What does a healthy weight golden retriever look like

Whats the Healthy Weight for Golden Retriever Dogs?

Golden Retrievers are big dog breeds that require a lot of food and nutrients to keep them healthy. However, you might be curious about what the healthy weight for golden retriever dogs is. There are a ton of ways for you to encourage your goldies healthy habits that includes things such as diet and exercise!

In this article, Ill be sharing the best ways for you to help maintain the best weight for your golden retriever so that theyll be able to live their best lives!

What is the most Healthy Weight for Golden Retriever dogs?

Lets get right into it. The first thing you need to know that the most healthy weight for golden retriever dogs depends on how old they are. It also depends on whether they are male or female.

Below, I have included a list of the healthy weight for golden retriever males and females. These lists include what age they should be and how much they should weigh when they are at that age. If they are within this age and weight, they are considered healthy. However, if they weigh less or more than the stated weight, they are either malnourished or overweight.

Male Golden Retriever Weight Chart

Female Golden Retriever Weight Chart

I have included the most essential age (in weeks, months, and years) that you should weigh your golden retriever. If youre not careful, your golden retriever could develop some serious health conditions like malnourishment and obesity. These health conditions will lead to health complications that will make it hard to treat like diabetes, bone and joint problems, respiratory problems, circulatory problems, kidney disease, and liver disease among others.

Later on, Ill be talking about the possible diseases that your dog could develop if he or she becomes overweight or malnourished. Dont worry if your golden retriever doesnt meet the list! There is always a way for you to help your furry little friend as soon as you discover the healthy weight for golden retriever dogs.

What kind of exercise does a Golden Retriever need?

There are a lot of exercises that you can introduce to your golden retriever. These special kinds of exercises will make sure that your dog will remain healthy. A lot of pet parents who have golden retrievers dont usually know how much exercise a golden retriever needs. Wherever you go, experienced pet parents will tell you that a golden retriever will need 40 to 60 minutes of hard exercise every day.

However, they dont actually define what hard exercise is. Hard exercise for your golden retriever can consist of a lot of exercises in one session. As much as possible, you should engage your beloved golden retrievers body during exercise time. Thats why its a good idea to mix and match a couple of exercises at once. On the other hand, its also perfectly alright if you stick to one hard exercise for your golden retriever.

As long as he or she does not become overweight, all kinds of exercise will help achieve the most healthy weight for golden retriever dogs. Of course, you should couple good exercise with a balanced diet. Ill talk more about the best diet for a golden retriever later. But for now, let us explore the different exercises that you can engage your golden retriever in so that they can reach maximum healthiness!

Hunting

Did you know that golden retrievers were bred to be gun dogs? A gun dog is a dog that was bred to retrieve the game that you hunted. Thats why the first exercise on this list to achieve a healthy weight for golden retriever dogs is hunting. Hunting will enhance your dogs patience, hunting skills, searching skills, chasing, precision, and catching skills.

If youre a hunting enthusiast, then bringing your golden retriever on hunting trips will be enjoyable for both of you. However, you still need to intensively train your golden retriever on how to hunt. If you bring your goldie on a hunting trip and let them run free, you will have a hard time chasing them around.

Obedience and acclimation are both very big factors in hunting training. There are a number of ways to train your golden retriever on how to hunt. Luckily, golden retrievers are very easy to train. They are enthusiastic, loyal, and quick to learn. When youre confident that your goldies ready for the world of hunting, you can bring them along on your next trip.

Hunting is a very good exercise for your golden retriever. However, its not like you can go hunting every day, right? Nevertheless, you can incorporate hunting in your everyday exercise, especially if you have a backyard. Using scented dummies as your goldies prey will make them ready for actual hunting when the time comes.

If you want to improve your golden retrievers hunting skills as well as give him a good exercise, you can allow them to hunt or catch scented dummies all over your yard. This exercise can go on for 30 to 40 minutes. However, you would need a lot of time and patience for this as the setup and cleanup may take a while.

