November 18, 2008

The Adventure Of Living With Golden Retrievers

by Carol Matthews

There’s a very popular YouTube video featuring a Golden Retriever that’s made a big hit all over the world. The video was taken during the relatively new sport of canine freestyle dancing. The dog danced John Travolta’s part very convincingly to the song “You’re The One That I Want” with the owner, dressed as Olivia Newton-John. This shows you what a Golden Retriever ? show quality or pet quality ? is capable of.

But Golden Retrievers are not born wonder dogs. They need time, effort and lots of praise in order to fully blossom into the great dogs they can be. You also need a good sense of humor and a willingness to let the house get a bit messy. You need to learn as much Golden Retriever information as you possibly can before, during and after you bring your dog home. The best places to get Golden Retrievers with great personalities are from breeders and Golden Retriever rescue centers. Never get a dog from a pet store.

These dogs were bred to be highly active, running miles through the rain in order to retrieve killed game for his master. Although the main job of a Golden Retriever has changed, the attitude is still the same. These dogs need to be busy. They need regular exercise and to be in the middle of family life or they will find something to occupy their time ? which can mean they might do things you don’t want them to do.

Keep in mind about the Golden Retriever’s copious, feathery coat. It needs daily brushing. It will shed a lot ? this is normal. It has also been said that Golden Retrievers have a wet dog odor, even when perfectly dry, more than other breeds.

Golden Retrievers also like to dig, play in water and bring interesting objects they find into the house. That is because they were bred to bring game to their masters. Try to take the decomposing dead mouse as a compliment.

You can also help sweeten a Golden Retriever’s naturally sweet disposition by getting your dog spayed or neutered. This helps reduce your dog’s chances of getting in fights, wandering off to find a mate or getting cancers of the reproductive organs. Golden Retrievers also become more interested in paying attention to you instead of their hormones. Still, even a mature Golden Retriever usually does not make a good guard dog, as they want to make friends with everyone.

Golden Retrievers are prone to some health conditions, so you should be prepared for such a possibility. They are often prone to eye problems, hip dysplasia, heart conditions and itchy skin problems. However, a Golden Retriever will usually not be so terrified of going to the vet like other dogs.

There is a big effort by responsible Golden Retriever breeders to weed out all unhealthy Golden Retrievers from the breeding population. On average, Golden Retrievers live to be between ten and twelve years old.

About the Author:

About the author: Carol Matthews is a passionate lover of the Golden Retriever and owns a popular website where you’ll discover how to have a happy, healthy and well behaved Golden Retriever. Among other topics there, you will find out more about Golden Retriever Personality plus a whole lot more.