new butler bulldog puppy

Breeds The link has been copied! Are you a devoted dog fan seeking a unique, intelligent, and loyal companion? Meet the Merle Goldendoodle, rapidly gaining popularity among pet parents everywhere! These pooches flaunt memorable coat patterns and gentle temperaments, making them an optimal family addition. Goldendoodles are now in the top five most popular designer dog breeds in the US - and within this breed, Merle Goldendoodles are rapidly gaining attention for their distinct and gorgeous coat hues. But what exactly is a Merle Goldendoodle, and what makes them different from other Goldendoodles? In this comprehensive article, we will explore the fascinating world of Merle Goldendoodles, discussing everything from their temperament and appearance to their health and lifespan. What is Merle Goldendoodle? Merle Goldendoodles are a hybrid canine bred from Golden Retrievers and Poodles, making them one of the most beloved doodle breeds out there. These hybrids boast stunningly unique coat colors, a super friendly demeanor and smarts that come from their parent breeds. The boundless playfulness and love characteristic of a Golden Retriever add to the hypoallergenic coat and intelligence of a Poodle, creating the ultimate pup! Are Merle Goldendoodle Rare? Merle Goldendoodles are far from being considered an uncommon breed, yet they are more of a rarity compared to other Goldendoodle colors. This is because merle is a dominant gene which isn't present in Golden Retrievers, that being the strain blended with Poodle for making the Goldendoodle. Thus, the Merle Goldendoodle is formulated by crossing a Merle Poodle with a Golden Retriever, consequently rendering the genetic pool smaller than that of most other Goldendoodles. It is also essential to keep in mind that while Merle Goldendoodles aren't infrequently encountered, it might cost more than the others owing to the added effort needed to achieve them. Breeding Merle Goldendoodles requires finding two dogs that carry the merle gene and ensuring the production of healthy puppies; implying more thorough health tests and careful breeding methods to avoid illnesses associated with the merle gene. Merle Goldendoodle Coat Types Merle Goldendoodles can have different coat types , depending on whether they inherit more Poodle or Golden Retriever traits. The three main coat types are short or flat, wavy or shaggy, and curly. Let's look at them in detail. In contrast to other Merle Goldendoodles, they boast a smooth and straight coat with a natural sheen. These pups usually require minimal grooming as compared to their counterparts since their coats are much shorter and tend not to get tangled as easily. The short and flat coat Merle Goldendoodle would be an ideal choice for those who prefer low maintenance dogs. While regular brushing is recommended for minimizing loose fur, and preserving the shine and healthiness of its coat, there's no need for frequent grooming. They're also less prone to matting and tangling, which can be common problems among breeds with long coats. Unlike the short or flat coat Merle Goldendoodle, they have coats that are thick and wavy, with a soft, fluffy texture. These dogs require regular grooming and brushing to prevent matting, and their coats may need to be trimmed periodically to keep them from becoming too long. The wavy or shaggy coat of Merle Goldendoodles gives them a charming and lovable appearance that many dog owners find irresistible. These dogs have a coat that ranges in color and pattern from blue merle, red merle, and chocolate merle, to black and other colors. This gives each dog a unique look, which adds to its appeal. While wavy or shaggy coat Merle Goldendoodles require more grooming than the short or flat coat variation, they are still relatively low-maintenance dogs. They only need to be brushed regularly to remove any loose hair and prevent matting. Some owners prefer to have their Merle Goldendoodles professionally groomed to keep their coats looking neat and tidy. These dogs have tightly curled, fluffy coats with a wool-like texture, making them also known as 'fleece coats'. The coat can come in a range of colors and patterns, including blue merle, red merle, chocolate merle, black and many others, similar to the other Merle Goldendoodle variants. The curly coat of the Merle Goldendoodle is eye-catching but requires the most grooming of all the variants. Their coats are prone to matting meaning regular brushing and combing is necessary for keeping their curls looking neat and tidy. Additionally, trimming them more often prevents tangling and matting. Despite their high grooming needs, curly coat Merle Goldendoodles are an extremely popular choice for many dog owners. They are known for their friendly and affectionate nature, and they love spending time with their families. They are intelligent and easy to train, making them a great choice for novice dog owners or families with children. Do Merle Goldendoodles Change Color? The merle gene, which is responsible for the unique marbling and hue of Merle Goldendoodles, can lead to a shift in coat color as these pooches mature. This can be particularly noticeable in Merle Goldendoodle breeds with lighter fur shades, like cream or white. As the pup ages, its coat may darken and become richer, putting the merle pattern in plain sight. Nonetheless, it's worth noting that not all Merle Goldendoodles will morph their fur tone as they age. Some might retain their initial coat shade and pattern for life. Apart from that, color alterations may also be affected by other conditions such as diet, habitat, and overall well-being. It is also worth mentioning that Merle Goldendoodles with a chocolate merle coat may be more prone to color fading, which means that their coat may become lighter and less vibrant over time. This is because the merle gene can sometimes cause the melanin in the dog's coat to break down, resulting in a lighter color. Despite the potential for changes in coat color, Merle Goldendoodles remain a popular choice for dog owners who are drawn to their unique and eye-catching appearance. With proper care and attention, Merle Goldendoodles can live long, happy lives, and continue to bring joy to their owners for many years to come. Merle Goldendoodle Temperament Merle Goldendoodles are adored for their kind, loving, and highly clever personalities. They make outstanding family pets and thrive on attention and partnership with their owners. They're renowned for their mild temperaments and are usually non-aggressive, making them a superb option for households with young children. These pups are readily trainable and enjoy learning new commands and tricks. They're faithful and devoted to their families, and they relish spending time with people. Merle Goldendoodles are also very social dogs who get along well with other animals as well as strangers, though proper socialization and training are imperative to ensure they have positive interactions with other creatures. The personality of the Merle Goldendoodle makes them a hit these days. They're a fantastic pick for households looking for a loving, devoted, and intelligent companion. Plus, their sociable and affable behavior makes them an ideal pick for first-time doggo owners who might want a pup that's easy to train and bond with. Merle Goldendoodle Appearance As mentioned earlier, Merle Goldendoodles are a hybrid of the Golden Retriever and Poodle, meaning their look can differ depending on which parent's traits they've taken after. They usually boast medium-sized builds with strong and muscular bodies that make them great for running, hiking, and playing fetch outdoors. Their heads are usually broad and rounded, making them sociable and approachable. It's common for them to have expressive eyes set well apart—a trait they get from both Golden Retrievers and Poodles. Adding to the uniqueness of their look are their floppy ears that hang down either side; some may even have hair covering their ears. Overall, Merle Goldendoodles are a beautiful and unique breed with an appearance that is sure to turn heads. Merle Goldendoodle Sizes Merle Goldendoodles come in three distinct sizes: standard, medium, and miniature. Standard-sized Merle Goldendoodles typically weigh anywhere between pounds and stand as tall as 24 inches at the shoulder. Medium-sized Merles usually weigh between pounds and reach up to 20 inches tall. And, lastly, a Miniature Merle Goldendoodle can be lbs in weight and reach a maximum height of 15 inches at the shoulder. The size of a Merle Goldendoodle often depends on the size of its poodle parent. For example, a Golden Retriever bred with a Standard Poodle will likely result in larger puppies than those bred with a Miniature Poodle. Generally, the size of a Merle Goldendoodle is also determined by several considerations, including genetics, diet, and exercise. It is noteworthy that standard-sized Merle Goldendoodles are larger and need more room for exercise than the smaller ones. When choosing a Merle Goldendoodle, it's important to consider your lifestyle and living arrangements to determine which size would be the best fit for you and your family. Standard-sized Merle Goldendoodles are great for families with large yards or who live in rural areas, while miniature Merle Goldendoodles are well-suited for apartment living and those who prefer a smaller dog. Blue Merle Goldendoodle Blue Merle Goldendoodles have a beautiful blue-gray coat, often featuring black patches or spots. The eye color of these pups can vary between blue or green, and their nose and paw pads tend to be black. As a standout among other Goldendoodle colors, Blue Merle Goldendoodles really stand out and are very much in demand. Chocolate Merle Goldendoodle Chocolate Merle Goldendoodles boast a stunning chocolate-brown coat with lighter brown patches or spots. Their eyes can be green or amber, and their noses and paw pads usually come in either brown or pink. Phantom Merle Goldendoodles Phantom Merle Goldendoodles have a black coat with tan or silver markings. Their eyes can be blue or amber, and their nose and paw pads are typically black. Red Merle Goldendoodles Red Merle Goldendoodles are characterized by their red or orange coat, which can be adorned with white and cream patches or spots. These adorable pups also have captivating eyes - usually blue, green, or amber - as well as nose and paw pads that often range from black to brown. Black Merle Goldendoodle Black Merle Goldendoodles have a glossy black coat punctuated with gray and silver patches or spots. Eye color is often blue, green, or amber, and their noses and paw pads usually come in black. Other Goldendoodle colors In addition to the merle color variations, Goldendoodles can also come in a range of other colors, including white , apricot, red , black , and chocolate. Some Goldendoodles have solid coats, while others have parti, tuxedo, or abstract markings. On average, Merle Goldendoodles live between 10 to 15 years. However, it is essential to note that, like all breeds of dogs, their lifespan is influenced by various factors such as diet, exercise , genetics, and healthcare. Owners can extend their pet's life expectancy by providing them with high-quality food, regular exercise, and preventative healthcare such as vaccinations and regular vet checkups. Proper care can ensure that your Merle Goldendoodle remains happy and healthy throughout its life. Merle Goldendoodles are generally healthy dogs. However, they may be at risk of developing some health issues that are common in both Golden Retrievers and Poodles. Hip Dysplasia: Hip dysplasia is a common issue among many large breeds, including Goldendoodles. It is caused by the improper development of the hip joint, which can lead to discomfort, arthritis, and mobility issues. Proper exercise, a healthy diet, and regular vet checkups can help identify hip dysplasia early and mitigate its effects. It is essential to have your Merle Goldendoodle's eyes examined regularly to detect early signs of PRA. Allergies: Merle Goldendoodles may be prone to developing allergies, especially if they have inherited this trait from their Poodle parent. Symptoms of allergies may include skin irritation, scratching, and ear infections. If you suspect your Merle Goldendoodle has allergies, consult with a veterinarian. Merle Goldendoodles have low-shedding coats, making them a popular choice for people with allergies. However, the level of shedding can vary depending on the coat type. For example, Merle Goldendoodles with curly coats may shed less than those with wavy or flat coats. Regardless of coat type, regular grooming can help reduce shedding. They make a great pick for those looking for an animal that is tender, intelligent, and simple to teach. Whether you're a fan of blue, chocolate, phantom, red, or black Merle Goldendoodle, you can easily find one that caters to your tastes. At Fi, we feel that Merle Goldendoodles make a great pet for those searching for loving, devoted and intelligent companions. As a technologically advanced firm devoted to pups' comfort, we are delighted to present the Fi Smart Dog Collar. It is engineered to assist owners in keeping their furry family secure and healthy. Our collar has GPS tracking and activity-monitoring functions, so you can always keep an eye on your Merle Goldendoodle. You can observe their place in real-time and get alerts whenever they depart permitted zones or find themselves in danger. Moreover, our collar tracks your pet's activity pattern to assure they are getting the proper physical exercise and rest. At Fi, we are committed to creating products that help pet owners give their dogs the best life possible. We believe that every Merle Goldendoodle deserves to be happy, healthy, and loved, and we are here to help make that a reality. For more helpful articles about pet-parenting tips, check out the Off Leash blog at TryFi. Want to know more about TryFi. This is the fastest way to find your dog after an escape. Try the Fi Dog Collar today! The link has been copied! You might also like. Articles Do you want to make an addition to your family with an affectionate Blue Merle Goldendoodle but have insufficient knowledge about this designer dog? If yes, then stick around, as we will provide you with a useful guide regarding Blue Merle Goldendoodle. The Blue Merle Goldendoodle, a designer dog with blue eyes, is a breed resulting from a three-way cross; an initial cross between a Golden Retriever and a Poodle, and a subsequent cross between the resulting Goldendoodle breed and a black dog with a merle coat. These furry babies are best for newbie pet owners due to their high adaptability and extremely friendly nature. So, if you want to make your pup feel at home and provide him with the utmost care, then you are at the right place. In this article, we will tell you how long Blue Merle Goldendoodle lives and how to take care of your pup to let him enjoy a healthy lifestyle. They were first bred in the s but became a favorite breed in the s. With so many variations in Goldendoodles, you must be wondering how you can get a Blue Merle Goldendoodle. Well, this dog is likely to be a mix of a black dog with a merle pattern and a Goldendoodle. As a result of this crossbreed, the gray merle patterned pooch came into being. Depending on the size, they can weigh from 30 lbs to over 50 lbs. If you live in a small apartment and need a friend for emotional support, a mini-sized Blue Merle Goldendoodle is best for you. If space is not your major problem, then a medium-sized pup would be perfect for you. Physical Appearance Blue Merle Goldendoodle has a wavy or curly coat with perms around his legs. Their fur is around 3 to 4 inches long, but the hair on the head is usually shorter than the rest of the body. Image from Instagram: this. The average lifespan of a Blue Merle Goldendoodle is 10 to 15 years. They normally live a healthy life but can be subjected to some common health issues, as mentioned below. Ear Infections The Blue Merle Goldendoodle possess droopy ears, due to which they are prone to ear infections as their ears tend to accumulate moisture. As a result, it gives room for bacteria to grow and cause infections. In most cases, ear infection leads to deafness. Common Allergies Like other dog breeds, this designer dog is also prone to the three types of allergies mentioned below. Inhalant allergies are caused by allergens in the air, such as dust or pollen. Food allergies are caused by certain food, so keep your pup in check to see if he is allergic to any food. Contact allergies are caused by chemicals present in flea powders or shampoos. All of these allergies can be treated according to their causes. But, make sure to get in touch with a vet if your dog excessively itches and chews his skin. Bloating This fatal disease commonly affects dogs with broad chests, like Groodles. As a result, your puppy will become lazy, weak, and restless. So, make sure to contact a vet if your pup retches or salivates rapidly. The Blue Merle Goldendoodle is prone to weight gain, so it is necessary to provide proper training and a healthy diet. You just have to train him for 25 to 30 minutes daily to maintain his physical health as they possess moderate energy levels. However, make sure to be gentle with your pup and not be harsh, as scolding will affect his mental health. Moreover, Groodle loves to play in the water, so you can take him out to swim twice a week as a mode of exercise. However, do make sure to feed your Groodle 2 to 4 cups of food daily. It is important to feed your pup at regular intervals instead of letting him enjoy a buffet as it will lead him to overeat. Maintain Good Hygiene It is important to maintain good hygiene of your pup to help him stay fresh and healthy daily. For this purpose, you can go for dental water additives as they fight bad odor and plague, leaving your pup with fresh breath and clean teeth. It is better if you start to leave them alone for short periods and then extend it gradually. Leaving them alone without any prior training will cause your puppy to develop separation anxiety. To give you a comprehensive idea, we have listed some temperaments of these fluff balls. Smart Learners These canines are intelligent from the start and also quick learners. Therefore, with early training, they can be ideal guide dogs. Moreover, if you have an elementary family, these canines can be perfect dogs with manners. As Blue Merle Goldendoodles share the DNA of energetic dogs, they contribute to every activity enthusiastically and cheerfully. Instead, they are a really calm and easy-going breed. Craziness When these fluff balls get bored, they usually get crazy and more than excited for nothing. The larger-sized Blue Merle Goldendoodles are more destructive and crazy because of their power and antics. However, interestingly, these canines tend to be calm, mostly around babies and young children. Loving And Friendly The Blue Merle Goldendoodle loves to play around with people and gets along great with other pet breeds as well. Moreover, these pups are friendly enough to train them as watchdogs. You would be surprised to know that they tend to befriend a stranger instead of warming them off. So, if you are prone to allergies and still want to get a furry baby, then this Groodle is the right choice. However, there is a misconception that Blue Merle Goldendoodle are high maintenance because of their fancy coats. In reality, their coats can be easily managed if you follow the grooming tips mentioned below. Removes loose hair: reaches through the topcoat to remove loose undercoat hair without cutting skin or damaging the.FURejector button: just push the button to release hair with ease. As a result, he will be left with dry and coarse fur. These cute little puppies are extremely rare and difficult to be bred in merle patterns, and still, it is hard to say that you will get a purebred one. Do Blue Merle Goldendoodles Swim? Yes, Blue Merle Goldendoodles can swim and do so swiftly because these canines are the offspring of two water-loving breeds. Therefore, they inherit their enthusiasm, swimming capability, and, most importantly, love for water from their parents, Golden Retriever and Poodle. The most common but popular color of Goldendoodles is apricot, followed by red , blue, and cream shades. Other than that, the Goldendoodle with shades of sable color is also in quite a demand, but they are not as attractive as the apricot color. No two are ever the same, but there are certain traits that you can expect from different breeds. Some will need more care, some will need more training, and some just need more attention in general. What you look for in your new pet will depend a lot on your own lifestyle and workload, and you must do your research before choosing your new friend. This article will tell you everything you need to know about the Blue Merle Goldendoodle. Is this the breed for you? Read on to find out! What is a Blue Merle Goldendoodle? A Goldendoodle is a blanket name given to a poodle and golden retriever crossbreed. Blue Merles are a little different, though. The patterning comes from a dominant gene, which will often suppress some of the solid color of the other parent. To breed a Blue Merle you should have one merle parent, and either a poodle or a regular Goldendoodle. This is rare, however. How Different is a Blue Merle Goldendoodle? There are a lot of traits that the two types share. You can also expect a more intense personality if your Goldendoodle has any border collie in them. This is again at least partially thanks to their herding nature. There is, of course, a poodle parent no matter what. This is a factor that is not going to change. Poodles are hypoallergenic, and this will be passed on at least partially to any offspring. This makes Goldendoodles, Aussiedoodles, or anything else that comes from a poodle a pretty good choice for people who suffer from allergies. This is one of the things that makes them so appealing to people. That, and how insanely cute they are. As with other Goldendoodles, you can also expect the size to vary. The best way to gauge how big yours will be is to know the size of the parents. They also happen to be beautiful. This beauty comes at a price, however. When it comes to grooming, Blue Merle Goldendoodles are sometimes a little easier to handle than those that just have golden retriever and poodle in them, but their coats will still need a fair amount of care. This care can make them a more time-consuming breed, especially when their high energy levels and extra playtime is also factored in. You should also be sure to keep their ears clean. All dogs should be fed good diets of high-quality food, but the coats of these stunning dogs may call for a little extra something to keep them healthy. If you want their fur to keep shining and stay nice and soft, get them plenty of omega fatty acids. Fish such as sardines are a very good source of this. Making sure they get good food will also help prevent health issues and keep them in your life far longer. Keeping them active is a very important part of their care. This breed will not do well if it only gets one short walk a day, minimal playtime, and is left alone for extended periods. Stop them from going crazy by making sure you entertain them properly and tire them out regularly. They may be high in energy and require a lot of attention, but many people like to have those traits in their dog. If they are properly treated and taught correctly they are unlikely to bite, which is always a big plus. They also have a relatively low prey drive. Blue Merle Goldendoodles are considered social dogs. You should make sure they get to play with other dogs by meeting up with friends who also love doggos, or taking them to dog parks where they can run around off-leash and make new pals. Yes, they are considered to be a child-friendly breed. It should be stressed again, though, that dogs have to be taught and treated correctly. Just because this breed is considered to be tame, does not mean they definitely are. Every dog is different, even if they are of the same type, and parents should never leave their small children alone with them. Do Blue Merle Goldendoodles bark a lot? No, Blue Merle Goldendoodles are not considered to be particularly vocal dogs. Are Blue Merle Goldendoodles expensive dogs? As always, try and go for a rescue dog if you can, but Blue Merle Goldendoodles are quite rare. If your heart is set on this breed, they may be hard to find without a breeder. Always make sure the breeder uses good practice, especially in this case. Certain merle genetic combinations can cause major problems. Are there any health problems to worry about? Unfortunately, there are. Because of the dominance of the merle gene, two merle dogs should not be bred together. The double merle can make them deformed, or lead to them being blind or deaf. This is why a merle-patterned dog must be bred with a poodle or a regular Goldendoodle, and not another dog similar to itself. Will a Blue Merle Goldendoodle be okay with my cat? They are not considered to be good dogs for houses with cats, unlike normal Goldendoodles. Conclusion So, will a Blue Merle Goldendoodle make a good pet for you? Related Posts:. The petite-sized merle Goldendoodle And the teacup-sized merle Goldendoodle. On average, the merle Goldendoodle should weigh between 13 to 80 pounds and should have a height range between 7 to 25 inches. The standard-sized merle Goldendoodle should weigh between 45 to 80 pounds. It can grow between 22 to 25 inches tall. They are the tallest and heaviest merle Goldendoodles you can find. The medium-sized Goldendoodle should be next in size. It should weigh between 30 to 45 pounds and should have a height between 17 to 21 inches. The next should be the miniature-sized Goldendoodle. These usually are small varieties that weigh between 16 to 30 pounds. Their height range is usually between 13 to 16 inches. Smaller sizes like the petite Goldendoodle can be bred from miniature-sized Goldendoodles. They can weigh between 11 to 15 pounds and can grow as tall as 11 to 12 or 13 inches. The Smallest size, which is the teacup merle Goldendoodles, would be super rare. Their height should be lower than 11 inches and they should weigh less than 11 pounds. Most Popular Color Variations of the Merle Goldendoodle As stated earlier, the Merle gene of the Goldendoodle alters the coat pattern of the Goldendoodle and not the color. As such, the merle Goldendoodle can come in a variety of coat colors. A few of these coat colors are; 1. Blue Merle Goldendoodle Blue Merle Goldendoodle The blue merle Goldendoodle is obtained from breeding a blue merle Poodle with a Golden Retriever or breeding a blue merle Goldendoodle with another Goldendoodle of solid coat color. It features a merle pattern but with a light blue base coat that gives the puppy a more marbling look. Getting a blue merle Goldendoodle is easier said than done. The color is very rare and due to the overall aesthetics of the puppies, they are in high demand. Chocolate Merle Goldendoodle Chocolate Merle Goldendoodle The chocolate merle Goldendoodle should bear similarities with the blue merle Goldendoodle except it has a chocolate coat base color and these dogs are often gotten from the Poodle parent. Phantom Merle Goldendoodles Phantom Merle Goldendoodle Phantom merle Goldendoodles come in 2 colors in a merle pattern while being in specific locations like the eyebrows, and chest. Muzzle, lower legs, and even the ears of the Goldendoodles. The two coat colors are often brown or black and the merle pattern is existent on their coat. They usually have a reddish brown base color and the signature merle pattern that makes these Goldendoodles very beautiful. Black Merle Goldendoodle Black merle Goldendoodles are also rare but not as rare as the rest. They are the most likely to possess the fading gene and fade into a light silver or gray color. They feature a black base coat and a rich merle pattern that is simply beautiful. Merle Goldendoodles are prone to certain health conditions which would be discussed in detail later in this article. However, if bred, raised, and cared for properly, the merle Goldendoodle should live the average lifespan of a regular Goldendoodle. This should be between 10 to 15 years. But there are a number of factors that can affect this, so it is worth noting that this is just general speculation. They are incredibly smart as they are often a mix of dog breed genes. The high intelligence that comes with being an offspring of the Poodle breed makes the merle Goldendoodle easily trainable. When training the merle Goldendoodle, it is worth stating that you can get a lot more achieved faster with positive reinforcement than you would with negative training techniques or tips. Instead of shouting or raising your voice at the puppy, give it a stern look and a light tap on its head. It should be able to understand the message. Goldendoodles in general also require a lot of exercise and merle Goldendoodles are no exception. You would need to keep them regularly exercised to get rid of the excess and intense energy that they are prone to. If left unexercised, that intense energy merle Goldendoodles and all Goldendoodles, in general, are prone to can easily become destructive, especially in apartments and smaller homes. It is recommended that you take your dog each day for a walk. You can also try to make out time for your puppies to keep them occupied. You can make use of a hired help or trainer to do it for you, or you can make the effort to do it yourself this a better choice as it helps you build better relationships with your furry friend and