What You Should Know Before Adopting a Golden Retriever

Any time you're looking to bring a new canine friend into your family, it's a joyous occasion. These pups can be energetic, outgoing, friendly, charming, goofy, endearing, and so much more, often from the word go.

There are, however, realities to being a pet parent that you need to be aware of. They'll get sick, they'll get injured, they'll have problems, and you need to know how to handle them. They may have quirks or characteristics, either as individuals or as a particular specimen of their breed, and those are equally important.

To be the best possible pupper parent, you need to know what you're getting into with your new pooch. So, if you're looking to adopt a golden retriever, what should you bear in mind? Here's our guide to this fantastic, loving, goofy breed.

What is the History of the Golden Retriever?

Goldens are fantastic dogs. They're also a somewhat complex example of how systematic dog breeding can produce something unique.

All the way back in the early 1860s, a man named Dudley Marjoribanks set out to create "the ultimate breed of retriever." He started with a yellow-colored flat-coated retriever (named Nous) and a Tweed Water Spaniel (named Belle). This pairing produced the first litter of what would eventually become the golden retriever.

These pups were not quite like the goldens we know today. They still had many generations to go, with added cross-breeding from other breeds, including Red Setters, Bloodhounds, and Labrador Retrievers (which, themselves, had only been a breed for around 30 years at the time!)

A few generations down, the breed we know as goldens was finally produced and has carried forward since. The Kennel Club in Britain called them "flat-coated retrievers, golden" as a breed variant, but in 1913, they were finally recognized as their own breed. In 1920, the name Golden Retriever was finalized.

While many common and popular dog breeds were intentionally created, often in the 1800s and 1900s, goldens are one of the most well-documented. Marjoribanks took meticulous notes, and those notes were later used to disprove a bunch of folk tales about their origin.

While the golden retriever was created as another variation on the sportsman's dog, they're frequently outdone in that respect by their forebears, the labradors. They're still used as retrieval dogs, particularly for bird hunting, and also for field trials and contests. They're common competitors in dog sports, obedience trials, and shows.

Much more often these days, goldens are used as companion dogs and service animals. They're very smart and can learn a lot of commands, which makes them excellent as service dogs. They're also calm, happy, and charming, which makes them excellent as companion animals. They're even used in some zoos as companions for the ever-anxious leopards, showing that their companionship crosses the boundaries of species.

All of this means that Golden Retrievers are the third-most-popular dog breed in the country, after French bulldogs and labrador retrievers.

Most of us are at least somewhat familiar with goldens, but let's talk about their key breed details.

Primary Breed Characteristics of Golden Retrievers

Other than their golden coats, what makes a golden a golden? While it might not seem like there's much going on behind that smile, they're more complex dogs than some people realize.

The Physical Characteristics

Physically speaking, golden retrievers are very much mid-sized dogs, so much so that they're one of the iconic dog-shaped dogs you see whenever you look for dog photos. They stand around 22-24 inches at the shoulder, with females running slightly smaller than males. They weigh somewhere in the 55-75 pound range when they're healthy, again with females being slightly smaller.

They are also remarkably consistent in design. Unlike many other dog breeds, which have different variations in coat color or different marking patterns, goldens have none of that. Goldens come in three colors: light gold, gold, and dark gold. They typically don't have any markings at all, just a mostly uniform wavy golden coat that makes them distinctive as a golden.

That wavy golden coat is the source of pride for a golden, but it's also a source of frustration for golden parents; as a thick, dense double coat, there's a lot of hair there, and they shed a prodigious amount of fur throughout the year. They need at least bi-weekly brushing and often daily brushing during transition seasons when they shed a summer or winter coat. They also often require a bit of grooming to trim the longer hair to ensure they're comfortable.

Health and Wellness

Goldens have fairly average lifespans for mid-sized dogs, averaging somewhere in the 10-12-year range when well-treated and cared for. They are, however, prone to a handful of specific issues, some of which are due to their purebred status, and some are just a result of their breed characteristics.

Obviously, some pups will never experience much of anything on this list, while others might be more prone to them; it depends on the individual dog's genetics.

• Skin issues. One of the most common problems with goldens is hot spots, which are localized areas where the skin gets irritated and inflamed. It's often a side-effect of topical allergies and excessive licking or scratching, so be on the lookout for those behaviors. More serious skin issues include atopic dermatitis, which can be larger patches of rashes and itchy spots, often allergic in nature.

• Hypothyroidism. When the thyroid gland is unable to produce enough of the thyroid hormone, a lack of thyroid function causes a variety of problems. These can include weight gain, low energy levels, more prone to infections, and both skin and fur issues. It's a manageable condition with medication and usually starts to manifest around middle age in goldens.

