With a friendly, playful temperament and willingness to please, we can see why these dogs are family favourites. The Golden Retriever's history as a gundog means this highly intelligent breed is popular as a guide dog, and also as a member of search and rescue teams.
Facts & advice
Golden Retriever
A naturally intelligent, gentle and fun-loving family friend who’s always full of energy.
Vital stats
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| Size: | Large |
| Coat: | Double coat, groom weekly |
| Exercise | 2+ hours a day for adult dogs |
| Life span: | 10+ years |
| Breed group: | Gundog |
| Temperament: | Reliable, loyal, kind |
Golden Retriever temperament & personality
Naturally intelligent with a soft side, these dogs are a consistently popular family pet. They'll offer a warm greeting to whoever they meet, rarely showing aggression, although their exuberance can be a little overwhelming for young children. They are attentive and easily trained, meaning you and the kids can have hours of fun teaching them tricks and games.
- One of the UK’s most popular family pets, Golden Retrievers’ gentle, loving nature makes them a great choice for families with children of all ages.
- Due to their gundog breeding, Golden Retrievers are eager to please and intelligent making them easy to train and ideal for novice owners.
- These highly active dogs will thrive in busy, active households with lots going on – they love long walks and adventures so suit outdoorsy households.
Golden Retriever training & exercise
Always ready to play, with an instinctive love of water, Golden Retrievers make an ideal companion on a country or park walk.
Training tips
- Intelligent and eager to please, Golden Retrievers relish the chance to learn and are quick to pick up commands.
- This affable breed responds best to positive reinforcement methods and will respond to your tone of voice. Since life is a game for these big, affable dogs, they respond well to upbeat training methods using your voice and positive reinforcement.
Exercise
- Whether it’s swimming, running, chasing, even playing hide and seek – these dogs just love burning off energy in the great outdoors.
- Golden Retrievers are natural born swimmers and this is a great form of exercise for older dogs or dogs with joint issues.
Keeping them happy
- Active and energetic, Golden Retrievers need plenty of physical exercise and may turn to destructive behaviours, such as chewing and scratching, without other outlets for their energy.
- Aside from a couple of hours walking each day, Golden Retrievers relish human interaction and the chance to learn.
Game ideas
- The clue is in the name “retriever” – these dogs love a game of fetch and will happily keep playing for as long as you can throw the ball!
Common Golden Retriever health conditions
There are certain health conditions that affect Golden Retrievers more frequently than other dog breeds. We’ve outlined some of our recent claims data to help you understand some of the health issues we see more in Golden Retrievers than in other dog breeds. If you’re buying a puppy, you can increase your chances of having a happy and healthy dog by choosing a reputable Golden Retriever breeder.
Golden Retrievers are susceptible to various common ear problems. These can affect the ear flap or the external ear canal. A common condition is known as aural haematoma. This occurs when a blood filled swelling forms when blood leaks inside the earflap. These can develop when a dog shakes their head repeatedly or scratches their ear aggressively usually because they are suffering from an itchy ear canal due to inflammation, infection or ear mites. Treatment depends on the size of the haematoma and can range from giving medicine, draining the earflap or surgical correction.
Like all dogs, Golden Retrievers can develop masses (lumps and bumps) in the layers of fat, skin and muscle that cover their bodies. These might be warts, cysts, abscesses, lipomas or tumours, such as mast cell tumours. Mast cells are normal skin cells that help dogs respond to trauma and damage by releasing histamine. However, these cells can sometimes replicate into a serious type of tumour called a mast cell tumour. They vary widely in size and shape, but most take the form of a solitary lump within the skin. Lipomas are benign (non-cancerous), slow-growing fatty lumps. Generally, treatment depends on the size, location and exact nature of the lump, but almost always involves surgical removal.
Cruciate ligament disease is something we see frequently in Golden Retrievers. The cruciate ligaments are found inside the knee joint and hold it stable. Cruciate ligament disease means that this ligament slowly frays and gets weaker and can get worse over time. Treatment for cruciate ligament disease is usually surgery to help stabilise the knee joint. However, like all dogs they can also develop arthritis from this condition, and long-term treatment is often required to keep them active.
The Golden Retriever, like all dogs, can suffer from problems affecting the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The GI tract is a long, winding tube that starts at the mouth and ends at the anus, with various twists and turns along the way. Conditions such as gastro-enteritis or an obstruction within the bowel (due to the dog eating stones, cloth or string, for example) commonly cause vomiting and/or diarrhoea. Treatment depends on the exact cause, but prompt intervention usually results in a full recovery.
Golden Retrievers are prone to developing arthritis. Arthritis means ‘inflammation of the joint’. It can occur due to wear and tear, injuries or abnormal joint development. Arthritis can manifest as stiffness (especially after lying down), reluctance to exercise or going up or down stairs and steps. Whilst many forms of arthritis cannot be cured, they can be managed using weight control, anti-inflammatories and even stem-cell therapies. Long-term treatment, and sometimes even surgery, may be indicated.