companion. This is where the merle Goldendoodle differs from other Goldendoodles. They have a higher propensity for developing genetic defects than regular Goldendoodles. As such you have to be careful when breeding them. Here are some of the possible health defects that your merle Goldendoodle might be exposed to. Deafness It is possible for a merle Goldendoodle puppy to suffer from deafness either partial or total. This is caused by the merle gene and it often happens on the side of the ear where the merle pattern is most dominant. Blindness Another common problem that can come from improper breeding of merle puppies is blindness. It can come from birth or develop as the puppy matures. Merle Goldendoodles born with blue eyes most likely suffer from this condition. Bloating Bloating for Goldendoodles can be very severe and life-threatening. It is a terrible condition that occurs in merle Goldendoodles and appears as excess air or swelling of the stomach. It can be very painful and requires immediate medical attention. It is a hormonal disorder that can lead to a weakened immune system. It can also cause weight loss for your dogs and even certain skin defects. Alopecia Color dilution Alopecia color dilution can be quite severe for merle Goldendoodles. It is a skin condition that could result in a Goldendoodle losing parts of its fur, making them bald in the long run. For merle Goldendoodles, the dog loses its fur at areas of the body where the merle patch exists. The shedding propensity of your Goldendoodle or how much your Goldendoodle shed depends on the coat type of your Goldendoodle. For the merle Goldendoodle, it depends on the coat type. Merle Goldendoodles with curly or wavy fur are known to be low to non-shedding Goldendoodles. They are practically hypoallergenic and are safe around people with dog hair allergies. However, merle Goldendoodles with the short and flat coat type are more likely to shed than the other Goldendoodle coat types. They require less grooming as they can easily shed their fur. But it is important to state that merle Goldendoodles with a flat and short hair coat type are still fewer shedders than Golden Retrievers in general. How Much Are Merle Goldendoodles? Merle Goldendoodles are super rare, and as such, they can be quite expensive to purchase. Their rare color and difficulty in breeding are what cause the high cost of getting one. For rarer merle Goldendoodles like the blue merle, it might cost a bit more. This is a very difficult Goldendoodle puppy to breed, and its health defects can be quite bad. So forget the high cost and ensure you obtain your Goldendoodle puppy from a reputable breeder. Merle Goldendoodle Puppies For Sale 1. They are based in Washington and are quite experienced with over 3 years dedicated to breeding high-quality family-friendly Goldendoodle companions. They focus on merle Goldendoodles and breeds of most merle colors. Their puppies are from the f1b generation and are blessed with the low-to-nonshedding coat that makes them truly special dogs. Vaalaurah Farms utilizes the best CKC-registered sires and dams in their breeding programs that come from decent bloodlines and are incredibly healthy. Their sires and dams each have genetic testing done for all their dogs to ensure they are free from any potential harmful defect. The sires and dams are healthy and each has their OFA certifications available upon request to show that they are indeed healthy. Because they deal with merle puppies, a lot is taken to properly raise the puppies the right way. All their merle Goldendoodles get to live in their family house in Spokane, Washington, where they are monitored closely. They also have their socialization done early to guarantee that you end up with a well-rounded Goldendoodle puppy. Each Goldendoodle puppy is raised using Puppy Culture. They are introduced to Early Neurological Stimulation. And even have a Voldhard puppy aptitude test done on them. Expect Your Merle Goldendoodle to come with appropriate health records, they should be microchipped, and given their full vaccinations and deworming as well. They come with a lifetime health guarantee and lifetime support from the breeder. Valaurah Farms Contact Details. What is a Merle Goldendoodle? A merle Goldendoodle is a popular crossbreed between a Poodle and a Golden Retriever, which has a specific coat pattern called merle. These Doodle dogs are very popular due to their striking shades of black, brown, or a combination of the two. Are they any different than a regular Goldendoodle? No, merle Goldendoodles are the same as regular Goldendoodles. The Poodle-Golden Retriever mix has a variety of different coat colors. Some Goldendoodles have one solid color, such as apricot Goldendoodles, white Goldendoodles, brown Goldendoodles, etc. Other Goldendoodles may have unique coats like brindle, parti, or merle. However, a merle Goldendoodle and a parti Goldendoodle are the same breed. So, how do merles get their gorgeous coats? The extent of these shades and patches depends on genetics. For example, a young dog with a salt-and-pepper appearance has the genetics for black coat color and merle coat pattern. Dilute is where the hair color is lightened. This type of color genetics also appears in cattle, sheep, and cats, to name a few. It only means that if it can produce colored hair, it will show up in a shade of either black or brown. For different shades, there are three genes involved. The first is dilution or dd. Black dogs or red dogs such as black Goldendoodles or red Goldendoodles will have DD genetics, allowing for full expression of the color in all its rich shades. However, a dog with dilute genetics, or dd, will produce a lighter shade of the color. This gives you a dog that is born charcoal grey or tan. A dog that also has ii genetics will often be lighter. Depending on the depth of dilution, this could be coloring such as silver, fawn, or cream. Roxy, a gorgeous blue merle phantom Goldendoodle image: roxythemerledoodle. On the other hand, a dog that is GG will start black or dark grey and then continue to lighten as they mature. This differs from geriatric graying of an aging dog, which is caused by loss of eumelanin production and is typically limited to the face. One additional gene, A, is the agouti gene. It has two different appearances. One controls the color appearing on the back versus the belly, while the other controls the pattern of color on individual hairs. A dog with black on its back and tan underneath is one type of aa. A dog that has light hair with dark tips is another type of aa. This includes the sable color e. Tyrosinase, or albinism, is a genetic mutation that prevents pigment from forming at all and is often seen in some white dogs that often have red or pale blue eyes and completely pink skin. Other types of spots are due to mutations in this gene and others. This includes masks, points, piebald, flashy spotting, brindle, ticked, roan, and dalmatian spotting. Harlequin creates amazing spotting patterns found only in Great Danes with one or two merle genes in addition to a single H gene. Great Danes are the only breed that has the true harlequin gene [2] doggenetics. This means that no matter what you read, there is no such thing as a harlequin Goldendoodle. Great Dane with a harlequin merle coat. Now that we understand the color and marking genetics, the merle gene provides an interesting scientific study. Merle is passed on by the M locus, with non-merle being a double mm. The double mm is considered recessive genes. What this means, in plain English, is that additional genetic code is inserted into a specific location on the M locus. It will appear only in their offspring if passed onto a puppy with another M gene. Even then, it will be faint. This explains why we might have cryptic merle Goldendoodles and phantom merle Goldendoodles. At higher insertion lengths, more marked patterns will appear. With one copy of the atypical merle locus, the dog will have no to slight merle markings, while two copies will look like a regular Mm merle pattern in many cases [3] doggenetics. These should never breed to dogs that have longer alleles to avoid the chance of health problems in puppies. A merle or M has an allele insertion length of , providing the usual merle coat pattern in an Mm dog. However, two Mm dogs have a chance of producing an MM or double-merle puppy, which can have significant health problems. This type of breeding should be avoided. A harlequin merle or Mh has the longest allele insertion length between and may also be referred to as a herding harlequin in some breeds. This type of breed will often have large white or pale grey patches. This happens because the strength of the genetic expression removes some of the darker coloring while retaining the merle pattern. This type of genetics must be bred to unmerled, or Mc, dogs to prevent the risk of severe health problems in puppies. How Can a Goldendoodle be Merle? As a cross between Poodles and Golden Retrievers, merle Goldendoodles get their merle genetics from the Poodle. But many breeders, and Poodle-fanatics, believe that there is no such thing as a merle Poodle. An intentional genetic bottleneck caused the merle genes in Poodles. Columbias, prior to the Industrial Revolution, came in all colors, as the primitive Shetland breed still does. But as chemical dyes replaced natural dyes in the Industrial Revolution, wool merchants began demanding white sheep so that the dye would present the same color across all the wool they had purchased. Sheep farmers began breeding for white sheep. This is how the concept of a black sheep being a bad thing came into practice. Similarly, at one point in the history of the Poodle breed , colored Poodles were considered defective. However, as our appreciation of the breed and understanding of genetics has increased, more breeders have begun breeding for specific colors and merle patterns. If safely done, intentional breeding provides us with a beautiful, natural range of animals that were nearly bred out of existence. After crossbreeding with Golden Retrievers to create the Goldendoodle breed, more color has been added to their genetic pool. Goldendoodles have a massive range of fantastic coat colors and patterns [4] valaurahfarms. It is not uncommon to come across all sorts of colors and patterns in this designer dog: Blue Goldendoodles.

She also owns Pack Dynamics , a holistic dog training practice in Bend, Oregon, that focuses on understanding dogs as individuals to better resolve behavior issues. Her dog behavior consults are based on science and her many experiences training canines. We updated this article in July to ensure everything was in stock. These are low in calories and easy to swallow. If your dog responds better to larger treats, Certified Professional Dog Trainer Nicole Ellis says something you can break up easily also works. Crunching or chewing can make a mess. Ellis likes treats that are made up of mostly meat. Travels well: Reed reminds dog parents to choose treats that travel well. Remember, training treats are rewards for a job well done and should encourage your pup to keep learning. It also may take some time to figure out what your dog responds to best. Reed calls these dry and not very flavorful. They can also be too filling. We also reached out to dog parents well-versed in training, like Meredith and Brian in Chicago who worked with several trainers to help their dog Luna overcome her reactivity. Each treat on our list meets most - if not all - of the criteria listed above. Three are single-ingredient treats made up entirely of animal protein. First, figure out what treats your dog likes best. This can be a fun game! Label each cup with the name of the treat. Take one treat and put it under a plastic cup. Repeat until all treat options are hidden. Watch your dog find the treats and notice the order they found them in. Dogs will usually hunt for the most appetizing treats first. You can definitely do a few sessions each day. Treats should be used to reinforce good behaviors. This is a classic! Get these treats from Chewy here. Cheese While this takes a little more effort on your part, cheese from the grocery store can be a great treat for training time. You can purchase a block of cheese from your grocery store, cut it up into very small cubes, and put it in a Tupperware for convenient usage throughout the week. But it can be a really great, high-value treat for a lot of Golden Retrievers. You can easily prepare some meat at home to use as treats. Chicken is usually the cheapest, but any meat will do! Pro tip: Divide the cubed meat into several ziplock bags or Tupperware and freeze. This way none of the meat will go bad before you can use it all up, and you always have some high-value treats on hand. PureBites Mini Trainers Chicken These treats are great for puppies because they come pre-cut in tiny cubes. Wild Meadow Farms Minis The size and shape of these treats are super unique and perfect for puppy training. High quality and delicious — your new Golden pup will love these! They also come in a variety of flavors: beef, duck, lamb, pork, chicken, venison, turkey, wild boar and salmon. Real Meat Puppies love real meat just like adult dogs! You can see more tips on using real meat as training treats in the adult dog treat section above. Getting a golden retriever puppy? Check out the Golden Retriever Puppy Handbook! But puppies can sometimes get loose stool if they have too many treats, or if the ingredients are too rich for their systems. From the adult dog treat recommendations above, go easy on the cheese and liver treats, as those can sometimes be a bit much for little guys. Use small amounts at first to see how your pup tolerates it. However, here are some things to keep in mind that can really super-charge your training when it comes to using treats: Size Pea-sized treats typically work best for training your Golden. You want them to be able to chew and swallow the treat quickly so they can get back to the training session. While your pup might be overjoyed to be handed a large treat, it can really slow down the training process. Texture Soft treats are usually ideal for training time. Again, you want your pup to be able to chew and swallow quickly. A crunchy treat can take longer for your dog to eat, and sometimes eager Goldens can briefly choke on it as they scarf it down. Some treats can be pretty crumbly, which can cause crumbs to fall on the ground which distract your dog from the task at hand. If the treat is the same color as the ground, your dog may struggle to actually see the treat. In these cases, choose a treat that contrasts in color to the surface from which your pup will be eating. Value The key to using positive reinforcement is finding out what your dog really likes. Every Golden Retriever is unique and will have their own preferences when it comes to treats, so take note of what they seem to like best. Your dog might eat anything you hand her, but there are likely certain treats that really make her light up. This is because different treats have different values to your Golden. A Cheerio might be a 3 out of 10, a piece of cheese might be an 8 out of 10, and a tidbit of smoked sausage might be an 11 out of .Matching the value of the treat with the training task at hand can really take your training up a few notches. So perhaps, a mid-value treat is the way to go for this particular training scenario. It just feels good to provide yummy food for our loved ones, dogs included. Just like with training treats, health is always a priority when it comes to snacks for your Golden, so these recommendations keep that in mind. Here are some of the best treats for snacking for your Golden Retriever: Farm Hounds Treats These treats have an impressively healthy ingredient list, and come from farms that use humane farming practices. The company even tells you exactly which farm your treats came from, which is pretty unique! Lamb Crunchys This single ingredient treat is a great snack for Golden Retrievers. Simple and nutritious — the perfect snack. Honest Kitchen Ocean Chews Another single ingredient treat — are you seeing a trend here?! The smell can be a little off-putting for our noses, but your dog will thank you for this delicious treat. Conclusion Healthy Treats and Finding a Balance Dog treats not only strengthen the bond between dogs and their owners, they can also come with some great health benefits. Knowing what to look for in a treat can be extremely important. Treats can also contain some of the ingredients commonly found in joint supplements like glucosamine and chondroitin. Be Cautious There are many commercially available treats on the market, and it can be difficult to know which is the healthiest for your dog. Even the lowest-calorie treats can cause weight gain if they are given in excess. It is a good idea to offer treats no more than two or three times a day. If he gains too much weight, it could be detrimental to his health! They can be commercially produced dog treats or can be as simple as the fruits and veggies in your kitchen! Here are some examples of healthy treats for your canine companion. Natural Dog Treats: Fruits and Vegetables Many of the fruits and vegetables that humans eat are healthy and safe to give to your dog. Below are just a few safe options to share with your dog. They can be served at room temperature or even frozen for a nice treat on a hot summer day, and they are an excellent source of antioxidants. Bananas Peeled bananas are also a sweet antioxidizing treat but have more natural sugars in them, so give these infrequently. Apples Apples are an excellent fiber source and can be given in small cut-up pieces, making sure to avoid the core and seeds. Important Be sure to avoid grapes and raisins which are toxic for dogs. The cause is unknown, but just one to three grapes can cause kidney failure in a dog. Vegetables Vegetables like greens beans and carrots are safe for dogs and are a great source of fiber. Leafy greens like kale are good sources of calcium, iron, and vitamins like A and C. These can be served chopped or steamed. Peas and cooked sweet potatoes are also great dog treats and are common components of most commercial dog foods. Important Dog owners should avoid mushrooms because some are toxic, and vegetables from the Allium family like onions, chives, and garlic can cause severe health problems like vomiting, diarrhea, and anemia. Veterinary Dog Treats Some dog treats can be purchased from your veterinarian, and most of these have a dual purpose because they are often recommended for health reasons. Dental Chews. Of course, you should! All dogs love to get a treat! Golden Retrievers especially are very motivated by food, which is why training them is so much easier when treats are involved. Treats are the only way to get her to move sometimes! When she gets stubborn and wants to eat something off the ground that is bad for her, or when she decides she wants to go another direction and just sits there, I need to use treats! Not all treats are created equal, and some are complete junk and unhealthy, those types of treats should be avoided. However, healthy treats that are low in fat and calories with real ingredients are safe and good to give your Golden. It is so easy to give in and overtreat your Golden Retriever, but you are doing more harm than good. Using treats to give your Golden affection is not a good idea. Golden Retrievers are food-obsessed, they will always be on the hunt for food and will always seem hungry. Many owners fall into this trap and tend to overtreat their Golden, causing them to become overweight, obese and diabetic. The treats that you feed your Golden Retriever should be included in the total calories given per day. It is important to remember that treats add up, no matter how small they are! To read more about the 10 percent rule check out this article from the American Kennel Club. What you feed your Golden Retriever plays a key role in helping your dog live a longer and healthier life. Ingredients When it comes to ingredients, the fewer there are the better! Some of the best treats consist of only one ingredient. Avoid Filler Ingredients Soy, wheat and corn are often found in commercial dog treats and should be avoided. They offer no nutritional value to your dog whatsoever. These ingredients are unfit for human consumption and should be avoided for your Golden Retriever too. If you see corn syrup on the ingredient list, avoid it at all costs! Xylitol is an artificial sweetener that is very toxic to dogs, it can cause liver failure, seizures, and death. Having a variety is good, and you can use treats for different things. Small treats or soft treats are great for training, and longer-lasting chew treats are great for when you need your dog to enjoy time alone in his crate. Allergies Many dogs have allergies to certain food ingredients, the most common allergies are to chicken and beef, but it takes a bit of trial and error to find out what your dog is allergic to. Treats that have limited ingredients or only one ingredient are best for dogs with food sensitivities. They are all-natural, safe and healthy to give your Golden Retriever. Honest Kitchen Ocean Chews Made from wild-caught fish, these chews are a healthier alternative to traditional rawhide chews. Although the smell may be unpleasant to our senses, your dog will appreciate this tasty treat. Ultimately, the best treats for your Golden Retriever will be determined by their tastes and needs. While many healthy and tasty dog treat options exist, some should be avoided. Here are some treats you should not give your golden retriever: Rawhide treats can be difficult for dogs to digest and pose a choking hazard if not properly chewed. Treats high in fat and calories: While a balanced diet is vital for your dog, treats should not account for a large portion of their caloric intake. High-fat, high-calorie treats can contribute to weight gain and other health problems. Always read the labels and ingredients of treats before giving them to your dog, and consult with your veterinarian if you have any concerns. As a responsible pet owner, you must exercise extreme caution when choosing treats for your golden retriever puppy. Consider a few key factors before making your decision. Avoid treats that contain added sugars or corn syrup, for example, as these can lead to health issues such as obesity. Similarly, avoid treats containing preservatives or artificial dyes, which have been linked to carcinogens. Consider the texture and size of the treat and the presence of filler ingredients, which can harm your puppy in the long run. When choosing treats for your puppy, prioritize their health by keeping these factors in mind. The Difference Between Low-Value And High-Value Treats Low-value treats are used for most training purposes, significantly when reinforcing commands your dog already knows, working in low-distraction areas, and walking down familiar streets. As low-cost treats, many trainers use regular dog food. The important thing is that your dog will consistently work for them. If you and your dog are dealing with a lot of distractions, or if your dog is having difficulty following commands, you may need to up the ante. Low-cost treats are tasty; high-cost treats are delectable. High-value treats are more appealing and are used in challenging situations to motivate and reward dogs better. Switch to high-value treats if your dog is responding slowly, not paying attention, or simply struggling to stay on task. It is critical to understand that dog treats are not the same as dog food and should not be used as a complete source of nutrition. While dog treats may taste better than dog food, they can disrupt nutrient balance and should be given in moderation. Excessive consumption can lead to serious health issues such as obesity and nutritional imbalances. Golden retriever puppies can be given three types of treats: high-value rewards, low-value training treats, and biscuits. High-value rewards are high in calories and should be reserved for exceptional circumstances. Low-cost training treats are smaller and contain fewer calories, making them ideal for workouts. Biscuits are dry and hard, have many calories, and can be used as a snack or on non-training days. Give your dog a treat and praise within seconds of asking for a behavior to help your dog associate the command with the behavior and reward. Give your dog a treat every time they obey your command during the learning phase. As your dog improves, only reward them for quick and perfect responses. Use a treat as a lure to position your dog when teaching a new skill. Remember that using a lure is only necessary when teaching a new command and should be stopped once your dog consistently obeys your request. Try different treats to see which ones your dog prefers, then switch them up to keep your dog interested. Pet your dog while giving the treat to make the reward even more valuable. This will help your dog associate your touch with the treat, making it even more rewarding. However, be careful to do it on the treats. As your dog becomes better at obeying commands, gradually reduce food rewards in favor of praise and sporadic treats. Keep your dog guessing to keep their motivation and enthusiasm for training. Here are some different types of training treat pouches to consider:. This will help you better understand what you should have in mind when you choose the treats you want your baby Golden to try. Size In most situations, size may not matter, but when it comes to picking treats for Golden Retriever puppies, it certainly does. While your Goldie will eventually be a good-sized dog , bigger treats are not a smart idea when they are pups. Large treats can be a choking hazard. They also take far longer to chew up when you are attempting to train. Your Goldie will make short work of treats designed for tiny puppies so look for treats that you feel your puppy will enjoy. Ingredients Quality ingredients in their food is the best way to start your Golden puppy out on the right foot. The same can be said for their treats. Instead, you want ingredients that provide lots of nutrition, vitamins, and minerals. Treats that are high in calories can cause your pup to pack on the pounds. Written by Melissa Gunter Author Melissa was born and raised in the mountains of East Tennessee where she spent her time writing in an old notebook and playing outside with her pets. As an avid animal lover, she has brought many into her home over the years. Currently, she is the mom of 5 fur babies. Her 2 cats, Princess and Pepper are total opposites who demand attention. Her dogs Jazzy, Whitey, and Demon are full of spunk and keep the entire family on their toes. Beyond life as an animal mom, Melissa is a dedicated wife and mother to 2 children. Writing in her old notebook led her down the path of becoming not only a freelance writer but a published Indie author under the pen name, Rena Marin.Read more Advertisement. You may need to experiment a bit to find something that works perfect for you and your dog depending on your training techniques, but there are a few requirements to keep in mind. First… If you ask for a behavior, and your dog complies, give them a treat immediately within seconds , along with lavish praise. Your dog will begin to associate the command with the wanted behavior and the treat. Then… While your dog is learning a behavior, give them a treat every single time they obey your command. As your dog becomes more proficient, you can become more picky, only rewarding them for a quick, perfect response. Lastly… If you are just starting out with a brand new skill, you will have to use your treat to lure your dog into position. Your dog will follow the treat with their eyes, usually sitting in the process. As soon as they sit, give them a treat and lots of praise. Just be sure to keep in mind that a lure is usually only necessary when teaching a new command, and should be discontinued once your dog is reliably complying with your request. The Difference Between Low-Value and High-Value Treats Low-value treats are used for most training applications, but especially when reinforcing commands your dog already knows, working in low-distraction areas, and walking on familiar streets. Many trainers use regular dog food as low-value treats. The important thing is that your dog will work for them reliably. If you and your dog are working through heavy distractions, or your dog is have trouble following commands, you may have to up the ante. High-value treats are more enticing, and are therefore used for challenging situations. Low-value treats are tasty — high-value treats are delicious. If your dog is responding sluggishly, not paying attention, or simply struggling to stay on task, switch to high-value treats to up their motivation. Make note of what really excites your dog and change it up accordingly so your dog never knows what to expect. Pet your dog when you give him a treat. Your dog will start to associate your touch with the reward, which will raise its value. If you are ever caught without food rewards, your touch will be enough. No need for a pudgy retriever. Phase out food rewards when your dog is nailing the command most of the time. Keep your dog guessing, but always offer praise for a job well done. Behaviors To Train Away There are some behaviors that you should be sure to consider training in your dog, even if its not yet a problem. Some behaviors can be avoided altogether by training early, so make sure to train against these techniques: Separation anxiety: Some dogs cannot deal with you being away all day, so you will want to train them to understand that you will