Jumping Exercises

By default, golden retrievers are very high-energy dogs. Whether you believe it or not, golden retrievers like to jump whenever they are expressing their positive emotions. They will literally jump for joy, excitement, and happiness. Golden retrievers will even jump as they greet you whenever you come home from work simply because they miss their most favorite person in the world.

Golden retrievers are good jumpers, but their jumping skills can be improved even more. You can help them improve their jumping skills by incorporating a bunch of jumping exercises in your dogs daily workout.

Since golden retrievers are built to be very athletic kinds of dogs, jumping exercises will be very good for the bones and joints. If your golden retriever isnt used to moving around or exercising (usually because of obesity), thats okay. You can slowly introduce them to other kinds of slow exercises before you have them jump as a form of exercise.

For example, you can first take your golden retriever out for a one-hour walk every day for two weeks. Then, you may amp up the exercise by jogging for thirty minutes to an hour instead. Once your golden retriever is used to exercising again, you can incorporate jumping exercises now.

Jumping exercises dont need you to purchase any equipment unless you want to. You can take your golden retrievers favorite toy, a stick, a bone thats safe to chew, or even his favorite snack and use it as bait for him to jump up to reach it.

As your golden retrievers jumping skills progress, you might need to step onto something that can give you additional height like stairs. However, I dont suggest that you use a stepping ladder as it might be a safety hazard.

Playing Fetch

One of the most classic ways to have your dog exercise is through playing fetch. You can use his favorite toy, sticks, a ball, or high-grade chew toys. Sometimes, a Frisbee works well too. This is the kind of exercise that golden retrievers seem to enjoy so much. It doesnt feel like youre exercising, but it does feel like its just playtime between you and your furry little friend.

Playing fetch with your golden retriever improves a lot of skills than you realize. It highly improves your pets athleticism like agility, speed, and reaction time. If there are obstacles in the way, playing fetch will also improve your golden retrievers jumping skills. Playing fetch can be the exercise you can introduce to your pet before engaging them in other strenuous exercises.

However, did you know that playing fetch does not only improve athleticism? It also sharpens your golden retrievers instincts. Playing fetch will also help appease your dogs hunting instincts. Its also one of the best ways to mix exercise and play. Lastly, by playing fetch you can also strengthen your bond with your golden retriever as they highly appreciate these kinds of bonding time.

Luckily, training your golden retriever to play fetch is very easy. After all, they have a retriever in their name. They were bred to retrieve items, especially things that you hunt. Golden retrievers are very friendly, obedient, and theyre fast learners. It wont take you a long time to train your golden retriever to play fetch and do other commands as well.

They have a very high need to appease their masters. Golden retrievers also have a very high sense of loyalty. When you choose a golden retriever as a pet, these furry little creatures are assured to be your companion for life.

Stamina Training

Is your golden retriever a couch potato? If so, he or she may lack a lot of stamina. The moment you notice that your golden tires out easily even after just a short walk, its a sign that you need to help them build their athletic skills.

That doesnt mean youre going to immediately throw them onto the treadmill and have them run for hours. Just like humans, dogs who arent used to exercise need to be slowly introduced back to physical fitness. Stamina training will be good for your dog to become physically fit again. If youre not sure how to start getting your dog to walk, you can always start slow. This is also a good start to help achieve a healthy weight for golden retriever dogs, especially if they are overweight.

You can lead your dog around by using your golden retrievers favorite snack or favorite toy. Make sure that you have a lot of patience because your golden retriever may not want to move at first. This activity with your dog should seem like a game and not a chore. When you make it seem like a fun game, your golden retriever will be more enthused to participate. Always use encouraging words when you interact with your dog. These encouraging words will give your golden retriever more confidence to keep going. A simple Good job! will mean a lot more to your golden retriever than you think.

