. No matter how hard you want to play with a Golden Retriever dog, he is always ready to hop, jump and run with you!
• Golden Retrievers are beautiful.
• If you want a large sized dog, there can be nothing better than a Golden Retriever dog for you, since they are large or massive in size.
• Just like any other breed of dogs, Golden Retrievers can be trained, too. The best part is that this breed does not take a lot of time to mug up or learn new things.
• If you are looking to have a dog who likes the warmth of your house, Golden Retriever is surely meant to be adopted by you!

Just because there are a lot of merits of adopting this breed, doesn’t mean that there are no demerits of the same. Learn the demerits of adopting a Golden Retriever by reading the below mentioned points:
• Golden Retriever can never be an outside dog for you. If you take him out too much, he would develop skin problems and allergies.
• No doubt people love huge sized dogs, the size of a Golden Retriever is too much to handle. Some of the adopters find it difficult to manage such large sized dogs.
• Golden Retrievers have a strong appetite; you need to make sure that you can afford adopting such a high-appetite dog.
• Since this breed has a heavy coat, the dogs shed a lot of hair. If you are allergic to hair, this breed is surely not meant for you.

How To Get Your Golden Retriever Photographed?

Planning to get your Golden Retriever pictures? Here are a few tips that would help you for the same:
• This breed hates to be chained or ruled-over; make sure you don’t tell them anything at all. Just set your Golden Retriever free and tell him to sit and be stable. Hire a professional photographer, who has an experience in clicking pictures of Golden Retriever.
• Throw a ball and tell the photographer to capture a picture in ‘action’, when your Golden Retriever jumps to catch the object. Such pictures often win the competition in the crowd; keep it natural and alive.
• Give him a treat or promise to give him a treat if he behaves nicely while clicking pictures. The trick of treating always works for all those, who wish to click pictures with their beautiful pets. The next time you want him to stay stable to click a photograph; don’t forget to use the ‘trick of treat!’
• DO NOT be rude to him, in any case, or else you would regret it later. Most of the times, Golden Retrievers find it weird or scared to be photographed, since they are not at all aware about what cameras are. Give your dog his own sweet time to adjust with whatever happens at the studio or the place where you are planning to photograph him.
• Instead of telling or guiding him to pose, let him take the charge or control of the environment. Sneak and see what he is up to, when you or anybody else is not around. If you are clicking the picture all by yourself, allow him to do things on his own and then click the pictures of the random cute things he does.

Frequently Asked Questions

There may be hundreds of questions in your mind right now. Following are some of the most frequently asked ones, which would provide you with sufficient knowledge about this breed of dogs:

Why should you buy a Golden Retriever?

If you are wondering why you or anyone should buy a dog belonging to this breed, following are the reasons for the same:
• The characteristics of this breed – You will never find a dog like this breed because it not only innocent and beautiful, but is a great friend to the blind and the deaf. Looking at the characteristics of this breed, any individual can easily make the decision of picking this breed to adopt, over others.
• Kids love this breed – If you are adopting a pet for your kid or kids, it is necessary for you to know what kinds of breeds the kids love the most. Most of the children prefer fluffier and active dogs to play with and these are the two main features of this breed. Golden Retrievers have amazing coats and are highly active in playing with the little kids.
• Affordable – If you are planning to BUY a puppy that’s affordable, you can pick this one from the list because this is one of the most affordable breed available with the breeders. Whatever amount you pay for this breed is worth it!
• Appearance – To all those who believe in adopting cute and beautiful dogs – there’s no other breed that would attract your eyes as much as the Golden Retriever. The dogs belonging to this breed are beautiful and have the most innocent eyes you would ever glance into. From little puppies to old dogs – they all look adorable.

Why the name – Golden Retriever?

There are a lot of people who wonder about the name of this breed. After all – the name doesn’t sound anything like the other breeds!
Since this breed is capable to retrieve shot game without damaging it, it is named as the ‘Retriever.’ The word ‘Golden’ comes from its appearance since most of the dogs belonging to this breed are golden in color and have a unique hint of golden, even if they are brown or pale white.
The moment you see a golden dog with a furry and shiny coat and an ability to retrieve a shot game, you’ve got to understand that it is the famous Golden Retriever!

Male Golden Retriever

- Cooper
- Bailey
- Boomer
- Max
- Buddy
- Bentley
- Jake
- Maximus
- Charlie
- Cody

Female Golden Retriever

- Stella
- Bailey
- Bella
- Sophie
- Katie
- Zoey
- Molly
- Lexi
- Rosie
- Sadie

How to Clean Your Golden Retriever?

