Golden Retriever puppies

About the Golden Retriever

The Golden Retriever was created on a Scottish estate in the nineteenth century by crossing a yellow retriever with the now extinct tweed water spaniel, to make a gundog that would mark and fetch shot birds from water and cover. This is a well balanced dog of 24.9 to 34 kg with a water repellent double coat, feathering on the legs and tail, and a broad head. The temperament is the point of the breed: friendly, biddable and slow to take offence, rated 5 out of 5 with both children and other dogs.

A Golden is easy to like and easy to get wrong. They need at least an hour of exercise a day, and the Royal Kennel Club says more than two, ideally with retrieving or swimming in it, and structured training to absorb a very willing brain. The coat sheds all year and moults heavily once or twice, so brush once or twice a week and daily during a moult. Puppies are mouthy and slow to grow up. Watch the waistline on a food driven, easygoing dog, because extra weight loads joints that are already a breed weakness.

What to expect at eight weeks

At eight weeks a Golden Retriever puppy is sleeping around 18 to 20 hours a day, is not house trained, and cannot hold on for more than an hour or two at a stretch. A large breed puppy at eight weeks looks deceptively normal sized and will roughly double every few weeks for a while. Keep exercise short and low impact, the growth plates are wide open. This is a high energy breed. At eight weeks that shows up as intensity rather than stamina, and they will need a job to do long before they need long walks. Grooming needs are moderate, so build the brushing habit now while the coat is still short and easy. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything they meet calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of their life.

Health worth knowing about

Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.

• Hip dysplasia, which breeding stock should be hip scored by x-ray before mating
• Elbow dysplasia, which breeding stock should be elbow graded by x-ray before mating
• Progressive retinal atrophy (GR_PRA1 and GR_PRA2), detectable by DNA test on both parents
• Ichthyosis (ICT-A), detectable by DNA test on both parents

Your Golden Retriever puppy's first six months

• Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
• Worming and parasite schedule.
• Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Large for a Golden Retriever.
• Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 24.9 to 34 kg adult range.
• Puppy names and the first week checklist.

Kit sizes: crate 42 inch (42 x 28 x 30 in, 107 x 71 x 76 cm) for an adult of up to 34 kg; chew toys made for large breeds. Worked out the same way as the crate size calculator. PetMD bases a crate on the dog's own measurements, not weight or breed alone, so measure once the puppy is home.

Buying guides for this

• Best crate for a puppy: wire, plastic or soft, and how to size one with a divider

Other large breeds

More on the Golden Retriever

Previous: Golden Corgi · Next: Golden Shepherd

Sources

• akc.org for adult weight and height, life expectancy, energy, grooming, shedding and the temperament ratings, coat type and health notes
• fci.be for country of origin
• royalkennelclub.com for the Royal Kennel Club exercise or grooming band, used where it asks for more than the AKC score
• Health notes from Golden Retriever breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/golden-retriever/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.

Photo: Barras, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped. All photographers are listed on the photo credits page.