Once your golden retriever is used to exercise, you can begin training them to run or walk for longer distances. Some people say that youre not supposed to use a treadmill, but a dog treadmill is actually one of the best ways to train their stamina as they are able to walk or run at their own pace.

Swimming

Having constant access to a pool means that you have another way to help achieve a healthy weight for golden retriever dogs. Swimming is a very fun exercise, especially if your golden retriever likes splashing around in the water. This exercise also gives your dog a life skill that they may need in case of emergencies.

There is a myth that states that your golden retriever will automatically learn how to swim when put in water. Some part of that is true. Your golden retriever will naturally dog paddle, but it doesnt mean that they will be able to swim very long distances or even be able to float. There is also a chance that your golden retriever will dislike being in the water. In order to lessen the chances of your dog accidentally drowning, its important to teach it how to swim.

Teaching your golden retriever how to swim is usually easy. However, keep in mind that you may also get wet, so get your swimwear ready! The first rule of training your golden retriever: make sure that you dont make swimming lessons a bad experience for them. Never try to force your dog into the water. If you want to get your dog in the water in the first place, you can try luring them in with treats, snacks, or toys. You will find that your golden retriever will attempt to find the bottom of the pool.

You can first start encouraging them to start wading in the shallow part of your pool. Then, once your golden retriever is used to dog-paddling for a while, you can slowly lead them to the deeper end of your pool. You will find that only after a few swimming sessions, your golden retriever will be a pro at swimming.

Swiftness or Agility Training

Swiftness or Agility Training will help your golden retriever become more flexible. This kind of training will also help them run faster and react to stimuli faster. Its important that there is swiftness training from time to time in order to help them achieve the healthy weight for golden retriever dogs. It will also help them improve their sharpness and attention to detail.

Swiftness training (also known as agility training) is the culmination of most of these exercises for dogs. There are usually obstacles when you want to have your dog go through swiftness training.

This kind of training is considered both mental and physical training for your golden retriever. It will help them achieve a healthy weight for golden retriever dogs because it will engage almost all the muscles of the dogs body.

Swiftness training includes equipment that you usually find in dog shows. The equipment that you find in dog shows isnt just there to make your dog look pretty; theyre there to prove that your dog is agile and physically fit.

You can start swiftness and agile training when your golden retriever is at least one or two years old. However, you can start training when your golden retriever is only a puppy as long as its not too strenuous. You can start them off with running and jumping exercises. Later on, Ill discuss how long you should engage your golden retriever at certain ages in their life. As much as possible, you dont want to tire out your dog.

The exercises in swiftness training includes crawling through tunnels, jumping over hurdles and tires, and weaving through poles. All of this equipment can be handmade if you have the tools. If not, you can always order them online or purchase them at your nearest dog store.

Walking and Running

The last on this list of exercises that will help achieve a healthy weight for golden retriever dogs are walking and running. These exercises are perhaps the most common ways to get your dog into becoming physically fit. Its the best way to introduce physical fitness to your dog. It is also the best way to help your golden retriever maintain their weight and lessen the chances of them become obese.

Walking and running are also great ways to increase your golden retrievers stamina. This is why walking and then running are both the base exercises before your dog engages in other physical activities. These exercises simply get your golden retrievers blood pumping and its a great way for the both of you to bond as well, especially if you are a health nut.

The length of your walking or running session will depend on how old your dog is. It will also depend on how heavy your dog is. After all, you dont want your golden retriever to become too thin, do you? If your adult golden retriever is overweight, start them off with a short 30-minute walk. The more he or she gets used to exercising, you can increase the pace of your walking or increase how long you go on walks.

Typically, a healthy adult golden retriever will need a good 40 minutes to an hour of hard exercise in order to maintain the ideal healthy weight for golden retriever dogs. Hard exercise will consist of walking, running, and jumping exercises. Optionally, you can also incorporate other kinds of exercises. That way, your golden retriever will be able to reach the peak physical fitness that a dog can achieve.

