Puppy Preparation and Care

This page covers most of the questions you might have on puppy preparation and care.

How do I travel with my puppy?

See our page on Travel With Puppies.

How do I exercise my puppy?

See our page on Exercising Your Puppy.

How do I best protect my puppy’s growing joints?

See our page on Preventing Hip and Elbow Dysplasia.

What kind of vaccines do you recommend?

See our page on vaccines. There is a PDF version that you can click on for easier copying.

How do I manage having a girl in season?

Having a girl in season is much easier than most people envision and there will only be one season to deal with. The reward is a longer life for your dog with less chance of cancer and hip dysplasia.

Most Goldens from European lines have their first cycles somewhere between 10 and 15 months of age. The first sign of heat is a small bloody discharge. Many dogs will keep themselves clean. Others may leave tiny drops of blood. Doggy diapers are easy to find and protect floors. Even if your dog comes in season before you realize it, the blood doesn’t stain hardwood or tile even if left for a full day. The heat will last about 2 1/2 to 3 weeks with the fertile period not coming for at least 5 or 6 days (usually closer to 10-12 days). During the fertile period, you’ll need to keep your dog inside 100% of the time unless you are out with her. We feel that this is a minor inconvenience lasting 18-21 days and is a small sacrifice to give a dog a longer, healthier life.

What about an un-neutered boy? I’ve heard that they are more prone to fight and have behavior problems?

Well bred Golden Retrievers are not aggressive dogs by nature. I take my boys out quite a lot around other dogs and at shows sometimes there are girls in season. My boys have on occasion been growled at by other unneutered boys, but they’ve never retaliated. They don’t cower either…..just walk away. It has never been any problem for me whatsoever.

Boys who are neutered before growth plates close at about 18 months will be affected by their lack of testosterone. They will grow lankier than they are genetically supposed to grow and their heads will not fill out as much as an unneutered dog. However, the real reason we require families to wait is not for cosmetic reasons. It is for the health benefits….longer life expectancy….lower chances of hips dysplasia….lower chances of cancer.