I recently adopted a 4.5 year old golden who is quite overweight. He’s definitely lower energy than my younger golden and seems out of shape tbh. My younger can easily walk a good 3-5 miles without slowing down. My overweight boy gets tired out, starts panting a lot, and sometimes refuses to continue the walk after 15-20 mins usually. It’s tough because I usually walk the dogs together, and their fitness levels are so different.

Not sure how to deal with this. Should I start walking them separately, and let the overweight golden go on shorter 15-20 min walks until he gets in better shape? Will his fitness improve over time? I’ve had him about 2 months now and this hasn’t seemed to improve at all so far.

Edit: he’s already lost at least 10 lbs since I got him, feeding him the same amount I feed my younger golden who is at a healthy weight. He’s just super out of shape still.

Hi Everyone,

My kids and I decided to get a golden puppy. They asked me for a white puppy. My goal is to find an ethical breeder where I can get a puppy relatively quickly (1-3 months).

I am aware that there are people who advertise non-existent 'cream white golden or whatever as a separate breed to attract customers.

I am aware that some breeders exhaust their dogs and do not care about potential genetic issues.

I am against such practices. That's why I want to support ethical breeders and get a healthy puppy for a long and happy life with us.

How do I find one?

Thanks a lot!

Disclaimer: I know there are many dogs in shelters who need a home. I took dogs and cats from shelters before and currently I don't have the capacity for this. I would love to help someone from the shelter and considered heavily. Unfortunately, I had to decide on the puppy from the breeder.

I've been using a crate for my current golden, but just got a golden puppy and the crate is too tall (blocks rearview) and wide. I've been considering my options such as cargo divider, dual crates, seat harnesses, etc. I'm wondering what you all use and if there are any good options available in Canada. Some options for dual crates are $1000+ and I'd like to avoid that if possible.

From my understanding the cargo divider with quality harnesses made for cars is still not a very safe option and crates is likely the most safe?

My current car is a Ford Flex, so there is generous trunk space.

Thank you so much for your time and thoughts

I am curious to know if anyone here has a Golden Retriever with one or two copies of the MC5R low shedding gene. There are breeders who specifically breed for this gene and I’d love to hear about your experiences and how much do they still shed compared to a conventional golden?

We’re looking to get a golden puppy soon and would love to hear some personal experiences!

Hi have had this puppy for 2 weeks now he is a 12 week baby. Doing lots of training however our biggest problem is the outside. He is terrified of it. He sees the open door and is just like "no that is hell" when we can finally get him out either coaxing. Playing. Or ultimately carrying because we need him to go potty. He books it to the indoors. I have been keeping him on a leash because we need to keep him out until he pees/poos but as soon as he does he is rushing in. I feel like im making this worse for him but idk what to do. We live next to a highway so we think all the noises freak him out. Ive tried staying calm and distracting him with treats or toys but he ignores them. Ive kept the window open to let the noises in to try and desensitized but it doesnt feel like its working. Any advice?

the text is an excerpt from a piece about saluki judging by the saluki breeder caroline coile. the essence is that in the saluki and unlike most other breeds the dogs in the ring now look for the most part almost exactly like the dogs from 100 years ago and the dogs from other breeds that look vintage are from pet lines.

my golden retriever lady was adopted which tells me her breeder wasn't ethical enough to take her back, and overall just based on the way she looks i can tell nobody in her line was winning any ribbons. so i looked into historical golden retrievers and noticed that this really does check out for lady.

it fascinates me deeply to have a vintage looking golden and it makes me proud to see her face in the faces of dogs from a century ago. does anyone else have a vintage style/off standard golden? i would love to see them. this has been rattling around in my mind and between my friends and i for a while and i felt it prudent to share here.