If you have decided or are planning to get Golden Retriever dogs for yourself, you’ve got to understand different ways in which this breed is groomed because it has a fluffier coat than the rest of the dog breeds.
You need to give proper baths to this breed because most of the Golden Retrievers are often found lingering in muddy areas to fetch the things that their owners throw to play with them. Since they are prone to develop bacteria on their coats, it is essential for you to give them baths after proper time intervals.
It is also noticed that the coat of this breed becomes dull, if proper attention on its hygiene is not paid. Therefore, you must do your best to keep your Golden Retriever as clean, neat and tidy as possible, so that you help him fight most of the diseases.
When it comes to bathing, you’ve got to pay special attention to their ears – their ears must be kept clean in order to avoid ear infections.
Don’t forget to cut off the matted or tangled fur so that you can groom your dog easily. With all those tangled hair, it becomes impossible for the owner or adopter to groom his Golden Retriever properly. If you think your dog has a lot of hair or is way too fluffier, you can always visit a Pet Salon and wait till he gets all groomed up for you!
There are special shampoos for dogs and you must always choose the best one for your Golden Retriever, so that he finds it easy to keep himself away from germs and bacteria on his coat.

How To Keep Your Golden Retriever Satisfied With You?

A lot of you may wonder why anyone would ask such a question, but there are thousands of people out there that believe in keeping their dogs happy. Just like a dog does everything that he can to keep his owner or adopter happy, you’ve got to give him the same amount of love, loyalty and care in return.
Since Golden Retrievers are known for their energies and activeness, they are bound to jump on you to play, when you return from work. While most of the people avoid playing with their pets after returning from office, there are others that feel that playing with their dogs is more like a recreational activity for them. Sometimes, you’ve got to do things for your pet, especially if he has a high amount of energy that is not channelized all throughout the day.
A dog may growl when you give him a bath, but since Golden Retrievers are fond of water and adapt to it, you must clean him often to keep him happy. Remember, a clean Golden Retriever is a happy Golden Retriever!
This breed is known for the kind of intelligence it has. Thus, make sure you channelize the intelligence of your dog by training him various things. Talking of training, ‘giving a hand-shake or walking on two legs’ are not the only things that your Golden Retriever can do; there are many ways in which you can utilize his intelligence and help yourself have a happy and balanced dog.
Since this breed is extremely fond of water, try keeping him close to nature. If you stay close to a garden or a piece of nature near a lake or pond and if pets are allowed there, make sure you take your dog for a round there, because this breed enjoys walking with the owners or adopters.
This breed is known for the kind of obedience it possesses. Therefore, make him do things that you wish to. This is not what you call being selfish; in fact, this is something that they love to do for you! They love being there when their owners or adopters need them. They are known for the kind of love they have for their ‘masters!’

Which Celebrities Have Golden Retrievers As Pets?

Since this breed is cute and active, there are many celebrities that have adopted Golden Retrievers and are always spotted with them. Following are some of the names:

1) Jennifer Anniston – This beautiful actress has always been fond of dogs and her Golden Retriever is extremely close to her heart. Whenever she is out on some unofficial vacation, she makes sure that her dog accompanies her.
2) Pamela Anderson – Who doesn’t know this gorgeous actress? This celebrity is known to give immense love to her Golden Retriever. To your surprise, she is spotted with her pet in a lot of public areas as well. She is crazy for her dog and makes sure that she gives everything that her little one needs.
3) Nick Jonas – This popular celebrity is seen jogging and brisk walking with Elvis, who is none other than his Golden Retriever! He is totally in love with his pet and says that he is more of a friend to him, than just a dog.
4) Jackie Chan – If you are a fan of Jackie Chan, I am sure you know about his madness for animals. He loves animals and makes sure that his pets are always properly taken care of. He has two Golden Retrievers and you can find many pictures of them with him.
5) Heidi Montag – She is another celebrity, who is always spotted with her cute Golden Retriever. Even though she is a busy woman, she makes sure that she spends at least some amount of time with her pet so that she gives her little beast as much love as she can.

What Are The Common Traits Of Golden Retrievers?

Let us look at the most commonly observed traits of Golden Retrievers:
• Obedience – As mentioned earlier, this breed is known for the kind of obedience it has always shown towards its adopters or owners. No matter how angry you are at your Golden Retriever, he makes sure that he wins your heart again by doing all that you tell him to do.
• Loyalty – And of course… dogs ARE known for the kind of loyalty they have for their adopters. If you always bestow love upon your Golden Retriever, he will always be loyal to you. To your surprise, even if you give him no time, this breed doesn’t take its head off you when you return. Your dog would always remember you and be faithful to you.
• Playfulness – The dogs belonging to this breed are never seen tired and depressed, unless they have some health related issues or are not happy with the way they are being treated by their adopters. The moment you enter your house and you wish to play with your Golden Retriever, he is all on his paws to play with you.
• Active – He is someone you can always rely upon. Whether you want him to protect you at night or want him to stay awake with you till the time you finish your tasks, he would always be active and right beside you. This breed doesn’t know the meaning of giving-up!
• Survivors – This breed is known for the kind of surviving tricks and stories the dogs, belonging to it, have portrayed to the world. They know how to cope up with their growing age and still keep themselves active. All they need is motivation from their owners or adopters and they can stay healthy and fit for a long period of time.
• Swimming ability – It is true that most of the dogs can swim, but not all the breeds are attracted to water bodies. If you have a swimming pool at home and you want a companion at times, there can be no one better than your Golden Retriever to swim with you in your private pool! This breed is known for the kind of swimming skills it possesses.