When does a Golden Retriever have its first heat?

Golden Retriever

Gentle and eager to please; seldom a good guard.

Photo: Johan Spaedtke

Adult male

29–34 kg

65–75 lb

Adult female

25–29 kg

55–65 lb

Lifespan

13.2 yrs

Handler demand

Suits a first-time owner

Class · Family

also Field, Sport

What it's like

The Golden Retriever's temperament is friendly, intelligent and devoted. It is eager to please, gentle, keen to work alongside people and seldom a good guard dog. These traits have made it a common choice as a guide and assistance dog. British lines are often paler in colour than many American ones.

Summary

Detail

Owners who rated their dogs' everyday behaviour found Goldens friendlier with people, calmer and less independent-minded than most. With other dogs they were about average, and fewer owners than usual said they howl often. Breed is only a small part of any one dog's personality, so meet the dog before you decide.

Owners in the Darwin's Ark survey1 rated their dogs on everyday behaviour, and Golden Retrievers were only 0.53 times as likely to land in the most independent quarter (95% CI 0.4–0.71; 296 dogs), 1.4 times as likely to land in the calmest quarter (95% CI 1.17–1.65; 255 dogs) and 1.6 times as likely to land in the most people-friendly quarter (95% CI 1.42–1.91; 258 dogs), compared with all the dogs surveyed. On sociability with other dogs, they looked like dogs in general1. The same owners were less likely than most to say their dog howls often or always (353 dogs)1. Breed explained only about 9% of the differences in behaviour between individual dogs in that study1, so these are tendencies, not a forecast for one dog.

Day to day

Activity

Needs lots of exercise

Intelligence

Needs daily brain work

Handler demand

Suits a first-time owner

With people

Affection

A lap or leaning dog

Loyalty

Friendly with everyone

Independence

Keen to work with you

Around the home

Sensitivity

Average

Voice

Barks to alert, then settles

Prey drive

Usually fine with small pets

Breed explains only about 9% of how individual dogs differ in behaviour1. Meet the dog. A good breeder breeds for temperament as well as health, and matches each puppy's personality to the right home2,3.

Is a Golden Retriever right for you?

Take the breed matcher

Living with one

Summary

Detail

A Golden's feathered coat moults most as the seasons change, so brush a few times a week and daily through the moult. Bred to work the field all day, it needs plenty of exercise. Heat is a real risk, so on hot days keep its exercise to the cool of the morning or evening.

The FCI standard describes a coat with feathering ("flat or wavy with good feathering")4. By its coat type, the undercoat moults, most heavily as the seasons change. As a rule of thumb for this coat: brushing a few times a week, plus daily brushing through the seasonal moult. Plan for plenty of exercise compared with other breeds, judged from its FCI group: retrievers, flushing dogs and water dogs, bred to work the field all day. Heat is a real risk: in a VetCompass study of 905,543 UK dogs, the Golden Retriever had 2.6 times the Labrador's odds of heat-related illness (95% CI 1.4–5.01)5, so on hot days its exercise belongs in the cool of the morning or evening.

Size and growth

Summary

Detail

A Golden Retriever is a large dog, about the weight of a grown Labrador. Males end up clearly heavier than females. It is one of the lightest large breeds.

The body is strong and well balanced, with a broad head, dark eyes and a kindly expression. The dense, water-resistant double coat lies flat or wavy, with feathering on the chest, legs and tail, in shades from cream to rich gold.

Two types

The two types differ in height only, so there is one growth curve, on the record's own band6.

UK / FCI type

FCI 111

Height at the withers

Males

56–61 cm

Females

51–56 cm4

Publishes no weight.

American type

AKC standard

Height at the withers

Males

58.4–61 cm

Females

54.6–57.2 cm6

Its weights are the ones used on this page.

Puppy growth

Reference curve · community data appears as owners log

Summary

Detail

By about 5 months, a male Golden Retriever puppy is already as heavy as a grown Border Collie. They grow fastest between 3 and 4 months old. The biggest males grow into the size large-breed puppy foods are made for.

By 5 months a male Golden Retriever puppy already weighs as much as a grown Border Collie7. It grows fastest between 3 and 4 months, when a male puts on about 1.1 kg (2.4 lb) a week. The chart keeps rising after a dog is fully grown, because many dogs keep putting on some weight into their second year7. The biggest males grow past 32 kg (70 lb), the adult size AAFCO writes its large-breed puppy-food profile for, with a lower ceiling on calcium8.

Expected range in kilograms: the breed's own adult weight, grown along the 15–30 kg band of a WALTHAM growth standard7.

