LIVING WITH GOLDENS
If you're at this page you've probably done some research and already know the basics of a Golden Retriever. They are friendly, active, energetic and eager to please. They are very smart and trainable. They should not be shy or aggressive. They are sweet people pleasers and don't make good guard dogs. They originated from Scotland and were bred to retrieve game and be well suited to the Scottish climate. We would always recommend a Golden Retriever or a Labrador to first time dog owners because of their easy going nature and intelligence.
If you've perused the internet looking at Goldens you've probably noticed a variation of what they look like. Over time Goldens in the U.S have split into 2 different "styles" or "types", the field type Goldens and the conformation or show type Goldens. This split is a product of the competitiveness in both hunt tests and field trials and in the show ring. Show/conformation Goldens tend to be heavier boned, heavier coated and don't excel as well as their field golden counterparts in hunting and retrieving as breeding them for outstanding confirmation meant sacrificing hunting instinct and drive. Field Goldens have been bred for performance, speed and endurance so ability and intelligence meant sacrificing coat and bone structure. Its uncommon to find a Golden that has had great success in both the conformation ring and in U.S field trials. A Golden Retriever's appearance can vary by country and their standard and preference in structure. The term "English Creme" or "White European" is not a different dog just a marketing ploy. They are no more valuable, rare, exquisite or healthier than any other Golden however they are usually advertised as such. The American Kennel Club has one standard for Golden Retrievers and only recognizes Golden Retrievers -not "English" or "American" or "English Creme" just Golden Retrievers. All Goldens come from the same founding dogs that originated in Scotland. Per the AKC standard, "predominant body color which is either extremely pale or extremely dark is undesirable. Noticeable areas of black and off color markings are considered a fault as is white markings more than a few hairs on their chest". We like the darker color in our Goldens but at the end of the day breeding a healthy genetically diverse Golden is more important than if we get the exact color we want. Click here to view the full AKC standard for Golden Retrievers.
Our Goldens come from mostly field lines and look more like the "field type" than conformation style although when looking at pedigrees you will see some conformation champs in field lines and vice versa. Our dogs are active and have plenty of energy. As long as they get their exercise they are well behaved inside. If they sit for a few days and are subjected to a couch potato lifestyle they get antsy and will pace. When they get bored they will start rough housing or using the couch as a jungle gym and have bad manners in general. We aim for a walk or short play in the morning before we leave for the day and then again when we get home in the afternoon. When they were puppies (under 6 months) we are around the majority of the day to potty train, we don't leave them for more than a few hours at a time-only when absolutely necessary. Exercise helps keeps them happy but be mindful that the breed is prone to hip dysplasia and other joint issues, repetitive hard exercise is not recommended especially with dogs under the age of 2. This means that hopping on your 4 wheeler and mindlessly letting your dog run after you is not the best or safest way to exercise your Golden every day. Playing ball or frisbee is fun but should be limited because this activity is also very hard on those joints. A mix of exercise like walking, playing, swimming is best. Never force your puppy/dog to run or walk for long periods especially on a hard surface like pavement/concrete. They need exercise both physically and mentally. Taking your dog for car rides to new places and to training classes is mentally tiring and can just as effective for exercising them as running. Meeting new people or going to new places with our dogs will have them snoozing or relaxing when we get home. Teach them a new trick and work with them to learn to hunt or play games. They are smart and need a "job" or challenge.
Our retrievers don't have the thick fluffy coats that conformation Goldens do so their maintenance is a little easier. They still shed and can get matted behind their ears or in their feathering on tail or legs. Brushing once every week or 2 is usually sufficient for our dogs unless they are out in the field collecting seeds or grass in their hair. We take care to keep the hair around their ear canals trimmed and clean their ears routinely. Floppy ears and L-shape ear canals make for a good environment for yeast & bacteria, combine that with swimming or humid summer days and you have all the ingredients for ear infection. We trim nails every couple weeks and bath them as needed (summer baths tend to be every 2-3 weeks and winter time less). We start handling them as puppies to prepare them for routine care- getting them used to being touched all over especially their ears and feet can prevent a battle/wrestling match down the road when they get bigger.
