Mini Golden Retriever: History, Appearance, Health & Price
A dog is one of the most amazing and faithful creatures on Earth. But finding a perfect according to our specific situation is a challenging task. Some dogs are very big, some have aggressive behavior and some are just too little. What’s the way out?
A mini Golden Retriever is a small to medium-sized dog that is affectionate, loyal, cuddling, and smart dog. The dog is suitable for even families that have small kids. It has such a calm temperament that you can trust the dog in almost every situation. Want to read more? Let’s discuss each trait of the said dog one by one!
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Important Aspects
History of the Dog
A mini Golden Retriever, a designer dog, was conceived by Kathy Burgess in 2003. Golden Retriever, ranks 3rd as per AKC standings, and the Poodle was cross-bred to achieve comfort retrievers. Her ultimate objective was to get all the amazing traits of the Golden Retriever in the form of a small dog.
Nowadays a lot of dogs of said breed are achieved by crossing the Retriever with Cocker Spaniel or miniature Poodle. Why they are chosen? Well! They are selected due to their enormous intelligence, and friendly and playful behavior. You may hear about the crossing of the Retriever with other small dogs apart from those already mentioned, but that isn’t widely accepted.
Usually, the said dog faces just a few health issues, but breeding with different variations causes serious health issues. Said practices aren’t followed by good dog breeders. Overall, the pet is known for its loyal and loving nature in a small-pack version.
Appearance of the Dog
They look exactly like one of the ancestors, the Golden Retriever, but just in a small size. Their fur has white or golden colors. You may see rust or dark bronze color. You will see a lot of variation in their hair type. For example, their hair can be straight, curly, silky, or even wavy. Depending on the inheritance, their hair structure changes.
Size of the mini Golden Retriever
Due to mixed breed, their sizes aren’t fixed but one thing is sure they aren’t big dogs. Their average height is 14 to 20 inches and their weight is between 20 and 45 pounds. If you’re looking for a small-to-medium-size dog that is smaller than a standard Golden Retriever and bigger than a toy or teacup dog, then the said dog is perfect.
Coat Type Variations
Their coat type varies from straight to curly and you may see them in wavy coat type as well. Why is it so? The coat’ variation depends on whether you’ve cross-bred with the Poodle or the Cocker Spaniel. The chances of getting single or double are equally possible and a pure matter of inheritance.
Temperament of the Mini Golden Retrievers
They are exceptionally lovable and highly demanding due to their stable, calm, and loving temperament. Whether they’re dealing with family members, children, or other pets they are always a good and enjoyable company. Like Mini Goldendoodle and Snickerdoodle, they love to spend time with their owners outside the house and even then can sit with them for hours.
The breed is active, courtesy of the Golden Retriever, and intelligent, courtesy of the Poodle. The said dog is recommended for people who are looking for a loving, faithful, calm as well as an active dog at the same time. Said dog is the best choice!
Are They Affectionate?
They are 100% affectionate dogs without any ifs and buts. How? The pet will sit on your lap, cuddle, and spend a complete evening with you calmly. If you’re in the mood to play outside with your lovely pet then it’s available. What about simply staying close? You can trust them as they will accompany you!
Behavior With Kids
The dog protects, plays, and remains calm whenever they spend time with the children. What else do you want? Kids can easily handle them compared to big dogs due to their smaller size. Your kids are completely secure with the said dog until they treat the dog well and don’t tease them.
Behavior With Other Animals
Usually, mini Golden Retrievers don’t have preying instincts and aggressive behavior. So, they accept other animals very easily. Dogs, cats, and birds become their friends due to mutual respect and playful nature. If you are more concerned about your birds and cats to avoid any unforeseen incident, then introduce them to your adorable dog.
Are They Aggressive Dogs?
No, they have never been known as aggressive dogs rather they are calm and cool. They rarely tease other animals by preying as they are mostly eager to learn new things and adapt to any kind of situation without any resistance. Their non-aggressive behavior makes them ideal for families looking for the said temperament dog.
Do They Bark A lot?
No, they don’t have a regular habit of barking. As they are calm and patient they accept things in their format and structure. You may sometimes listen to their barking and that would be because of two main reasons.
Firstly, they can bark when they’re super excited and want to share something crazy with you. Secondly, when they feel or sense any kind of danger. In both cases, you can train the said dog and it will slowly eradicate the habit of barking at irregular times.
Are They Intelligent Dogs?
The said dog is an intelligent and smart one. How? It’s easy to train the said pet, like a white or black Goldendoodle, as it will understand and implement your orders and instructions without any goof reaction. Secondly, it will remain attentive throughout the session and you will be able to understand how much information your lovely pet will absorb.
Handling an intelligent can become tricky at times. The intelligent dog can easily solve difficult puzzles and even manipulate the instruction. But remain relaxed as the mini Golden Retriever is a small size and generally a stable temperament dog, so it uses its intelligence in doing positive things.
Are They Easy to Train?