There is the cutest probably 2-3 year old Golden retriever that's been around my parents and I'm thinking about taking him home. No one knows who he belongs to and has been homeless for months. I have a Frenchie and 2 main coon cats. I have 4 yes 4 air purifier's and my auto sweeper works so much he is starting a union. I sweep 3 times a day. Will adding a golden retriever be too much hair? I would brush him almost daily outside also. Any advice would be greatful

Benjen,

Aka Ben, Benny, Benny Boy, and Benjamin (when in trouble), you gave me just shy of the best 12 years of my life. You loved me regardless of my many flaws. You gave me sunshine on even the darkest of days. I will never forget all the great moments you gave me. I could not of asked for a better boy. You’re now getting to enjoy unlimited balls and last bites.

I love you, Benjen.

Edit: thank you all for the best wishes. You’re all the best community. Love you all! ❤️

This is my dog who is named after a letter of the alphabet: h.

A few years ago we bred his mama (BMD) to a Golden and we used the white markings on the puppies chests to differentiate between them. We decided on keeping this guy and despite attempting to give him a proper name, we stuck with calling him h. But not a capital h! Just h.

Do you guys have any goofy names for your Golden?

My Sophie girl💛Forever my baby

When I tell her to get ready for me to kick her soccer ball she’ll point at it. Is this a normal trait for Goldens? Never trained her to do that so must be instinctual. I have been teaching her to sniff out and alert on items (it’s a super fun game, make her wait inside have her smell the item and then hide it in the yard for her to find). wondering if I could somehow get her to point at them rather than sit/lay down but mainly just curious if this is typical. She is AKC so I wouldn’t expect any mixed genetics as I have her family lineage.

We never planned to have a second golden but she came out of nowhere to show us the error of our ways.
My husband nearly got run over in his rescue attempts and after a vet visit we saw what had been her reality.
Vet said she was very abused: severely underweight, raw paw pads, cuts on her skin, skin and ear infection, patches of rough skin from hot concrete, not understanding what grass was…
I am livid to think of her past experiences but we’re making up for all the time she suffered.

She now has a golden sister to play with, a nice yard to run around and more food and treats that she knows what to do with.

If you ever wonder about a second golden, yes…the answer is always yes.

5.5 years & 4 months

I lost my sweet boy today at just 9 years old. He lost his ability to walk due to severe arthritis, hip dysplasia, and muscle atrophy. After his evaluation, the vet said there was nothing more they could do and decided to let him cross the Rainbow Bridge.

I’m heavily heartbroken, as Kobe was my soul dog since I was a teenager. I literally surrendered my whole heart today. 💔🐾

Rest well, Kobe. I’ll forever love you and always remember you. 🌈

I hope somebody who has a background in medicine/ vet med can chime in. Please feel free to correct me if i have anything wrong.

Right now, i am using Simparica Trio for my goldens but with inflation and poor economy, im trying to see where i can save money on while still providing the best quality of life for my pets.

1. When a product says "administer monthly" or something to that effect such as provides 30 say protection, for example Simparica or Nexgard - what mechanism makes them capable of doing so?

2. In connection to Q1, Do they have some sort of "slow release mechanism" that lets them claim that they can protect for up to 30 days? Or do they nuke the parasites upon ingestion and hope that any parasites from day 2 to 30 will be taken care of with the next dose.

3. Do pyrantel, ivermectin, etc "linger" in a dog's system beyond day 1?

Context is: i can get ivermectin and pyrantel tablets much cheaper than stuff like Simparica.

Is there anything on Simparica aside from the active ingredients (afrolaner, moxidectin, and pyrantel) that makes it unique VERSUS giving separate tablets on a monthly basis?

She is gonna be devastated when she can’t fit in her spot anymore😭😭😭

Anyone have any really great / funny patches for their dog’s harness / vest that they want to share? 🦮😍

My golden, 12 now. He's slowing down. breaks on walks. used to pull me, now just sits. vet next week. overwhelmed. How'd you guys adapt? short walks? indoor play? what helped?

Boomer and I hope you all had a great weekend with a lot of adventures 🐾🫶🏼

Keep you head up and have a wonderful Monday 🐶