Swimming and retrieving usually (but not always) comes naturally to Goldens. Encouragement and praise always goes a long way with them because they get happy and encouraged when you are happy. All our dogs got more drive to retrieve as they aged from puppy hood. Ours all have strong prey drive as well which is what we want in the field but can also mean that small dogs or cats can be seen as prey. Our Goldens live with cats and as puppies they have all tried to chase the cats but have been taught that behavior is not acceptable. Our dogs travel with us and do really well in the car but both Violet and Maui needed to be conditioned. As pups, both of them got car sick but as in most cases the issue was not actual motion sickness, it was nervousness. To help fix this we would have them go in the car and just get treats and praise without going anywhere. We then did lots of short drives to go somewhere to play and have fun with lots of praise. In no time this issue was remedied, they associated the car with going somewhere fun and were excited not nervous. All dogs can have quirks or go through phases where they have a problem and in most cases there are fixes it just takes some thought, effort, consistency and patience.
Our dogs are just as affectionate as they are energetic. They are always willing and wanting to get their pets and snuggles. Belly rubs are a must for them. They are clowns too and have their goofy moments. They love carrying their toys around and they do "happy growls". Both Maui & Violet are more "talkers" than Etta. They bark to alert but its not usually excessive, on occasion they feed off each other and will continue with low little woofs. We have our dogs sit before we put their food down, sit before they go outside or when we are putting a leash on. We notice a big difference in behavior when we slip and aren't consistent with even these little things. Its important to set a foundation for good manners right from the start and continue throughout their life.
We do our best to give our puppies a good start but how they are trained and raised will influence their behavior far more. Behavioral issues is one of the top reasons dogs end up in shelters. Knowing the breed and making sure its the right fit is a good start to making sure you and your dog don't end up with problems that become overwhelming to manage. Training and consistency are needed throughout the life of your Golden to keep them a well behaved member of the family.
If you're at this page you've probably done some research and already know the basics of a Golden Retriever. They are friendly, active, energetic and eager to please. They are very smart and trainable. They should not be shy or aggressive. They are sweet people pleasers and don't make good guard dogs. They originated from Scotland and were bred to retrieve game and be well suited to the Scottish climate. We would always recommend a Golden Retriever or a Labrador to first time dog owners because of their easy going nature and intelligence.
If you've perused the internet looking at Goldens you've probably noticed a variation of what they look like. Over time Goldens in the U.S have split into 2 different "styles" or "types", the field type Goldens and the conformation or show type Goldens. This split is a product of the competitiveness in both hunt tests and field trials and in the show ring. Show/conformation Goldens tend to be heavier boned, heavier coated and don't excel as well as their field golden counterparts in hunting and retrieving as breeding them for outstanding confirmation meant sacrificing hunting instinct and drive. Field Goldens have been bred for performance, speed and endurance so ability and intelligence meant sacrificing coat and bone structure. Its uncommon to find a Golden that has had great success in both the conformation ring and in U.S field trials. A Golden Retriever's appearance can vary by country and their standard and preference in structure. The term "English Creme" or "White European" is not a different dog just a marketing ploy. They are no more valuable, rare, exquisite or healthier than any other Golden however they are usually advertised as such. The American Kennel Club has one standard for Golden Retrievers and only recognizes Golden Retrievers -not "English" or "American" or "English Creme" just Golden Retrievers. All Goldens come from the same founding dogs that originated in Scotland. Per the AKC standard, "predominant body color which is either extremely pale or extremely dark is undesirable. Noticeable areas of black and off color markings are considered a fault as is white markings more than a few hairs on their chest". We like the darker color in our Goldens but at the end of the day breeding a healthy genetically diverse Golden is more important than if we get the exact color we want. Click here to view the full AKC standard for Golden Retrievers.