Fully grown

12 mo

Both sexes, at 99% of adult weight9

Male

Female

Shaded: expected range

Chart

Table

Age

Male

Female

2 months

6.2–7.1 kg 13.7–15.7 lb

6.0–7.1 kg 13.2–15.7 lb

3 months

9.3–10.7 kg 20.5–23.6 lb

8.5–10.1 kg 18.7–22.3 lb

4 months

13.8–15.9 kg 30.4–35.1 lb

12.1–14.4 kg 26.7–31.7 lb

5 months

17.7–20.4 kg 39.0–45.0 lb

15.3–18.2 kg 33.7–40.1 lb

6 months

21.1–24.3 kg 46.5–53.6 lb

18.0–21.3 kg 39.7–47.0 lb

7 months

23.8–27.4 kg 52.5–60.4 lb

19.9–23.6 kg 43.9–52.0 lb

8 months

25.8–29.7 kg 56.9–65.5 lb

21.3–25.2 kg 47.0–55.6 lb

9 months

27.1–31.2 kg 59.7–68.8 lb

22.3–26.4 kg 49.2–58.2 lb

10 months

27.9–32.2 kg 61.5–71.0 lb

23.0–27.2 kg 50.7–60.0 lb

11 months

28.4–32.7 kg 62.6–72.1 lb

23.5–27.8 kg 51.8–61.3 lb

12 months

28.7–33.1 kg 63.3–73.0 lb

23.8–28.2 kg 52.5–62.2 lb

15 months

29.2–33.6 kg 64.4–74.1 lb

24.6–29.1 kg 54.2–64.2 lb

Health and lifespan

Summary

Detail

Vets record these more often in Goldens than in crossbreeds. A blood blister in the ear flap and underactive thyroid (both moderate) are much more likely. Lymph node cancer (life-limiting), elbow joint disease and limb arthritis (both serious) are more likely. These are figures for the breed as a whole, not a prediction for your dog.

The list and these lines follow one order, the same on every breed: likelihood level (the four steps of its meter, not the exact odds), highest first; then impact, most serious first; then name, A to Z. The studies measured 15 conditions for the Golden Retriever; the list shows 5, in this order. Figures from lab-confirmed cases only take a place the vet-record studies leave empty, so a lab-confirmed figure can rank higher here and still not be shown.

Conditions vets recorded more often in this breed than in crossbreeds10,11,12,13,14. Each has two ratings, on scales used for every breed: how much more likely the breed is to get it, and how serious it is for a dog that does.

•
Blood blister in the ear flap (aural haematoma): 4.62× the odds of crossbreeds, in UK vet records (VetCompass, 2021) (95% CI 3.8–5.61; 9,791 Golden Retriever records)10.
•
Underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism): 4.36× the odds of crossbreeds, in UK vet records (VetCompass, 2022) (95% CI 3.48–5.45; 9,793 Golden Retriever records)11.
•
Lymph node cancer (lymphoma): 3.12× the odds of crossbreeds, in US and Canadian university vet hospital records (VMDB, 2009; records 1964–2002) (95% CI 2.93–3.32)12.
•
Elbow joint disease (new diagnosis): 3.11× the odds of crossbreeds, in UK vet records (VetCompass, 2020) (95% CI 1.93–5; 5,339 Golden Retriever records)13.
•
Joint wear-and-tear arthritis in the limbs (appendicular osteoarthritis): 2.42× the odds of crossbreeds, in UK vet records (VetCompass, 2018) (95% CI 2.03–2.88; 5,234 Golden Retriever records)14.

These are population figures from the studies cited, not a prediction for any one dog.

Listed by likelihood level, highest first, then by how serious it is, then by name. These are 5 of 15 measured; lab-confirmed figures only fill places the vet-record studies leave empty.

Blood blister in the ear flap
Much more likely
Impact: moderate
Underactive thyroid
Much more likely
Impact: moderate
Lymph node cancer
More likely
Impact: life-limiting
Elbow joint disease
More likely
Impact: serious
Joint wear-and-tear arthritis in the limbs
More likely
Impact: serious

Lifespan

Summary

Detail

In UK vet records, the typical Golden Retriever lived to about 13 years, longer than the typical large breed.

In UK vet records the median Golden Retriever lived to 13.2 years, and half lived between 10 and 15 years (11,506 dogs)15. That is 1.2 years longer than the typical large breed in the same study (12 years). Only 1 of the 25 large breeds measured live longer. Of 373 Golden Retriever deaths reported by owners in the Kennel Club's 2014 health survey, the commonest of the 25 causes the survey tabulated were old age (19.8%), cancer (7.2%) and lymphoma (5.9%)16.

Where it comes from

The Golden Retriever was bred at Guisachan, Sir Dudley Marjoribanks' estate in Inverness-shire, where in 1868 he paired Nous, a yellow retriever bought at Brighton, with Belle, a Tweed Water Spaniel. Their yellow puppies founded the line. A long-told story of Russian circus ancestry lasted until the early 1950s, when a descendant released his studbooks, which showed Nous in his kennel years before the supposed purchase17,18.

The Golden Retriever stayed largely at Guisachan for some decades. Marjoribanks, later Lord Tweedmouth, added more Tweed Water Spaniel, Irish Setter and black retriever blood to the line. Other sporting families then took up the dogs, which were first shown early in the twentieth century as a golden variety of the Flat-coated Retriever. The Kennel Club recognised them as a separate breed shortly before the First World War, and Winifred Charlesworth founded the first breed club around the same time. It was bred to retrieve shot game, especially waterfowl, from thick cover and cold water. It carries the birds back with a soft mouth that leaves them undamaged.