Ill go more in-depth on how long you should exercise your golden retriever for later on.

How long should I exercise my Golden Retriever?

Like humans, we need to exercise a certain amount of time so that we can avoid becoming sick. The same goes for golden retrievers. The same exercise for a puppy wont be enough for an adult golden retriever. Using the same logic, the exercise that is fit for an adult might be too much for a senior golden retriever. Thats why Ill be sharing the proper amount of exercise time for your golden retriever.

Golden Retriever Puppy

Puppies are full of energy, but they also need a lot of rest. Just because they are energetic doesnt mean that they should be exercising for long periods of time. In fact, one-month-old golden retriever puppies need only five minutes of exercise twice a day! Then, youll usually see them napping around in order to regain that energy.

For every month that a golden retriever puppy grows, it will need five more minutes of exercise. So, for example, a two-month-old golden retriever needs 10 minutes of exercise and a three-month-old golden retriever would need 15 minutes of exercise (and so on and so forth).

Golden retriever puppies need the right amount of sleep, food, and exercise. If any one of those three is too much or not enough, it will cause a shift in mood and weight. It may also hinder your golden retriever puppy from developing properly into a healthy adult.

Do you notice that your puppy is causing mayhem and destruction in your home? It might mean that your puppy needs more exercise! The right exercise can be as simple as walking your puppy.

I suggest that while your golden retriever is still a puppy, train them to get used to walking on a leash. So that when they grow older and become ready to go on longer walks, you wont have a hard time putting them on a leash.

With that, you can take your golden retriever puppy out for short walks twice a day. You can also introduce them to swimming at an early age if you have a pool. Playtime like fetch is also a good kind of exercise for your golden retriever puppy. This way, they wont have a hard time maintaining the most ideal healthy weight for golden retriever puppies.

Adult Golden Retriever

When your golden retriever reaches nine to twelve months of age, your golden retriever will have reached adulthood. However, it will still take your dog an extra six months to reach its full size. When they reach this age, they will usually need around forty-five minutes to one hour of exercise.

Some golden retrievers were built with more energy than others. Thats why you have to pay attention to the behavior of your dog in your home. If he or she is cranky, chewing things that they arent supposed to chew, barking, or doing other destructive things around the house, then your golden retriever may need to exercise more.

You can mix and match a lot of exercises together to make the perfect training plan for your golden retriever. That way, you will be able to maintain the ideal healthy weight for golden retriever dogs for your furry little friend. Bringing in different forms of exercise will make sure that all parts of your dogs body will become engaged.

What I suggest is that you can start your dog off with some walking for ten minutes. Then, progress your exercise to a jog for another ten minutes. Optionally, you can progress it further to running for twenty minutes. Lastly, you can finish off your golden retrievers exercise with walking as a cooldown.

Exercise will lessen health complications such as respiratory difficulties, circulatory or heart problems, kidney disease, liver disease, and obesity. By exercising, you are helping your dog reduce health risks as well as prolonging his life so that he or she may enjoy it to the fullest with you and your family. Additionally, make sure that your dog is ingesting the proper vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that he needs to live a healthy lifestyle.

Senior Golden Retriever

When a golden retriever reaches the age of seven to ten years old, he or she is considered a senior. As your golden retriever ages, you will notice that they may develop health issues like hip dysplasia, respiratory conditions, or cancer. You may be able to prevent these conditions with exercise and a balanced diet as your golden retriever is growing up. However, some of these things are inevitable whenever something ages. Even humans get sick once they reach a certain age, but that doesnt mean that they didnt live a full life.

As much as possible, you want to encourage your golden retriever to keep moving even when they reach a certain age. However, dont engage your golden retriever in too much exercise, especially if they have a hard time breathing.

The right kind of exercise will depend on how active your golden retriever is. Jumping and agility training may be out of the picture for these senior fellows, but walking is still acceptable and even encouraged. To be exact, twenty to thirty minutes of exercise per day is perfect for a senior golden retriever. You can allow him this much exercise twice per day as long as your beloved pet can handle it.

