A happy Golden Retriever lying in the garden

Golden Retriever Insurance, Care and Health Advice

The Golden Retriever is a large sized dog from Scotland that has become a popular dog breed worldwide. Developed from the flat-coated retriever and a Tweed water spaniel in the 19th century, the breed is often used as a gundog to retrieve game. Golden Retrievers can also be trained as guide dogs due to their obedience and intelligence.

Known for their distinctive coats of cream, yellow or golden, they have a gentle temperament and love human interaction. If you’re looking for the perfect family dog, the Golden Retriever will fit the bill.

Golden Retriever Facts

Dog breed type icon
Type
Sporting
Dog breed lifespan icon
Lifespan
10 - 12 years
Dog breed size icon
Size
Large
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Weight
25 - 34 kg
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Height
51 - 61 cm
Dog breed temperament icon
Temperament
Gentle, obedient and playful
Dog breed exercise icon
Exercise
60 - 120 mins per day
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Grooming
High maintenance

Is a Golden Retriever Right for Me?

Golden Retrievers make great family pets, particularly those that are active and love the outdoors. They have a lot of energy which will need to be worked off but sometimes as a pup that energy and their size can make them a little clumsy, loveable, but clumsy. They are easy to train, and their energy will calm as they mature.

A Golden Retriever puppy bounding in a garden

What are Golden Retriever Puppies Like?

Like all puppies, they will be playful, adorable and have energy to burn. They’ll need socialisation so they learn to cope with any new situation and people. If well-socialised as a puppy, your Golden Retriever will grow up to be a confident, happy, gentle and affectionate adult. 

A big Golden Retriever being a good dog

Life with a Golden Retriever

Golden Retrievers are popular pets and will enrich your life with their calm, affectionate natures. They are big dogs and will need training from an early age. As with a lot of dog breeds of this size, that extra size comes with an appetite. You’ll also need to be prepared for all that fur, grooming them will become part of your day-to-day.

Caring for Your Golden Retriever

Golden Retrievers can be greedy. If allowed, they’ll beg for food, but this can be stopped through training and a regular feeding routine. Feed your dog once or twice a day. They’ll be less likely to beg if they have two meals every day.

Make sure your dog doesn’t become overweight by measuring their food and don’t give them too many treats. Measurement guidelines are on the food packaging. You can also ask your vet or weight management nurse for advice on how to keep them at a healthy weight.

Golden Retrievers have a double coat – a flat, wavy outer coat and a dense undercoat. They shed a lot and need brushing every day to stop their fur from matting. If your dog’s hair mats, you might have to use scissors to cut it out.

You may find that they need to have a bath at least once a month. Their long coat and love of the outdoors make them prone to that familiar ‘doggy’ smell!

Golden Retrievers are intelligent and obedient dogs which makes them easy to train. Originally bred to fetch game birds, they’re now often bred as service dogs such as guide dogs.

If your dog needs house training, be patient with them. Golden Retrievers learn quickly but all dogs need repetition to learn alongside positive, reward-based training. Training classes are a great way to socialise your dog and pick up training tips.

Golden Retrievers ideally need an hour or more of exercise a day. You can split this into shorter sessions, walking them for half an hour in the morning and half an hour in the evening. Dog exercise doesn’t just mean walking, playing games counts too. Most retrievers love to play fetch, and this is a great way to burn off energy. 

Give your dog time off the lead so that they can run around but make sure your dog responds to your call before letting them off the lead in an open space.

Golden Retriever Insurance

Golden Retriever puppies are full of energy, so it’s good to think about insuring your Goldie from an early age. Everypaw’s Puppy Insurance starts from 8 weeks old, so you can look to have them covered for as soon as you get them home.

New Lifetime Golden Retriever Insurance policies are available for Golden Retrievers up to 8 years old, and with a range of cover levels available, you’ll be able to find one that suits you both. To keep insuring your Golden Retriever as they get older, all you need to do is renew your cover every year.

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Common Golden Retriever Health Problems by Vetstream

Hip Dysplasia is a hereditary condition in Golden Retrievers that causes instability in the hip joint, pain, lameness and arthritis. Factors such as diet, growth rate and the amount of exercise when young can affect the severity of the condition.

Golden retrievers can have X-rays taken to establish their hip score. A low hip score means that there are less likely to suffer from Hip Dysplasia.

Management of the condition at an early stage will mean fewer difficulties in later life. If your dog has become overweight this puts extra strain on the bones and joints. In addition to weight control and a restricted exercise programme, your dog can be treated with pain relief and anti-inflammatories. Hip replacement surgery may be needed in severe cases.

Elbow Dysplasia is the collective name for a group of developmental orthopaedic conditions affecting the elbow joint in young dogs of medium and large breeds. The early sign of elbow dysplasia is lameness in one or both of the front legs. The elbow dysplasia scoring scheme identifies dogs suffering at an early stage.

Dogs with a high score should not be used for breeding. This will prevent them from passing the condition on to their puppies.

Golden Retrievers can be affected by several inherited eye conditions including Hereditary Cataracts, Progressive Retinal Atrophy and Multi-Focal Dysplasia.

Progressive Retinal Atrophy is a group of inherited eye diseases. Vision loss can happen over months or years, progressively leading to blindness. Poor vision at night and during low lighting are first signs of the condition. This condition normally affects dogs aged between 3-8 years old. There is no treatment, but blind dogs can still live a long, happy life.

Screening tests are available for the various eye conditions and Golden Retrievers are recommended to have eye screens every year, especially those used for breeding. DNA tests are also available to identify dogs with the gene mutation.

Unfortunately, Golden Retrievers have been reported to have a higher incidence of cancer than other breeds. Cancers such as Hemangiosarcoma, Osteosarcoma, Lymphoma and Mast Cell Tumours can be seen. Make sure you take your dog for regular health checks so that any signs of cancer can be diagnosed at an early stage.

Quick Golden Retriever Q&A

Yes, Golden Retrievers shed a lot! They shed all year round but even more so in spring and autumn. Brushing every day will help and stop the fur from matting, but no matter how much you brush, you’ll have to get used to dog hair being everywhere.

The life expectancy of Golden Retrievers is 10-12 years. Their lifespan can be affected by diet, exercise and inherited health problems.

Golden Retrievers are usually fully grown by 18-24 months. They can reach their adult height by 9-12 months but will generally stop growing and filling out when they’re around 18 months to 2 years old.

Both the Labrador and Golden Retriever are retrievers and bred for hunting, so they share similar personalities, and are roughly the same size and build. But they’re not the same and aren’t even related. The main noticeable difference between them is their coats. Labradors have short, straight fur, whereas Golden Retrievers have long, wavy fur.

Golden Retrievers need an hour or more of exercise every day. This can be split into two half hour sessions. A walk in the morning and then again in the evening with some playtime included is ideal.

That’s All You Need to Know About Golden Retrievers

Golden Retrievers are a social breed that get on well with everyone! Their fun-loving personalities make them ideal companions for children. And they’re an adaptable breed so are well-suited to most households. They need regular exercise though and love to play. They’re always willing to please, so training them is a doddle. There are quite a few health conditions that are common in this breed, so make sure you know what to look out for.

Content provided from Vetstream's Vetlexicon Canis

Vetlexicon is the world’s largest peer-reviewed online clinical reference source. All our content is written and peer-reviewed by over 1,000 of the world’s leading veterinarians, ensuring relevance, accuracy and quality.

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