How To Take Care Of Your Beloved Golden Retriever: Diet And Training Tips

Golden Retrievers make for delightful pets. They’re playful, gentle, friendly, and good-looking. They’re easy to be around. Regardless of their sweet easy-going nature, it’s important to remember that these are high-energy dogs that need to be properly looked after with care and skill unique to their breed.  

Here are essential diet and training tips on how to take care of your pet Goldie. 

portrait of a golden retriever

A Meal Plan

Golden Retrievers like to eat. It’s very easy to get carried away by their enthusiasm and adorableness and constantly feed them treats. This might seem harmless, but the reason it’s recommended that you get into the habit of weighing your golden retriever is that golden retrievers are prone to being overweight. A condition that will cause or worsen joint problems, metabolic and digestive disorders, back pain, and heart disease. 

Instead, you must keep your golden retriever on a nutritious meal plan to avoid overfeeding. You should start by asking your veterinarian or the breeder or rescue for recommendations on the best meal plans. 

A good way to determine how much to feed your dog is to look at every dog food package, find your dog’s age and weight on the chart on the bag, and divide that amount of food by the number of times you would like to feed your dog each day. Generally, puppies under 6 months of age need to eat three times per day while older puppies and adults require feeding twice per day.

Remember to keep the treats at a minimum; a couple of dog biscuits or some dog jerky each day will do. Consider breaking up dog cookies into smaller pieces to use for training.

A Balanced Diet

Like humans and any other living creature, your golden retriever needs essential nutrients to thrive. The number of nutrients your pet will need depends on their height, age, level of activity, and other factors. 

Nonetheless here’s a guideline on what you need to check to make sure that the meal contains the balanced nutrients your pet needs.

  • Protein is an essential nutrient that helps your dog to repair and grow tissues, muscles, hair, hormones, etc. When you buy dog food, it should have at least a 30 percent protein content. Homemade foods should have protein sources like lambs, chicken, turkey, fish, beef, yogurts, and cooked eggs.
  • Carbohydrates double as sources of energy and glucose supply for optimal brain activity. Dog food should contain at least 35 percent of carbs. Carbohydrate food sources include whole wheat, brown rice, oats, and potatoes.
  • Fat gets a bad reputation. In truth, it’s a primary source of energy in the right quantities. Your dog’s meal should have between 12 to 18 percent of fat. Fats from food sources include meats and oils like cod liver oil, fish oils, olive oil, sunflower oils, and canola oils.
  • Minerals like calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, magnesium, zinc, and iron from food like beans, wheat bran, bone meal, molasses, etc are needed
  • Vitamins like vitamins A, B, C, D, E, and K found in food like spinach, carrots, liver, fish oil, eggs, etc

Water

A lack of water will have serious consequences. Dehydrated dogs are prone to illnesses, particularly if their body water content is less than 10 to 15 percent. They may even die. 

Keep your golden retriever hydrated throughout the day. Like diet, the correct amount of water is dependent on factors like size, activity level, weather, and food type (dogs that feed more on wet foods will consume less water than those who eat dry food). Generally, your pet should drink up to one ounce (30 ml) of water daily for each pound they weigh. 

Remember to keep the water bowl clean, changing the water in the bowl frequently enough that it’s always clean. 

Training

A major part of being a dog owner, especially to golden retrievers who are known for their energy and playfulness, is training and exercising your dog. 

Here are helpful training tips:

  • Experts recommend that training begins at a young age where possible (preferably 8 weeks). This way training is hardwired, which is a lot easier than rewriting over past learned behaviors.
  • A key training technique is to keep commands and rewards clear and consistent. 
  • Train your golden retriever regularly by making it a part of your daily routine. Younger dogs like puppies can handle only five to 10 minutes a day, but as your dog grows, so can your lessons.
  • Do not reward bad behavior. For example, if your dog likes to steal shoes for fun and you chase her in an attempt to get them back, you’ll only succeed in your dog seeing it as a game and having a fun time running from you. Instead, issue a “leave it” command.

Ensuring that you’re raising a happy, healthy golden retriever doesn’t have to be difficult. Simple steps like a meal plan, a diet filled with minerals and vitamins, and correct training go a long way. 

Krystal | Sunny Sweet Days
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