However, if you see signs that your golden retriever tires out easily, I suggest that you tone down your exercise to once per day only. Instead, you can spend more time lounging with your golden retriever on the couch instead. Since they are aging, they will need your emotional support more than ever. At this age, they might display signs of anxiety, depression, dog dementia, and a hard time controlling their bowels. Thats why you should pay extra attention and give extra care to your aging golden retriever.

How do I keep my Golden Retriever happy and healthy?

There are many ways to keep your golden retriever happy and healthy. You just basically have to combine a lot of factors that will help your dog achieve the ideal healthy weight for golden retriever dogs. This doesnt mean that you have to make your dog exercise all day, every day. It just means that you should feed them properly, have them socialize with other dogs, spend time with them, and include some exercise per day.

Balanced Diet

A balanced diet is especially important to keep your golden retriever happy and healthy. If your dog is not fed enough, he or she will try catching your attention in the form of barking, chewing, whining, and more. What we want to avoid is your dog becoming destructive simply because they are hungry.

Since golden retrievers are medium-sized gun dogs, they store a lot of energy. Thats why you should include a diet that has a lot of protein in it.

When you are shopping for dog food, make sure that the food youre going to buy is also age-appropriate for your dog. If your golden retriever is only a few months old, then it is common sense for you to buy puppy food and not adult food.

Exercise

Exercise is essential to keep your golden retriever happy and healthy. It will also help you manage your dogs ideal healthy weight for golden retriever dogs. Weve already discussed how much your golden retriever needs to exercise per day earlier so I wont expound that any further.

However, if youre the kind of person who doesnt like to exercise, perhaps a golden retriever is not the kind of dog for you. They need pet parents who are responsible to help them become healthier. That doesnt include just feeding them a balanced diet, but also take them out to exercise every single day.

Play

Playtime is especially important for golden retrievers. It gives them the chance to bond with their family and friends. Playing will also give them the exercise that their growing body needs.

Puppies are encouraged to play around more so that their bones can form properly. As adults, playtime can be in the form of exercise so that its more enjoyable for you and your pet. Seniors may not enjoy playtime as much as they used to, but when they are in the mood to play, make sure to keep them entertained.

Youll find that you will have a happy and healthy golden retriever if you allow them lots of playtimes.

Socializing with Others

Golden retrievers are very friendly dogs. They form quick bonds with both animals and humans. Theyre quite good with kids and are loyal to the people that they consider their family.

Allowing your golden retriever to socialize with other people and animals will fill up their social meter and will make them happy. They will be more used to being around other people and dogs. Thus, they wont be unnecessarily aggressive to strangers.

If they are a bit territorial, it may take time for your golden retriever to get used to other people invading their personal space. But with time and proper training, your golden wont be overly territorial anymore.

Does my Golden Retrievers mental health affect his physical health?

Absolutely. Like humans, dogs also suffer from mental illness. Your golden retriever may also feel anxiety and depression. Their mental illness could affect their physical health if they dont have an appetite to eat.

When you notice that your usually-energetic golden retriever is suddenly feeling sad and blue, try to determine what is making him so lethargic. It could be a sign that there is something wrong with your dog. Sometimes, it could mean that your dog is feeling sick, nervous, or scared. Once you find out whats wrong with your golden retriever, you can find a way to help him out of his moodiness.

Alternatively, there are medications and treatments for dogs who suffer from anxiety and depression. A checkup from your veterinarian will set things in order. In no time, your dog will get better again.

Final Words

The ideal healthy weight for golden retriever dogs is achievable through exercise and a balanced diet. When these two are combined, you can be assured that your dog will live a long and healthy life. By helping your dog manage their health, you are being a responsible pet parent and their lifelong friend.

Did you find this article useful? Share with us your favorite experience with your Golden Retriever below in the comments section!