Our Goldens come from mostly field lines and look more like the "field type" than conformation style although when looking at pedigrees you will see some conformation champs in field lines and vice versa. Our dogs are active and have plenty of energy. As long as they get their exercise they are well behaved inside. If they sit for a few days and are subjected to a couch potato lifestyle they get antsy and will pace. When they get bored they will start rough housing or using the couch as a jungle gym and have bad manners in general. We aim for a walk or short play in the morning before we leave for the day and then again when we get home in the afternoon. When they were puppies (under 6 months) we are around the majority of the day to potty train, we don't leave them for more than a few hours at a time-only when absolutely necessary. Exercise helps keeps them happy but be mindful that the breed is prone to hip dysplasia and other joint issues, repetitive hard exercise is not recommended especially with dogs under the age of 2. This means that hopping on your 4 wheeler and mindlessly letting your dog run after you is not the best or safest way to exercise your Golden every day. Playing ball or frisbee is fun but should be limited because this activity is also very hard on those joints. A mix of exercise like walking, playing, swimming is best. Never force your puppy/dog to run or walk for long periods especially on a hard surface like pavement/concrete. They need exercise both physically and mentally. Taking your dog for car rides to new places and to training classes is mentally tiring and can just as effective for exercising them as running. Meeting new people or going to new places with our dogs will have them snoozing or relaxing when we get home. Teach them a new trick and work with them to learn to hunt or play games. They are smart and need a "job" or challenge.
Our retrievers don't have the thick fluffy coats that conformation Goldens do so their maintenance is a little easier. They still shed and can get matted behind their ears or in their feathering on tail or legs. Brushing once every week or 2 is usually sufficient for our dogs unless they are out in the field collecting seeds or grass in their hair. We take care to keep the hair around their ear canals trimmed and clean their ears routinely. Floppy ears and L-shape ear canals make for a good environment for yeast & bacteria, combine that with swimming or humid summer days and you have all the ingredients for ear infection. We trim nails every couple weeks and bath them as needed (summer baths tend to be every 2-3 weeks and winter time less). We start handling them as puppies to prepare them for routine care- getting them used to being touched all over especially their ears and feet can prevent a battle/wrestling match down the road when they get bigger.
Swimming and retrieving usually (but not always) comes naturally to Goldens. Encouragement and praise always goes a long way with them because they get happy and encouraged when you are happy. All our dogs got more drive to retrieve as they aged from puppy hood. Ours all have strong prey drive as well which is what we want in the field but can also mean that small dogs or cats can be seen as prey. Our Goldens live with cats and as puppies they have all tried to chase the cats but have been taught that behavior is not acceptable. Our dogs travel with us and do really well in the car but both Violet and Maui needed to be conditioned. As pups, both of them got car sick but as in most cases the issue was not actual motion sickness, it was nervousness. To help fix this we would have them go in the car and just get treats and praise without going anywhere. We then did lots of short drives to go somewhere to play and have fun with lots of praise. In no time this issue was remedied, they associated the car with going somewhere fun and were excited not nervous. All dogs can have quirks or go through phases where they have a problem and in most cases there are fixes it just takes some thought, effort, consistency and patience.
Our dogs are just as affectionate as they are energetic. They are always willing and wanting to get their pets and snuggles. Belly rubs are a must for them. They are clowns too and have their goofy moments. They love carrying their toys around and they do "happy growls". Both Maui & Violet are more "talkers" than Etta. They bark to alert but its not usually excessive, on occasion they feed off each other and will continue with low little woofs. We have our dogs sit before we put their food down, sit before they go outside or when we are putting a leash on. We notice a big difference in behavior when we slip and aren't consistent with even these little things. Its important to set a foundation for good manners right from the start and continue throughout their life.
We do our best to give our puppies a good start but how they are trained and raised will influence their behavior far more. Behavioral issues is one of the top reasons dogs end up in shelters. Knowing the breed and making sure its the right fit is a good start to making sure you and your dog don't end up with problems that become overwhelming to manage. Training and consistency are needed throughout the life of your Golden to keep them a well behaved member of the family.