come back. Socialization: Many dogs have a hard time getting along with other dogs and other animals. Socialize your dog from a young age to avoid this. Puppy socialization is especially important! Puppy classes for behavior training are a great idea for this. Grooming: Dogs in training should be taught how to behavior while being groomed. A good dog will have good behavior while in this stressful situation! Barking: Most owners expect that their well behaved dogs will not bark. Train your dog about when it is and when it is not okay to bark. Excessive barking can become a bad habit quickly, so make sure to teach your new puppy good manners. Here are our top recommended Anti-Barking devices to control excessive barking. Puppy training: You should get your puppy into an obedience training class from a young age with a good dog trainer. This will make sure they learn important commands and skills with you. Training your puppy takes time, so get help from the experts. Biting: If you are having a problem with your dog or puppy biting, it is important to get dog trainers involved as soon as possible. Work with them and your pooch to learn how to teach your dog that biting is not okay. All dogs have some discomfort at the vet, so take extra time with this. The veterinary is a scary place for them, too! Chewing: Many dogs, especially puppies, have problems with chewing on shoes, leashes, and more. Training your dog not to chew will save your sanity and save you money! Dogs in training classes tend to have less behavioral problems than a dog with little or no formal training. Dog behavior depends on more than dog owners, but all dogs should get some training. Remember this: Canine behavior can be very hard to understand. If your new dog has behavior problems or you are in need of dog training tips, considering hiring a professional dog trainer or behaviorist to help fix your problems. This is especially important if your dog is exhibiting serious aggression. High-value treats are the ones your dog will do anything for, and every dog will have their own preferences. Here are some great choices for distracting situations or rewarding your dog for going the extra mile when you are training a dog. No additives. Dogs go crazy for these biscuits, and if you mix them with low-value treats, your whole treat pouch will smell like liver. Your whole treat pouch will smell like liver. Is it worth it? Test them out on your dog and decide for yourself. We certainly think they are…and so will your dog! In conclusion Finding the best treats for golden retrievers can be tricky. You want them to have fun and be healthy at the same time. So, you need to consider all their preferences to make sure any food you give them will be a winner! Golden Retrievers are known to be quite picky when it comes to dog treats. This can make finding the best ones for your own pup more challenging than you might think. Check out these great options below and see if your retriever will love them as much as we know they will. There are so many choices when it comes to good dog treats, so it can be difficult to know which ones are right for your pet. Goldens love most kinds of food, but some things make them happier than others. This article will give you a few suggestions for choosing the perfect treats for your canine friend. And some breeds, like large Great Danes and Saint Bernards, have a higher risk of bloat if they regularly eat small pieces of hard chew toys. Another thing to consider is the ingredients in the treats you buy. Many common treats contain wheat, corn, or soy, all of which are common food allergens that could potentially cause an allergic reaction in your golden retriever. When you choose the best treats for golden retrievers you should consider their health history. Finally, you can also talk to your veterinarian about what they recommend. They can also give you advice on other things, like nutritional supplements or food options. Treats are a great way to reward your golden retriever for good behavior and give them a chance to burn off energy. Biscuits: Homemade biscuits are usually made with whole-wheat flour and oatmeal, but some commercial brands may have artificial ingredients added to them. Candy: Candy is an easy source of calories for your dog without adding too much fat or sugar which might upset their stomach. Chocolate chips or pieces of candy can provide a quick boost in energy for your pup during playtime or when he needs a little extra motivation to work harder at training sessions. There are some best treats for golden retrievers. In this blog post, I will be going over what to look for, the best treats for golden retrievers, and helpful tips. Safely air-dried ingredients deliver peak nutrition and a mouth-watering taste for the pickiest dogs. We believe that a holistic diet starts with only the best natural ingredients. Rooted in New Zealand culture, it is strongly in our role as guardians of the land and sea. The PeakPrey recipes are rich in meat and organs in authentic ratios, free from unnecessary carbohydrates. Proudly made by passionate Kiwis, nothing delights us more than crafting recipes that bring joy and peace of mind to pets and their guardians. These treats come in convenient, bite-sized pieces that are easy to train with. They can also be easily broken in half if you want to stretch them further. They have a limited ingredient list and are formulated as a complete dog diet so they are healthy and fun and tasty. These raw ingredients are all sourced from New Zealand farms and pristine oceans. Farmed without added hormones or antibiotics, the meals contain only omega-3 fatty acids from New Zealand salmon and krill oil from Antarctic krill. It helps support digestion, healthy skin and coat, joint health, reduce inflammation, and promote heart and brain health. You can break off bite-sized pieces to use for training, or give them whole if you prefer. These treats are healthy and natural, but made in the USA! Sugar is a common ingredient in most treats and it is sometimes unavoidable. However, when you look at them, these treats are completely safe and healthy. These treats are made of real jerky and smell and feel just like it. They come in a bag with a zipper closure to keep them fresh, and they can be broken into smaller pieces to make them last longer. They are rich in glucosamine and chondroitin for joint support and are completely digestible. No artificial flavors, chemicals, or preservatives These premium dog treats are made of only one ingredient, beef tendon. This tasty beef tendon is hand-inspected and packaged in the USA, so your dog can enjoy a good chew without worrying about preservatives, hormones, or chemicals. These beef tendons are a great treat for your dog. They contain no artificial colors or flavors. Instead of splintering or breaking into small pieces, they are safe and fully digestible. Dogs love them because they taste great! Made from real beef, these mini nibs provide your dog with a rich and healthy source of protein. These freeze-dried treats are simply delicious and perfect for training. They come in a variety of proteins: turkey, beef, chicken, duck, rabbit, and salmon. The Vital Essentials dog treat is made from limited ingredients and can provide a fun crunchy snack for Golden Retrievers who enjoy snacks with beef bits, vitamin E supplements, and zinc. These healthy snacks are freeze-dried, so they retain all their flavor and nutrients. This grain-free beef dog food is a complete and balanced diet made without added fillers, flavorings, artificial preservatives, or rendered by-products. This dry and lightweight raw dog food can be served as-is or mixed with other food for a meaty protein boost! This complete and balanced natural dog food is protein-packed and low in starch. These snacks do not contain soy, corn, or wheat as filler ingredients. These crunchy biscuit snacks are packed with deboned chicken as their main ingredient. Kitchen Bites start with real deboned meat, fruits, and vegetables for a crunchy and healthy treat for dogs. Unlike many biscuits, Kitchen Bites are grain-free and gluten-free. Made in the USA with no ingredients from China. The number 1 ingredient is deboned chicken, followed by real potatoes and peas. These specific treats come in small, bite-sized pieces, which are great for training. Every treat has just five calories and is high in protein, making it perfect for dogs with health problems, diabetes, allergies, gastrointestinal issues, or a restricted diet. The freezing process preserves the nutritional integrity of fresh RAW meals, by only extracting water. It is made with no artificial coloring, fillers, or sweeteners. Freeze-dried treats are a fantastic supplement to a RAW diet since they maintain many of the benefits of RAW without the trouble of keeping them cold. These jerky treats are made using chicken that is raised without antibiotics or steroids. These delicious, chewy treats are slow-cooked and packed with protein. You can feel confident that you are giving your dog a healthy, all-natural treat with True Chews. These treats are not long-lasting chews, because of their softness, therefore you may tear them into smaller pieces or let your dog enjoy the entire thing. Many reviewers mention how nice these treats smell, particularly for dogs that are finicky eaters. The first ingredient is real chicken. Chicken is raised without hormones or steroids, and this meal is free of corn, wheat, and soy. Furthermore, this meal contains no artificial flavors or preservatives, and it does not contain any animal by-products. If you are not pleased, we will refund your money. This product is available in 4-, , and pound sizes. Giving your Golden Retriever a treat is a great way to show him that you care. We all know how much our dogs love treats and we want to give them what they need, but should we? The answer is yes and no. If you are giving your dog a special treat, it should be something he enjoys and has earned themselves. Dogs do not respond well to rewards in this way and they will not learn anything from them. In conclusion There are many options to choose from when finding the best treats for golden retrievers. The following list is a compilation of the top 7 best treats for golden retrievers. These treats are ranked on their popularity as well as their effectiveness when training your dog. If you have a golden retriever, then you know how persistent these dogs can be. They are fast learners, and they are very food motivated. This makes them ideal candidates for treatment training. Thank you for visiting the site. If you found this information relevant, please click on the provided links to be directed to where you can purchase various best treats for golden retrievers. Anything To Add About Like this article about the best treats for golden retrievers article? Have a point of view to share? Let us know! Share your training tricks below! Please feel free to ask any questions you may have about purchasing a puppy, owning a dog, training, or anything else related to pets.

For the complete list please see our Resource Page page. Boxers are best known for their short coats, but they also come in long-haired varieties. Prices vary on the type of coat. The price of a boxer puppy may also vary because of the place you get the Boxer. For example, most breeders in or around South Carolina charge significantly more than a breeder who is located in another state or country. Prices will also fluctuate depending on whether or not the puppy is show-quality. Boxers are known for being loyal to their families and being intelligent. They are generally very friendly with children, strangers, and other animals unless they have been trained to be aggressive American Kennel Club. They require moderate exercise but do best in homes where someone is around during the day because they do not like being left alone especially if they have never been apart from them before. Overall these characteristics make the Boxer a great family pet. These clearances can be found by looking up the parent dogs on the OFA website offa. They should also show you where and how they were raised and keep them until they are at least eight weeks old to ensure that they have been properly socialized, which is crucial for a Boxer puppy. Ask about any hip or eye problems in their lines. Where and how many generations of champion bloodlines do they go back? This is usually more important for those who want to breed their new puppy as it shows they have a lot of knowledge about the breed and can provide you with knowledgeable information. Are there any known health problems in their lines? Most responsible breeders will be able to tell you that they care for all of their dogs and even give them regular check-ups and if not, this is a red flag. A decent Boxer breeder should be more than willing to tell you about themselves and their dogs. When you visit your South Carolina boxer breeder in person, look for cleanliness and organization of the house or kennel. The area should not have any bad odors, and the puppies should appear healthy with shiny coats and bright eyes. They may be very active, which is normal but if they seem lethargic this could be an indication of illness or improper nutrition. It is also recommended that you ask for references from previous customers as well as veterinarians who have seen these dogs before. This will help ensure that you make a good investment when looking for a Boxer puppy. Questions to Ask Ask for References from Your Boxer Breeder in South Carolina Once you have found a breeder that meets the previous criteria, it is time to ask for references. A responsible Boxer Breeder will be able to provide any information about their dogs that you request. Ask them if you can speak with past customers of theirs so that you can find out how they were trained and cared for as well as the personality of these dogs. This way, you are making sure that this potential dog is right for your family before you make any final decisions. References can also be found online. If you find nothing, this may be a red flag since anyone can put anything on the internet. Make sure to contact them directly instead of through their website or Facebook page to avoid scams or other dishonest sellers who use these outlets for marketing purposes only. This allows you to get a more honest opinion about the breeder and their dogs without worrying about repercussions later on. We all know that there is little recourse for unsatisfied customers but rest assured knowing that these people will not hesitate to give you an honest answer if given permission to speak freely. Meeting past customers will also give you a better idea of what type of dog they have put into your family. Meeting the previous owners allows you to look for certain traits in a potential puppy, such as energy levels or age appropriateness. Another good way to find out about your breeder is to ask them if they have a veterinarian that they use for their dogs. A responsible boxer breeder should be able to provide you with this information without hesitation since taking care of their animals is important to them. If the Boxer Breeder does not have any sort of medical history available about their lines, this might be a red flag. If they are unwilling or unable to answer these questions, this could also mean that they are hiding something from you or do not know the answers themselves. These individuals may be backyard breeders or puppy mill owners who are looking to make a quick buck and care little about the health of their animals or their customers. A few signs that your South Carolina Boxer Breeder is unethical include: They Do Not Have References: If you ask your breeder if they can provide any references from past buyers and they refuse, this could mean several things; Either they do not know how to get in touch with them unlikely or there is something wrong with these dogs that no one wants to talk about. Inquiring further will help you identify which it is but under either circumstance, it is best not to work with this kind of breeder. They Have Inflated Prices: Another way to spot an unethical boxer breeder is by the prices that they have listed on their dogs. If these Boxer dogs seem much more expensive than other breeders you have looked at, this might be a sign that something is wrong with them. This could involve health issues or genetics, but it is likely just a scheme to get more money from you without putting in the proper amount of time and care into these animals. Very Little Information about Their Breeding Program: Ethical and good Dog Breeders will do everything that they can to supply you with as many details about their breeding program as possible. They want you to feel safe and comfortable knowing what types of treatments the dog will receive and what they will be born into. There is no excuse not to provide you with this information; if your Boxer Breeder does not, then move on to another one. If you want a full-bred Boxer dog, make sure that you tell them before you purchase the animal. Many responsible breeders ask their customers for preferences when it comes to the age or sex of their dogs so that they can match up your needs with the right puppy. Responsible breeders will not only be able to answer this question, but they should also be able to provide you with information on what type of issues other puppy owners have experienced. If the breeder claims that all of their Boxer Dogs are healthy, then you should push for further explanation. If none of the puppies or adults have any medical concerns then that should be something that makes you feel safe. However, if there were previous owners who dealt with anything severe in the past, this information should still be available somewhere. This can include genetic conditions or simply problems with allergies or skin rashes. How to Prepare Your Home for Your Boxer Puppy When you look at a breed as hearty as the Boxer, it can be easy to underestimate how much work and time this dog will need to be happy and healthy. However, if treated properly and cared for well by their owners, these dogs can make excellent pets; which is why it is so important that you take the following steps before bringing your pup home: The biggest thing that you want to do before you bring your Boxer home is to make sure that the living conditions are appropriate for this breed. You will want to have a large, fenced-in yard where your dog can move around freely and play. If you live in an apartment or condo, then it may be time to start looking into other options; Boxers need room to run which cannot be provided adequately in these types of environments. Another important thing that needs to be prepared is the area where your puppy will sleep at night. Not only should it be isolated from any drafts or cold air, but it should also provide warmth during the winter months. Be sure to look into buying bedding or blankets specifically designed for dogs if necessary. Your Boxer will also require training as soon as possible. This breed is known for having extremely high intelligence, but it does not come naturally to them; you will need to work hard to train your Boxer Puppy and give them boundaries that they can grow up comfortably within. You should start this process as early as possible so that it becomes second nature by the time your pup turns into an adult and needs more rules and regulations than just potty training. Potty Training Your New Boxer Puppy The most important thing that you need to teach your new Boxer is how to use the potty appropriately. You do not want to deal with any accidents in the house, and making sure they are trained properly will ensure that this does not happen. The best way to accomplish this is through crate training; it may be a very foreign concept for many owners, but it is also one of the most effective methods when it comes to house-breaking puppies. It is recommended that you put your Boxer Puppy into a crate at night while you sleep and then carefully take them out first thing in the morning so that they can use the bathroom right away. Do not allow them too much time without being taken just before bed because they might make a mistake in your absence. Another important step that you should take is to keep your puppy on a strict schedule; this means taking them out for walks regularly and making time every few hours to play with them, feed them, and then let them use the bathroom once more. This will ensure that they do not have accidents inside of the house because their body will be used to getting into the habit of relieving themselves outside. You need to make sure that there are no areas where they can get injured or choke on something by accident. I love animals and love helping people adopt a pet. It all started when attending Missouri State University and I began volunteering at an animal shelter. For this reason, we included these online Boxer breeders for you to check as well. Thus, you can also check a Boxer breeder here. The great thing is that it has an online marketplace to search for a Boxer puppy from any of the states. Since they cover all kinds of breeds, you may find an available puppy through this website. Another thing to note is that you also need to prepare for other costs. In short, aside from the actual cost of the puppy from a breeder, you still need to spend money on other items. Like a new baby in the family, your pup needs some items and some changes. A new puppy at home is a concern for all the family members. Thus, they need to prepare for it as well. As you have your meeting, try to make a schedule of tasks and distribution of responsibilities. Prepare your home. Preparing a home for your Boxer puppy means making it a safe place to play and live. Thus, you need to secure every item that can potentially harm your pet. Moreover, you need to secure your items that your pet can damage, such as shoes, carpets, floor mats, and so on. Shop for supplies. Like all other puppies and babies, Boxer pups needs items for its daily life. The essential things it needs would be beddings, food, and food bowls. You also need to buy a leash and collar for identification. Create a schedule. Besides your pet, you also have your responsibilities. Try to schedule how your pup should do for the day and when you need to pay attention. The great thing about creating a schedule is that it will benefit both you and your pet. Choosing a Good Boxer Seller and Breeder The best Boxer puppies only come from those who take an extra mile in caring for them. Below are certain qualities that you should look for in a Boxer puppy breeder. The Boxer breeder should only breed Boxer puppies. A single breed should be the first thing to remember when searching for a reputable Boxer breeder. Every breed has a mating season to which they breed. If the Boxer breeder sells quite a lot of pups but only has a pair of parents, you can think that it forces the parents to mate so they can have puppies to sell. The Boxer breeder should train pups in their first weeks. Every reputable Boxer breeder gives all the pups around eight weeks at least to stay with their parents. In such a time, the breeder should train the pups before it moves to its new home. The Boxer breeder would continuously be in touch. Other states.

Like many large breeds, a German Shepherd dog is not considered fully grown until they are about 18 months old. Female German Shepherds continue to fill out until they are around two years old, while the male German Shepherd growth rate continues until they reach two and a half years of age. Males are larger and require more time to fill out their chest and abdomen. As you can see by the German Shepherd weight chart, these dogs can continue to grow until they are three years old, but the majority of growth occurs within 24 months. If your GSD is older than 36 months and continues to put on weight, contact your veterinarian to ensure weight gain does not lead to obesity. How big should a 6-month-old German Shepherd be? A six-month-old German Shepherd puppy will be quite large, as many German Shepherds undergo massive growth spurts between two and five months old. By six months, a male German Shepherd will weigh 53 pounds on average, whereas a female will weigh about 46 pounds. How much bigger will my German Shepherd get? There are a few ways to gauge how much bigger a German Shepherd will get. First, check your puppy's age. If your GSD is younger than two years old, they definitely have room to keep growing! Another way to tell if your pup still has a lot of growing to do is their paw size. Do their paws look large compared to their legs and body? This is a classic adolescent feature of a dog and means your pup is likely still growing! Most of the time, a dog will not grow bigger than its larger parents. What is the size of a full-grown German shepherd? An adult male German Shepherd is typically 24 to 26 inches tall, while adult female German Shepherds are 22 to 24 inches tall, according to the American Kennel Club German Shepherd Standard. The estimated full-size varies significantly between sexes. In terms of weight, an adult male German Shepherd weighs anywhere from 75 to 90 pounds. A female German Shepherd weighs notably less at 55 to 70 pounds. Please keep in mind that these numbers are only estimates to give you an idea of how much bigger a German Shepherd puppy may get. Some dogs will be both smaller and larger than these weight ranges when fully grown due to a variety of genetic and environmental factors. Learn all about your puppy's physical characteristics, breed history, personality traits, and more in our comprehensive guide. Preventive care is key in helping your German Shepherd live a healthy and long life. Helping your dog maintain an optimal weight is one of the best things you can do for their health. Taking your German Shepherd to regular veterinary appointments is one of the best things you can do to ensure that they are healthy and feeling their best. Compare German Shepherd health insurance plans before they get sick or injured. They are also more susceptible to gastrointestinal tract and hip issues. A veterinarian should regularly assess your pet for these health problems and run tests for anything they may be more prone to due to their breed. Treatment for many conditions, including bloat and GI issues, can cost thousands of dollars. Dog insurance is a wise investment that can give you peace of mind by covering pet emergency expenses. Wellness plans are also available to help cover the cost of vaccinations, vet exams, microchips, and more. Some people can predict the future. For everyone else, there's pet insurance. Use Pawlicy Advisor to easily compare plans from top providers so you can find a great deal with great coverage. Get Peace of Mind Today Do you want to find the best pet insurance? Let's analyze your pet's breed, age, and location to find the right coverage and the best savings. Analyze My Pet About Pawlicy Advisor The pet insurance marketplace endorsed by veterinarians, at Pawlicy Advisor we make buying the best pet insurance easier. Are male and female German shepherds different? The Neonatal Period. Birth-2 Weeks. In the first two weeks of their life your puppy is mostly helpless and fully dependant on their mother. Their mother will be responsible for feeding, eliminating waste and keeping them warm. The puppies will be able to taste, touch and feel warmth but their eyes and ears are sealed shut. You should see the following milestones hit in the first two weeks. What you should expect to see: Puppies Starting to Crawl Eyes and ears starting to open Teeth starting to appear By the end of the first two weeks your puppies should be able to stand up, albeit a little shakily and have their eyes and ears fully open. The Transitional Period. They will start to be able to control their body and temperature much better. They will start to interact with their litter mates but will still be largely dependent on their mother. What you should expect to see: Puppies Walking Well Puppies Interacting with you and their littermates Puppy teeth almost complete. The Socialisation Period 4weeks — 3 months The puppies will now have complete control of their body and will start exploring the world around them. The latter half of this period is the ideal time to rehome the puppies as this is when they are most susceptible to learning new things and they can start to be taught basic commands. Between weeks your puppy may start to display signs of some fearfulness. This is perfectly normal and will need to be nurtured Not encouraged by you. What you should expect to see: Start showing adult behaviours Wagging tails, sniffing bums Start to be able to be taught basic commands Ears begin to sit upright. The Juvenile Period 3months-6months Your German Shepherd puppy will become much more independent during this period. They will start to understand dominance and will explore their home to understand where their position is in the household. What you should expect to see: Female puppies begin heat cycles Ears now fully upright Males reach sexual maturity The Adolescence Period 6monthsmonths Most of your puppies social understanding and behaviours will have developed by this point but a reinforcement of these is still important. Your puppy will be at their most energetic and will require a structured training routine to help them to continue to develop. Males are considered fully grown at 36months whereas females reach this mark around 24months. You will know have an excellent, loyal family pet and companion to spend many years together with. German Shepherds are a medium-large breed. Females will grow to around inches and weigh lbs