Golden Retriever: A Puppy You’ll Forever Love

October 23, 2023

Are you ready to meet the greatest-of-all-time family dog? The Golden Retriever purebred dog breed has unanimously won the hearts of American families and this faithful, sweet pet has long since been crowned the best dog breed, period. 

Whether you’re single, married, young, old, living in a house full of children and other pets, or secluded on a desert island, the Golden Retriever is for you. 

Petland Miami has put together every reason on earth why you’ll fall in love with Golden Retrievers, leaving you no excuses to bring home this universally beloved companion dog.  

APPEARANCE

Golden Retrievers are medium-sized dogs that appear larger than life thanks to their serene, faithful, and loving personality. They stand between 21 – 24 inches tall, paw to shoulder, and weigh between 55 – 75 lbs. Males are on the larger side of this height and weight range. Golden Retrievers have floppy ears, smiling muzzles, and wispy medium-length fur that’s water repellant to suit their swimming expeditions.

Golden Retrievers are best known for the beautiful color of their fur. Some Golden Retrievers are a rich, golden-red shade, while others can be a light gold color that appears cream. They have long, fluffy tails, and many possess a fluffy mane of fur on their chests. All Golden Retrievers have deep-brown eyes that convey a friendly, intelligent, sympathetic look. More than just a pet, a Golden Retriever truly becomes a member of the family it belongs to! 

TEMPERAMENT

Faithful, trustworthy, obedient, and outgoing, Golden Retrievers have a lovable temperament. At home, this dog is companionable, eager-to-please its family, sensitive to the needs and moods of its beloved family, and patient. When taken out, Golden Retrievers are outgoing and friendly, always happy to meet new people and experience new environments. 

But this isn’t to say that Golden Retrievers are naive push-overs. You wouldn’t necessarily know it by meeting a Goldie, but this breed will fiercely protect its owner and family in the face of danger and threats. Golden Retrievers have been known to fight off bears during family camping trips, and even prevent kidnappings-in-progress! If a child has gotten past a safety gate and fallen into a pool, the dog breed most likely to jump into the water to save the child is a Golden Retriever.  

PERSONALITY

Beautifully complementing their temperament is their personality. Golden Retrievers are affectionate, sensitive, and playful. An overjoyed Golden Retriever can even be a bit of a goofball, happily bounding around its favorite person. This breed is kind and considerate. Not only will a Golden Retriever make sure everyone in the family is happy and in good spirits, but it will extend its concern to the other pets in the household, giving your cat a nudge hello and patiently tolerating any snappish attitudes from other resident creatures in your home. Golden Retrievers are even known to be welcoming of peaceful wildlife, regarding deer and rabbits with more curiosity than aggression. 

GOLDEN RETRIEVERS & CHILDREN

Among all the purebred dog breeds out there, Golden Retrievers are easily the most patient with children, even young children. Golden Retrievers are naturally tolerant and will sooner remove themselves from a truly insufferable child than challenge the child’s behavior. Of course, it’s necessary to teach children, even very young children, how to respect and treat the family dog. But when your family dog is a Golden Retriever, you never have to worry that your dog will retaliate against your child if and when your child mistreats the dog. 

Golden Retrievers are known to bond deeply with children and develop natural instinct to protect those children. Your Golden Retriever will treat your kids like his own, and will take his responsibility of looking after the whole family quite seriously. Golden Retrievers also get along great with kids because kids of all ages are energetic and playful, which Goldies will get in on every chance they get!

GOLDEN RETRIEVERS & OTHER PETS

If you already have other domestic pets, especially cats, a Golden Retriever will be a great addition to your pet family. Unlike other dog breeds that simply don’t get along with cats or other furry creatures, Golden Retrievers are generally curious, friendly, and gentle with all animals.

If you have rabbits, guinea pigs, or other very small critters, you’ll need to go through a formal introductory process to acclimate your Golden Retriever and make sure your littlest fur babies are comfortable and safe. Until you’re confident your Golden Retriever is trustworthy around your rabbit, guinea pig, or other furry friend, you shouldn’t leave them alone. 