Breed standard

Summary

Detail

The American standard asks for a taller dog than the UK and international ones.

The Golden Retriever is judged against standard no. 111, in group 8, Retrievers, Flushing Dogs and Water Dogs4. The American standard asks for a taller dog than the UK and FCI one; both types are set out under Two types.

FCI 111: dogs 56-61 cm, bitches 51-56 cm — a 3.6 cm lower floor for bitches than the AKC's. The standard publishes no weight.

AKC breed standard: dogs 23-24 in, bitches 21½-22½ in. Its weights (65-75 lb / 55-65 lb) are the record's default because FCI 111 publishes none.

Questions people ask

General guidance for dogs rather than a measured Golden Retriever figure: most females have a first season somewhere between six and fifteen months, and cycles then settle to roughly every 180 days. Smaller breeds tend to start earlier and larger ones later, so a large breed is most likely at the later end.

Compare with related

Labrador Retriever

Retrievers & water dogs · Large

English Cocker Spaniel

Retrievers & water dogs · Medium

Flat-Coated Retriever

Retrievers & water dogs · Medium

Hovawart

Pinschers & molossoids · Large

Or compare the Golden Retriever with any breed you choose

Track your own Golden Retriever

Log a minute a day and watch them sit on these curves. Free.

Sources

1
Morrill et al., 2022. Ancestry-inclusive dog genomics challenges popular breed stereotypes. Science 376: eabk0639 (Darwin's Ark). ↑
doi.org/10.1126/science.abk0639
2
Dogs Trust. Finding a good, responsible breeder. ↑
www.dogstrust.org.uk/dog-advice/getting-dog/choosing-dog/finding-a-breeder
3
American Kennel Club. Screening puppy buyers: how top breeders find the best homes. ↑
www.akc.org/expert-advice/dog-breeding/screening-puppy-buyers-how-top-breeders-find-the-best-homes/
4
FCI. Breed standard no. 111. Fédération Cynologique Internationale. © FCI. ↑
www.fci.be/Nomenclature/Standards/111g08-en.pdf
5
Hall, Carter & O'Neill, 2020. Incidence and risk factors for heat-related illness (heatstroke) in UK dogs under primary veterinary care in 2016. Scientific Reports 10: 9128 (VetCompass). CC BY 4.0. ↑
doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-66015-8
6
American Kennel Club. Golden Retriever breed standard. ↑
images.akc.org/pdf/breeds/standards/GoldenRetriever.pdf
7
Salt et al., 2017. Growth standard charts for monitoring bodyweight in dogs of different sizes. PLoS ONE 12(9): e0182064 (WALTHAM). CC BY 4.0. ↑
doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0182064
8
AAFCO, 2016. AAFCO Dog and Cat Food Nutrient Profiles. Association of American Feed Control Officials. ↑
9
Hawthorne et al., 2004. Body-weight changes during growth in puppies of different breeds. Journal of Nutrition 134(8 Suppl): 2027S–2030S (WALTHAM). ↑
doi.org/10.1093/jn/134.8.2027S
10
O'Neill et al., 2021. Reporting the epidemiology of aural haematoma in dogs and proposing a novel aetiopathogenetic pathway. CC BY 4.0. ↑
doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-00352-0
11
O'Neill et al., 2022. Frequency, breed predispositions and other demographic risk factors for diagnosis of hypothyroidism in dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK. CC BY 4.0. ↑
doi.org/10.1186/s40575-022-00123-8
12
Villamil et al., 2009. Hormonal and Sex Impact on the Epidemiology of Canine Lymphoma. CC BY 4.0. ↑
doi.org/10.1155/2009/591753
13
O'Neill et al., 2020. Epidemiology and clinical management of elbow joint disease in dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK. CC BY 4.0. ↑
doi.org/10.1186/s40575-020-0080-5
14
Anderson et al., 2018. Prevalence, duration and risk factors for appendicular osteoarthritis in a UK dog population under primary veterinary care. CC BY 4.0. ↑
doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-23940-z
15
McMillan et al., 2024. Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death. Scientific Reports 14, 531 (VetCompass). CC BY 4.0. ↑
doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-50458-w
16
Lewis et al., 2018. Longevity and mortality in Kennel Club registered dog breeds in the UK in 2014. CC BY 4.0. ↑
doi.org/10.1186/s40575-018-0066-8
17
Golden Retriever Club of America. Origin of the Yellow Retriever. ↑
grca.org/about-the-breed/breed-history/origin-of-the-yellow-retriever/
18
Golden Retriever Club of America. Origins Revisited. ↑
grca.org/about-the-breed/breed-history/the-origins-of-the-golden-retriever-revisited/

Something wrong on this page?

Parts of this page were written by AI ·