There is no doubt that Golden Retrievers are the best pet for any family. Further, the little puppies can be the perfect companion for you to make your house lively. So, you might also be thinking about breeding your pet. And for this, the healthy age to breed Golden Retrievers is essential to get active puppies.
So, at what age should you breed Golden Retrievers? Unlike humans, Golden Retrievers mature sexually at a very early age. But the best age to breed your dog is when their reproductive system is strong enough to carry puppies. Therefore, the best age to breed Golden Retrievers is when they are two years old and fully matured.
Owing to the insane popularity of these breeds with is a short time frame, many owners want to breed them to get cute furry puppies. Thus, if you are one of those owners planning to breed your pet, this article will give you all the information you might need.
Let’s start by understanding when will be Golden Retriever mature enough to breed.
When Do Golden Retrievers Get Mature To Breed?
Since the anatomy and body mechanisms of Golden Retrievers differ a lot from humans, these dogs mature sexually much younger than humans. And among them, the males tend to be mature much earlier than females.
So, male Golden Retrievers start mounting and searching for their partners at an early age of about five months. Meanwhile, the females take some time and need to get heat cycles to get sexually mature. Thus, female Golden Retrievers can breed to produce puppies only after six months.
Even though these breeds mature a little too young, breeding them too early isn’t a good idea. Furthermore, it might invite various breeding complications. Hence, be careful about the age when you need to breed Golden Retrievers.
However, before digging into the age for breeding, let’s know a little about the mating process in Golden Retrievers.
Mating Process Of Golden Retrievers
Generally, the mating process is a natural process in Golden Retrievers to continue its generation. Moreover, if your pet isn’t under birth control, it will have a higher urge for mating after it matures sexually.
Furthermore, in Golden Retrievers mating process comprise three stages. So, they are:
First Stage- Introduction Stage
In this phase, the dogs try to get familiar with their mating partner.
Usually, the mating partner smells each other to get familiar. Along with this, the male dog also licks the vulva of the female Retrievers in this phase. Furthermore, this a very crucial period where you need a lot of patience.
Sometimes, the dogs avoid mating. Thus, if your pal is also doing the same, you need to introduce it to its partner before mating. Besides this, there are some signs that the pet might show when it has no interest in mating. Such as:
- Females avoid males
- Aggression when other dogs are near
Second Stage- Mounting Phase
After the introduction, the heat cycle in female Golden Retrievers and the smell of heat in meals lead to a hormonal rush. Therefore, due to the outrageous explosion of hormones and uncontrollable urge to mate or find a partner, the dogs start mounting, barking, howling, or even whipping sometimes.
In addition, the female Retrievers start whining, moves back and forth, and become restless in this phase.
Third Stage- Crucial Tie Phase
As we can suspect from the name, this phase is the last and vital stage in the mating process. When Golden Retrievers find their perfect mating partner, they start connecting themselves.
Thus, the partners turn around, facing their back on each other. And after that, they make a copulatory tie from the genital areas for breeding.
Moreover, the tie phase determines the chances of breeding. So, if your female dog makes a perfect copulatory tie, its eggs can produce young puppies.
However, the strength and position of the tie are the problems of the mating process. Thus, you will find difficulty separating the copulatory tie with injuries in the genital areas after the mating process.
Although, I can’t assure you that mating at perfect age is very safe. Yet, it is undoubtedly true that mating at the right age saves your pal from several health issues and increases its lifespan.
Hence, if you want adorable and active puppies, you should better know the age to breed your pal.
At What Age Should You Breed Golden Retrievers? (Female)
As we know, Golden Retrievers get mature a little earlier. Thus, for the owners and breeding demanding younger buddies, the age to breed these dogs has always been a problem.
So, what might be the best age for Golden Retrievers to breed?
Moreover, the perfect age to breed Golden Retrievers to breed may vary according to their sex, breed type, health condition, and medical history. But when we talk about female Retrievers, they get sexually mature a little too late than the males. Besides this, to get strong enough to carry puppies, these dogs need to complete at least two to three heat cycles.
Furthermore, smaller dogs get heat cycles a little too early than the larger breeds. Hence, the perfect age for smaller dogs is a little earlier than others. However, for Golden Retrievers, the best age to breed is after they turn two years old.