TRAINABILITY

Because Golden Retrievers are eager-to-please their owners, as well as intelligent, they’re easily trained. Like most intelligent dog breeds, Golden Retrievers respond best to positive reinforcement training. This means that you can incentivize your Goldie puppy to learn basic commands and your house rules by rewarding him with a small bit of a dog treat. Receiving the dog treat is a positive experience that will reinforce for your puppy how “good” it was that he obeyed you. Soon, your pats and approval will be all the positive reinforcement your puppy needs, and you won’t have to reward him with treats!

EXERCISE NEEDS

The Golden Retriever dog breed is a high-energy, active dog. Petland Miami is of the opinion that there’s no reason not to own a Golden Retriever, but if we had to say something, then we would only mention this. For any person or family that only wants a companion family dog to snuggle on the couch with, then the Golden Retriever will be way too much for you. 

Golden Retrievers love running around outside. They were originally bred to “retrieve” things, literally. Their owners were goose, duck, and fowl hunters. Once their owner shot a duck out of the sky, their Golden Retriever would sprint off, sometimes a quarter of a mile away, to find and retrieve the dead duck. You don’t have to be a duck hunter to satisfy your Goldie’s exercise needs, but you will have to take him out to run around for at least an hour every day. An extended game of fetch is truly heaven to a Golden Retriever. And if you’re a jogger, hiker, or habitually take long walks daily, your Golden Retriever will love being your exercise buddy! 

GROOMING REQUIREMENTS

Lovable as the Golden Retriever is, this breed can become a bit stinky if its owner laxes in grooming. Bathing, brushing, trimming, ear care, nail care, and dental care are all crucial to your Goldie’s health, especially as they age. Grooming your Golden Retriever will also make them more pleasant to be around. No one wants to spend time with a stinky dog, so bathing and brushing their fur as well as brushing their teeth regularly will allow you to spend more quality time with your Goldie without wondering if a small rodent up-and-died in their matted fur.

Golden Retrievers have medium-length, straight fur, but because it’s a double-layer coat, it can become matted if it’s not brushed at least twice a week. Brushing your Goldie’s fur will remove loose fur and any dirt, oil, bacteria, and danger that’s attached to the loose fur. Shampooing and bathing your Goldie should occur once every 2 – 3 months, or as needed. 

It’s also good to bear in mind that whatever your Goldie eats will “come through” his skin. So, you might want to pay special attention to feeding him natural, unprocessed meat proteins, and avoid grain-heavy dog foods. Owners who feed their Golden Retrievers fish oil supplements to get those healthy Omega-3 fatty acids into their fur babies will quickly discover that their dog has slick, greasy fur and stinks of fish. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.  

Oral and dental hygiene are also very important for Golden Retrievers if you don’t want your home, life, and dreams to smell like doggy breath. Brushing your Goldie’s teeth throughout puppyhood will help him accept, and even like, his teeth being brushed. Adult Golden Retrievers can be given dental doggy chews that are meant to “clean” their teeth as they gnaw and chew the treats. 

IS A GOLDEN RETRIEVER RIGHT FOR YOU & YOUR FAMILY?

Yes.

Phew, that was easy. 

But wait, let’s recap the caveats! In order to be a great puppy parent and long-term dog owner to a Golden Retriever, you must be committed to providing your Goldie with the exercise requirements we covered in this article. The only people who shouldn’t take home a Golden Retriever puppy are those who simply don’t have the time, energy, or will to exercise their dog for a good hour every day. If that truly describes you, give yourself a pat on the back for being honest! There are tons of wonderful, loving dog breeds that will enjoy your cozy, homey lifestyle! Petland Miami has French Bulldogs for sale, Pugs for sale, and many more homebody purebred dog breeds for sale in Florida. 

For everyone else, a Golden Retriever will make all your puppy dreams come true! Stop by our Florida locations to meet our Golden Retriever puppies for sale, and experience their friendly, energetic personalities in person! We hope to see you soon.