Cute Golden Retriever Puppies: Pictures And Breed Facts

The Golden Retriever Club of America (GRCA) breed standard describes the golden retriever's color as "rich, lustrous golden of various shades." The American Kennel Club (AKC) describes a "thick, water-repellant double coat," and the standard gives "latitude" to "the light puppy whose coloring shows promise of deepening with maturity."

Golden Retriever Puppy Lying In The Grass

This puppy lies flat in the grass with its head up. The AKC says goldens "heavily shed their thick, water-repellant double coat once or twice a year, and they also shed more moderately on a continuous basis." Brushing with a slicker brush once or twice a week removes much of the dead hair, the AKC adds.

An Adult Golden Retriever With Puppies

An adult golden retriever sits in a grass field with several puppies around it. The puppies range from pale cream to deeper gold. The GRCA breed standard allows for that range: it calls the color "rich, lustrous golden of various shades" and says "Feathering may be lighter than rest of coat."

The AKC describes the temperament this way: "Goldens are outgoing, trustworthy, and eager-to-please family dogs, and relatively easy to train." The GRCA standard uses three words: "friendly, reliable and trustworthy."

Golden Retriever Breed Facts

The AKC opens its breed page with this line: "The Golden Retriever, an exuberant Scottish gundog of great beauty, stands among America’s most popular dog breeds." The numbers below come from that page.

The AKC page lists a life expectancy of 10 to 12 years.

The breed began in Scotland. The AKC names Dudley Marjoribanks, the first Lord Tweedmouth, as the most important name in the early history of the breed. He developed it in the Scottish Highlands. The AKC also says the Golden "was first seen at a British dog show in 1908."

The GRCA standard describes the coat as "Dense and water repellent with good undercoat." The AKC adds that goldens "take a joyous and playful approach to life and maintain this puppyish behavior into adulthood."

Golden retriever health

The AKC says "Goldens are generally healthy dogs, and responsible breeders will screen their breeding stock for health conditions including elbow and hip dysplasia; eye conditions such as juvenile cataracts, pigmentary uveitis, and progressive retinal atrophy; and certain heart diseases, including subvalvular aortic stenosis." The GRCA health page lists screening for the parents of a litter: hips, elbows, eyes, and heart.

A 2018 study in PLOS ONE looked at necropsies done at one veterinary academic center from 1989 to 2016. Of 9,677 dogs examined, 655 were golden retrievers. Age was known for 652 of them, and 424 of those 652 (65.0 percent) were determined to have died because of cancer. The most common diagnosis was hemangiosarcoma (22.64 percent), followed by lymphoid neoplasia (18.40 percent). The authors describe the group as a referral population, which means these are dogs sent to a specialty center, so the figure does not give the odds for golden retrievers in general.

A second project follows living dogs. The Golden Retriever Lifetime Study is, in the words of its 2015 description in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, "the first prospective longitudinal study attempted in veterinary medicine to identify the major dietary, genetic and environmental risk factors for cancer and other important diseases in dogs." A 2022 PLOS ONE cohort profile reports that 3,044 golden retrievers in the United States, aged 6 months to 2 years, completed baseline enrollment between June 2012 and April 2015. Its main outcomes are hemangiosarcoma, lymphoma, osteosarcoma, and high-grade mast cell tumors.

Read more about Canine lifetime health.

How To Take Care Of A Golden Retriever Puppy

VCA Animal Hospitals divides puppyhood into stages: neonatal (birth to 2 weeks), transitional (2 to 3 weeks), socialization (3 weeks to 12 to 14 weeks), testing or ranking (3 to 6 months), and adolescence (6 to 18 months).

Feeding

The AKC says "A high-quality dog food appropriate for the dog's age (puppy, adult, or senior) will have all the nutrients the breed needs." VCA suggests looking for diets approved by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) for "growing puppies or for all life stages."

VCA warns that if you feed a puppy too much, use a high-fat food, or let the puppy eat whenever it wants (free-choice feeding), you "increase your puppy’s risk of bone or joint abnormalities, obesity and a shorter life span." Treats should not make up more than 10 percent of a puppy's calories, VCA says. Large and giant breed dogs keep growing until 18 to 24 months of age, according to VCA. The AKC adds that "Some Goldens can become overweight."

Exercise

The AKC says "Like most Sporting breeds, Goldens need plenty of daily exercise."

Grooming

Brush the coat with a slicker brush once or twice a week, which the AKC says removes much of the dead hair. During times of heavy shedding, the AKC says, these sessions turn into daily affairs. The AKC also advises checking a golden's ears weekly for signs of infection and brushing the teeth often.

Training

VCA lists "mouthing and chewing, jumping on people, tugging on items and wrestling games" as normal puppy behavior and recommends that dog parents keep using positive reinforcement methods. A 2017 review in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior covers aversive training methods in dogs.

The AKC recommends early socialization: "Gently exposing the puppy to a wide variety of people, places, and situations between the ages of seven weeks and four months will help the Golden develop into a well-adjusted, well-mannered adult." VCA passes along a recommendation from the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior: start puppy socialization classes as early as "7 to 8 weeks of age."

Read more about social enrichment. Read more about puppy parties.

Healthcare

VCA says a puppy should have its first veterinary visit at 6 to 8 weeks old. At that visit the puppy gets a first wellness exam, a first round of vaccines and dewormers, and starts parasite preventives.

Want to show your support for these lovely dogs? Check out our dog lovers apparel. We ensure that a fourth of the proceeds are donated to no-kill animal shelters.

Golden Retriever Puppy FAQ

What does a baby golden retriever look like?

The GRCA standard describes the color as "rich, lustrous golden of various shades," with feathering that may be lighter than the rest of the coat. It gives latitude to a light puppy whose coloring shows promise of deepening with maturity. The AKC describes a thick, water-repellant double coat.

How big does a golden retriever get?

The AKC lists males at 23-24 inches tall and 65-75 pounds, and females at 21.5-22.5 inches tall and 55-65 pounds.

Are golden retrievers good family dogs?

The AKC calls goldens "outgoing, trustworthy, and eager-to-please family dogs." Read more about Jimmy Stewart, who read a poem about his dog Beau on Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show.

Where can I get a golden retriever?

The GRCA says "Buying a Golden Retriever is a long-term commitment, and shouldn’t be an impulse decision." Its puppy referral page points to GRCA member clubs, whose volunteers can give more information about buying from a reputable breeder. The GRCA breeder page says responsible breeders work hard to produce healthy and well socialized puppies, and it advises learning about the breeder and the litter by phone or email before planning a visit.

For a rescue dog, the GRCA Committee to Assist Rescue Efforts (GRCA CARE) page lists Golden Retriever rescues by home state. The page says these rescues meet the club's published criteria for affiliation.

When should a golden retriever puppy first see a vet?

VCA says the first veterinary visit should happen when the puppy is 6 to 8 weeks old, unless it shows signs of illness before then.

Sources

• American Kennel Club: Golden Retriever breed page
• Golden Retriever Club of America: breed standard
• Golden Retriever Club of America: health and research
• Golden Retriever Club of America: where to find a Golden
• Golden Retriever Club of America: about breeders
• Golden Retriever Club of America: GRCA CARE rescue list
• VCA Animal Hospitals: New Puppy Guide
• VCA Animal Hospitals: how much to feed your puppy
• VCA Animal Hospitals: puppy behavior and training
• Kent MS and others, PLOS ONE 2018: cancer-related mortality in golden retrievers
• Labadie J and others, PLOS ONE 2022: Cohort profile, the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study
• Guy MK and others, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 2015: the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study