Why Do Golden Retrievers Hump Everything?

No one would mind if their Golden Retrievers only humped other dogs at the appropriate mating times. It’s how they reproduce, and if their level of discretion leaves something to be desired, well, dogs will be dogs. But some dogs aren’t very selective about the objects of their affections. They’ll try to hump arms, legs, teddy bears, sometimes even cats.

This type of indiscriminate humping isn’t about mating. Even a dog who is frenzied by hormones knows the difference between a receptive partner and someone’s leg. It’s not even about pleasure, although that may play a role. dogs mainly hump because they’re trying to assert themselves. The longer they get away with it, the more powerful they feel.

Humping usually starts during a Golden Retriever’s adolescence - between 6 months old and 2 years old - depending on the breed. This is the time when reproductive hormones are starting to reach adult levels, and some dogs go a little bit crazy. And dogs are always trying to prove that they’re tougher than the next guy. Some do it by humping. Others do it by putting their feet on another dog’s back. They reach sexual maturity before they reach emotional maturity

Humping is not strictly a male behavior, although males are the worst offenders. Unlike females, whose hormones ebb and flow with their reproductive cycles, males maintain fairly steady hormone levels all the time. The hormones themselves don’t cause humping, but they make dogs more likely to do it. That’s why neutering or spaying is the best way to reduce or eliminate this unpleasant behavior.

There’s another reason that males are more likely than females to latch on to human legs, one that has nothing to do with reproductive urges. Males are just more competitive. They’re always trying to prove (to people as well as to other dogs) how big and tough and independent they are. Humping is just one way in which they push the boundaries and assert their dominance within a family.

Watch a litter of puppies at play, and you’ll see that they spend quite a bit of time climbing on top of each other. The more assertive dogs may take advantage of their position and throw in a little humping. It’s their way of saying that they are, quite literally, top dogs. They hump to show their dominance more than for any other reason.

Once Golden Retrievers are out of the litter and living with people, the same instinct remains. Human legs don’t have special appeal, but they’re accessible and easy to wrap paws around. In the wild, dogs never mount dogs who are higher in rank than they are. The only time that a dog tries this with people is when there’s some confusion in his mind about who’s in charge and who isn’t.

Why Do Golden Retriever’s Pant?

Unlike horses, Golden Retrievers do not sweat through the skin; they sweat through the tongue and nose, so that when a dog is panting, he is not necessarily thirsty. He is just sweating. Naturally if exertion makes a dog pant for long, he loses fluid, which he will have to replace by drinking water. Panting does not necessarily mean thirst, but a thirsty dog will pant.

Excessive panting may indicate distress, and dogs should be taken into a shady or cool place or they may get a heatstroke. It is not unknown for dogs to die at shows in hot weather from heatstroke. If a stroke is threatened, immediately put cold compresses to the dog’s head or, if the temperature is extremely high, immerse the dog in cold water until the temperature is reduced to about 103, which is fairly safe for a dog. Of course the animal must be dried off, or chill may result. If the animal has not lost consciousness, cool drinks are invaluable. Shutting Golden Retrievers in cars with the windows closed is one cause of heatstroke. Only thoughtless owners would do such a thing.

Why City-Living Can Be Dangerous For YourGolden Retriever

For Golden Retrievers that are living in the city with you, you should be weary of a few setbacks. For example, noise pollution is actually more of a problem to dogs than air pollution. Honking horns, sirens, airplanes, sonic booms, and crowd noises all take their toll on the city Golden. Use the same precautions for your dog you would take for yourself. Avoid walking past construction projects if you cam avoid it, because loud sudden machinery noises can make even the best-trained dog break heel and dart away.

Narrow, thin alleys, or precarious, temporary construction crossings can be a problem. Remember, not all dogs are of the caliber of Seeing Eye dogs, which are able to cope with city stress because they are genetically and educationally prepared. When you must traverse an area where noise is deafening, hold the dog near to you on the leash, and cup one hand around the dog’s neck until the noise dies down or you pass out of its range. This comforting body contact can help the dog cope with the noise more easily.

