The temperament of a Golden Retriever depends on various factors such as how much attention, training and love their owner gives them. FemaleGolden Retrievers are approximately 21.5″ to 22.5″ tall and weigh between 55 lbs and 65 lbs. Their nose and head are narrower than those of a male Golden Retriever and their fur is also shorter.
Temperament
Males tend to have the olden survival trait of revering their pack leader, but females don’t venerate their owner to such extent. However, the FemaleGolden Retriever is still loving and loyal to their owner.
They respond well to positive reinforcement because they love pleasing their human. FemaleGolden Retrievers are great with children and are excellent hunting and companion dogs. Although they tend to be territorial, independent and obstinate, they are still a great family dog.
Training
Female Golden Retrievers are said to be easier to train than males. Some dogs may have been brought up really well, but they can still be hard to train due to the nature of their parents.
You have to test what really works for your dog. SomeFemale Golden Retrievers may be really obstinate, while others might be easy-going. That is why you should train your dog early on as this will help you build apositive and strongrelationship with them.
Breeding Cycle
If you have plans to mate and breed your Golden Retriever female, you have to understand their breeding cycle. If you don’t get the right timing, you will miss the chance to have puppies but you can try again during their next heat cycle. The stage where the heat cycle of the female dog starts is called proestrus.
During this period, her vulva swells and she bleeds. Take note of the first day of bleeding. You can write it on a notebook or mark it on the calendar. Although you see blood on the first day, it doesn’t mean that it is the 1st day of her heat. Her heat might have already started by a day. Proestrus generally lasts for 1 week.
Estrus pertains to the next phase of the breeding cycle, usually during the 2nd week. The estrus is the most crucial phase if you want to breed your Golden Retriever female. By this time, her bleeding has lightened significantly to a roughly clear discharge.
The female is fertile during this period and interested in males. This phase is also called the standing heat because this is when the female will stand still and let the male mount her.
FemaleGolden Retrievers will usually show their enthusiasm. Her playfulness and flirting with male dogs will be obvious. She will flag or hold her tail up. This is an indication that’s she is ready to proceed with the breeding process. Their tail is lifted up and held in an odd manner.
In other words, the female won’t stand on the 1st week and won’t be pleased with a male Golden Retriever trying to mount her. The female is amenable to a male dog on the 2nd week. She won’t stand again on the 3rd week. In fact, she can behostile to any male dog during this period.
Every female is different, so this timeline may not be true for your dog. Inexperienced femaleGolden Retrievers usually stand for 2 to 3 days. Experienced female Golden Retrievers, on the other hand, will usually stand longer and earlier than expected. If you have plans to breed your dog, you should observe her behavior.
If the timing is not right, you won’t get your desired results since dogs mate to reproduce. A female dog will get ferocious if a male mounts her when she’s not in heat. When a dog mounts another dog that’s not in heat, it shows dominance instead of a desire to reproduce. If that is the intention of the male dog, the female will stop him immediately.
Ideal Breeding Age
The ideal breeding age for Golden Retrievers is 18 to 24 months. You have to make sure that your dog isfully matured because early breeding can cause behavioral and physical problems and it also increases the risks for the mother and her puppies during pregnancy.
Waiting until the dog is completely mature allows you to know the inherited disorders or genetic predispositions of your dog.
Hip dysplasia is one of the most common potential health problems that a dog can develop.Sometimes, this condition doesn’t become obvious until a dog is fully mature. The mother may pass this condition onto her puppies.
You want the increase the chances of the pups being healthy. This can’t be done before a specific age because some of the basic health screenings have to be done once the dog is physically mature.
Health screenings could include blood tests, x-rays and physical exams to check for certainconditions. These tests are done to check for issues that might affect the dog when they are bred. A regular vet check won’t be enough if you want to know if your Golden Retrieverfemale is fit for breeding.
You have to wait until the female dog is completely mature before breeding her. As soon as you see signs of sexual maturity, you should speak to your vet to understand at what age your dog should be bred. You don’t want to breed old female dogs because the whelping and breeding process can be extremely tiring for them.
It’s also important to know when to stop breeding a Golden Retriever female in order to keep your dog healthy. If the female is older than five years, you should consult the vet first because the possibility of complications occurring is higher.
Successive pregnancies can also harm your pet’s overall health. Breeding should be balanced taking her health into account. Leave at least 1 ½ years between each pregnancy to let your dog recover completely.
Female Golden Retrievers may not go into menopause, but you don’t want your pet to suffer from various health problems. Their endurance and the quality of their eggsdeteriorate as they grow older.
The puppies may inherit genetic mutations and health problems from their parents. Pregnancy and feeding puppies are also exhausting for old female dogs.
Pros and Cons of Spaying
Spaying can help prevent some diseases like ovarian cancer, pyometra, mammary cancer and uterine cancer. However, this process also increases the risk factors for various health problems like urinary incontinence.
It is believed that an un-spayed Golden Retriever female will have higher energy levels, balanced hormone levels anda lower possibility of becoming obese compared to a spayed dog. After spaying a female dog, her hormone levels can change and cause her to gain weight. This problem can be easily managed with proper changes to her exercise and diet.
Her diet should be modified to a lower calorie one if needed and her weight should becloselymonitored. Since pregnancy is a difficult condition for females, you have to be ready to help your dog when she’s whelping.
If your Golden Retriever female is spayed, you need to make sure that she’s healthy. Take her to the vet for regular check-ups. Whelping and breeding are usually safe if your dog is healthy.