whereas the males will grow to around inches and weigh lbs. How many puppies is there in the average German Shepherd litter? German Shepherd litters Usually consist of between 5 and 10 puppies. How long do German shepherds live? The average life span for a German Shepherd is somewhere between 9 and 14 years. Other than the size difference already discussed females tend to be more affectionate than males where is male dogs are usually more protective of their surroundings and their families. Related Posts. German Shepherd puppy development stages and ages — week by week guide Welcome to our German Shepherd puppy development stages and ages — week by week guide Different breeds like all different babies develop at different rates. There are going to be many exciting events for you to look forward to. Whether you are bringing your 8 week German Shepherd puppy home or about to be blessed with a litter of puppies. This is going to be an exciting, demanding but hugely rewarding journey. Newborn puppies are born at around days after fertilization. Newborn puppies are born with their ears and eyes tightly sealed. The reason eyelids are sealed shut is to form a protective barrier for the fragile developing eye. This helps to protect them from any foreign object, bright lights, bacteria or any other microorganism that can cause disease or damage. In the same way puppies ear canals are closed at birth to make them effectively deaf. This is a protective barrier to protect the fragile underdeveloped machinery needed to hear. In a mature ear the pressure caused by sound will mechanically move structures in the ear. German Shepherd puppies are highly dependent upon their noses. Puppies navigate by smell from the moment they are born. This helps them to identify their mom, the very important milk supply, siblings and surroundings. Newborn puppies are born with a fur coat however they cannot control their own body temperature yet. To keep them warm they are dependant on their mothers or another heat source. If you live in a cooler climate installing a heat lamp would be ideal to help keep the puppies nice and warm. Germans Shepherds make amazing mothers and will be relied on a lot at this stage. Mother dogs will only leave their newborn puppies to go to the toilet, eat and drink. However, when mom has gone the newborn puppies are not completely useless. They are able to use their front paws to drag themselves towards a heat source. When mom is away the puppies will crawl together to preserve their body heat. Along with being able to drag themselves to a heat source newborn puppies are also able to drag themselves to their mothers to locate the milk supply. They will move their heads around to search for a nipple, latch on and suck strongly. Newborn puppies are not born with teeth these will also develop in the next several weeks. Other than the above puppies are completely dependent upon the care of their dedicated mom. Newborn puppies have little control over the rear end of their bodies. To encourage their pups to pass urine and bowel movements the mom will lick their bottoms. Anything produced mom will then lick up and swallow to keep her puppies and nest clean. Some pups will even double their birth weight! Your German Shepherd puppy will still be highly dependent upon their mom at this stage. Beneath all their fur the vital organs will be working hard to mature. This includes the eyes. Your puppy will not be ready to open their eyes yet but lots of changes are taking place to prepare them for grand opening. The ear canals will begin to open around the same time as the eyes. When the ear canals do open, the ears are much more formed than the eyes are at this point in time. Their eyesight usually takes around 8 weeks to reach its full potential. When their eyes become wider, they will reveal blueish-gray eyes which are hazy in appearance. Their eyesight will continue to develop until around 8 weeks old. The ear canals will also open around 2 weeks. The puppies hearing has been developing much quicker than their eyesight and they will be able to hear most things by the time their ear canals fully open. However, their amazing hearing ability will continue to enhance over the next several weeks. At the moment your German Shepherd puppy will have cute floppy ears. Their adorable tall ears can come up anywhere between 8 weeks and 6 months of age. Floppy ears are common until your German Shepherd finishes teething. By then the ear cartilage will become strong and hard enough for the ears to stand up permanently. Now is a good time to start handling the puppies and get them used to your voice. Most puppies are wormed for the first time when they are 2 weeks old. All this development has happened so quickly, but things are about to get even more exciting. Between 2 and 4 weeks your German Shepherd puppy will begin to stand up this is when the real fun begins. Puppies milky teeth will also start to develop between 2 to 4 weeks. These sharp little teeth will remain until about weeks of age. These little daggers play an important role during the weaning process. Even the most patient moms will struggle to nurse with these sharp painful teeth. This reluctance to nurse will prompt the German Shepherds to seek alternative food sources. These sharp teeth will then help to make up for the lack of jaw strength when eating solid foods. Finally, these sharp puppy teeth play an important role in teaching the pups to gauge their bite pressure when playing with their mom and siblings. This is an essential life lesson that enables our powerful German Shepherds to become safer companions as they mature into strong adult dogs. During the last few weeks mom has done an amazing job of getting her babies strong and their mobility will have come on leaps and bounds well not quite yet but by 3 weeks of age your German Shepherd puppy will begin to trotter around. Most 3 week old German Shepherd puppies can stand and sit. With their baby teeth starting to cut through a lot of breeders. Especially those with large litters will start introducing some solid foods. This helps relieve some of the pressure for the devoted German Shepherd mom. When weaning puppies, you need to start off by soaking their food in either water or puppy milk replacement formula to make it mushy and more comfortable for them to eat. As they start to interact and play with their siblings their personalities will really start to show. You may also notice them starting to playfully growl at each other. At 3 weeks old it will become easier to start identifying different members of the pack. Breeders and moms will be kept on their toes and paws over the next few weeks. As the pups start getting more confident on their feet they will be running around and playing enthusiastically. At 4 weeks old they will begin to wag their adorable little tails. With solid food becoming a major part of their diet the pups will be passing bigger bowel movements. They will be able to show more control of their bowel movements as they take themselves away from their brothers and sisters to perform their business. At this stage mom will be taking a much more relaxed approach to parenting and there will be a lot more for the breeder to clear up. By this point mealtimes are a messy process. If it is warm and safe enough to do so we would recommend taking the pups out in the yard for feeding. German Shepherd puppies are becoming a lot stronger at vocalisations by 4 weeks old. When mom returns to her babies the litter will noisily greet her. Around 4 weeks of age your puppies will need to be wormed again. From this week onwards human interaction is very important in order to form relationships with people. Including different noises and smells. This exposure will ensure your German Shepherd puppy turns into a confident, friendly individual. Mom will also be doing an important job of teaching her puppies to not bite too hard. Even an 8 week old German Shepherd puppy would have the power in their jaws to break the smaller bones in humans fingers. This is why mom teaching her puppies bite inhibition is so important. For more information on bite inhibition please see our guide on German Shepherd bite inhibition. By 5 weeks old German Shepherd puppies will be eating a lot of solid foods, several times throughout the day. Those sharp little teeth would have done their job and mom will be gradually weaning her pups of the dependency on her milk. When mom does feed her puppies, she will only do so for a short period whilst standing up. They will be eating between five and six small meals a day. Although the pups no longer rely on mom for milk, they still need her help and guidance for the next few weeks. Mom will be teaching her babies important life skills to live alongside humans. In some countries 6 week old puppies are taken away from their mothers and moved into their new home. We would not recommend this as the puppies will miss out on continued bite inhibition training from their siblings and mother. This can result in a puppy who bites too hard which can be challenging to manage as they get older. In the USA your puppy will be due their first combined 5-in-1 vaccine at 6 weeks old. This vaccine helps to immunizes your puppy against hepatitis, parvo, distemper, parainfluenza and coronavirus. Most puppies will also need to be wormed again at 6 weeks old. Their last week together will consist of plenty of socialization and playing. Most breeders will arrange a 7 week health check up with the vet to make sure your bundle of fluff is fit and healthy to go to their new home. In the UK some breeders will arrange for the pups first 8 week vaccination to take place during this check. Although some vets advise against it. By the end of this week German Shepherd puppies are ready to leave their mothers and move into their new homes for good. The week you get to take your new puppy home. This will be a very exciting time, but you may also be feeling a bit nervous. There will be some challenged along the way for new puppy owners and your puppy will take some time to adjust to life without its mother and siblings. In the UK the first combined vaccination will help to immunizes your puppy against distemper, parvovirus, leptospirosis and hepatitis. The first puppy injection in the UK typically will happen between 8 and 10 weeks. Some breeders would have trained the puppies to poop and pee on newspapers or puppy pads. From the moment you get them home it is important to show your German Shepherd puppy where to pee and poop. Puppies naturally like to pee where they have done so before so to avoid building history of peeing in your home is best if you can to avoid it. The more you can avoid accidents from happening as much as possible from the start the faster the puppy training process should be. All puppies are different, and some will get this quicker than others. The main thing to remember is not to discipline your puppy for accidents. The most successful way to potty train is to reward success and ignore accidents. Just clean them up quickly and thoroughly. Your puppy will love nothing more than being praised. For more information please see our guide on How to potty train your German Shepherd puppy. Already your German Shepherd puppy will feel like part of the family. German Shepherds puppies are always adorable but at 9 weeks they are at the age where they are still puppy-like but very clumsy,curious and keen to play with her new family, which is very cute. Your German Shepherds unique personality will make you feel very proud. At 9 weeks your cheeky German Shepherd pup will be feeling more confident, with this the need to explore everything and anything may end up getting them into trouble. Your puppy will develop new sleeping patterns and feeding routines which you will need to adapt to. Most puppies will sleep between eighteen and twenty hours a day at 9 weeks old. During the day when you are with your puppy generally you will not need to shut them away in a crate to nap. German Shepherd puppies are often more than happy to sleep whilst family life goes on around them. However, there will be times when sleeping in a crate is better and safer for your puppy. You must not leave a 9 week old puppy to sleep outside the crate if you are not home to watch them if they wake. Puppies are into everything and many innocent items found in the house could be a potential hazard to your inquisitive pup. For more information please see our guide on how to puppy proof your home. Even if your puppy can barely keep their eyes open other pups and children will still want to play and your German Shepherd puppy may find it hard to refuse. After a hard day of play the peace and quiet of a crate will enable your pup to have a well-deserved nap. If your German Shepherd puppy does need to go to the toilet in the night make sure you keep it short and to a minimum. Establishing a daily routine is the best way to get your German Shepherd puppy to sleep through the night. Part of this schedule will involve mealtimes. Your 9 week old puppy will need four meals a day. Split these up throughout the day and try to stick to similar times. This is to stop encouraging your puppy to wake up earlier and earlier because they associate waking with food. You should always reward your puppy either vocally, with a favourite toy or treats for good behaviour and ignore bad behaviour. Puppies and dogs want to be praised so they respond very well to positive encouragement. Punishing puppies and dogs may have a short term positive effect on their behaviour but long term you could be setting them up to fail. It is very important to socialise and expose your puppy to other humans, dogs and different scenarios whilst they are young. This maybe hard before your puppy has had all its vaccines however getting many different people to come and visit you at your home will enable them to get used to visitors. Before their full vaccinations you can also, you can take you German Shepherd puppy out and about with you to expose them to the outside world as long as you can carry them. If you live in the USA, your puppy will be due their second combined 5-in-1 vaccine at 9 weeks old. In the USA a minimum of three sets of the combined vaccine are required for your puppy. Although you cannot put your puppy down outside until after their final vaccination. Puppies 10 week injection In the UK is a booster vaccination to help immunizes your puppy against distemper, parvovirus, leptospirosis and hepatitis. Check with your vet what date after their jabs your German Shepherd puppy will be able to go down outside. Your puppy will then need a booster between 6 and 12 months old. If you live in the USA at 12 weeks old your German Shepherd puppy will be due their booster for the combined 5in1 vaccine against hepatitis, distemper, parainfluenza, parvo and coronavirus and a vaccine against rabies and leptospirosis. If you live in a high risk area, they may also need to be given the vaccination to help immunize them against Lyme. If applicable at 16 weeks your German Shepherd puppy may need to have a fourth combined 5in1 vaccine. A minimum of three combined injections are required in the USA. Check with your vet what date they will be able to be out down outside. By 10 weeks old your German Shepherd puppy will be able to control their bladder a lot more. Potentially up to several hours. This is great time for you to introduce them to the big wide world and develop their social skills which you have already been building the foundations. When taking your German Shepherd puppy out try to introduce them to as many other friendly dogs, humans and noises you can. This will help your German Shepherd puppy to grown into a confident well-rounded dog. At 3 months old your German Shepherd will go down from four daily meals to three. These three portions will be larger than what they are used to which may cause stomach upset. If your German Shepherd puppy does get an upset stomach, try going back to four smaller meals for a couple of days and they try the three larger portions again. This can be a challenging time as your adorable German Shepherd puppy turns into a furry crocodile. Luckily the teething stage is only a phase as with human babies and short lived. In most cases your puppy biting should stop around when they are around 7 months old and have their adult teeth. You maybe noticing your German Shepherds gorgeous ears fluctuating between floppy and pointy. By the time your puppy has finished teething their ears should tick up all the way. This usually happens around months. As they grow their cartilage becomes stronger. Some puppies need another month or so to help them cope without going out for frequent toilet breaks. Even when your German Shepherd puppy is toilet trained occasional accidents are normal. German Shepherds do have large ears but they tend to grow into them as they get older. German Shepherd puppies will begin to grow their new adult coat between 4 and 6 months old. To make way for their adult coat all the puppy hair has to go. For several weeks you will notice an increase in shedding. This is a completely normal part of growing up for your German Shepherd. Being a double coat breed German Shepherds dogs have a topcoat and an undercoat. Twice a year your pup will shed their undercoat. Usually in spring and again in fall. They also shed in general days a year so be prepared for a lot of fur! They will very much look like a smaller version of their adult selves. Although your German Shepherd may look older on the inside, they are still very much a puppy. If you are looking to get your puppy neutered or spayed the recommended age is 6 to 9 months. However, it is common for some female puppies to get spayed at 4 months old. Summary: Your German Shepherd is bound to give you so much joy and happiness throughout its life. There will be challenges along the way but remember this is completely normal. German Shepherds are such an amazing breed and you will have a loyal friend for life. Related Posts. Though they typically only average nine to thirteen years, those years can be very memorable and special to dog and owner. Along the way, there are several German Shepherd growth stages that they will encounter including several fun and exciting breakthroughs. They will go through many different levels of development stacking up in inches and packing on the pounds. German Shepherd Growth Stages: This article will cover in detail, all of the month-to-month growth stages including their size from 1 month old to 3-year-old. It will also include important milestones along the way. This is the puppy portion of the German Shepherd growth stages and these cute little fur balls are beginning their journey into the new world. They are independent, spry and ready to explore! They are starting to grow but stand no taller than half a foot. Cuteness Factor: Through the roof! Height: Male: 4 — 6 in 11 — 16 cm Female: 3 — 6 in 8 — 14 cm Weight: Male: 5. They stand up for the first time. They start exploring independently and playing. Bowel movements are partially controlled. Light barking and growling begin. Puppy teeth should be filling in. This is a good time to introduce them to some kibble. They may or may not be interested. Month 2: Socialization Growth Stage Once the fuzz balls reach month 2, they start socializing more with other animals and people. This is also the time that their little chompers should be complete. They have grown up a little but still remain under a foot tall. Cuteness Factor: Just look at my ears! Height: Male: 7 — 9 in 17 — 22 cm Female: 6 — 9 in 14 — 22 cm Weight: Male: 16 — 20 lbs 6 — 9 kg Female: 11 — 17 lbs 5 — 7. They start to bond with animals and people. Their mental development starts to speed up. Fear reaction begins. They are typically ready to find their forever home. Food: Weaning should be wrapping up at this age. They should transition to a diet of puppy kibble. One and a half cups total three times a day is recommended but stick to a solid schedule. Vaccines: Puppy should have distemper and parvovirus by this time. Teething will be in full force at month 3 and their adult canines and incisors will start to push through. Those cute little fluffy ears may start to go up and down. They will start to lose their puppy coat and you may notice a racing stripe on the spine where the adult hair is starting to grow in. At this point they have almost made it to the height of a standard ruler. Cuteness Factor: Equal to fluffy pillows! Height: Male: 9 — 11 in 23 — 27 cm Female: 8 — 10 in 20 — 25 cm Weight: Male: 22 — 30 lbs 10 — 14 kg Female: 17 — 26 lbs 8 — 12 kg Milestones: Ears begin to stand up. Teething stage begins and continues for several months. Lots of biting and chewing ensures. Potty training and socialization should be consistent. Puppy fuzz begins to be replaced with adult double coat of fur. Food: Two cups of puppy kibble total three times a day is recommended. Vaccines: DHPP which includes distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza, and parvovirus are recommended. Month 4: At this point GSDs will be very playful and getting into some trouble. They have left puppy hood and become adolescents. Multiple skills will be developing as they learn, socialize and train. Height: Male: 11 — 14 in 29 — 35 cm Female: 10 — 12 in 26 — 31 cm Weight: Male: 35 — 40 lbs 16 — 18 kg Female: 31 — 35 lbs 14 — 16 kg Milestones: Ears continue to perk up. Teething continues as adult teeth come in. They continue to play and explore everything around them. Training continues as they constantly learn. Food: Puppy should continue to eat two cups of kibble total three times per day. Vaccines: DHPP and rabies are recommended. Month 5: At 5 months of age, they are still growing fast and should have gained close to 10 pounds. They are still in the juvenile stage and have plenty of energy to go around. They are looking much more like an adult but still have that puppy spirit. Ears may have perked up at this point. Cuteness Factor: Cute as pumpkin pie! Height: Male: 14 — 16 in 35 — 40 cm Female: 12 — 14 in 31 — 36 cm Weight: Male: 40 — 49 lbs 18 — 22 kg Female: 35 — 44 lbs 16 — 20 kg Milestones: Ears may be standing up. Adult features are filling out. They are at least half of their adult size. They are still teething. Sexual maturity begins to emerge. Food: Juvenile should still be eating around two cups total three times a day. Month 6: Adolescent Growth Stage At 6 months old, they are making their way into the adolescent part of the German Shepherd growth stages. They will be starting to get into their sexual maturity stage which will last until they are around two years old. Hormones will kick in and males will begin to mark their territory and look for females to mate with. Females may go into heat for the first time. Their adult coat should be completely grown in but it could take a bit longer. Cuteness Factor: Equivalent to a teddy bear! Height: Male: 16 — 18 in 41 — 46 cm Female: 15 — 17 in 37 — 42 cm Weight: Male: 49 — 57 lbs 22 — 26 kg Female: 44 — 49 lbs 20 — 22 kg Milestones: Ears should be standing up. Adult features are more filled out. They are sexually active and will begin marking their territory and roaming for mates. Teething should be close to finished and all 42 of their adult teeth should be almost grown. Full adult double coat of fur should be present. Food: Adolescent should be eating around two to three cups total two times a day. Month 7: At 7 months old , a German Shepherd should be well developed cognitively. Their sexual maturity continues, and your leg may just become their next mate. Some aggression may be present as their hormones go up and down. Their weight gain begins to slow down for the first time only adding around 5 pounds from the previous month. They are looking much more like an adult dog. Aggression and sexual maturity continue. Teething should be close to finished. Food: Adolescent should be eating two to three cups total two times a day. They are still maturing and could still be aggressive and bark or lunge at other dogs, kids or people. This behavior must be reined in with the proper training. Teaching them new tricks is a great way to curb their aggression. Cuteness Factor: Still able to melt your heart! Height: Male: 20 — 22 in 51 — 56 cm Female: 18 — 20 in 45 — 50 cm Weight: Male: 62 — 66 lbs 28 — 30 kg Female: 53 — 57 lbs 24 — 26 kg Milestones: Ears should be well formed and perky. They continue to transition into adulthood. They are still maturing, and aggressive behavior may be present. Teething should be finished, and all of their adult teeth should be grown. Month 9: At 9 months old, German Shepherds have reached most of their milestones. They should be sporting a full set of 42 adult chompers and some nice big perky ears. They are still maturing sexually and could be exhibiting aggressive behaviors, but training should be in full force. Cuteness Factor: Not puppy cute but still irresistible! Height: Male: 21 — 23 in 54 — 59 cm Female: 19 — 21 in 48 — 53 cm Weight: Male: 64 — 71 lbs 29 — 32 kg Female: 55 — 60 lbs 25 — 27 kg Milestones: They are still growing but only gaining a few pounds a month now. Month By 10 months of age, GSDs are still trucking along in the adolescent stage. They will still be acting like teenagers and may be getting into some trouble. Although clever and smart they will sometimes act clumsy and goofy. They are still learning and should be in training. Cuteness Factor: Cute and nutty like peanut butter! Height: Male: 22 — 24 in 55 — 60 cm Female: 19 — 21 in 48 — 53 cm Weight: Male: 66 — 73 lbs 30 — 33 kg Female: 57 — 62 lbs 26 — 28 kg Milestones: They are still growing but slowly. Month Moving into month 11, German Shepherds are becoming more and more adult but may be stubborn. They may start to challenge their owner with respect to leadership. They need to know that you are in charge and that they must respect your commands. Training and reinforcement is crucial during this time period. Cuteness Factor: Cute enough to get out of trouble! Height: Male: 22 — 24 in 57 — 62 cm Female: 20 — 22 in 51 — 56 cm Weight: Male: 66 — 75 lbs 30 — 34 kg Female: 60 — 64 lbs 27 — 29 kg Milestones: They are still growing slowly. Month 1 year old German Shepherds are moving out of the puppy phase of the German Shepherd growth stages and into adulthood. By now they have most likely formed a strong bond with their owner. They may still misbehave occasionally but proper training should be paying off. Food: Adolescent should transition to adult food and be eating three to three and a half cups total two times a day. Vaccines: DHPP, rabies are recommended. Year 1. They are getting closer to sexual maturity. Cuteness Factor: Furry and plushness overload! Height: Male: 23 — 25 in 59 — 64 cm Female: 21 — 22 in 53 — 55 cm Weight: Male: 71 — 79 lbs 32 — 36 kg Female: 60 — 66 lbs 27 — 30 kg Milestones: They are still growing but slowly. Food: Adolescent should be eating three to three and a half cups total two times a day. Year 2: At 2 years old, they should be well along in their journey to adulthood. With the proper training and socialization, they should be transforming into the alert, confident, courageous, loving and loyal German Shepherd companion that makes them so popular among dog owners. They are pretty much full grown at this point with only a few more pounds to pack onto their athletic frame. Cuteness Factor: Perfectly precious! Height: Male: 23 — 25 in 59 — 64 cm Female: 21 — 22 in 53 — 57 cm Weight: Male: 71 — 84 lbs 32 — 38 kg Female: 62 — 66 lbs 28 — 30 kg Milestones: They are still growing but almost full grown. Vaccines: DHPP is recommended. Year 3: Adult Growth Stage Your German Shepherd is finally an adult with all of the beautiful characteristics and traits that people admire. They have reached physical and sexual maturity and are ready to brave the new world. Consistent training should have payed off. They should be calm and well disciplined. Height: Male: 24 — 26 in 60 — 65 cm Female: 22 — 24 in 55 — 60 cm Weight: Male: 79 — 88 lbs 36 — 40 kg Female: 66 — 70 lbs 28 — 32 kg Milestones: They are done growing. They have matured physically and sexually. Food: Full grown adult should be eating three to three and a half cups total two times a day. Vaccines: Rabies is recommended and can be required by law depending on your state. A full grown adult German Shepherd will stand approximately 22 to 26 inches at the shoulder and weigh between 70 and 88 pounds on average. However, some German Shepherds will get bigger even getting over a pounds. Hopefully your GSD is in the correct range. Keep an eye out for any deficiencies during their growth. These German Shepherd growth stages should help you determine all of the proper measurements to make sure they are right on track in their development. Each stage in their maturation is important. Remember to give them a high-quality healthy diet, plenty of exercise and sufficient training and socialization. These will all help lead to a stable and well-adjusted German Shepherd. Please leave a comment below and let us know what you think! Do you have any experience with a growing German Shepherd? Let us know! We would love to hear about your personal story! Share this:. Puppyhood The first growth phase — puppyhood — has six development stages. During each of these stages, a puppy learns a lot of things. Neonatal Stage This period lasts from birth to 13 days. The puppy needs a lot of nursing from its mom because it is rather helpless. Its ears and eyes are closed, so it does not have any senses. The little pups should completely rely on their mothers for nourishment and care. By 2 weeks, they double their birth weight. They start crawling, and then their eyes and ears