Golden Retriever

The Golden Retriever is a beautiful medium-sized dog, harmoniously built, with a tight, muscular body. It has a gentle expression in its eyes. Golden is intended for the work of a retriever but it is also perfect as a family, sports, service dog and as a guide for the blind. It is great as a rescue dog and therapist. The Golden Retriever is a faithful dog, it is a devoted friend of the whole family. It is extremely hardworking, has an excellent sense of smell and a very strongly developed hunting instinct. It is a versatile dog so it will also do great in dog sports. It successfully competes in agility, obedience competitions, tracking competitions or in specialized competitions for retrievers - dummy.

A dog of this breed is strongly attached not only to its owner, but also loves all family members. It is patient with children. Golden needs an affectionate and active owner who will take it on long walks. Like all hunting dogs, Goldens need a lot of exercise and the right amount of activities. Only then do they feel happy. Since Golden Retrievers are retrieving dogs used to catch birds from the water, they love to swim. They cannot resist the temptation to swim in a pond, sea, ocean or ordinary puddle. It also happens that they can give their owners an unexpected prey that they find during a walk. Golden is an excellent tracker, which is why it is used in various types of search actions. It learns quickly, also undesirable behaviors, so it requires consistent work from the very beginning.

The Goldens were brought up to work constantly in various conditions so they quickly adapt to them. They have inexhaustible energy and strength so they need quite a lot of exercise, regardless of the weather outside. They usually greet everyone with joy, although there may also be hyperactive individuals. There is no problem with training this dog, but you need to be patient. It is best to start training at the age of puppies. It should be based on praise and rewards for a job well done. A small puppy should come from a kennel that is registered with the Polish Kennel Club (FCI) or another recognized cynological organization (e.g. AKC, The Kennel Club). Puppies parents should have documents confirming breeding rights and tests.

The care of the Gold Retriever is not very complicated. It only requires regular brushing. It is important to get your dog used to this procedure from an early age. Ears, eyes and teeth are also subject to care. In the case of the ears, it is very important to check that there is not too much discharge in them. An unpleasant odor from the ear may indicate an infection.

Any shade of golden or cream. The colour of the coat cannot be red or mahogany. Small, white markings on the chest are allowed. The coat is smooth or wavy with feathering and a thick, waterproof undercoat.

The Golden Retriever is a dog that is resistant to changing weather conditions but, unfortunately, it is prone to skin allergies, mainly related to the food it gets. These dogs are also prone to dysplasia and cataracts. It is recommended that puppies of this breed are x-rayed for dysplasia. It is very important not to force puppies too much, e.g. by climbing stairs. There have also been a few reports of epilepsy

The Golden Retriver needs food that is appropriate to its age and activity. We must closely observe our pooch, e.g. when changing the diet because dogs of this breed have a tendency to food allergies. Every dog is a carnivore - that's its nature. That is why the Barf diet is a very interesting alternative to traditional dry food. It consists in giving our pet raw meat (it comes in various types), bones or giblets. We write about this diet because it is actually chosen by more and more owners of pets. For a Golden Retriever, this can also be a great diet. Unfortunately, it is time consuming for the owner.

Another solution for feeding our dog is to provide good dry food, but not from the first store or wholesaler because this type of product may not contain any valuable ingredients, e.g. meat. The composition of the food is extremely important and should be read carefully. Good dry food? It is one that does not contain grain (Does the wolf in the forest eat grain?), and dried or fresh meat takes the first places in its composition.