Yes, they’re very easy to train and teach. You can teach them to do almost anything from where to sit, when to start and stop playing, and how to behave with strangers and other pets. They are lovely at training.
They mostly stay close to humans and follow their owners. They are so easy to train that even new dog owners, who haven’t kept any dog previously, can adopt them freely. Remember that excessive and wrong orders can make them stubborn so you need to maintain your patience, especially while training them.
Energy Level of the Dog
Said dog is energetic and active and loves to spend maximum time playing and having fun. At least 20 to 30 minutes of exercise or walking is required so that your dog remains comfortable and relaxed. If the dog is deprived of thrill and exercise sessions, then it can suffer from boredom and destructive behavior.
Are They Suitable For Apartments?
Yes, they accurately and easily adjust in small-to-medium-size apartments. They just need a small amount of space to live, play, and roam around. They don’t take much space like other spaces when they’re moving from one room to another. If you provide them with toys and some indoor facilities, they’ll be more than happy.
Are They Good as Protective or Watchdogs?
No, they’re not suitable for assigning the role of watchdog. Why? Firstly, they are social dogs and occasionally threaten any stranger so any intruder can easily handle them. Secondly, it isn’t in their genes to bike round the clock so hardly they will alert you of any suspicious thing. Therefore, try to never use them for such type of serious protective tasks.
Is the Dog Suitable As a Service or Therapy Dog?
A big or full-size Golden Retriever is perfectly suitable for service or therapy sessions, however, their smaller size hinders them from suiting perfectly. But still, they can guide disabled people. Their affectionate and loving nature allows people to cuddle with them and forget their worries. You can use them if you can’t afford the Golden Retriever.
Care and Maintenance of the Dog
No heavy expenses are required for caring for the dog as they are easy to groom and take care of. 2 times good food in a day, brushing 2 to 3 times a week, and occasional bathing are good enough as basic care ingredients for the said dog.
As they are active dogs, they need rigorous mental and physical stimulation. Take them outside for a walk of 20 to 30 minutes 2 to 3 times a day. Taking them to a nearby park once or twice a week is also very useful, especially for their socialization experience. Give them a dedicated time to play and socialize with kids and other pets.
Though there isn’t any regular requirement to take your dog to a professional groomer consulting once in every quarter is useful. But don’t lag in bringing your astonishing Mini Golden Retriever to the local veteran for better health of the dog. 10 to 15 minutes of exercise time will also make your dog more strong and positive.
How much Grooming is Required?
If we compare them with some other dogs, then they are low-grooming dogs. The following tasks are sufficient:
How Much It Sheds?
Generally, they shed very low compared to other dogs. However, the shedding is directly caused by the coat type. For example, the double-coat pet will shed less than the single-coat one. Why is it so? Well! There are various variations of the said dog and that’s the reason they aren’t accepted by the AKC yet. So, expect shedding as per the coat of the dog.
What Should They Eat?
The high-protein diet is perfectly suitable for the said dog. A good diet keeps them physically and mentally healthy and strong. Do you know that they can eat eggshells as well? 2 times meals containing 1.5 to 2.5 cups of dry food is good enough.
Health Care and Mitigation Measures
The said dog usually suffers from the following common problems:
Most of the issues can easily be tackled by regular exercise and a good diet. Overexercise can cause serious pain in muscles, bones, and joints and lack of exercise will cause depression, boredom, and bloating. So, pay special attention to the balanced diet and exercise of your lovely pet.
For other diseases, make sure that they remain clean and even rest in an entirely clean place. Regularly monitor the behavior of your dog, especially its movement whether it lingers or not. Consult the veteran when you think that the disease can potentially harm your amazing pet.
How long do they Live?
They usually live for 10 to 15 years, whereas the full grown Golden Retrievers lives an average life of 10 to 12 year. Why is it so? Because smaller dogs mostly live more years than their larger size counterpart dogs. A comfortable environment, balanced diet, exercise, and regular care help in increasing the probability of a healthy and long life.
How much do They Cost?
You will find a good and healthy mini Golden Retriever for around $2000. They are somewhat expensive due to designer dogs, a lot of variations, loving behavior, and inherited dogs of the Golden Retriever and Poodle. Usually, their prices fluctuate between $1500 to $5000.
Are Mini Golden Retrievers purebred?
No, they’re not purebred dogs rather they are designer dogs as the result of crossing between the Golden Retriever and any of the Cocker Spaniel, Poodle, or some other small size dog. So, you will see a lot of different traits and variations between the same breed which makes it highly demanding and adorable.
Are They Suitable For New or First-Time Dog Owners?
Yes, a mini Golden Retriever is perfectly suitable for first-time dog owners. Here are some reasons why new dog owners can handle them easily:
Is the Mini Golden Retriever Right for Me?
The dog is suitable for almost every situation. But if want to be more specific then you can adopt the dog if the following conditions are met:
But when you shouldn’t adopt the said dog?