begin to open. The first milk teeth appear. The puppy can even stand up, but too unstably and shakily. This makes it possible for little ones to hear, smell, and taste. They even try to walk. Their baby teeth continue growing. The period between weeks is also called a transitional one. At the end of the third week, the motor skills start developing fast. The puppy can already control its temperature and body, namely, bowel movements. It begins to interact with its littermates. Nevertheless, the pup is still largely dependent on its mother. Though, you can interact with it. At the end of this period, the little cub is ready to explore the world. Its baby teeth are almost complete, and it can stand up more stably. It starts barking and growling a bit. The puppy grows quickly now. It actively interacts with its littermates. The baby dog can walk, and its baby teeth are complete. You can also consider the German Shepherd behavior stages from now. Its mental development starts because it discovers the world actively with its senses. Its walking improves, and it can make attempts to run, so it can even sometimes get in trouble. The puppy can start eating dog food. That is why it is important to begin weaning. The little one can recognize and greet its littermates and people, get interested in new things, and continue to explore the world. However, at this age, the first fear period can be experienced. Read our detailed guide about 6 week old German Shepherd puppy. It is the best period for taking your pet home. This period can be psychologically traumatic, so be careful not to expose the pet to direct sunlight because it may be afraid of it for its entire life. All the fears need your special attention. You need to nurture, but not encourage them. Read our detailed guide about 2 month old German Shepherd puppy. So, your puppy is three months old now. It is playful and active. Its teeth are complete. It is weaned and eats dog food. The feeding recommendation here is the overall one and a half cups, three times a day. It is also time to get your pet vaccinated against distemper and parvovirus. At the end of the third month, your little GSD can simulate its behavior after other dogs and humans. Training can start. Read our detailed guide about 3 month old German Shepherd puppy. Your puppy already has all its baby teeth, and adult canines and incisors begin to push through. It can even try to bite or nip you. The puppy coat begins to disappear and gets ready for replacement by the adult double-layer coat. You can see a racing stripe on its spine where the adult hair will grow. The puppy displays quick growth at this time, and it becomes stronger to withstand the possible fierce competition with its siblings if it is still staying with its family. It needs a lot of biting and chewing now for the correct growth of its adult teeth. Your pet needs consistent socialization and potty training now. After three months old, you should think about such vaccination as DHPP — distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza, and parvovirus. The juvenile phase lasts from 3 to 6 months, and it can be divided into three stages by month. Continue socializing and start more substantial training. You can consult the German Shepherd weight chart here to see whether your pup develops properly. So, be attentive to the games you play with your pet. Some of them can be dangerous and traumatic because your puppy may not know how to manage its body during them. You can give it two cups of kibble totally three times per day because it needs a lot of nutrition to grow. DHPP and rabies vaccines are recommended at this age. Your little pup is ready to explore the world. However, as a true teenager, it can become more stubborn and try not to listen to your commands. It starts to understand dominance and tries to persuade you in its leadership. Read our detailed guide about 4 month old German Shepherd puppy. During this month, it can gain about 10 pounds 4. Its ears have stably perked up by this time. It looks more like an adult dog but, as a true teenager, it is very playful and is always ready to go around. The adult teeth continue to appear. Sexual maturity starts emerging. You should feed your pet around two cups three times per day. A lot of training is also needed. Read our detailed guide about 5 month old German Shepherd puppy. It needs a lot of training and positive reinforcement. Now, your pet is fully house-trained, and it needs a lot of new experiences. The sixth month is a transition period to the Adolescent Phase. The ears are completely upright. Males achieve sexual maturity, while female puppies can experience heat cycles. Hormones start working, and male puppies can start marking the territory and looking for females to mate. The adult coat grows longer and gets its normal double layers. Adult teething is about to finish, and all 42 teeth appear. You should feed your dog with the overall two or three cups two times per day. Read our detailed guide about 6 month old German Shepherd puppy. Adolescence Phase Months German Shepherd males are thought to be grown-up when they are 3 years 36 months old. Females become adults when they are 2 years 24 months old. However, these criteria differ for every puppy. That is why the adolescence phase lasts from the end of the 6th month to the end of the second year of age 24 months on average. By the end of this phase, the puppy reaches its full size though it will continue slightly growing. Your dog can display testing boundaries, so disobedience is widely encountered if the dog is not properly trained. German Shepherds do not look like puppies anymore. Within this period, some dogs can display their second fear period at approximately months old , though to avoid long-lasting psychological trauma, you should ignore the fears. Some dogs may occasionally forget their skills that they have already acquired, so you may need to repeat training again. Here, the reinforced training is useful because some puppies can become entirely rambunctious. Your pet will also need more socialization since it reaches its sexual maturity, and some of its reactions can be pretty unexpected. Its sexual maturity continues, which may cause some aggression because of increases and decreases in hormones. The puppy does not gain weight so fast. Teething is finished. The German Shepherd starts looking more similar to an adult dog, with its standing up ears and well-developed muscles. The food your dog needs involves two or three cups total, given two times per day. Read our detailed guide about 7 month old German Shepherd puppy. It displays a lot of aggression. It can bark or lunge at other animals, kids, and unfamiliar people. A lot of training and reinforcement is needed. You can teach the youngster new tricks to deal with their aggression. The dog has strong adult teeth, and its ears are well-formed and perky. The transition to adulthood continues. As for food, your dog needs two-three cups in total two times a day. Read our detailed guide about 8 month old German Shepherd puppy. It does not grow fast, gaining about a couple of pounds per month. The dog needs two-three cups of food two times a day. Read our detailed guide about 9 month old German Shepherd puppy. They are very active and need a lot of attention and training. Sometimes, they can be really goofy or clumsy because they are still learning and do not know how to behave in many events. Your pup is very smart and clever but tends to display a lot of aggression if not supported and reinforced properly. The dogs should eat two-three cups in total per day. Read our detailed guide about 10 month old German Shepherd pupp y. It starts to challenge you as an owner and likes to demonstrate its leadership. You should teach it to be responsible and obey your commands. A lot of training and reinforcement is crucial. Still, give it two or three cups in total per day. It becomes a bit destructive, but be sure not to get angry or upset with it. It needs your patience and positive attitude. Such vaccines as DHPP and rabies are recommended at this age. It should also transit to adult food. Give it three or three and a half cups total twice a day. Read our detailed guide about 1 year old German Shepherd puppy. Years 1. This time is considered a transition period. The dog may have problems with fears and memory breakdowns. It may even forget how to do familiar things and should be trained again. However, its attention span is longer at this age, so it can have a more thorough obedience training. The dog should eat three or three and a half cups two times a day. Year 2 months — The Second Transition Phase This is one more transition period known as young adulthood. Your dog still displays some aggression. That is why they continue to need reinforcement, training, and socialization. It has already gained its athletic frame and strong muscle, and only several pounds are lacking for reaching its adult weight. In fact, you get a German Shepherd full-grown pet now. The DHPP vaccination is recommended at this age. Continue to feed your dog with three to three and a half cups in total twice per day. It has become a loyal and protective family pet or an obedient and enduring working dog. The young adulthood stage lasts from the second to the third year after the puppy was born. Its size is typical now for an adult dog. However, it may continue to grow slightly, but the changes are not noticeable at all. At this phase, you can also notice that your pet becomes more and more active. It needs a lot of exercise and training. A lot of physical activity is essential for the dog to stay in high spirits. The period between the second and third years of life is also called the adult growth stage. This is the time when your friend gets its excellent breed characteristics. It loves attention very much and continues to learn new things eagerly. The dog enjoys training sessions and strives for new experiences. It becomes calmer and more confident. Its hyperactivity slightly decreases. It displays a lot of self-control and discipline. Continue feeding your dog with three to three and a half cups twice per day. It will be its constant adult diet. Vaccination against rabies is recommended and required by authorities at this age. Seniority Phase This is the last phase of German Shepherd development. It may seem wonderful, but your dog can continue to slightly grow. The phase is divided into two periods — early senior years old and late senior years old. Unfortunately, you need to focus on its health rather than on training. Such health issues as hip dysplasia, joint pain, and decreased stamina can appear at this age. You need to have consultations with your vet more often. During this period, your dog does not change its weight and height considerably. Though, you can observe slight changes in weight. On average, these dogs live years. You need to attend to their health and comfort. The dog may remain energetic and playful, but it slightly slows down. It wants to rest more and gets much calmer. The animal may suffer from some pains, so it may need pain relievers for spine and joint problems and arthritis. It may also need nutritional supplements and changes to its diet. Special senior and sensitive stomach food may become the best choice. Avoid jumping and hard playing. Continuous veterinary monitoring is needed if some symptoms are worsening. The accepted proportion that is considered ideal is .The weight is usually not taken into consideration. If your pet does not correspond to this proportion, there may be a health issue you do not know about yet. That is why you need to monitor the parameters carefully. To be sure that everything is OK, multiply the length of your dog by 0. You will get the perfect height. However, there can be some divergences. If they are minor, you have nothing to worry about. The German Shepherd is rather thin, or even skinny. This results in bad proportions. The ideal weight of your German Shepherd is lbs kg for males and lbs kg for females. You can get either a heavy or obese dog, and it can be a result of overfeeding or certain health issues. How to Check the Weight of Your German Shepherd The simplest method to see whether your dog is underweight is to check whether the ribs are visible on the sides. If you can see that the shape of your dog reminds you of a barrel on the ribs, it means that it is overweight. If you cannot feel the ribs, but there is too much skin on the sides, your dog is overweight. However, if you feel the ribs and only a thin layer of skin, it is underweight. It does not matter whether your dog is underweight or overweight. In any case, it can cause health problems if you do not repair the situation. The best way to succeed is to make changes to the diet. If your German Shepherd is underweight, you should enrich the content of its food. However, do not make it eat if the dog does not want to. That can lead to more severe problems. Make a slow transition to food with higher fat content. Or you may even give your dog puppy food because it is rich in nutrients. If your pet is obviously overweight, the best thing is to cut off the food. However, you also need to do it step by step so that the dog finally can eat just half of the amount you have recently fed it. The adult dog has a height of inches cm at the shoulder and an average weight of pounds kg. Nevertheless, some German Shepherds can grow bigger and even reach pounds kg. You need to be sure about its proportions though to understand if your pet meets the standards. If you see some deficiencies, meet your vet for a more thorough evaluation. When does a German Shepherd stop growing? German Shepherd males are thought to be grown-up when they are 3 years old. Females become adults when they are 2 years old. How tall is a German Shepherd? The adult dog has a height of inches cm at the shoulder. An average male reaches inches cm in height, while an average female should be inches cm tall. The body of both males and females should be longer than their height. How big do German Shepherds get? How much does a German Shepherd weight? In general, an average male reaches pounds kg in weight, while an average female should be pounds kg heavy. This is a very strong and brave dog that can become a perfect guardian and protector. If you decide to take a GS puppy, you need to follow its growth stages accurately to be sure that it develops properly. You should follow a high-quality diet, provide your dog with a lot of exercise, and ensure its proper training and socialization. Your German Shepherd cannot stay healthy and active if it gets some health problems related to its weight or height. Sometimes, these issues are not obvious and understandable to the owner. That is why it is important to know the main development parameters of your German Shepherd growth stages to cope with possible challenges. We hope that this article, together with the weight and height chart, will become your effective and helpful guide. David W. I admire German Shepherds. They are magnificent dogs! I have been dealing with dogs, namely German Shepherds, throughout my life. I have been working part-time as a dog trainer and instructor for about 5 years, dealing mainly with German Shepherds. So I know a bit about these animals. Therefore, I decided to share my knowledge and experience about this fantastic breed. If you need help with advice and care tips or want to know more about German Shepherd dogs, welcome to this blog. The long adolescent period that ends the puppy years is highly individual, but most dogs mature somewhere before 3 years of age. The Neonatal Stage This is the very earliest stage your German shepherd will pass through. Simply put, this is the helpless baby stage when your puppy's eyes will still be closed and he is completely dependent upon his mother. She will feed him, wash him and clean up after his accidents for the first two or three weeks. His eyes will open at around 10 days. At this time, your puppy is little more than an eating machine -- filling his belly to help his tiny body grow and develop. The Transitional Stage Though it is short and indistinct, the transitional stage from the neonatal to the socialization stage is important to your pup's development nevertheless. This brief phase -- lasting only about a week after his eyes open -- marks the period when your German shepherd begins to notice his environment. He will start to look at things curiously and be aware of sounds around him. Prior to this he has been in his own little world with no sights or sounds beyond his own body and that of his mother. When his eyes open, the immediate environment -- with other living beings -- is suddenly a part of life that he must face. The Socialization Stage At around 3 weeks, your puppy begins to learn how to interact with others -- both animals and the humans around him. He has already had some practice with dogs through the daily contact with his mother and litter mates, but now he begins to expand his circle of acquaintance to other dogs or cats in the household and to the family of humans around him. This is the most critically important phase in your German shepherd's development and helps decide his later suitability for work in rescue, service or as a family dog. At this time, he should have opportunities to meet as many new animals and faces under differing circumstances as possible, so he becomes comfortable with meeting people and other animals in a variety of situations when he grows up. This stage lasts to about 3 months of age and is the period when puppies are at their most impressionable and playful. The Juvenile Stage From 3 to 6 months old, your puppy will begin to look beyond the biological world of dogs, cats and people to the larger world around him. He will want to explore new places more than new faces at this point -- which may often get him into trouble. This is an active and trying age for puppy parents. Your puppy looks like a mostly grown-up dog but behaves entirely like a pup. His attention span is about as long as that of the average teenager, so this is not a particularly easy time for obedience classes. Your shepherd will have other things on his mind, but pet parents should continue to persevere because this is the best stage to resolve any obvious aggression or anxiety issues your pup may display. If those issues are not addressed early, they could become larger problems later on. To make things a tad more difficult, at around 5 months of age, your German shepherd starts to mature sexually. The Adolescent Stage The teenage angst that human children go through is roughly equivalent to what pet parents can expect from their adolescent German shepherd. Beginning with the onset of sexual maturity and lasting through the first two years of his life, your puppy's hormones will rage uncontrollably unless he is neutered early. This stage is usually marked by mounting -- anything and everything -- marking his territory and even fighting with other male dogs. Females will enter their first estrus period at this time and may try to escape the yard or otherwise pose problems. The pup's body has become adult, and his brain is fully alert and capable, but his emotions are still in the turbulent transitional phase from teenager to full adult. If he were human, this would be the stage at which you would hide the car keys. As an adult, your German shepherd is finally the calm, dignified, courageous and respectful dog you always knew he would grow up to be. If you were patient and dedicated through those early, sometimes difficult, years, you now have a well-trained and disciplined companion for life. More Articles. Discover the online program that more than 57, dog owners have used to rapidly transform their dog into a well-behaved, obedient furry friend. While looking through the different stages of growth you can see the rough size of German Shepherd puppies at different stages of their life by comparing the ages to a German Shepherd growth chart. Important Note: Once a puppy has been weened off milk it is essential that the puppy is given a high quality puppy food to ensure proper development. A lack of proper nutrients can result in ears not rising, smaller than normal dogs and health complications in later life. In my opinion Blue Buffalo Puppy Food is the best available on the market. German Shepherd puppies, as with all other dog breeds, are born with their eyes and ears closed. At this stage the GSD puppies are completely dependent on their mothers for care, food and the like and the newborn puppies are relatively immobile. A small section of the umbilical cord will still be attached to the German Shepherd puppy - this will dry up and fall off on its own within a few days. The first 3 days are the most critical in a GSD puppies life. Birth is the beginning of the neonatal period in GSD development and it lasts roughly 2 weeks. Typically the puppies will curve into a comma type shape when picked up. This is because their nervous system at this time is still very immature. Additionally, they can't eliminate unless the mother, or caregiver, stimulates their anus or urethra by licking or gently rubbing the area. Gentle, frequent handling by humans is very helpful from this age onward. As their nervous system development continues they will now also now arch their backs when they are picked up and held rather than curving into a more comma shaped position as before. Around Day 7 German Shepherd puppies now begin to crawl more readily and more often during this phase of GSD development. Short periods of daily handling and exposure to some stimuli can also be very beneficial to stimulate weight gain in the puppy, earlier eye opening, hair growth and motor development in all members of the GSD litter. The German Shepherd puppies eyes will appear to be blue in color at first even though they can't focus right now. They will be able to see shapes after about 2 weeks of age during continued GSD development. Around Day 14 The German Shepherd pups eyes and ears should be fully open by now and many may have their first incisor teeth beginning to erupt. The puppies should also be crawling quite well by this time. This is the beginning of the transitional period of GSD development which typically lasts about a week or so. This is also a period of profound changes in the German Shepherd puppies growth and development. The German Shepherd puppy will begin to be more independent from it's mom during this time. During this time the German Shepherd puppies will begin to eliminate on their own and should start walking within 2- to 3 days by about day 16 or so - very shaky at first, but with practice growing legs will soon become less wobbly. You can observe tail wagging as well as the beginning of play fighting. German Shepherd puppies will also be eliminating on their own by this time. Around Day 21 Around this date the German Shepherd puppy will move from the transitional phase into the socialization period of GSD development. By this time GSD puppies should be able to walk pretty well, with a more adult-like gait. They will also begin a more active exploration of their environments and that of their GSD litter mates. This period is thought to last from about 2. This is an extremely important time for the emotional and social development of the German Shepherd puppy. This is also a period of dramatic changes in your German Shepherd puppies life. This is the period in GSD development when puppies can form bonds with species outside of its own such as human beings. This is also the time when the puppy can identify their own species as well as being able to identify future social partners. Oftentimes, the peak of sensitivity to the formation of social bonds is described to be between 6 to 8 weeks of age. This is also called the fear period in GSD development! Around Week 4 By now social play becomes an important factor in GSD development and German Shepherd puppies learn how to interact with litter mates and adult animals of their species as well. They can also play with toys, play fight, play with humans and other animals and are beginning to eat other soft foods to supplement their mother's milk. Many times the GSD puppies are fearless during this time - exploring their environment and all that is about them. This is also a good time for continued exposure to new and novel things, to various people and other kinds of animals, all while the German Shepherd puppy continues to develop. The socialization stage is very important in the growth of GSD development, however it should be looked at within the context of the developing emotional system of the puppy. At around 3 - 5 weeks of age attraction responses in German Shepherd puppies are very strong. These kinds of responses begin to diminish between 5 - 7 weeks of age as fear responses begin to emerge. It is important to note that early socialization is tremendously important in the development of well-adjusted GSD puppies. During these few weeks, your German Shepherd puppy will also learn how to play and communicate with it's littermates, respond to humans it comes in contact with and how to get along safely in the adult dog world. Around Week 6 German Shepherd puppies begin exhibiting more adult like behaviors such as mounting of other litter mates and demonstrating dominance roles. Sniffing of tails and noses also becomes an important part of the greeting process among their canine peers. Between about 7 - 9 weeks of age the fear response may become so strong as to begin to overwhelm the attraction response. For other puppies the social motivation to make contact may very well overcome any wariness during this phase of GSD development. Around weeks 7 - 12 Among other things, this is an ideal age of socializing your German Shepherd puppy to humans, other animals and new surroundings and objects. It also a great time to learn such important skills as: leash training, housebreaking, crate training, accepting gentle handling and grooming and to accept human domination and control. The socialization period is absolutely critical in GSD development and acceptance of other animal species. If a GSD puppy is not exposed to horses, sheep, goats, other dogs, cats or small children before it reaches 12 weeks, it is likely it will never accept them. You may also observe that your German Shepherd pups ears are beginning to come up in some form or fashion. Don't be surprised by the wild and interesting shapes that they may take on as they mature. As the puppy goes through the teething process the ears will go up and down and will do all sorts of weird things - one up one down; one flopping to the left, the other to the right; both in the center, etc. This period is thought to occur from the end of the primary socialization period through sexual maturity. Motor skills are increasing for the GSD puppy. During this time the puppy is still refining both learning and social skills as well. While puppies in this phase can learn quite well, they are easily distracted and very hard to keep on task. This is an excellent time to start puppy kindergarten. This is also a good time to start being very aware of your GSD puppies ear carriage. Around 4 Months German Shepherd puppies will begin to lose their puppy teeth and will soon replace them with their adult teeth, generally starting with the incisors. Young German Shepherds will continue to learn about their environment and all the individuals in it throughout their social maturization process. This is often the time when older puppies are learning about their social relationships within the environment they live. Social maturity takes more time to achieve than sexual maturity. In the beginning of social maturity dogs will begin to display more mature, adult social behaviors. This time is thought to vary between breeds and from dog to dog and to occur anywhere from 12 - 36 months of age, especially in the larger breeds such as German Shepherds. Again, this varies from German Shepherd to German Shepherd but this is a good place to start. If your German Shepherd puppies ears are not standing up by this time on their own it is a good time to consider taping them. Detailed directions for this process can be found here. Overall, most of the puppies internal body systems are nearly "adult" even though the skeleton is still growing and will for some time to come. In many respects your German Shepherd puppy is now a "small adult". The heart rate has decreased again to about 70 BPM and by the end of this month the GSD puppy should have a full set of adult teeth. Also an important milestone: German Shepherd females reach sexual maturity and have their first estrus heat period. If the GSD's ears are not up by this time you need to take action quickly to get them up before it is too late. Read the article on ear taping. Around 7 - 12 Months German Shepherd males reach sexual maturity and begin to hike their leg when urinating. It is important to be especially firm and consistent about setting limits and enforcing commands during this time since your older GSD puppy may challenge dominance of other dogs or humans during this stage. If the German Shepherd puppies ears are not standing on their own by this point, there is a good chance that they will never stand on their own. This is an ideal age in GSD development to start "Beginning" level classes of obedience training. Bonding to humans is now very firmly established and your German Shepherds vocal and body communications are now that of a more mature individual dog - and more easily understood, and well on their way to many years of happy companionship with you. Sign up for promotions, news, discounts, and the chance to win prizes for you and your German Shepherd E-mail Address.