Golden Retrievers should not be allowed to run free in city parks unless they are completely controllable. In some cities the law may forbid off-lead dogs altogether. Even city parks can be a stress for the dog and can provoke strange behavioral reactions. For instance, never allow the dog to run free with strange children. Don’t allow noisy children to crowd around your dog. Groups of screaming children have often triggered biting incidents or encouraged playful dogs to jump up. A child who is jumped on in play, and then falls and screams, can be perceived as prey by a dog, with occasionally tragic results.

The city Golden Retriever needs to be able to deal with an incredible array of strangers each day. Many humans in cities simply go on “automatic pilot” and pass strangers without seeing particular faces. This ability to screen out distractions is more difficult for dogs to acquire. The dog remains interested, in a positive or negative way, in practically every human and dog it passes. Pedestrians may react in a variety of ways, from fear, to over-effusive affection, to outright disdain or hostility. There is simply no way to predict the variety of reactions, so the best approach is to expose your dog to all possibilities in a structured training session.

Accustom your Golden to being approached, petted, and also possibly rebuffed. A leadership role by the master, and heeling practice, can help rivet the dog to its owner, but remember that heeling is always more difficult in the city. There are simply more distractions, more opportunities to lag behind and investigate or to lunge ahead. If you follow proper heeling methods and are sure to train your dog to heel by using distractions in your training sessions (traffic, other dogs, working in crowds), your dog should be controllable and able to meet any situation on the street.

Why A Golden Retriever’s Keen Sense Of Smell Can Cause Them To Have Behavioral Problems

The Golden Retrievers keen sense of smell may be involved in more problems than we realize. The odor of their owners is extremely important to most dogs when they cannot identify them by sight or the sound of their voices. Most dogs, even puppies, seem to strive for a whiff of the breath of people when greeting them, which can account for much of the jumping up that occurs.

Other problems that may have olfactory origins appear to be tied to discrimination difficulties. There have been several cases in which the dog, male or female, has begun to avoid or growl at familiar young girls during their first menstrual cycle. These dogs have responded well when the parents and youngsters “talked jolly,” bounced a ball for playtime, etc.

For example, the residual odor of a certain perfumed soap caused one young male dog persistently to mount a family’s 2-year-old child. When the soap was changed, the mounting ceased. Because of olfactory sensitivities, I use only unscented laundry and bath soaps, and refrain from other perfumed lotions or hair sprays to avoid the possibility of “smelling like” my clients.

Learn How To Take Your Golden Retriever’s Temperature, Read His Pulse, & Collect Potty Samples

As your Golden Retriever’s constant companion, you are probably very attuned to fluctuations in his behavior. If you observe that your dog seems more sluggish or less comfortable than normal, take a careful look at him. Does your dog have a runny nose? A cough? Is his appetite normal? Does he have diarrhea? Is he drooling excessively? Is he whining? These are all examples of warning signs that may accompany an illness and you may have to do some minor investigating. Here are some tips:

How To Take Your dog’s Temperature: If your Golden Retriever seems sluggish, has a hot, dry nose, dull eyes, and/or feels warm, he may have a fever. The only reliable way to take your dog’s temperature is with a rectal thermometer. Shake down the thermometer and grease it well with petroleum jelly.

Not many dogs will stand still while you insert a thermometer into their rectum, so it is best to get someone to help you. If no help is available, make your dog lie down on his side and hold him as best you can, all the while talking to him soothingly. Lift his tail and gently push the thermometer in with a twisting motion. Insert the thermometer from one to three inches, depending on the size of your dog. Hold the thermometer in place for at least two minutes.

Remove it, wipe it clean, and determine the temperature by the height of the silver column of mercury on the thermometer scale. A temperature of 100.5 degrees to 102 degrees is normal. A temperature above 102.5 or below 100.0 is cause for concern, and merits a call to your veterinarian. Do not let go of the dog or of the thermometer. You do not want to risk having the thermometer break in the dog’s rectum. If the thermometer does break off, do not attempt to find and extract the broken end. Give the dog one to two teaspoonfuls of mineral oil and call your veterinarian.

