What About Golden Retrievers? , livre ebook

What About? Golden Retrievers
Dan Rice, DVM
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Copyright 2004 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., New York, NY. All rights reserved
Howell Book House
Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published simultaneously in Canada
All photos Kent and Donna Dannen
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ISBN: 0-7645-4087-4
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
1 What Exactly Is a Golden Retriever?
2 How Does a Golden Retriever Behave?
3 How Will My Golden Retriever Grow and Develop?
4 How Healthy Are Golden Retrievers?
5 What Should My Golden Retriever Eat?
6 How Do I Groom a Golden Retriever?
7 What s Involved in Training a Golden Retriever?
8 What Kind of Exercise Does a Golden Retriever Need?
9 Where Should I Get My Golden Retriever?
10 How Do I Register My Golden Retriever?

How Can I Learn More?

Index

1 What Exactly Is a Golden Retriever?

What exactly is a Golden Retriever?

What are Golden Retrievers used for?

Why does my Golden love to swim?

How big do Goldens get?

How active are Goldens?

Are Goldens good watchdogs?

Do Goldens shed a lot?

What does a Golden need from me?

Why are Goldens so popular?

How long do Goldens live?

How long do Goldens stay puppies?

Why is there so much difference between a Golden show dog and a Golden pet?

Is there a difference between hunting Goldens and pet Goldens?

What are the top 10 reasons people want a Golden Retriever for a pet?

What are the top 10 reasons people give up their Golden Retriever after they ve acquired one?

What kinds of people will best be able to develop a Golden into a good pet?

What kinds of people will probably have difficulty managing a Golden Retriever as a pet?

Why shouldn t I want a Golden?
2 How Does a Golden Retriever Behave?

How do adult Golden Retrievers behave as pets?

What is typical Golden puppy behavior?

What is acceptable Golden behavior?

What is a Golden s attitude toward being a house dog and family pet?

How are Goldens with children?

How are Goldens with older people?

How are Goldens with people who aren t members of the family?

How are Goldens with other family pets?

Are Goldens aggressive toward other dogs?

Are Goldens aggressive with people?

Are there special behavior problems particular to Goldens?

What is the general temperament of Goldens?

Can my Golden live outdoors?

Can I safely leave my Golden home alone while I m at work?
3 How Will My Golden Retriever Grow and Develop?

What s unique about a Golden Retriever s physical development?

What s unique about a Golden Retriever s mental development?

How much canine socialization does a Golden puppy need?

How much human socialization does a Golden puppy need?

What can I expect from a developing young adult Golden?

Are adult Goldens always predictable?

At what age should I consider my Golden a senior citizen?
4 How Healthy Are Golden Retrievers?

How healthy are Goldens in general?

What do genetics have to do with a Golden s health?

What are some hereditary conditions that affect Golden Retrievers?

How common are allergies in Goldens?

How much will it cost per year to keep my Golden healthy?

How do I find a good veterinarian?

What vaccinations does my Golden need?

Do I have to spay or neuter my Golden?

What if I want my female Golden to have puppies or my male to be a father?

Do all dogs have worms?

Do I need to worry about fleas and ticks?

Why does my Golden scratch her ears all the time?

Why is my old Golden losing her hair on each hip and on her elbows?

What is heatstroke?
5 What Should My Golden Retriever Eat?

Why is my Golden s diet important?

What kind of diet does a Golden need to be healthy?

Do all adult Goldens have the same nutritional requirements?

Are puppies nutritional needs different?

Do seniors need a different diet?

What are all those special diets I see at the vet s office?

Which dog food should I buy?

Aren t all dog foods pretty much alike?

How do I interpret dog food labels?

How often should I feed my Golden?

Are Goldens big eaters?

Can I feed my Golden treats?

Can I feed my Golden table scraps?

Should I give my Golden leftover steak bones?
6 How Do I Groom a Golden Retriever?

What does grooming a Golden entail?

Why is grooming important?

What are the special characteristics of a Golden s coat?

What equipment do I need for grooming?

How much brushing and combing does my Golden need?

Do Goldens shed seasonally?

Does my Golden s hair need to be trimmed?

What are mats?

How often does my Golden need a bath?

Do I need to trim my Golden s nails?

Does a Golden need special ear care?

What if he has gunk in his eyes?

What are grass awns?

What are hotspots?

What about dental care?

Do anal sacs cause a problem in Goldens?

What are calluses?
7 What s Involved in Training a Golden Retriever?

How easy is it to train a Golden Retriever?

What is trainability ?

Why is it important to train my Golden?

What training does my Golden need to be a well-behaved pet?

How much time will I have to spend training my Golden Retriever?

What will happen to my Golden s behavior if I don t have time to train him regularly?

Do I need to hire a professional trainer?

Do I need to join a training class?

What is special about training a Golden?

What principles should I remember when I begin training my dog?

What is dominance training?

What is compulsion training?

What equipment do I need to train my Golden?

What about crates and ex-pens?

What s the best way to housebreak my Golden pup?

What is the Canine Good Citizen program?

Can I train my Golden to assist me with a disability?

What are therapy dogs?
8 What Kind of Exercise Does a Golden Retriever Need?

Do Golden Retrievers generally require a lot of exercise?

How much exercise does a Golden puppy need?

At what stage can I exercise my puppy outside the yard?

How much exercise should a young adult get?

How does exercise affect my Golden s physical development?

Does a senior Golden require much exercise?

What can happen if my Golden doesn t get the exercise she needs?

Can I let my dog run free during the day?

What if I don t have a fenced-in yard?

What s the best backyard exercise for a dog?

How can I exercise my Golden without a fenced yard?

How do I exercise my Golden s mind?

What if I want to get involved in tracking trials?

What about hunting with my dog?

What other canine sports can my Golden and I can participate in?
9 Where Should I Get My Golden Retriever?

Am I truly ready for a new puppy?

Should I buy my spouse a surprise puppy?

What is the best time of year to get a Golden?

Do I want a male or female?

Would I be happier with an older dog?

Is it easy to obtain a Golden Retriever?

What is a responsible breeder?

How do I find such a breeder?

What can I expect the breeder to ask me?

What do I need to ask the breeder?

What is a show-quality puppy?

What is a pet-quality puppy?

What is meant by form and function?

How soon can I take home my puppy?

What about the Internet or a pet shop?

Where do the puppies in pet shops come from?

Can I trust newspaper ads to find a good Golden pup?

I feel sorry for this sick puppy. Can I take him home and nurse him back to health?

What is Golden Retriever rescue?

Can a rescued Golden make a good pet?
10 How Do I Register My Golden Retriever?

What does it mean when a dog is registered?

What does registration guarantee?

What is the AKC?

What are a dog s papers and what do they cost?

What other registries are doing business in the United States?

What is a pedigree?

What is a title?

What about health guarantees?

Is there an average Golden Retriever price?

What contribute