Golden Retriever grooming
Golden Retrievers are known for their lustrous double coat, comprising a thick undercoat and a water-repellent top coat – so they need to be brushed regularly.
- They are prone to shedding, but using a de-shedding tool to thin out the undercoat and keep on top of the hair loss can help.
- They tend to shed lightly throughout the year, but more so in spring and autumn. In summer, you could also take your pet for a ‘haircut' at the groomers, which will usually involve trimming the longest feathered fur.
- Due to the breed's love of water (and mud!) you may need to bathe your Golden Retriever fairly often, using a pet-friendly shampoo to prevent any skin reactions.
- Brush your Golden Retriever’s teeth regularly to prevent tooth or gum disease. It’s a good idea to introduce this as a part of your puppy’s routine early, as it’ll help familiarise them with the process.
Golden Retriever nutrition
What do Golden Retrievers eat? Most things, given half a chance! During their hunting days, Golden Retrievers needed lots of food to fuel their active work, and their love of eating still endures.
- Vets recommend feeding a high-quality, breed-appropriate food twice a day, and keeping an eye on portion sizes by following the guidelines on the back of the pet food packaging.
- Try to avoid giving too many scraps or they may become overweight. Golden Retrievers can suffer from tummy trouble so ensure you don’t over feed them or feed them too many treats.
- Golden Retrievers can be prone to suffering from joint conditions so keep your pet's lifestyle and activity level in mind, adding plenty of exercise to their routine to help them stay in shape and maintain healthy weight.
What to know before you buy or rehome a Golden Retriever
Considering buying or rehoming a Golden Retriever? Before you find a puppy or adopt, here are a few important things to remember.
- Golden Retrievers are prone to shedding throughout the year, so may not be the best choice for people with allergies.
- Like all dogs you will need to ensure they are well-socialised as puppies and trained. This will help your Golden Retriever get along well with you and others, including other dogs.
- It’s important to get your Golden Retriever puppy from a reputable breeder so you can meet the puppy’s mum and check she has the temperament you’re looking for. ‘Lucy’s Law’ dictates that new puppies or kittens must be bought directly from a breeder or adopted from rescue. Third party sellers are now illegal.
- Like all breeds, Golden Retrievers can suffer from a range of health conditions, and joint conditions like elbow or hip dysplasia are particularly common in the breed. A reputable breeder will be able to provide proof of genetic testing, like hip and elbow scores, for both parents to help you choose a healthy dog.
Golden Retriever frequently asked questions
Due to their thick double coat, Golden Retrievers are considered heavy shedders, and will drop their fur throughout the year. There’s nothing you can do to stop your dog shedding, but regular brushing will help to remove loose hairs and keep your dog’s coat in tip-top condition.
Golden Retrievers are famous for their gentle, happy-go-lucky nature, and this breed is rarely aggressive. However, this is an active and intelligent breed who needs regular exercise and mental stimulation to prevent behavioural problems.
As part of the Gundog group, Golden Retrievers are active and intelligent and need plenty of exercise to keep them happy and healthy. Generally, Golden Retrievers need around 2 hours of physical exercise per day with plenty of playtime and mental stimulation in between.
Golden Retrievers are naturally intelligent dogs despite their sometimes goofy nature. As part of the Gundog breed group, Golden Retrievers are quick learners and eager to please, making them highly trainable.
Golden Retrievers’ soft and gentle nature, combined with their fun-loving personalities, has made them a firm favourite as a family pet. These dogs are naturally good with children and make ideal playmates. However, it’s worth noting that they may be best suited to families with older children due to their larger size and fun-loving, boisterous play style. As with any dog breed, any time your Golden Retriever spends with children should be supervised to make sure everyone stays safe and happy.
Because they are sociable and even-tempered, Golden Retrievers are known to get on well with other pets, including cats. Despite their amiable nature, it’s always best to introduce your Golden Retriever to your cat carefully and from a young age if possible to ensure both animals are happy around each other.
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Golden Retriever insurance considerations
Golden Retrievers can sometimes suffer from gastrointestinal disorders and may to prone to genetic conditions such as elbow or hip dysplasia which can lead to arthritis. As some of these conditions are lifelong, it’s important that when choosing dog insurance, that you check for any limits in your cover and understand how long conditions will be covered for.
We always offer these things as standard:
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy & pet therapies
Along with physiotherapy, which is covered within the Vet Bills benefit, we also cover Pet Therapies like herbal medicine, homeopathy and acupuncture. You can also claim for hydrotherapy, up to £500 per illness/injury in dogs and cats (no additional limit for rabbits).
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