Imagine Life with and Caring for Your First Golden Retriever

Read these tips on grooming and training a golden retriever and gain insights into traveling with one to decide if this breed fits your household and lifestyle.

In the world of dogs, golden retrievers stand out with their unparalleled charm and versatility. They excel as pets, hunting companions, obedience competitors, and show dogs, and what's more, they can embody a unique blend of these characteristics. But how does one determine if these qualities make them the right match for a family? Learn about grooming, training, and traveling with your golden retriever to gain insights into owning one and decide if this breed is a good fit for your household.

How Golden Retrievers Enhance Our Lives

With their remarkable adaptability, Golden retrievers can exceed your expectations, whether you are looking for a loyal pet, a skilled hunting partner, or a show-stopping competitor. Their ability to seamlessly transition into various roles within a household makes them a valuable and beloved addition.

Why Owners Love Golden Retrievers

Golden retrievers form deep bonds with their owners because they are calm, well-mannered, fiercely loyal, and known for providing exceptional care and companionship. They long to participate in several activities, such as hiking, camping, and walking, and they love getting outside and doing things with people they know. Their alertness as watchdogs and love for children of all ages further enhance their appeal and make them a warm and connected addition to most families.

What Potential Owners Need to Know about Golden Retrievers

Like labs, golden retrievers have a penchant for water. If water is on or near your property, your golden retriever will not resist and will often be wet or muddy. They also don’t do well when left alone for extended periods. They desire constant interaction and need to be around their owners. Some owners choose to get a puppy and raise it themselves so that it grows with the skills they learned over time and makes them a much better dog as they grow older, but this is often frustrating and consumes a lot of time. Those who don’t have much time to spare or get easily frustrated should think carefully before getting a puppy and consider an older, housebroken, and trained golden retriever.

Understanding how golden retrievers fit into the household and some of the responsibilities involved will help you prepare and decide about owning a golden retriever.

Training Your Golden Retriever

The intelligence and trainability of golden retrievers make them ideal companions for those seeking a loyal friend. However, they don’t operate with the principle of right or wrong, but one of response, guided by your reactions. If their behavior leads to a bad reaction from you, they’ll know what they are doing is wrong and will avoid repeating that action. If the dog isn’t listening to you or doing the opposite of what you say, don’t reward it; instead, scold the dog with a stern NO.

Accordingly, praise should follow when your canine does something right. If your golden retriever listens to you and obeys commands, reward her or him with praise or a treat. Letting your dog know that a behavior is acceptable will lead to positive responses in the future.

Timing is among the most important factors when training your golden retriever.  Don’t hesitate or wait to address misbehavior because doing so may send the wrong impression. Address the matter as soon as possible so that it connects to and labels recent behavior as unacceptable. For example, if your golden retriever chases cars, stop this behavior before it becomes a habit. Take corrective action immediately after it so that the disciplinary measure attaches to the action. This way, it will be apparent that chasing cars is wrong, will not be tolerated, and that doing it again could have unpleasant consequences. It may take some time for the dog to understand the reason for the scolding, but you’ll need to hold your ground and take corrective action when behavior is unacceptable to maintain control.

Likewise, offer praise instantly when your golden retriever does something right. If you don’t praise immediately and wait until positive behavior has stopped, the dog could associate the praise with stopping the action. To be safe and get the most from your golden, you should always praise when he or she is behaving appropriately and take correct action when the behavior is unacceptable.

If you take your time and show patience with your golden retriever, you shouldn’t have any problems training her or him. The training process may take some time, but it is worth it. Once you have trained your golden retriever, the dog will react to your words and avoid misbehavior.

Grooming Your Golden Retriever

Grooming your golden retriever is a never-ending process. Like other dogs, golden retrievers shed their hair throughout the year and more in the spring, but matting is also common among this breed. To prevent it, brush your pet daily. Once you have finished brushing the entire body, switch to a metal comb to remove loose hair in the coat. While getting out the hair, you should look around the body for burs, ticks, fleas, and other skin ailments. Avoid using scissors to remove matting because a quick, unexpected move by the pet could cause serious injury. The entire process should take around ½ an hour.

Unclean ears lead to infections in golden retrievers and other dogs, so inspect and clean dogs' ears weekly with a high-quality ear cleansing solution.
Bathing your golden is essential to grooming, but it can be complicated. Before you attempt to bathe your dog, you should always brush him or her first to eliminate tangles. During shampooing, use shampoos specifically for dogs since human shampoo can dry a dog’s skin out. You don’t need to bathe your dog often; once every other week is usually good enough.

Always check and trim your golden retriever’s nails every few weeks, and avoid allowing them to get too long. Long nails can easily take the shape of the dog’s foot and result in a splay. If you trim them just right, you can often go up to two weeks before cutting them again. Try to avoid cutting the toenails too short because bleeding and pain may occur if you do happen to trim the nails past the quick. Be prepared to stop the bleeding with styptic powder.

If you properly maintain your golden retriever’s coat, you’ll find cleaning much easier. Grooming requires only a small amount of time in the day but is an essential component in the health of every golden retriever. When your time is limited, consider hiring a professional to complete this vital task.

Traveling with Your Golden Retriever

Golden retrievers love attention and want to be treated like family, including coming along on family activities and trips. When you first get your golden retriever puppy, you’ll have to teach her or him how to enjoy vehicle rides and traveling so that travel can be appreciated more over time.

A common mistake many have made, which should be avoided, is letting a golden retriever ride in a moving vehicle with their head out the window. Although you may think this is a good idea, cars and trucks moving at breakneck speeds can easily cause an expensive eye, ear, or nose injury and do severe damage to your dog. Instead, consider using a vehicle safety vest harness to help keep the dog safe.

When you bring your golden along for the first time, you should always give the dog food in small amounts throughout the day while the dog adjusts to traveling. If you feed her or him too much food before you head out, sickness or an accident may occur in the vehicle. By reducing the amount of food consumed, your pet will have a much better bladder and bodily control. Golden retrievers will learn to hold themselves, but plan frequent rest stops and allow your pet time to relieve him or herself, regardless of the distance.

When you stop for a break or to fill up your car, you should never allow your golden retriever to be alone in the car with the windows up. Even though you may crack the window, the heat that builds up inside over some seasons can result in strokes and quickly lead to death. If you must leave your dog in the vehicle, ensure it is visible at all times, that your time away is brief, and that you have parked in the shade and provided plenty of access to air.

Your golden retriever must get used to traveling, but most adapt quickly. If you do your part and care for your golden retriever when you travel, he or she will love to travel with you. Once you have taken your dog traveling with you, he or she will know when to travel and eventually learn to tell you when to stop so she or he can have some privacy.

Wrapping Up the Tips on Caring for a Golden Retriever

A happy, healthy golden retriever will be a loyal companion, always ready to engage, defend, and serve, but there's far more to know and love about this special breed. Other considerations include the diet, environment, and regular checkups, but proper training ideas, frequent grooming techniques, and knowing how to travel with your dog are all good starting places. If you plan to add a canine to the household, visit the local rescue shelters, talk with trusted advisors, check social media groups, and find out what they know.

Consider getting a golden retriever when the time is right. Then, you can offer the required affection and patience.

You'll probably be glad you did.