One of the most popular dog breeds amongst Americans today, the Golden Retriever is a tolerant and friendly dog, which makes it a great pet for the family. Not only is the Golden Retriever friendly, it is also an intelligent dog breed that can track, hunt, and sniff out dangerous items or other things that may interest the dog or its owner.
The Golden Retriever is not just a friendly and intelligent dog, it is also a natural athlete that performs well in dog sports. If you’re looking for a dog breed with competitive obedience and agility, then look no further than the Golden Retriever.
Despite the above, there are several questions about the Golden Retriever that people would want to be answered before they bring one home as a pet. These questions mostly revolve around the adaptability, all around friendliness, health grooming, trainability, and exercise needs of the dog breed.
However, there are some people, (in fact, many of them) who have a keen interest in things such as the origins of the Golden Retriever and its physical characteristics. Physical characteristics of the Golden Retriever that most people are interested in are the time it takes for the dog breed to get a mature coat and the maximum size of the breed or how big the dog can get.
These are some very important questions to answer especially the question about the maximum size of the Golden Retriever. However, before we get to that, it’s important to take a look at the breed’s characteristics which are not related to its size or other physical characteristics. So, let’s do that first.
The Non-Physical Breed Characteristics of the Golden Retriever
Following are the non-physical breed characteristics of the Golden Retriever which will help you decide if this dog breed is right for you or not.
1. Adaptability
Most of the people who want to pet the Golden Retriever are those who live in apartments. Therefore, the first thing that people want to know about this dog breed is whether it can adapt well to apartment living. The outright answer to this would be a ‘NO’, it does not! However, this may change over time as the dog gets used to the environment and people living in the apartment.
If we were to rate the Golden Retriever’s adaptability to apartment life, then it would get no more than a 2-star rating out of 5. While the Golden Retrievers may not adapt too well to apartment life, it is good for novice owners and can tolerate both cold and hot weather well. However, be mindful of the dog’s sensitivity which can reach extreme levels on occasions.
2. All Around Friendliness
We said this earlier and we are going to say it again: if you’re looking for a friendly dog breed, then look no further than the Golden Retriever. The Golden Retriever can be incredibly affectionate with the family that brings it home. Additionally, it is friendly towards kids, other dogs, and even adult strangers.
3. Healthy Grooming
Health grooming of a dog or any other pet is important for many owners because it could the difference between spending and saving thousands on grooming costs. When it comes to the grooming of the Golden Retriever, an important thing to note is that it sheds a lot. Additionally, it has a lot of drooling potential. This dog breed is not easy to groom and has the potential for weight gain and becoming ‘obese’.
4. Trainability
The Golden Retriever is very easy to train. This is because it is a highly intelligent dog breed that does that not take too long to learn anything that it is taught. However, the potential for mouthiness is great in the Golden Retriever and it often tends to bark or howl. The prey drive of the Golden Retriever is relatively average, and it has a low potential for wanderlust.
5. Exercise Needs
The fifth and final non-physical breed characteristics of the Golden Retriever that potential owners would be interested in are the exercise needs of this dog breed. To answer simply, the exercise needs of the Golden Retriever are massive because this dog breed has extremely high energy levels and potential for playfulness.
There you have it—the 5 main non-physical breed characteristics of the Golden Retriever to consider when deciding to pet it. With the non-physical breed characteristics of the Golden Retriever covered, it’s time to move onto our main topic which is how big do Golden Retrievers get.
How Big do Golden Retrievers Get? Let’s Find Out
If you’re looking for an outright answer, the following information will help:
- Male Golden Retrievers can reach a maximum height of 23 to 24 inches
- Female Golden Retrievers can reach a maximum height of 21. 5 to 22.5 inches
If you’re thinking in terms of ‘heaviness’, then the male Golden Retriever can weigh between 65 to 75 pounds while the weight of the female Golden Retriever can range between 55 and 65 pounds.
Looking at the above, you’d find that male Golden Retriever can grow slightly bigger than their female counterparts, in terms of both height and weight. An important thing to know about the size of the Golden Retriever is that size of the breed may vary depending on the particular litter. However, the size range is typically around the numbers mentioned above.
If we were to categorize the Golden Retriever in terms of size, then it would fall under the category of the ‘Big Dogs’. However, this dog breed is still much smaller in height than the biggest dog breeds today such as the Great Danes and Saint Bernards. However, this is good news because the average size of the Golden Retriever makes them more manageable for the family, especially if there are kids at home.
However, you should still train the dog before you let them off the leash or allow young kids to take them for a walk. Once the Golden Retriever is trained, then you can let it off the leash or hand it over to young kids without any worries.
How Much Time Does It Take the Golden Retriever to Grow to Its Full Size?
When it comes to temperament, the Golden Retriever can maintain the same energy levels from puppyhood until old age. While there is little change in the behavior of the Golden Retriever over the months and years, you will notice some physical changes in this dog breed. Most noticeably, the Golden Retriever will grow in size and reach its maximum height in a year or two.
The physical characteristics of your Golden Retriever two years after its birth are likely to be the same physical characteristics that it has for the remainder of its life. In other words, the Golden Retriever will reach full physical maturity at the end of year two. This means that your Golden Retriever would have fully developed by this time and it will the physical needs of an adult dog. However, it would require another year for your Golden Retriever to reach full mental maturity.
Taking Care of Your Golden Retriever During Its First Year of Growth
If you got the Golden Retriever when it was younger than five months old, then you must find out the growth needs of this dog breed and fulfill them. In terms of growth, one of the most important periods for the Golden Retriever is months 7 to 12 after birth. This is the time when the bones and joints of the Golden Retriever puppy are extremely vulnerable.
At this stage, you must make sure to avoid doing anything that puts too much pressure on the joints of your Golden Retriever puppy. Some examples are taking the puppy for long walks, running them down the stairs, or stopping abruptly while running. If it is ‘necessary’ for your puppy to walk down the stairs, the assist your Golden Retriever with a leash.
Another important thing to ensure during the first year of growth of your Golden Retriever is its proper nutrition. The growth of the Golden Retriever, or any other dog breed for that matter, happens in spurts.
Therefore, you should expect the ‘slow growth’ of your Golden Retriever puppy during the first year of its life. If your Golden Retriever starts to grow too quickly, then it can be exposed to several dangers. This includes, but is not limited to, the risk of arthritis and other bone diseases.
Generally, quick growth in any dog breed, which includes the Golden Retriever, is caused by low-quality food and excessive-feeding. To avoid this, always buy dog food that has animal protein as an ingredient. If you do this and still your Golden Retriever continues to grow quickly, then you may want to cut back on its food. This will keep both its weight and growth in check.
To end, we will say that while there are some fixed measurements for how big a male and female Golden Retriever can grow, the size of this dog breed will depend on the particular litter and how well you take care of your Golden Retriever’s growth and physical needs.