• Dysplasia. Dysplasia is a deformation in the joints that causes poor alignment, which leads to pain and arthritis. It can show up in both elbows and hips, but hips are often more common and more obvious. Left alone, it causes pain, lameness, bunny hopping, reluctance to be active, and similar symptoms. It can usually be at least partially treated through a variety of methods, like supplements, dietary changes, medications, and surgery.

• Eye problems. Goldens are prone to two main eye problems. PRA, or progressive retinal atrophy, is a slow degeneration of the retina that leads to blindness. It can't be cured, but a blind golden is still capable of being a happy, active dog. The other is pigmentary uveitis, which is a condition where cysts develop in the eye. It can, eventually, cause problems like cataracts or glaucoma, but it can be somewhat controlled.

• Heart issues. Goldens are prone to a genetic condition called SAS, or subaortic valvular stenosis. Responsible breeders avoid breeding pups with the condition to try to eliminate it, but not all goldens come from responsible breeders, so it still pops up. The condition damages the heart over time, and goldens with it are low energy and can die suddenly.

• Cancers. Many dogs are prone to canine cancers, though which ones depend on the breed. Goldens are prone to two: lymphoma, which originates in the lymph nodes and spreads through organs, and hemangiosarcoma, which is an aggressive cancer originating from the blood-centric organs like the liver, heart, and spleen.

While it can feel daunting to look at this list, especially when you see some very serious issues on it, remember that not all goldens will experience these problems. Many dogs of the breed live long and healthy lives without any of them, and the dogs that develop something on the list might only have one thing, and it could be manageable. Don't let it scare you away from adopting a golden!

Mentality and Personality

The American Kennel Club rates dog breeds on three scales: good with family, good with children, and good with other dogs. All of them are on a 1-5 scale, with 1 being the worst and 5 being the best. Goldens rate a solid 5/5 on all three of these. They're also very open to strangers, generally very playful, and are somewhere in the middle of the road when it comes to being watchdogs. They're quick to adapt to new situations and take everything in stride.

The two keys to understanding a golden retriever are these:

• They're extraordinarily friendly dogs who are always happy to be here, hanging out, as one of the gang. Someone new shows up? That's a new friend. Something changes? That's a fun new experience.

• They're extremely eager to please and, as a result, are both easy to train and can learn a lot of often complex commands. Part of what makes goldens such good service dogs is that they can learn both complex commands and contextual commands and can take the initiative to help in a service capacity and not just reactively or for show.

Unlike their close relations, the labrador retrievers, they aren't quite as food-motivated or as prone to eating everything they come across. They can be energetic, especially as puppies, but once they reach early adulthood, they tend to mellow out a lot. They're happy to hang out and be with you, whatever you're doing.

If there are any downsides to a golden, it's due to that friendliness. They don't really have a concept of personal space, and they aren't likely to be skeptical of intruders or strangers unless you've trained them to be that way. If a golden wants to be your 70-lb lap dog, well, that might just be your new life to live.

Tips for Caring for a Golden Retriever

To make sure you and your golden have the best lives possible, make sure you're prepared for the worst while planning for the best.

Meet their needs.

Goldens do need enough physical and, more importantly, mental engagement to be well-behaved. If they aren't properly engaged, they might be more prone to eating things they shouldn't, acting out, or generally being disobedient.

You'll need a step above the basic puzzle feeder; get used to training more and more advanced tricks as they get older, just to give them something new to do.

Understand the cancer risk.

Unfortunately, out of all of the health issues listed above, cancer is by far the most likely to occur. Over 65% of goldens develop cancer in their lifetimes (compared to around 25% of most other breeds), which is frankly devastating.

Now, there are increasingly advanced cancer treatments being developed, and if caught early, it's possible to delay how bad it gets, but it's still one of the most distressing parts of a golden retriever.

Keep an eye on their skin.

Since skin conditions are common, it's worth spending extra time getting your pup used to frequent brushing and bathing.

You'll want to be able to get a good glance at their skin, especially if they're scratching a lot, to make sure they aren't having an allergic reaction. And, if they do have a reaction, have a way to handle it. Your vet can give you options for treating skin conditions at home before they become real problems.

Adopt, don't shop!

This one is actually kind of a hard sell with goldens, but I stick by my guns on this one. Animal shelters, humane societies, and adoption agencies across the country are packed to overflowing with dogs in need of a good home. Meanwhile, breeders charge thousands of dollars for a golden, with waitlists a year long and first priority given to service dog trainers and working dogs.

The best way to get a golden to love is to find one at a shelter and rescue them from the dire circumstances life has placed them in. Then, make sure you talk to a vet and get a genetic screen, health checkup, and general overview to make sure they aren't already suffering from something that should have been bred out of them in the first place.

As much as unethical breeding is a concern, it's better to save these lovable pups whenever you can, and they'll love you forever when you do.

Do you have any questions about Golden Retrievers that I haven't covered in this article? If so, be sure to leave a comment down below, and I'll get back to you with an answer as soon as possible!