Share 0 Shares When purchasing any new puppy from a dog breeder, it is crucial that you look into them to make sure that they are reputable before actually buying a puppy from them. When it comes to Golden Retrievers, the best breeders will health test their dogs before breeding them and offer new owners a health guarantee. Good dog breeders also make sure that puppies are up to date on things like vaccinations, vet visits, and other types of preventative care. All of their dogs come from established pedigrees, and they are all cleared through health testing before being bred. This ensures that their adult dogs and puppies are all in genetically sound health. Of course, puppies are all kept up to date on all of their age-appropriate and vet-recommended vaccinations, deworming, and vet visits. This gives them plenty of room to run, play, and explore. It is important to note that you will likely need to be placed on a waitlist and put down a deposit before purchasing a Golden Retriever puppy from Meadow Grace Goldens. One or both of this puppy's parents have undergone genetic testing. One or both of this puppy's parents are hip certified. One or both of this puppy's parents is OFA Heart certified. This puppy has had early neurological stimulation exercises. The sad truth is that many pet store purchased pups actually come from puppy mills. Basically, there is zero authenticity with pet stores. When it comes to adopting any animal from a pet store, there is an increased risk of unforeseen health or genetic problems. You also cultivate a life-long relationship with the breeder, meaning support is available to you anytime you may need it. With My Golden Retriever Puppies , you have the option to come and visit both the puppy and the breeder in person! Golden Retrievers are an adaptable breed, meaning they are better at adapting to seasonal changes and various types of climate than certain other breeds. Goldens sport a double-coat, which ensures that these sweet pups are able to tolerate slightly colder temperatures than their friends from other breeds. Your pup deserves better than that, which is why here at My Golden Retriever Puppies , we ensure high-quality care is taken of your pet at all times. For more about the true price of a golden retriever puppy, you can read our full price breakdown here. Location Information for Virginia Customers Our home office is located in Ohio, but we understand that long-distance travel can be inconvenient. If you prefer to meet a breeder in person, they may be able to offer private visits at their home. Of course! Here at My Golden Retriever Puppies , we value family and authenticity, which is why we always guarantee our pups through our 2-year genetic health guarantee. Like adopting a Golden Retriever from a pet store, there is an increased risk when adopting a pup from a rescue center or shelter as well. For example, pups purchased through a shelter or rescue center are far less likely to come with the kinds of health guarantees and reassurances that a breeder can provide. What type of Golden Retrievers are sold in Virginia? We have some good news! Ready to make your Golden Retriever dreams come true? Take a look at our convenient list of available puppies. How do I know which breeders to trust in Virginia? Our independent network of trusted breeders have already been pre-screened and verified, so that you can focus on what really matters: choosing your dream puppy. Be the first to know when we have new puppies! All Rights Reserved. More VaGolden Retrievers Hello, I hope you enjoyed my website, and have taken the time to review all my pages , from text,photos and videos. You can find answers to most of your questions on my site. Placing you and one of my puppies together is something I take very seriously. Knowing you are happy and that one of my puppies has made that happen, means a lot to me. I do hope each family takes the time to get to know me and the line of adult Golden's I have. This is my line. A strong line of Golden Retrievers. Golden Retrievers make perfect family pets. They always enjoy being part of the family's company and show love and devotion to all members of the family. They crave love and affection. Companionship is their top priority and they are totally devoted to their human family. Puppies For Sale If you're interested in my coming litter,, please call I have litters arriving thought out the year. Once they arrive, I will have videos of the puppies on this website. It's always best to plan taking a puppy home and contacting me in advance is always best. He has been the most amazing dog and are so blessed to have him in our life. He is going to turn 10 months old and looks so much like his Mom and Dad. Thank you Grayland for such an amazing dog! We named him Hook because we are a Disney family and he is the Captain of our new home. We will definitely recommend you to future Golden owners. Hello, it's been 3 weeks since our Penny came home. I just wanted to thank you for this precious pup. We love her very much and she's become an integral part of the family. She's doing great with house training and is even using door bells to let us know when she needs to go out. She can sit, lay down, and shake. Penny has an awesome personality and loves everyone even our cat! She just had her 10 week check up and our veterinarian said "she's perfect in every way. She's exactly what a golden should be. So thank you so very much. We are so thankful to have our little Piper. She is quite a gem that has added that extra spunk to our Golden family. We now have 4 and plan on adding to our brood with just one more from VA Golden Retrievers. We have had such a positive experience. You can definitely see that Mr. Nelson loves his Goldens. They are friendly, energetic and well bred. Thank you for sharing a part of your family with us. We purchased our golden back in April and we named him Theodore. We are so happy with him! Theo has the sweetest disposition and learns quickly. He does well on the leash, sits, stays sometimes! Our girls absolutely love him I just wanted to let you know what a blessing our puppy has been to us! Hello Mr. We meet before back in .Bailey is such a blessing to our family. First off he is the most loving and sweetest dog in the whole world! We could Not imagine life without him he has truly given our family so much happiness! I just wanted to thank you so much for our sweet boy! We brought Beamer home in December and he has been such a blessing to our little family. In spite of their size, they think they are lap dogs, and in spite of being dogs, they think they are also human, and nearly every human they meet is judged to have the potential to be a boon companion who might, at many moment, cry, "Let's go! I do not have a wait list. I have golden retriever puppies for sale perhaps once or twice a year. Because I breed infrequently, I can not guarantee I will have a puppy that meets your needs by any set time. I'd hate to have families waiting for a puppy and find I do not have one for them. After a litter arrives and I know what I have in terms of numbers and gender, then I can get serious about reviewing questionnaires submitted by interested families, and I contact people to discuss the specifics once the pups are a few weeks old. The pups require a great deal of time and attention, so it can take me a little while after a litter arrives to get to this part of the placement process. Please keep in mind that I breed golden retriever puppies in northern Virginia, and I do not ship puppies. Do I get to pick which pup I want? I place the pups based on the pups' individual characteristics and each family's specific requirements. I obviously take your preferences into consideration, but your puppy's personality should fit the lifestyle you'll have with him for the next 12 or so years. I raise the pups in my home. For their first few weeks the pups are in my family room with my family, other dogs, and cats, and, after they are old enough and need more room to move freely, the pups move to a large pen in my basement with access to an outdoor pen. All of my dogs are house dogs; the pups are not raised in a kennel. As the pups mature, I spend a great deal of time with them, getting to know their individual personalities. I also watch how they move and determine which have the best conformation. As they get older, they are exposed to many different sounds, textures, flooring and ground surfaces, environments, and people. During this socialization process, I learn which pups would be best suited to which types of homes, and I place them accordingly. Show, performance and working homes take priority, and homes who already have an Eta D'Oro dog generally also take priority. I get frequent inquiries regarding my pups, and I do save those questionnaires as they come in. However, I find most people are not willing to wait the several months, or longer, it may take before I actually have pups available to go to their homes. Accordingly, I do not have extensive contact with most potential buyers until I have pups that are several weeks old. I don't want to waste anyone's time until I know I have a puppy available. That being said, I like to get to know my puppy buyers as much as I can before they take their new puppy home. I often have folks come to visit the pups when they are old enough, and our initial phone conversation s often take a little time so you can learn about me and my dogs, and so I can learn as much as I can about the type of dog that fits into your family. A laid-back dog might be better suited to a less active family, and a higher energy dog would be better suited to an active family. Why health testing? All my dogs are health tested prior to breeding. Health testing means so much more than just a vet check. It's testing in specific areas by board certified veterinarians to ensure my breeding dogs meet the standards expected of breeders under the GRCA Code of Ethics, a standard designed to ensure the entire breed is as healthy as possible, and that buyers get the most healthy pups possible. By testing for things like eye, cardiac, and joint issues and by DNA testing for several common genetic conditions common to golden retrievers, I can ensure I am doing all I can to produce healthy puppies that grow into long-lived, healthy dogs. I test for all the things the GRCA wants its breeders to test for, and do additional testing, as well. For example, all my current breeding animals get heart clearances by echocardiogram, not only by auscultation. While there is no way to guarantee nothing bad will ever happen, I want to do everything I can to reduce or in some cases even eliminate the risk. How do you choose to do a particular breeding? My dogs are purposefully bred, versatile golden retrievers. I have kept or co-own at least one dog from almost every breeding I have done. One of my goals with all of my breedings is to produce pups I would want to keep for myself, and that I will be proud to have in the various competition venues representing my kennel. I also want them to be much loved companion golden retrievers. To meet those goals, I need to produce long-lived, healthy, correct, versatile dogs that can do all the things a golden is supposed to be able to do. I look for health and longevity when picking a sire, and I look for dogs that are physically correct meet the breed standard , have the correct golden disposition, and will be a good match for my girls. Many of the sires of my litters have produced well in the past, which is a good indicator of what they'll produce with my girls. For some breedings, I am looking for dogs with certain skills or capabilities prominent in the pedigrees. In others I am looking to improve upon what I have, to better some area I feel could be improved in my dogs on the whole. I am also careful not to lose the features I particularly like and that are correct in my dogs. I spend many, many hours reviewing pedigrees, observing dogs and talking to breeders and owners about their dogs, as well as others who may be familiar with their pedigrees from before I started watching those things. For the time being, you won't be able to meet both parents here at my home when you visit. My dogs are all related too closely to breed them to each other. In fact, I have done breedings with long deceased sires, choosing to use their frozen semen because they are very well known quantities; they have adult pups out there that help me evaluate what the sire will bring to a breeding, and I have life-long health and longevity information on both the sire and his other offspring. In other cases, I have had semen shipped from the far reaches of the country. This capability gives me the opportunity to expand the gene pool I use in my breedings, and I can search out the healthiest and best matches for my girls. I also have done local breedings by live cover, but it is a great benefit not to be limited by access to only local boys. What will our relationship be after one of your pups comes home with me? I usually set up closed Facebook groups for each litter so puppy buyers can stay in touch with each other, ask questions of me or each other, and so folks can share pictures, triumphs, and news. I have found it a great way to stay in touch, but not everyone is on Facebook, and those who are may not be frequent Facebook users. Be assured I am always accessible to answer your questions, and will always be happy to take your dog back and find him or her a great new home in the event you are no longer able to care for your pup due to health, personal, financial, or any other reasons. None of my dogs need ever become rescue dogs. I love these pups from a time before they are even born, and will always do what is best for them. I even have buyers that have put it in their wills that their dogs come back to me when the time comes, because they know I will put the dogs first. What are your requirements in terms of spay or neuter? For a good number of years, peer reviewed studies and vets and breeders whom I trust have agreed that early spay or neuter is very dangerous to the short- and long-term health of dogs. Everything from orthopedic issues, cancers, and fear of storms can be blamed in part on early spay and neuter. At the very least, I want my dogs to remain intact not spayed or neutered for long enough for the hormones to do their job getting the pups' bones and bodies to maturity. For girls, they should remain intact for at least two heat cycles, and for boys ideally until at least 2 years. I can tell you my boys do not reach full physical maturity until around three, so for their bones, joints, and skulls and other things less obvious to fully mature, I'd prefer they not be neutered ever, but at least not until they are three. Neutering a dog does not affect his instinct to mark. Training affects that. Neutering does not affect his instinct to mount other dogs as a dominance play. Training does. Neutering an aggressive dog does not alleviate his aggressiveness. Neutering a dog does greatly increase his risk of cancers common in goldens. You can often identify a dog spayed or neutered young by its disproportionately long, gangly legs. Those growth plates in the legs were still open when the hormones were removed from the dog, and growth no longer could continue in a balanced way. Buyers are often looking for good bone and big heads on their goldens, particularly the boys. Those things come with maturity while the hormones are intact. What is your guidance on vaccination? My general rule is to keep vaccinations to a minimum. I am not an antivaxer; vaccinations are vital to our dogs' health. For example, without vaccination, parvo kills puppies. I know breeders and dog owners who have lost puppies to parvo. These diseases we vaccinate against are serious. However, I believe in limiting vaccinations to the ones required, at the frequency required. My puppies will have their first round of puppy vaccinations before they go to their homes. After that, vaccinations need only be done if the dog needs additional protection. Titer testing will tell you if that is the case. My foundation bitch received puppy shots and then no further vaccinations other than periodic 3-year rabies as required by law where I live. At her senior physical at age 9, she was found by titer testing to still be fully protected against those things she was vaccinated against as a pup. Research what vaccinations are recommended where you live. Leptospirosis is common in some areas, very rare in others. The various dog influenza vaccines do not protect against all strains of flu, do not last long, and are not fully effective. Balancing the risk of infection essentially a contagious cough unless the infected dog has underlying conditions that make it hard to fight the infection against the effectiveness of the vaccine, consider if it is really worth putting those chemicals into your dog's body. Bordetella kennel cough vaccination is required by some boarding facilities, so you may feel forced to get that. However, it also does not protect against all strains, is not fully effective, and does not last long. I do not vaccinate for Bordetella. It is a cough that lasts several days, and can be treated if it is bacterial. In addition, I recommend vaccinating smartly - the fewer vaccinations given at a time, the less risk for complications. Vaccinating a dog weakened by some other condition or illness, for example an infection, can also lead to complications or reactions. Don't let a vet pressure you into doing anything unsafe for your dog. Your puppy can't advocate for him- or herself, and needs you to look out for him or her.

It comes in a large bottle, size 32 oz. Bacteria, mold, fleas, parasites, fungus, and more can get trapped and hidden within a Golden Retrievers furry coat. This shampoo contains ingredients that treat skin scaling, hydrate the skin, promote healing, relieve parasite infections, and remove fungus and bacteria. This shampoo is known for its fast-acting formula that also heals rashes, bald spots, and dry, itchy skin. Veterinary Formula works to provide quality medical ingredients at an affordable price for pet owners. This shampoo leaves your dog clean and smelling fresh without having to use any water. Ingredients found in this shampoo are paraben-free, alcohol-free, and plant-based with no harsh chemicals. If your Golden Retriever likes to avoid bath time at all costs, do not hesitate to try this waterless, no-rinse shampoo. This shampoo is specifically targeted to reduce the amount of shedding in dogs like Golden Retrievers. It contains Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids that will get your dog clean and smelling fresh. There are no parabens or dyes in the ingredients that would harm your dog. You can purchase a 16 oz. Best Puppy Shampoo for Golden Retrievers While many of the above shampoos would work great for your Golden puppy, below are a couple options that we recommend if you are looking for something specifically for a puppy. This shampoo contains all-natural ingredients that are safe for dogs of all ages. It provides relief for allergies with an added hypoallergenic lotion, which contains antifungal and antibacterial ingredients that work to reduce flea yeast. Not only do the ingredients in this shampoo smell great, but they also keep odors away for extended periods. Do not hesitate to get a 17 oz. The mild and natural ingredients in this puppy shampoo make it safe for dogs of all ages and help prevent irritation to the eyes, nose, and paws. There are no harsh chemicals, colorants, or fragrances, which make it completely safe and well recommended by veterinarians. This fantastic all-purpose shampoo for puppies comes in a 16 oz. Factors to Consider When Choosing a Shampoo for Golden Retrievers When it comes to choosing the right shampoo for your golden retriever, there are several factors to consider. Look for shampoos that are specifically formulated for dogs and have a pH level between 6. You should also consider the ingredients in the shampoo, as some dogs may have sensitivities or allergies to certain ingredients. As mentioned before, Golden Retrievers have a double coat that will easily trap unwanted dirt, smells, pests, sweat, and more. To keep your dog clean and smelling fresh, you will want to bathe and groom it frequently. The number of baths you give your dog should be based on its activity level, skin sensitivity, allergies, and hair length. For example, if your Golden Retriever has more sensitive skin, bathing your dog too frequently can lead to skin dryness and irritation. So if you find your dog has these symptoms, try reducing the frequency of baths and introducing a moisturized shampoo. Having the right shampoo for your dog will allow it to stay cleaner and smell fresh longer. Tips for Bathing a Golden Retriever When bathing a Golden Retriever, you want the experience to be both enjoyable for you and your dog. Below are some brief tips to help the process go smoothly. For a more in-depth look, read our article How to Bathe a Golden Retriever. Sample a few different types at first until you find the one best for your dog. Brush your dog before the bath. You will want to prep your dog before each bath by brushing away excess fur and removing tangles. Be consistent. Just like children, dogs will feel more comfortable in a familiar place with an established routine. Use the same bathtub or area of the yard each time you bathe your dog. Have everything with you. The last thing you want to do is get your dog watered down and then realize you are missing an essential bath time item. Make sure you have everything you need before you start, so you never have to leave your dog unattended. Be sure to have a comfortable water temperature. Select a water temperature that is comfortable for your dog. It may be tempting to use cold water, but treat your dog like a child and provide it with the right water temperature. Warmer water will also do a better job at cleaning than cold water. Follow the directions on the shampoo bottle. Each type of shampoo is different. Some are tear-free and safe for eyes, paws, and nose; others are not. The shampoo bottle will tell you how to lather, scrub, and rinse your dog to get the best results possible. Dry your dog. After each bath, you should dry your dog with a towel or blow dryer rather than letting it air dry. This will keep it warmer and reduce the amount of water that drips or is shaken off. Do Golden Retrievers Need a Conditioner? The question of whether to use a conditioner on a Golden Retriever is a common one. Lots of great shampoo products include some conditioning elements in their formula, so if you are unsure if you want to use a pure conditioner, this might be an excellent way to go. Also, if you are using a high-quality shampoo for your dog, then using a conditioner might not even be necessary. If you decide to use one, there are several benefits to using a dog conditioner. You do not always need to apply conditioner right after shampooing your dog. There can be some adverse effects when using a conditioner on your dog. If you see any of these symptoms, then stop using the conditioner and just wash with shampoo. Some symptoms might include skin irritation, weakened hair shafts, or trapped dirt after applying the conditioner. Do not attempt to use a human conditioner on your dog. When it comes to washing your dog, always try to use dog-specific products. Tips on Reducing Odor? It will also help significantly in reducing its unpleasant odors; however, a good shampoo is not the only thing needed to keep a dog smelling fresh with a healthy coat. Test out different shampoos for your dog until you find one that keeps it smelling fresh longer. Increase grooming. Wash its bedding weekly. For more information on solving your dogs odor problems, see our article Do Golden Retrievers Smell. Common Mistakes to Avoid When Bathing Your Golden Retriever Bathing your golden retriever may seem like a simple task, but there are several common mistakes that you should avoid. One mistake is not brushing your golden before the bath, as this can lead to tangles and mats in their coat. To prevent this, place a cotton ball in each ear and remove them once the bath is complete. Use only the recommended amount of shampoo, and make sure to rinse thoroughly. Instead, use a low heat setting or let them air dry. Because there are so many different dog shampoos on the market, try out a few different ones recommended in this article that you think will meet the needs of your dog. Once you find the one you like, stick with that shampoo to provide your dog with a healthy coat of fur. Remember always to avoid using human products. Use a dog conditioner if you feel it is necessary, or select a shampoo that has conditioner added. Or, if you are more interested in different options for dog brushes, check out our article Best Dog Brushes for Golden Retrievers. She is board certified a specialist in canine reproduction. In her day job, she is a leader in a small biotech where she and a team of veterinarians and scientists work to develop new medications for pets. She enjoys sharing her knowledge of this wonderful breed of dogs. She and her husband have 2 children, 3 dogs and one cat. They love camping and hiking and she can often be found with her head in a good book. Recent Posts. Because of this, you want to look for hypoallergenic shampoos. If your dog has an allergy to oat proteins, for example, be sure not to use a shampoo that contains oatmeal. You also want to avoid any artificial fragrances, perfumes, or colors for this same reason. To reduce skin irritation , look for shampoos that are specially formulated for dogs and are pH balanced. Deodorizers Deodorizers in dog shampoos can be helpful when you have a dog that likes to spend a great deal of time getting dirty. No one likes sharing a house with a stinky pup, so deodorizers can make a big difference. The important thing is that the deodorizing ingredients are natural and not too harsh. Brightening Ingredients Golden Retrievers have beautiful blonde coats , but their fur can sometimes look dull and dingy. Be sure to look for natural ingredients. Making it a safe and gentle product for your fur baby. The shampoo contains omega-3 and -6 fatty acids that promote healthy skin and a shiny coat. Featured Image Credit: pixels, Shutterstock Contents. Here are the top factors to consider before purchasing the best shampoo: Age There are different shampoos for puppies and adults as they have different needs. That is why you must choose a gentle shampoo for a puppy as they have sensitive skin and eyes. Puppy formula is ideal for a golden retriever pup. So when you are out in the market looking for a shampoo for your Golden Retriever, consider the age of your dog. Unique Needs Of The Golden Retriever If you have ever had pets then you know that all pets have certain unique needs that they need taken care of. Each golden retriever will have unique needs you must cater to. For example, if your furry companion has dry and irritated skin, you must get a gentle shampoo. Besides that, golden retrievers are prone to skin conditions such as Atopic Dermatitis. That is why it is crucial to understand your dog's skin before selecting a shampoo. It will help you choose one that will help their skin. Locking In Shine Everyone loves a shiny golden retriever coat. That is why if you want such a shiny coat, you can opt for natural ingredients such as almond oil and shea butter to lock in the moisture. It will help the coat to stay hydrated and shine even more. What To Avoid While it is important to know what to look for, it is just as important to know what to avoid. Here are the top things you must avoid when choosing the best shampoo for golden retrievers: Artificial colors and fragrance Cocamide DEA L-sulphates These ingredients will not do any good to your golden retriever's skin. That is why you must avoid such ingredients. If you are looking for a holistic shampoo that will fulfill all your dog's bathing needs, this is the best investment. It includes fantastic ingredients that will help relieve itching, clean and detangle, condition and moisturize, and decrease the dog's odor. So, your dog will receive the best coat care, and they will smell fresh after the bath. The best part is that the shampoo contains essential oils and natural and medicated ingredients to offer the best to your dog. It is tear-free, which means it will not cause irritation. So, if you want a fantastic shampoo for all golden retrievers, this is it. Buy from Amazon or visit their official website here. The company creates the formula for this shampoo using beeswax, honey, linseed oil, buttermilk, and much more. Once you are done giving the pup a bath, their coat will be shiny, soft, and silky. So, if you are looking for the best natural and gentle shampoo for your golden retriever puppy, you must get this. If you do, then the PetAG shampoo is one of the best investments for your furry companion. The shampoo contains a floral scent, and this will stay for two weeks after you give your dog a bath. PetAG shampoo works to soothe and condition the skin using ingredients such as aloe leaf juice and vitamin E. Besides that, it will also clean your dog by removing all the grime and dirt. If you want to control the odor of your dog and leave him smelling fresh, the PetAG shampoo is ideal. It is specifically manufactured to reduce shedding in no time. The best part is that the shampoo does not contain any dyes or parabens that will harm your dog's skin. So, if the shedding of your golden retriever is out of control, it is time to get this shampoo. You will thank us later. It is one of the most popular formulas by the brand that treats itchy and sensitive skin. Earthbath makes this shampoo using coconuts, aloe vera, and oatmeal. The shampoo has notes of vanilla and almond to guarantee your furry companion smells fantastic a few days after the bath. That is especially true if your golden retriever has a skin condition or allergy. The shampoo is natural, hypoallergenic, and organic to fulfill all the needs of your furry companion. The ingredients in this shampoo include almond oil, aloe vera, Vitamin D, E, A, and much more. There are no harsh chemicals in the formula so that your dog can have the best skin and coat. So, if your goldie has a skin condition or is allergic, this is one of the best shampoos you can invest in. The best part about this shampoo is that it contains sage and lavender extracts, which have anti-inflammatory properties. Such extracts help soothe itchy and dry skin while healing it from allergies and itchiness. That is why your goldie will benefit from this shampoo for a long time to come. Buy on Amazon. If he is, then you must use this shampoo with anything else that the vet has prescribed to you. The shampoo is a blend of tea tree oil, aloe vera, oatmeal, chamomile, and neem oil. It works effectively against pollen, flea bites, and many other irritants and seasonal allergies that your dog might encounter. The scent is of lavender oil and citrus, which is why your goldie will smell fresh and fantastic for a long time after the bath. He will experience relief from the itchiness, and his skin will soothe in no time while keeping his coat clean and shiny. Final Words That was your complete guide to the eight best shampoos for golden retrievers in .Each of these shampoos is fantastic and offers something unique to the user. Once you do, you will love what the shampoo has to offer, as all of them do what they claim to. So, what are you waiting for? If you want to provide your furry companion with the best, be sure to select any shampoo from our list to keep him clean and shiny at all times. More Training. The thick, fine double-coat of a Golden Retriever can get tangled or trap dirt and odors, so they need regular bathing to stay clean. Along with baths, your Golden Retriever should have regular grooming to keep them clean in between bathing. Double coats are prone to mats and tangles and may trap dirt and oil, leaving your dog with irritation and a dull coat. If your dog is prone to shedding or odors, choose a shampoo that addresses these problems. Always brush your dog before bathing to remove excess fur and remove tangles. This also prevents a lot of fur from getting trapped in your drain. Follow the directions on the shampoo bottle. Consider a 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner. Golden Retrievers benefit from conditioners that keep their coats silky and tangle-free. If your dog gets nervous at bath time, having a 2-in-1 formula reduces the time spent in the bath while providing the conditioning benefits. Be consistent. Plus, your dog will get used to the routine and may become more comfortable with grooming. Conclusion Golden Retrievers are prized for their long, silky coats, but with that comes extra grooming and bathing responsibilities. Fortunately, dog shampoo for Golden Retrievers can help with detangling, coat and skin health, and issues like itching or odor. See Also:. Specially formulated to reduce shedding in dogs, this shampoo enhances the effectiveness of deshedding tools. It is made with natural ingredients that help control excessive shedding by promoting healthy skin and coat. Other natural ingredients, including calendula extract, chamomile extract, and papaya leaf extract have soothing properties and help soothe dry and itchy skin. Cruelty-free and made without sulfates, colorants, or other harmful ingredients, this gentle shampoo is completely safe for regular use on young puppies or adult dogs. This tearless shampoo is made with the mildest ingredients to make bath time more pleasant for both you and your pup. Additionally, their active lifestyle means they tend to pick up dirt that hangs onto their coat, and since they are high shedders, you can expect them to leave that dirt around your home! A good shampoo is a must, since you will need to bathe your golden retriever once every four to six weeks or more often if they tend to get dirty. Unless your golden retriever has a specific skin condition for which they need a specific vet-approved product, when choosing the best dog shampoos for goldens, consider the following factors. Natural Ingredients: You should always avoid shampoos that contain harsh chemicals such as parabens and phosphates. Since golden retrievers tend to be prone to allergies, their skin and coats can greatly benefit from the use of hypoallergenic dog shampoos. Odor Control: Naturally energetic and active, golden retrievers like to play and can get stinky in no time! If you need help keeping your dog smelling fresh, look for a shampoo with deodorizing properties. Hydration: Whether or not your golden has skin problems, you should look for a shampoo that will keep their skin properly hydrated. Puppies benefit from different ingredients and formulations than adult dogs, and if your dog has sensitive skin, you may need to fork out money for a more expensive shampoo. Similarly, you can get deshedding shampoos to help you manage specific problems such as shedding, fleas and ticks, or dandruff and similar issues. Below is a list of the different types of shampoos you might want to consider for your dog. Not only do puppies have more sensitive skin than adult dogs, but they also have sensitive eyes. For this reason, look for mild and tearless puppy shampoos that are formulated to make the bathing process less stressful and more enjoyable for both you and your pooch. Flea And Tick This type of shampoo can be natural or chemical and is designed to kill fleas and ticks. For the best results, you will have to work it into the coat and leave it for 10 minutes to sit before rinsing. Depending on the type you choose, some flea and tick shampoos have repelling properties and will keep these blood-sucking pests at bay for some time. You can find out more about flea and tick shampoos for dogs here. Medicated Dog Shampoos These shampoos are designed to tackle skin conditions and have antifungal, antibacterial, and antiseptic effects. If your golden retriever suffers from allergies, skin mites, seborrhea, or has a yeast infection, your vet might prescribe a medicated dog shampoo. All-Purpose Shampoo A good quality, all-purpose shampoo is essential if you want to keep your dog clean. Look for one that has natural ingredients and is hypoallergenic. Chances are, they are going to get dirty often and need regular bathing. Exactly how often you need to bathe your dog depends on their specific coat and activity level, but even dogs that spend most of their time inside need to be bathed at least once a month. Here are our top tips for making bathing your golden retriever as easy and effective as possible. Brush your dog before bathing them to remove loose hair, dirt, and debris from its coat. Make sure to soak the coat all the way to the skin so you can work in the lather properly and remove all dirt and grime. When bathing your golden retriever, place a towel or a mat inside the tub. Use treats to entice your goldie to get into and stay in the tub during bathing. Generally speaking, you should bathe your golden retriever once every four to six weeks to keep their luxurious coat clean. However, if your goldie tends to get dirty quickly, you can bathe them more often. What can I use to bathe my golden retriever? Make sure you are using dog shampoo whenever you bathe your golden retriever. Dogs have a different skin pH than people, and dog shampoos are specially formulated as to not dry or damage their skin. Can I use human shampoo on my golden retriever? You should never use human shampoo on your dog! This is because human hair and skin are slightly acidic, and therefore our shampoos are formulated with a slightly acidic pH, of 5. Dog skin and hair has a more neutral pH of around 6. If you regularly wash your dog with human shampoo, you can disrupt the acidic mantle that protects them, making them vulnerable to parasites, viruses, and bacteria. Can I bathe my dog with baby shampoo? You technically can bathe your dog with baby shampoo because it is designed with a neutral pH to accommodate the more sensitive skin of babies. However, you are still better off choosing a specialized dog shampoo for your golden rather than relying on baby shampoo as an alternative. After all, you are what you eat. A diet that is rich in healthy fats, Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, and fish oils will give your dog the nutrients they need to grow and maintain a healthy coat. Regular brushing, using a good dog brush , to remove dirt and debris and spread oils throughout the coat can also make a big difference. How do you bathe a golden retriever at home? Many first-time owners worry about how they will manage to bathe their golden at home. Fortunately, goldens are actually one of the easier breeds to bathe. They are cooperative, highly trainable, and love water, so they are more likely to tolerate a good soak and scrub than many other breeds. The key is to be gentle but firm and to teach your dog the behavior that you expect at bathtime through positive reinforcement training. Another important thing to remember is that bathing is going to be a wet and messy process, so do it outside, in the shower, or somewhere similar, and watch out for slippery floors. If they slip, they could hurt themselves or leave a big wet patch on your carpet or couch. Conclusion Regular baths are what you signed up for when you welcomed a golden retriever into your home! While all shampoos listed above can do wonders for your goldie, the Hylyt Hypoallergenic Shampoo for Dogs is our choice for best overall. Our other recommendations for the best dog shampoos for goldens are ideal for specific circumstances and needs. What is your favorite shampoo for bathing your golden, and why? Share your advice with the community in the comments section below. You May Also Like.

