Learn about a Dog Every Day - The Golden Retriever

The Golden Retriever, is a popular dog breed. The following is a detailed introduction to the Golden Retriever:

Basic Information

• Chinese name: Golden Retriever
• Latin scientific name: Canis lupus familiaris
• Alias: Golden Retriever, Golden Retriever, Golden Retriever
• Place of origin: Scotland, England
• Size: large dog
• Lifespan: 12~15 years

 

Physical Characteristics

• Body type: Golden Retriever is well-proportioned, powerful and lively, and all parts of the body are reasonable. Male dogs are 56-61 centimeters tall, females 51-56 centimeters; in terms of weight: male dogs 30-34 kilograms, female dogs 25-30 kilograms.
• Head: The head is wide and slightly arched in both horizontal and vertical directions, the muzzle is deep and wide, almost as long as the head. Eyes with a friendly, intelligent expression, large but not too large, with dark rims, widely spaced and moderately sunken. The color is dark brown is preferred, medium brown is acceptable. Ears are fairly short, with the front edges farther back, drooping, and close to the cheeks.
• COAT: The Golden Retriever's coat is dense and impervious, with a well-grown short coat. The outer cloak of hair is tough and close to the body, vertical or curly, but does not appear rough or silky to the touch. The color exudes different shades of golden luster, feet and tail and other hair clusters can be lighter.

 

Characteristics

• Gentle and faithful: Golden Retrievers are gentle and faithful, loyal to their owners.
• Warm and Friendly: They are warm, alert, confident and not afraid of strangers.
• Intelligent and Lively: The Golden Retriever is smart, alert and easy to train, and is at the top of the canine IQ list (ranked fourth). And it loves to play in the water.
• Patient and friendly: The Golden Retriever is very friendly with small children or babies, making it an ideal family companion.

 

Breeding Considerations

• Dietary management: Golden Retrievers have a sensitive stomach, so do not feed them human food freely when they are young, especially certain fruits that may cause them to get sick or even die. Nutrition is very important to the dog's coat, it is recommended to supplement lecithin and fish oil. When changing food, follow the seven-day food change method to avoid Golden Retrievers reacting due to gastrointestinal discomfort. Meanwhile, Golden Retrievers have a strong appetite and owners need to have an adequate budget.
• Hair management: Golden Retrievers lose their hair severely and need frequent vacuuming at home, especially when they are 6 months old, when their hair falls out in clumps. Due to its special skin structure and coat characteristics, the dog is hardy but cannot tolerate hot and humid environments. It can be taken out for walks in the early morning when it is cooler. When keeping it outdoors, move the dog house to a place where the sun does not shine and keep it clean at all times.
• Training and education: Golden Retrievers are prime for education when they are three or four months old, and if they are well nurtured during this time, they will become attentive companions. Start educating your Golden Retriever from a young age and cultivate good behavioral habits, such as not biting things at will.
• Health management: Don't bathe your Golden Retriever immediately when you first arrive home, and wait for the three shots of vaccine and rabies vaccine before taking it out. In addition, you need to bring your Golden Retriever for regular medical checkups and deworming to ensure their health.
• Oestrus: the total time of the pre-oestrus and oestrus period is 11-35 days. Mastering the Golden Retriever's oestrus cycle and oestrus period plays an important role in breeding, and effective mating can only be realized during the oestrus period. The oestrus cycle is irregular, and it only comes into oestrus once a year or it doesn't come into oestrus for more than a year and a half.

 

Usage and Function

• The Golden Retriever was originally bred as a retriever, they are born with the ability to retrieve prey, good at tracking and have a keen sense of smell. Nowadays, Golden Retrievers are mostly used as guide dogs and pet dogs, and are loved by people for their gentle, loyal, warm and friendly, smart and alert character traits. With its excellent performance, the Golden Retriever has become the most popular of the large dog breeds, and also serves as a search and rescue dog, dog doctor, guide dog and other tasks all over the world, and is one of the most valuable dog breeds among the nearly 200 dog breeds.

 

To summarize, the Golden Retriever is a beautiful-looking, gentle, intelligent and alert dog breed, making it an ideal family companion. When raising Golden Retrievers, owners need to pay attention to their dietary management, coat management, training and education as well as health management to ensure their healthy growth.