How To Take Your dog’s Pulse: The most reliable way of taking your Retriever’s pulse is to locate the femoral artery. Your dog can either be standing or can be lying on his back for this. Put your fingers inside your dog’s groin, where the leg joins the trunk. Feel around until you detect a pulse. Another method is to press against the rib cage over the heart while your dog is standing. You should be able to detect a pulse just below the elbow joint.

Count how many beats there are in a fifteen-second period, and then multiply that number by four. The normal range is wide - anywhere from 70 to 130 beats per minute. Smaller breeds
and puppies usually tend toward faster pulse rates, while larger breeds and healthy dogs who get plenty of exercise often have a slower pulse.

Collecting Urine Samples: For male dogs, use a wide-mouthed jar. When your male dog lifts his leg to urinate during a walk, reach down gently and collect about a quarter cup of urine. For a female Golden, place a flat pan under her when she squats to urinate.

Collecting Stool Samples: Stool samples are used to determine the presence of intestinal parasites. A sample is often requested as part of your dog’s routine examination. Try to collect as fresh a sample as possible and place it in a plastic bag. If you are taking it from outside, avoid soil; organisms on the ground could make their way into your Golden Retriever’s fecal material, resulting in an inaccurate reading.

Learn How To Hand Feed & Ween Your Golden Retriever Puppies In Case The Mother Gets Sick

The mother of a Golden Retriever litter may become ill, develop an infection dangerous to her puppies, have toxic milk or no milk at all, or just be unable to handle so many puppies. In those situations, it is ideal to have a foster mother care for your needy pups. If your veterinarian cannot suggest a foster mother, however, you will have to take over the nursing responsibilities. This includes hand-feeding, cleaning away the urine and feces from especially young pups, and ensuring that the litter stays warm.

Your veterinarian can suggest the most appropriate feeding formula for your litter. Be sure to prepare a fresh formula every day and to store it in the refrigerator. When you are ready to
feed it to the puppies, heat it up so it is warm to the touch.

Weigh your golden retriever puppy on a daily basis not only to be sure that she is maintaining healthy weight gain, but also to figure out how much food is nutritionally sound for her. Also monitor pups’ food intake to determine when you should feed them. If a puppy has a very small appetite or is weak, you may want to feed her less food more frequently. A puppy with a robust appetite, on the other hand, can have larger amounts of food fewer times a day.

Avoid feeding your puppy with an eyedropper as you could unintentionally force milk into her lungs and cause pneumonia. The best feeding container is a bottle: a regular baby bottle, a doll bottle, or a bottle purchased from a pet store or your veterinarian. Before feeding your puppies, be sure your bottle and your hands are clean and that the fluid flows easily. Enlarge the hole on the nipple if necessary by inserting a boiled, sterilized needle into it.

You may want to place the puppy on a table or on your lap, facing forward, when you are ready to feed her. Elevate the puppy slightly by placing your hand or a small towel under her front legs. Gently wedge the nipple of the bottle into the puppy’s mouth and over the tip of the tongue. Hold the bottle at about a forty-five degree angle and allow the formula to run slowly into the puppy’s mouth. The puppy may want to “knead” as she would on her mother’s teat to stimulate its milk production, so allow her front legs to move freely.

Unsuccessful feeding is a danger to a young golden retriever puppy, especially if she is weak or small. Try dabbing a spot of milk on the puppy’s lips, right at the opening of the mouth. Sometimes this will stimulate a poor appetite. If this method fails, do not force the puppy to eat. Consult your veterinarian, who will feed the puppy by inserting a long tube into her belly. The veterinarian may show you how to do this at home, but it is a delicate procedure and you should be thoroughly familiar with it before you attempt it.

After successful hand-feeding, two important procedures must follow. First, hold the puppy up to your shoulder and pat her back. Burping the puppy much like you would a human baby can release excess air that was swallowed during feeding. After burping, you need to encourage the puppy to go to the bathroom. The canine mother would do this by licking the abdomen and anal area. You should do this by rubbing a cotton ball or towel moistened with warmed water over these areas. You may also use this procedure to clean the puppy, wiping away any milk, urine, or feces that may be on her fur.