Labrador Puppy Price in Hyderabad Labrador Dog is one of the best guard not completely and watch dog breed. Labrador dogs are very loyal and highly intelligent dogs they are active and sociable dogs. Most of the people who loves dog always have Labrador dog in his choice list. So, if you looking for a place where you can sale Labrador puppy or adopt Labrador puppy in Hyderabad. Then you are landed on the right place. We will share below information with you: About Labrador dog breed. Labrador puppy price in Hyderabad Few Pet Shops name available in Hyderabad Things to be taken care while buying Labrador puppy or a dog. We help them and provide pet a new loving and caring pet parents. Please mention in comments if you willing to do free adoption. Labrador puppies are available in black, golden white or yellow and in chocolate colour. What we offer is: First see the Labrador puppy, Ensure and feel the quality and if you feels that, this is what you need, then only pay. We only deal with Original Breeds. Happy puppy makes the family more happy. Definitely, you will heard from other mediums, that Labrador puppies cost around 6,Rs-8,Rs but please beware of mixed breeds, fake sellers and any type of fraud. Before buying the puppies please check the purity and originality of breed then only buy the Labrador babies or Labrador dog from them. Remember Original breed is Original because only original breed should have Good Temperament and Qualities which the Original Labrador breeds should have and Labrador cost in Hyderabad depends on that originality only. We will share some below important information here related to Labrador puppy such as: 1. What thing you have to take care while adopting Labrador puppy or Labrador Baby? Information of Labrador dog in Hindi such as height, weight, age etc. Name of some Pet shops in Hyderabad along with their addresses. Important things you should take care while Adopting Labrador Dog in Hyderabad: 1. Dog should be vaccinated with required vaccination. Vaccination card should be given by the seller. Labrador puppy or Dog health should be good and he should not be aggressive and most important puppy should be happy. Mother and Father of Labrador Puppy or Labrador baby should not be same blood line. Surety of Better breed and for puppies future health 5. Government guidelines has to be following while purchasing and doing sale of Labrador baby in Hyderabad with proper documentation. Basic Information of Labrador Dog: Labrador retriever is one of most popular breed in India and America and it is superb social breed and if you want to become first time pet parent then Labrador retriever is one of the best breed for you. Labrador retriever has short and dense fur. These dogs do not like to be alone for a long time. The life span of Labrador dogs is around 10 years. The height of Labrador adult dog can reach up-to inches and their weight can be up-to kilograms. Labrador dogs are very intelligent and have gentle, even tempered and kind temperament. Labrador retriever is one of the best companion dog for a individual or a family. For Original Labrador breed in various colors such as black, golden white or yellow, chocolate. You can directly contact us. We ensure you and will make sure that you will not disappointed and you will get the dog which you want. No one can compete us with the given Labrador puppy price in Hyderabad or Labrador baby Price in Hyderabad and the services provided by us. We only deal with best, original and genuine breed. Please make sure while adopting a Labrador dog in Hyderabad or any other pet animal either from us or from any other pet shop in Hyderabad that the government guidelines should be followed and well documented. Because buying a documented pet animal following government guideline ensures that you will receive the original breed, healthy breed and whatever age of the pet animal was told by the seller would be correct. If you are looking to adopt the Labrador puppy in Hyderabad from the pet suppliers or dog breeders. Then there are lots of pet supplies shops and dog breeders in Hyderabad where you will find Labrador for sale. G4, H. Ann's High School Road, Vijaynagar Colony, Hyderabad, Telangana We hope the above details and the information given about Labrador puppy price in Hyderabad and place where you will get Labrador puppy sale in Hyderabad will be useful to you and will help you to adopt healthier, happier, vaccinated and original breed Labrador dog in Hyderabad. We have told above that what all factors you have to be taken care while adopting a dog from anyone. Please do consider all the things as Labrador cost in Hyderabad will depend on all those fact or points. After all the adopted dog is the one who make our family smile especially our Kids and believe us when you return from your work your dog will do all the thing which makes you happy and to remove all your tensions. Feel free to contact us for any information required on pet animals. Be Happy with Your Pet and give them lots of love. This breed is generally friendly with other breed dogs. With good interactions and introductions with other dogs, Labradors are more likely to get friendly with them. Along with their protective traits towards their family, the dogs tend to be more friendly and easygoing with other dogs. Labrador Retrievers generally get sad and bored when not engaged in play. The temperament of Labrador Retriever In general, a Labrador retriever is kind. They are easygoing and gentle. Labrador Retriever breed dogs are very obedient and loyal. A Labrador retriever justifies every aspect of what an owner might expect to have a kind type. In the initial days, Labrador Retriever breed dogs were trained to be hunting dogs. But due to their nature, they are more like companions and a kind variety of the breed. Training and Exercise for a Labrador Retriever Just like humans, even dogs need physical fitness. A healthy adult Labrador must exercise for at least 80 to 90 minutes daily. If your dog is more energetic, an extension of the exercise period will be better. Relaxed dogs tend to stay healthy and better. Some dogs enjoy playing, while some feel better resting well. Physical exercises may include running, jumping, and playing throughout the day. Since the Labrador Retrievers are more food-fond, motivating them to stay physically active is a wise option. This makes the breed one of the easiest breeds to train. Labrador retriever dogs are the best anyone could ask for if you are looking for an energetic and kind dog breed. These are some of the common health issues experienced by a Labrador retriever: Lipoma. The dogs are very intelligent and have sharp minds. These large dogs are very protective and loyal towards their owner. Labradors are most commonly a mix of black and tan colors, black with red, sable, and even the rare white Labrador. Appearance- The dog has a medium coat lengthtexture. It comes in different colors like black, blue, gray, white, brown, chocolate, liver. Other Traits- Easy to train, easy to groom, high prey drive, apartment-friendly, cold weather tolerant, strong loyalty tendencies, and good hiking companion. Here, we have lists of Labrador Puppy puppies in Hyderabad from the pet shop. Is Labrador friendly? They are one of the best guard dog breeds that are known to save their family from enemies. Yes, they can be not so friendly towards strangers, they serve as an ideal companion. Are Labradors good for the family? Labradors can be very gentle companions and family protectors with proper training and socialization. Do Labradors make good pets? However, they do need lots of your time and to be socialized. Is a Labrador a good dog for me? The Labrador dog is a large, active dog with a dense double coat. As a general rule, they are loyal, loving, protective, and intelligent. They are self-thinkers which without proper guidance can get them into a lot of trouble. Proper training, exercises, and activities are essential. Should first-time dog owners get a Labrador? Labradors are excellent dogs for active first-time owners. These dogs can work great for plenty of people, and the reasons are obvious. Are Labradors cuddly? For the most part, Labradors do enjoy cuddling. Do Labradors prefer one person? Yes, the Labrador is a dog breed that tends to bond especially profoundly with one person. They have the capability to bond with more than one person, but this training takes time and patience. This characteristic is part of their breeding as working dogs.

Print We recently brought home Bubba, a female chocolate lab puppy. Bubba is already sold as one of our Custom Trained Retrievers, so it is our responsibility to train her and raise her until she has progressed to the level of training the owner has requested. That means Bubba will be with for almost a year and a half. We train one or two of these puppies each year, and over the years we have gotten pretty good at it. We also train adult dogs for hunting and competition, so we see a lot of dogs come into our program. Dogs that have each been raised differently. There are some definite training tips that can help you help your lab grow up to be the best version of himself. Training and socialization for very young Labrador puppies — week one The first week of a puppy being away from its litter is very stressful for the puppy. Most often, the first two days, the puppy will sleep a lot! The pup is adjusting to all the changes, and they need time to do that. After the first couple days you may notice a spike of energy. This is your sign that the puppy is adjusting well and is ready to be exposed to a few more things. Labrador puppy training that first week home Here are the things we work on during week one. A nylon adjustable one is usually best since puppies grow quickly. It often takes the puppy a few days to adjust to having a collar on. Intro crate We introduce our puppies to a crate on day one. Literally the day we bring them home. Most puppies will cry, bark or howl while in the crate the first few or many times. Ignore it, it does not hurt the puppy at all. Always wait until the puppy settles down and is quiet, even if that quiet only lasts for just a minute or two. Learn more about crate training. Intro to housebreaking Another day one lesson and one that will last for a few weeks or months. We introduce housebreaking day one by allowing the puppy to run around an enclosed area under close supervision. If your puppy then goes potty outside, great! The thing to remember about housebreaking, is that your puppy should never be allowed to roam the house or a room without supervision. The only way to housebreak a dog is for them to get caught in the middle of an accident. That is how they learn that what they are doing is not right. Learn more about housebreaking. Intro leash We introduce a leash to our puppies around day three of being home. But once they start getting more energy and get more inquisitive, we use a Flexi-lead attached to the nylon collar to take the puppy outside. This accomplishes two goals. The gentle tugs on the leash and pressure when the puppy strains against the leash are great training for handling pressure as they get older. Intro to pressure and correction The last thing we introduce to our new puppy during the first week home is pressure and correction. This is an often-missing element to training that can severely handicap a dog that you want to be a hunting companion or competition dog. The kind of pressure I am talking about is very mild such as saying NO to the puppy when they are chewing up your shoes or scratching through the carpet. This is the way mama dogs carry their puppies and it does not hurt them at all. This does not hurt the puppy; it is exactly what a mama dog does to teach her puppies. Learn more about introducing pressure and correction. Commands to start using that first week home The first week there are some commands we start using so that the puppy will associate the words we use with actions. Puppies play and explore with their mouths, and often they will think it is great fun to bite your hands and feet. If this does not curb the behavior, I grab her lower jaw, wrapping her gums around her teeth and squeeze. I have found this to be very effective, especially if you start this the first week you have the puppy home. The longer you wait to start, the harder it becomes to stop this behavior. It takes very little pressure to stop a 7-week-old puppy from biting. Learn more about how to stop your Lab puppy from biting you. Off command The OFF command is also started day one. The OFF command is used to stop a puppy or dog from jumping on you. It can also be used to keep a dog off a sofa or other furniture. Starting day one, I gently use my knee to push down the puppy each time they jump on me. I say OFF when I do this. Usually, a gentle push with the knee is all it takes with a very small puppy. They learn this command very quickly. If your puppy is a bit more energetic or stubborn and tries to jump on you despite your gentle pushes, then you may need to use a little more force. Even if you were to knock your puppy backwards onto her back, that is not going to hurt her seriously. But it will likely make a good impression and cause her to think twice before jumping on you again. With jumping, consistency is important. You must knock your puppy off every time she jumps on you. Learn more about how to stop your Lab from jumping on you. We use this as a que when we are taking the puppy outside to go potty. We use this while the puppy is on a leash, and we are pulling them toward us. I only use this command for very young dogs. Your goal is to get the puppy to rest in your arms and not move. But if you keep at it, you will see your dog settle for longer and longer periods of time. Introduction to retrieving Lastly, since all our puppies are retrievers, we start introducing the puppy to retrieving. The first few times are simply throwing a toy a few feet and if the puppy runs out and gets it and comes back to you, great. Then take the item and throw it again. If the puppy does not come back or does not even run out to get the item, then stop for the day. Just let the retrieving develop naturally. Next week we will start more formal retrieving training. Final thoughts on what you should do that first week with your new Labrador puppy As you can see, there is a lot of training that you can do with your seven- or eight-week-old puppy. And while you can wait for training, your puppy is ready and able to learn quickly right now. I will be posting weekly on the training we are doing with Bubba, so you can get a week-by-week snapshot of how we raise and train a puppy up to be a excellent, responsive hunting or competition dog as well as a well-mannered family dog. If you are struggling or need additional help with your new puppy, you can email me ottertailkennels gmail. I would be happy to discuss your goals for your retriever and tell you about the programs I offer. Until next time, happy retrieving. Standard colors for Labs are yellow, black and chocolate. Shedding Labs are moderate to heavy shedders. Regular brushing helps remove loose hair and keeps the coat shiny. Many Labs will overeat if given the opportunity, so watch their food intake closely. A complete and balanced diet and daily exercise can help prevent weight gain. Other health conditions that may affect Labs include hip and elbow dysplasia, myopathy and heart disorders. Labs may also have a higher risk for certain eye conditions like progressive retinal atrophy. As with other large breed dogs , Labrador Retrievers are at risk of bloat, a life-threatening condition. Labrador Retriever puppies will thrive on a puppy food specially formulated to meet their unique needs during their first year of life. For information on how much or when to feed your Labrador dog or puppy, explore our feeding articles here. History The Labrador Retriever gets his name from Labrador, Canada, though the breed was developed in 19th-century Newfoundland as a water dog. Originally called St. Early Labs may have been bred with Newfoundlands and other water dogs before a breed standard was formed. Around , Labs were imported to England, where they served as hunting retrievers. The breed disappeared from Newfoundland entirely after government restrictions and various tax laws took effect. The breed was nearly extinct by the late 19th century. The Malmesburys and other English fans who imported the dogs saved the breed from extinction. Explore breeds like the Labrador Retriever. Although a playful pup sounds endearing, consider how many games of fetch or tag you want to play each day, and whether you have kids or other dogs who can stand in as playmates for the dog. Built for sport, the Lab is muscular and athletic. They have a short, easy-care coat, friendly demeanor, keen intelligence, and plenty of energy. Devotion to this breed runs deep; Labs are loving, people-oriented dogs who live to serve their families, and owners and fans sometimes liken their Labs to angels. The breed originated on the island of Newfoundland, off the northeastern Atlantic coast of Canada. Originally called the St. Today, most Labs skip the hard labor and spend their days being pampered and loved by their people. However, some Labs still serve as indispensable working dogs. They also excel as a search and rescue dog or as a retriever for hunters, thanks to their athletic build, strong nose, and courageous nature. And Labs have also become the breed to beat at dog sports such as agility and obedience competitions, especially obedience. In fact, owners say their sweet, helpful Lab is likely to greet an intruder and happily show them where the goods are stashed. One role has remained constant: wonderful companion and friend. Labrador Retriever Highlights Friendly and outgoing. Labrador Retrievers are known for their friendly and outgoing personalities. They are good with people of all ages and other animals. Intelligent and trainable. Labrador Retrievers are intelligent dogs that are easy to train. They are often used as working dogs, such as guide dogs, search and rescue dogs, and therapy dogs. Active and playful. Labrador Retrievers are active dogs that need plenty of exercise. They enjoy playing fetch, swimming, and other activities. Loyal and devoted. Labrador Retrievers are loyal and devoted dogs that make great family pets. They are known for their gentle nature and love of children. Grooming needs are minimal. Labrador Retrievers have a short, thick coat that is easy to groom. They only need to be brushed a few times a week and bathed as needed. Overall, the Labrador Retriever is a versatile and popular dog breed that makes a great family pet. They are friendly, intelligent, and trainable, and they have a low grooming requirement. If you are considering getting a Labrador Retriever, be sure to do your research to find a reputable breeder. Labrador Retrievers are wonderful dogs, but they require a lot of time and attention. They are not a good choice for people who are not active or who do not have a lot of time to spend with their pets. Originally called St. Although their heritage is unknown, many believe the St. The second Earl of Malmesbury was one of the first, and had St. The third Earl of Malmesbury was the first person to refer to the dogs as Labradors. In Newfoundland, the breed disappeared because of government restrictions and tax laws. Families were allowed to keep no more than one dog, and owning a female was highly taxed, so girl puppies were culled from litters. In England, however, the breed survived, and the Kennel Club recognized the Labrador Retriever as a distinct breed in .They also top the list in Canada and England. Today, Labs work in drug and explosive detection, search and rescue, therapy, assistance to those with disabilities, and as retrievers for hunters. They also excel in all forms of dog competitions: show, field, agility, and obedience. Labrador Retriever Size Males stand .Females stand .Aside from a winning personality, they have the intelligence and eagerness to please that make them easy to train. Training is definitely necessary because this breed has a lot of energy and exuberance. The working heritage of the Lab means they are active. This breed needs activity, both physical and mental, to keep them happy. There is some variation in the activity level of Labs: some are rowdy, others are more laid back. All thrive on activity. Some dogs show pain and lameness on one or both rear legs, but you may not notice any signs of discomfort in a dog with hip dysplasia. As the dog ages, arthritis can develop. Dogs with hip dysplasia should not be bred. Elbow Dysplasia : This is a heritable condition common to large-breed dogs. This can lead to painful lameness. Your vet may recommend surgery to correct the problem or medication to control the pain. Osteochondrosis Dissecans OCD : This orthopedic condition, caused by improper growth of cartilage in the joints, usually occurs in the elbows, but it has been seen in the shoulders, as well. It causes a painful stiffening of the joint, to the point that the dog is unable to bend his elbow. It can be detected in dogs as early as four to nine months of age. Cataracts : As in humans, canine cataracts are characterized by cloudy spots on the eye lens that can grow over time. Cataracts can usually be surgically removed with good results. Early in the disease, dogs become night-blind. As the disease progresses, they lose their daytime vision, as well. Many dogs adapt to limited or complete vision loss very well, as long as their surroundings remain the same. Epilepsy : Labs can suffer from epilepsy, which causes mild or severe seizures. Seizures may be exhibited by unusual behavior, such as running frantically as if being chased, staggering, or hiding. Seizures are frightening to watch, but the long-term prognosis for dogs with idiopathic epilepsy is generally very good. Puppies are born with TVD, which is a malformation of the tricuspid valve on the right side of the heart. It can be mild or severe; some dogs live with no symptoms, others die. TVD is detected by ultrasound. Research is ongoing to learn how widespread it is in the breed, as well as treatment. Myopathy : Myopathy affects the muscles and nervous system. The first signs are seen early, as young as six weeks and often by seven months of age. A puppy with myopathy is tired, stiff when he walks and trots. He may collapse after exercise. In time, the muscles atrophy and the dog can barely stand or walk. There is no treatment, but rest and keeping the dog warm seems to reduce symptoms. Dogs with myopathy should not be bred because it is considered a heritable disease. Bloat occurs when the stomach is distended with gas or air and then twists. The dog is unable to belch or vomit to rid themselves of the excess air in their stomach, and blood flow to the heart is impeded. Blood pressure drops and the dog goes into shock. Without immediate medical attention, the dog can die. Suspect bloat if your dog has a distended abdomen, is drooling excessively, and retching without throwing up. Theyalso may be restless, depressed, lethargic, and weak with a rapid heart rate. If you notice these symptoms, get your dog to the vet as soon as possible. Acute Moist Dermatitis: Acute moist dermatitis is a skin condition in which the skin red and inflamed. It is caused by a bacterial infection. The more common name of this health concern is hot spots. Treatment includes clipping the hair, bathing in medicated shampoo, and antibiotics. Cold Tail : Cold tail is a benign, though painful condition common to Labs and other retrievers. The dog may bite at the tail. It is thought to be a problem with the muscles between the vertebrae in the tail. Weekly checking and cleaning if necessary helps prevent infection. Labrador Retriever Care The lovable Lab needs to be around their family, and is definitely not a backyard dog. Labs show some variation in their activity levels, but all of them need activity, both physical and mental. Daily minute walks, a romp at the dog park, or a game of fetch, are a few ways to help your Lab burn off energy. However, a puppy should not be taken for too long walks and should play for a few minutes at a time. It is up to you to end play and training sessions. Without training, a rambunctious Lab puppy will soon grow to be a very large, rowdy dog. Luckily, Labs take to training well; in fact, they often excel in obedience competitions. Start with puppy kindergarten , which not only teaches your pup good canine manners, but helps them learn how to be comfortable around other dogs and people. Look for a class that uses positive training methods that reward the dog for getting it right, rather than punishing them for getting it wrong. Normal play on grass is fine, as is puppy agility, with its one-inch jumps. Labrador Retriever Feeding Recommended daily amount: 2. They are almost square in appearance, with a strong body and sturdy legs. The maximum height for a male is 24 inches, which puts them in the medium-size dog category, but their sturdy build can make them seem much larger. Weights range from 85 pounds for a large male to 55 pounds for a smaller female. Field line bred dogs are often taller and somewhat thinner in build. Labrador retrievers are easily recognized by their broad head, drop ears and large, expressive eyes. Two trademarks of the Lab are the thick but fairly short double coat, which is very water repellent, and the well known "otter tail. The feet are described as "webbed," with longer skin between the toes to aid in swimming. The Labrador retriever is a moderately fast maturing breed, reaching adult height from six to 12 months, but possibly still filling out up to 2 years of age. Many Labs reach 12 to 14 years of age. Personality: In general, Labrador retrievers are excellent family dogs, as long as you keep in mind their need for exercise and training. These are dogs bred to work and work hard and they love to have jobs to do, particularly retrieving. Labs are usually good with other dogs, other pets, and children as long as training has toned down their natural exuberance. They are strong dogs and need some obedience training at an early age or they can be seen dragging their owners down the street at will. Owing to their energetic nature, Labradors who are left alone or not well exercised can become destructive — chewing, digging and barking to excess. The field line dogs are especially high-energy dogs, while some of the show line dogs become perfect couch potatoes at an early age. Chewing can be a problem because the strong retrieve urge gives them an oral fixation. Sturdy chew toys, exercise and training all help with this. Living With: Obviously, Labradors have a number of endearing traits or they would not be so popular. They are intelligent and fairly easy to train, partly from their desire to work with people. They are "easy keepers" and can become overweight if they are not exercised and food portions adjusted as needed. Labs are excellent family dogs because they do want to be with people and many do not do well as kennel dogs. Labradors do tend to be protective of their families and homes but are usually happy to greet company, too. With the strong retrieving instinct, they can develop into destructive chewers if not given appropriate toys and guidance. Labs may tend to "mouth" people and the solution is often simply to give them a toy to carry around, so their mouths are already full! These are very strong dogs and early training is necessary to have a dog that walks nicely on lead. The wonderful double coat that keeps the Labrador warm while retrieving in icy water also gives this breed top billing as shedders. Normally, their coats do fine with a quick weekly grooming, but at shedding time daily grooming is needed. The amount of exercise they need varies with the different lines: field line dogs can run all day, whereas show line dogs only need moderate exercise. History: Early in the s, some of the multipurpose dogs used in North America mostly Canada by hunters were shipped back to England. Many of these "water dogs" were of the Newfoundland type, but the smaller ones were often designated "St John's" dogs. In England, the breed was developed and refined probably with some flat-coated retriever input into the breed we recognize today. As is evidenced by their name, Labrador retrievers were bred and selected for their outstanding retrieving abilities, particularly in water. They have worked as partners with duck hunters in all kinds of weather and conditions. Their intelligence and desire to work as a partner with man has led to many other jobs, and to their current status as popular pets. Today, Labradors excel as service and guide dogs, family pets, scenting dogs for the military, customs and arson task force dogs, search and rescue dogs as well as hunting companions and performance dogs. The breed's good nature has propelled it to the number one ranking in popularity in America, a position it intends to keep. Despite their fame as indoor pets, they are even more at home outdoors. It should always be remembered that Labradors are water retrievers at heart and from early on, puppies show a strong desire to carry things around with them and a strong attraction to water, even puddles! Related Pet Care Articles. How does it feel to be a new puppy parent? You must be chuffed. Take a look at these first few articles. All the ingredients you need for a happy home. But for now, beside your bed is the best place for your puppy to sleep — it will help them feel safe. Puppies like their crates rather cave-like; we suggest covering it with a blanket to block out light, but keep the front open so that they can see outwards. Make sure to make it snug inside with something like a vet bed or a blanket, or why not take it up a notch with a heat pad or hot water bottle to recreate the feeling of their mother. Nothing feels more comforting than that. Before you head to bed, take your puppy out for one last round of loo-going. Set your bedtime at a later time too — midnight sounds about right. Come back calmly, and place your puppy in the crate and turn out the light. Stuff you should know about Sleep Training your Labrador Your puppy will wake up several times in the night and will need the toilet at least once! Be prepared for not-so-deep sleeps and tired mornings — just for the first few weeks. Having them sleep next to you is only temporary. Consistency is key! As for you, full nights of sleep will start getting closer and closer. Alone Training How can I teach my Labrador puppy to be ok on their own? Start by feeding your puppy in their crate during meal times. If they seem worried by you leaving, stay in view, and just pop right outside their confinement area. Keep it short and sweet: No need to stay away for long, 60 seconds tops will do for now. Repeat: Do this at least once a day to make progress go steady and smoothly. Socialisation Exercises To Do this week Letting your Labrador puppy explore the garden Besides the gnomes and questionable garden furniture you may have, letting your puppy explore your own garden is a great and safe way to start showing them the sounds, lights and wonders of the outside world. Exploring different surfaces exercise Make sure that the surfaces you use are safe — nothing too crazy just yet. Gather surfaces such as An oven tray with a small layer of water A piece of astro turf A carpet tile A large piece of tin foil, cardboard or something crinkly PRO TIP: Set up for this exercise in the room your puppy spends most of their time in — it will help them to feel safe and confident. Pop the surfaces out safely on the floor and allow your puppy to investigate them. Nobody has ever enjoyed walking on those. Remember to be patient! Lucky for you — teaching them their name is easy peasy. Say their name in a happy jolly tone and reward with a treat. Repeat five times, 5 and take a break. Practice this 2 or 3 times a day so they get the hang of it. Teach your puppy to sit Teaching your puppy how to sit is a popular one. The first two are far more common though. Keep using this word when they do the right thing, and then follow it up with a food reward. In puppy logic, stinky means yummy. How to do it Start at home; where there are no distractions. Just make sure to shut off Gogglebox in the background. Recall — How to teach our Labrador puppy to come back when called Your puppy already knows their name at this point, so this should be a walk in the park. How to do it Treats and a cheerful voice will be what works here. Do these exercises before meal times so your puppy is more motivated. Practice this 5 times a day and in 3 different places in your house and garden to get them used to coming to you in all settings. How to do it Show your puppy that you have their favourite toy, and start to get them excited about it. When they show interest, throw it a little bit away from you. They will likely follow it and pick it up. If they do, encourage them back to you with your voice, so remember to sound happy! Swap the toy for a treat or another toy and do the process again. Repeat this about 5 times. Instead create more distance and excitement sounds to get them to come to you — spaniels like to show off, so they will likely want to parade what they have! Always swap the toy for something when they have it, this could be a treat or another toy. Resource guarding occurs when we force puppies to give up items or snatch things out of their mouths. For breeds like Labradors who are designed to want to hold things in their mouths, this is pretty important! Resource guarding is when a dog protects a resource from being taken by someone else — dog or human. For some reason, there is a solid list of things puppies find irresistible: Socks. Dog domestic dog The Labrador Retriever, or simply Labrador, is a British breed of retriever gun dog. It was developed in the United Kingdom from fishing dogs imported from the colony of Newfoundland now a province of Canada , and was named after the Labrador region of that colony. It is among the most commonly kept dogs in several countries, particularly in the European world. The Labrador is friendly, energetic, and playful. It may also be trained as a guide or assistance dog , or for rescue or therapy work. Another early advocate of these Newfoundland fishing dogs was the 2nd Earl of Malmesbury , who bred them for their expertise in waterfowling. The dogs Buccleuch Avon and Buccleuch Ned, given by Malmesbury to Buccleuch, were mated with bitches carrying blood from those originally imported by the 5th Duke and the 10th Earl of Home. The offspring are the ancestors of all modern Labradors. John's water dogs bred by European settlers in Newfoundland were first introduced to Britain from ships trading between Canada and Poole in Dorset. These were then bred with British hunting dogs to create what became known as the Labrador Retriever. Early writers have confused the Labrador with the much larger Newfoundland and the Lesser Newfoundland , with Charles St. John even referring to the Lesser Newfoundland as the Newfoundland. Colonel Peter Hawker describes the first Labrador as being not larger than an English Pointer , more often black than other colours, long in its head and nose with a deep chest, fine legs, and short and smooth coat, and did not carry its tail as highly as the Newfoundland. John's breed of these dogs [6] [7] in the fifth edition of his book Introductions to Young Sportsman, published in .Black Chocolate There is a great deal of variety among Labradors. The following characteristics are typical of the conformation show bred bench-bred lines of this breed in the United States and are based on the American Kennel Club standard. Size: Labradors are a medium-large breed. They should be as long from the withers to the base of the tail as they are from the floor to the withers. The AKC standard includes an ideal weight for dogs of 25—36 kg 55—80 lb and for bitches as 25—32 kg 55—70 lb. The coat is water-resistant, so the dog does not get cold when taking to the water in the winter. That means that the dog naturally has a slightly dry, oily coat. Acceptable colours are black, yellow, and chocolate. The eyes should be kind and expressive. Appropriate eye colours are brown and hazel. The lining around the eyes should be black. The ears should hang close to the head and be set slightly above the eyes. Jaws: The jaws should be strong and powerful. The muzzle should be of medium length and should not be too tapered. The jaws should hang slightly and curve gracefully back. Body: The body should have a powerful and muscular build. The tail and coat are designated "distinctive [or distinguishing] features" of the Labrador by both the Kennel Club and AKC. If a dog carried wild type alleles at all three loci, the dog will have a yellow coat. If a dog has a loss-of-function mutation at MC1R, it will also have a yellow coat, regardless of their genotype at the other two loci. Within the breed, this trait is not visible. Show and field lines[ edit ] Head and muzzle appearance: field left , and show right , showing the shorter muzzle length, more solid appearance head, and "pronounced" stop of the latter As a result of specialised breeding, there are significant differences between field and trial-bred and show-bred lines of Labradors. In the United States, the former are sometimes mistakenly referred to as "American" and the latter as "English", in fact, both field and show types are bred in both countries and all Labrador Retrievers are descended from British lines. In this experiment, German Shepherds had the highest chance of not completing it. However, German Shepherds and Golden Retrievers had a higher success rate after going through longer training than the training required for Labrador Retrievers. For retrieving the Labrador Retriever has a soft mouth , a trait that allows it to carry game and waterfowl without damaging it. It continues in that role today, along with the Leonberger , Newfoundland and Golden Retriever dogs; they are used at the Italian School of Canine Lifeguard. During the Vietnam War they were used as scout dogs to track down dead or wounded soldiers or enemy positions. Notable issues related to health and well-being include inherited disorders and obesity most are missing all or parts of the appetite-regulating POMC gene. As of , it was widely considered the most popular breed in the world. However, a healthy six-month-old labrador will grow significantly in size. Some of them can weigh up to 50 pounds. For a more balanced diet at six months, you can shift from feeding your puppy three smaller meals per day to two meals a day. To counteract this, you can drop the amount of food and gradually increase it. Setting Your Lab Puppy Up for Successful Potty Training Training an animal to control their bladders until you get outside is no different than potty-training for toddlers. In other words, crate training speeds up the potty-training process for your pet. Effective crate training depends on two things: Praising and rewarding your puppy for relieving itself outside. They come to understand this as a desirable behavior. Preventing your puppy from going to the toilet within the home. So, why is using a crate to train your puppy to go outside so effective? Initially, this should be every hour or so. As labs grow older, you can reduce the frequency as they learn to hold and release independently. Step 2: House Training a Lab Puppy Housetraining or potty-training small labs can be, well, frustrating. As a pet owner, there are simple ways to train your puppy to understand ideal behavior quickly. Instead, they simply forget that they should control it. This helps avoid any issues early on. Keep small labrador puppies off the carpet. How to Feed Your Dog for Optimal Growth Feeding your labrador puppy a balanced diet could be an entire guide all on its own. It can feel overwhelming because you do have many options when it comes to feeding your dog. For example, if you work from home, it would be easy to feed your dog homemade dog food. Similarly, you might work a and yet want to reap the health-related benefits of a raw diet. Make sure to speak to your vet first. You do have choices for what to feed your puppy and you can mix and match these. Popular feeding options for any animal include kibble, wet food, raw food, and home-cooked food. Remember, a puppy is still growing, and they need a complete profile of nutrients and minerals to support their development. There are many commercial brands of dry food or kibble to choose from and you can adjust what you buy based on the ingredients. Do your research and find a brand you trust, with as much bioavailable nutritional content as is helpful. These can harm your puppy. In order to maintain good health and prevent simple ailments, your puppy can also benefit from taking a supplement. Some families choose to mix scraps or raw food with kibble to provide moisture and decrease the amount of food versus the calories consumed. Any veterinarian will tell you that a hard and fast rule is not necessarily the type of food but the amount. Obesity is a condition that can lead to many health issues for this breed. Over-exertion, especially for a puppy, is possible. This includes activities like playing fetch or tug and release. However, breeds that worked as a hunting companion for humans love to be active. Again, this goes back to the strengths of the breed. Keeping up with your puppy could be a task-and-a-half, so in the first months of life, you should be keeping them in your backyard or playing with them at home. As they become house trained and get all their vaccinations, you can turn walks into light jogs or runs if you want. In the long-term, exercise will help keep dogs healthy and disease-free. However, early dog training can eliminate common problems with puppy temperament and help make sure that your fur friend is always as friendly and happy as possible through the years. Puppy socialization simply means making your puppy open to and familiar with new experiences. You want to provide stimulation and encounters with experiences that they will probably face as adults. The window of opportunity to make sure your puppy is always a happy and friendly pooch closes around 14 weeks. Pre-Vaccination Lab Puppy Socialization Any veterinarian will tell you that a puppy is all done with their vaccinations after 12 weeks of age. The main point is to keep your puppy away from other dogs who may not yet be vaccinated or the excrement and markings of other animals that could carry data diseases. You can head to an off-leash dog park to allow them to explore and meet other fur friends. You can also take them beyond your backyard to the countryside to enable them to swim or set up obstacle courses and play with them. Another thing that people forget about is spaying or neutering their dogs. Spaying or neutering your dog could help with behavioral issues and can also reduce the onset of certain health conditions. At the same time, spaying or neutering a puppy too early may also lead to health issues. For many people, this is a worthwhile and even enjoyable trade-off. A happy, sociable dog is always the result of consistent training. Training your dog is a significant aspect of their early years. The different stages include: Get it — Using positive reinforcement, trainers will help your dog carry out actions without commands. Teach it — This stage harnesses the progress you made in the previous stages. Your dog now knows the word and the action that goes with it. Proof it — Proofing is where many people get stuck. Your dog will learn to listen and obey commands at this stage even when they are engaged in other things. Maintain it — Consistently using the techniques you learned to keep your dog following the same desirable behavior. All breeds of dogs respond best when you train them. Every labrador retriever relies on their human taking control and showing them how to respond in any situation. You can be sure that if you follow these tips that you will be taking proper care of your new puppy and will be able to make sure that your puppy will live a long and healthy life. Share on. Vocality level 4 in 5 Disclaimer: While the characteristics mentioned here may frequently represent this breed, dogs are individuals whose personalities and appearances will vary. Please consult the adoption organization for details on a specific pet. Temperament Few breeds so richly deserve their popularity as does the Labrador Retriever. When trained, the breed is obedient and amiable and tolerates the antics of children, other dogs, and other pets. The Lab is a calm house dog, playful yard dog, and intense field dog, all on the same day. Labs are eager to please, enjoys learning, and excel in obedience. It is a powerful breed that loves to swim and retrieve. Labradors need daily physical and mental challenges to keep occupied. A bored Lab can get into trouble! Upkeep Labradors are active and sociable dogs. They need daily exercise, preferably in the form of retrieving and swimming. Owners with swimming pools either must fence them out or be prepared to share the pool with dogs. The Lab coat sheds water easily. Weekly brushing is needed to remove dead hair. Health Major concerns: CHD, elbow dysplasia, OCD, obesity, patellar luxation Minor concerns: cataract, CPRA, hot spots, retinal dysplasia, hypothyroidism Occasionally seen: diabetes, entropion, distichiasis, tricuspid valve dysplasia, centronuclear myopathy, exercise-induced collapse Suggested tests: hip, elbow, eye, exercise-induced collapse DNA , centronuclear myopathy , knee Life span: 10—12 years History The original Labradors were all-purpose water dogs originating in Newfoundland, not Labrador. Not only did the breed not originate in Labrador, but it also was not originally called the Labrador Retriever. These dogs—medium-sized black dogs with close hair—not only retrieved game but also retrieved fish, pulled small fishing boats through icy water and helped the fisherman in any task involving swimming. Eventually, the breed died out in Newfoundland in large part because of a heavy dog tax. However, a core of Labradors had been taken to England in the early s, and it is from these dogs, along with crosses to other retrievers, that the breed continued. It was also in England that the breed earned its reputation as an extraordinary retriever of upland game. Initially, black labs were favored over yellow or chocolate colors. By the early s, the other colors had become more accepted. The popularity of this breed has grown steadily until the Labrador Retriever became the most popular breed in America in and remains so today. Related Content. Save to Pinterest The Stages of Puppy Growth and Development Month by Month The following are the stages of puppy growth and development, starting at birth and ending when your dog reaches adulthood. The Neonatal Stage 0 to 2 weeks This is the newborn puppy growth stage that lasts until two weeks of age. At this developmental stage, puppies are blind and deaf. Expect puppies at this point to sleep almost constantly and their mother will take care of everything, keeping them warm, feeding them, and keeping them clean. The Transitional Stage 2 to 4 weeks At this puppy growth stage , they will start to open up their eyes and respond to sounds, light, and movement around them. You will also notice a puppy at this point starting to get more mobile, although they will still tend to crawl instead of walking. They do, however, have enough strength to stand up, but will stumble a lot. A puppy in this developmental stage will just be starting to recognize their siblings and mother. Lab puppies open their eyes at about two weeks old. By this time, Labrador puppies will have their eyes fully open and most will be at least partly open. Ears open at this point too and your puppy will begin to hear. Period of Awakening of Senses 3 to 4 weeks At this period , a puppy develops various senses rapidly. They start to get fully alert and aware of their environment and may recognize you and other humans that are frequently around. The Socialization Period 4 to 7 Weeks Once a puppy is around four weeks old, they start to learn the most important things in life-related to social development. They will learn to not bite all the time and how to interact with their siblings. Interactions with humans are especially important between five and seven weeks. This is also the time they will start to understand discipline thanks to their mother. She will start weaning her puppies and teaching them manners, like acknowledging she is in charge. As the owner, you can start introducing food to your puppy when they are around four weeks old. Start small and begin to give them more food as the mother continues to wean them. You should also continue handling the puppy every day. However, be sure not to separate them from their siblings or mother for over ten minutes each day, since this can lead to issues with training and socialization. Dogs who are separated too soon may also be nervous and more likely to bark and bite. During this period, let the mother dog take care of discipline; you should not correct the dog for mouthing or housebreaking mistakes until later in life. To help ease them through this process, avoid traumatic events, loud voices, or harsh discipline. You should also make sure your pooch has plenty of human contact during this stage. If you want, you can start leash training and even teach simple commands such as sit, down, stay and come. In terms of development, you will notice that your puppy can sleep through the whole night and starts to develop better control of its bowels and bladder. Most vets suggest that new outings should wait until they are fully vaccinated. We rub the Calmeroos Puppy Toy on littermates and mom to get their scent. When we get home the Calmeroos Puppy Toy helps our puppy feel comfortable and adjust more quickly to his new environment. Many puppies will go to their new homes at around 8 weeks old. We recently put together a blog post on our sister site detailing what you can expect from an 8-week-old puppy. The Juvenile Stage 3 to 4 Months At this point in development, a puppy can be compared to a juvenile. They will be more independent and may ignore the basic commands that they know very well. If this happens, firmly and gently reinforce the commands and other training. You may also notice your pup starting to test your authority by play biting or similar actions. You can also redirect your dog to a toy that they can bite. Either can end up teaching your pooch that it is okay to fight with you and challenge your authority. The Ranking Period 3 to 6 Months When your puppy is between four and six months old, you should expect them to be somewhat bratty, showing more willfulness and independence. They are more likely to test your limits and may try to show dominance over children or other family members. If they fail to listen to you or come when called, it can be dangerous as it puts them at risk of injury when in public. It can also hurt future responses to you, making them less likely to listen. This is also when your dog will be teething, so give them toys like frozen dog Kong toys to relieve pressure and pain. Chewing behaviors will also start growing at this point so look for some safe chew toys to keep your dog entertained. This is when hormonal changes start to occur and is the ideal time to spay or neuter your pup. UC Davis published a study comparing the long-term health effects of neutering in Golden Retrievers and Labrador Retrievers. Adolescence 6 to 18 Months After six months, your pup is already in the final stage of puppy development but is still young. This is a fun and exciting time for your pooch since they will be learning, full of energy, and exuberant. During this time, it is important to remember that even if your puppy now looks like a grown-up dog, they are still a puppy, at least in its mental capacity and emotional maturity. Work to slowly increase training and other activities. You can even work on advanced training such as agility or herding. Another option is to simply keep training them to ensure they interact in a non-aggressive and non-threatening way with other animals. It is also possible that your dog will go through another fearful period of time at some point after they reach six months. You can speed up the process with counter-conditioning and desensitization. It fits very well and is quite apt! Final Thoughts With the knowledge of how and when your new puppy will develop, you are better able to meet their needs. Provide socialization at the appropriate times and be sure to give your puppy plenty of social interactions with their siblings as well as humans and any other pets in your home. Your dog should reach maturity at some point between one and two years old with plenty of variation based on breed, Labradors are considered mature at between 2 and 2. Helps ease anxiety in their new home. We love using Bully Sticks to help divert these unwanted behaviors. Check out more of our favorites on our New Puppy Checklist. Colby Colby Morita has been raising and training guide and service dog puppies for over 13 years. Colby has been writing to the PuppyInTraining.

They are also popular choices for families with allergies, as they do not shed as much as other breeds. Poodle Mixes come in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, and colors, making them one of the most popular hybrid dog breeds. While all Poodle Mixes share some common features, their individual personalities can vary widely. Some Poodle Mixes are confident and outgoing, while others are more reserved and shy. Some breeds tend to be independent thinkers, while others are more eager to please. The best way to determine what personality type is right for you is to meet with a local breeder or rescue organization that specializes in Poodle Mixes. Poodle Mix Puppy Health Considerations Though generally very happy and long-lived — with an average lifespan of around years — our Poodle Mixes for sale are not without their unique health concerns. Like every breed of dog, there are a few conditions you should be aware of before you consider purchasing one of our Poodle Mix puppies for sale. Understanding the risks allows you to know the signs and prevent small health concerns from turning into big ones. Of course, not all Poodle Mixes will develop these conditions, but it is important to be aware of them. Finding a Poodle Mix puppy for sale from a reputable breeder can also dramatically — although, not eliminate — the risk of your dog developing some of these conditions. Regardless of the type of Poodle Mix you have, there are a few things you need to know about coat care. First, regular brushing is essential to prevent mats and tangles. Finally, Poodle Mixes need to be groomed every weeks by a professional groomer. This includes a bath, brush out, trimming of the coat, and nail clipping. By following these simple coat care tips, you can help your Poodle Mix look and feel his best. Meet Poodle Mix Puppies for Sale. If a Mini Poodle Mix takes after their Mini Poodle parent, they will be a small dog that is affectionate, loving, and playful. Miniature Poodles are intelligent, sensitive dogs with cheerful dispositions. They tend to get along well with children, other pets, and other dogs. They even tend to be good with strangers as long as they have been properly socialized. They do tend to alert you of things, which can make them prone to barking. Working to train your dog to stop barking early on can keep this from becoming a nuisance behavior. If the other parent breed has similar traits, then you can expect a similar temperament from a Miniature Poodle Mix. You can also meet the mother in person to see what temperament she has and the behavior she is modeling for her puppies. The breeder should have started socialization and training. However, it is up to you to continue to train and socialize a puppy once you get them home to ensure they grow into a well-rounded dog. A Miniature Poodle is a highly adaptable dog that does well in apartments as well as larger homes and in most climates. Because they are so people-oriented, they do not like to be left alone for long periods of time. If the other parent breed is similar, then you can also expect a high adaptable Miniature Poodle Mix. The other breed in the mix is likely to have their own quirks, so you do still want to ask the breeder about them. Are mixed-breed dogs healthier than purebred dogs? Just as a mix can inherit none of the conditions common to their parent breeds, they could also inherit some combination of them or all of them. Make sure you ask about the health history of both of the parents. You can also ask about any health tests or clearances that have been done. Miniature Poodles tend to be intelligent dogs that are eager to please and easy to train. They tend to be a good fit for owners of all experience levels. As long as the other parent breed is also a good fit for all experience levels, then you can expect a Mini Poodle Mix to be highly trainable as well. If the other parent breed is more difficult to train, then you will want to prepare for that possibility in a Miniature Poodle Mix. A mixed-breed can inherit a coat similar to one of their parents or a coat that is some combination of them both. If a Miniature Poodle Mix inherits the Poodle coat, it will be low-shedding, require daily brushing, and require professional grooming every weeks. Once or twice monthly nail trims keeps them from growing too long. Weekly ear checks with careful cleanings as needed can help prevent ear infections. Brushing teeth daily or using an enzyme toothpaste every day in addition to cleanings at the vet as needed are ideal dental care for dogs. Although they are small, Miniature Poodles are high-energy dogs that require daily walks plus playtime and extra activity to be happy and healthy. If the other parent breed is also a high-energy breed, then you can expect a Mini Poodle Mix to also be a high-energy dog. If the other parent breed has a lower energy level, a Mini Poodle Mix could take after them, but you still want to be prepared for the potential of a high-energy dog. A Miniature Poodle is usually inches tall and weighs pounds. The other parent breed can have a big effect on this, especially if they are the mother, so you want to ask the breeder about them. Miniature Poodles generally live for years. Although the other parent breed may affect this slightly, you should be able to expect a similar life span in a Mini Poodle Mix. Featured Miniature Poodle Mix Article.