But how to know that your pet reached the perfect age to breed?
Signs That Indicate Female Golden Retrievers Want To Breed
If you are looking forward to inviting some adorable puppies, you should consider the following signs to know that it’s for female Golden Retrievers to breed:
- Blood or pinkish discharge from the vagina
- Swollen vagina
- Holding the tail high
- Panting
- Flagging tail
- Exposing her rare end
What Is The Healthy Age For Golden Retrievers To Breed? (Male)
Unlike females, male Golden Retrievers mature much earlier. Thus, these breeding starts showing mating signs like mounting, barking, etc., at a very young age. But to break the copulatory tie with ease after mating, the males need to be mature and strong.
Besides this, mating requires immense energy and vigor. So, to cope up, male Golden Retrievers must be at least more than a year old.
Furthermore, male Retrievers become more fertile at the age of 12 to 15 months. Hence, to get healthy puppies, breeding them at this age is perfect. Along with this, you must check the genes and health status of the dogs before breed for healthier and active litter.
However, do you know how to tell your male Golden Retrievers want to breed?
Signs That Indicate Male Golden Retrievers Want To Breed
Although, the signs that indicate a male’s desire to mate are not as prominent as the heat cycle in males.
Yet, they still show some subtle signs when they want to breed. And they are:
- Mounting
- Anxious and restlessness
- Becomes needy
- Urinates more frequently
- Licking of genital areas
- Starts following females
- Barking
- Tries escaping from the house
Moreover, now you know about the best age for mating. Don’t you want to know why shouldn’t you breed Golden Retrievers at an early age?
Why Shouldn’t You Breed Golden Retrievers At An Early Age?
Breeding Golden Retrievers at a younger age is the worse idea if you are thinking of it. Although, your pet can get pregnant as early as five months of age. Yet, this doesn’t mean that breeding that early is beneficial for your pet.
Moreover, since most organs of these breeds are raw and fragile this early, your pal may face several complications if you breed them too young. So, some of the disadvantages of breeding these dogs too young are:
- Miscarriages
- Stillborn puppies
- Complications during delivery
- Prostate cancer
- Higher chances of hereditary health issues
- Decrease in the immune system
- Injuries due to copulatory ties
Furthermore, after finding the perfect age to breed and the complication of breeding, you might be thinking about the age limit to breed Golden Retrievers.
Or do these breeds have age limits after which they cannot breed?
How Old Is Too Old For Golden Retrievers To Breed?
Just like humans, the organs of Golden Retrievers get weaker with age, and their functions start declining. Along with this, the reproductive system becomes too weak to bear babies. So, there are many complications when you breed senior dogs.
Moreover, female Golden Retrievers don’t have menopause and are reproductive into old age too. But breeding these dogs after they are eight years old has a higher risk of health problems for both mother and the puppies.
In addition, the sperm count of males is low when they are old. So, they are lesser fertile. Besides this, the male Golden Retrievers need more energy to impregnate females after they are older than six-year. Hence, it is safer to stop your pal from mating after they are six years old.
Furthermore, to keep Golden Retrievers on the safer side, most kennels clubs don’t accept the application to register the puppies produced by the Golden Retrievers over eight years old.
How To Prepare Golden Retrievers For Breeding?
Breeding is a natural process to continue its existence for man and animals. So, mating or breeding should come as an instinct. But sometimes, breeding might freak out dogs.
Therefore, it is necessary to prepare Golden Retrievers for breeding. Thus, you must follow the following ideas:
- Give time for dogs to get familiar with their mating partner.
- Make the pet used to touch. For this, you can explore its mouth, limbs, nose, ears, and genitals with your hands.
- Ensure that your pal has enough training to sop your pal in your command.
- Give adequate exercise to produce healthy puppies from fit parents.
How To Know Golden Retrievers Are Pregnant?
Like humans, Golden Retrievers experience a lot of emotional and physical changes during pregnancy. And although, the signs of pregnancy in these breeds are prominent only after the later stage. But sill you can know your pet is pregnant from the early stage if you observe your pet.
However, the signs that indicate your Golden Retriever is pregnant are:
- Your friendly and enthusiastic pet becomes lesser active.
- Fatigue and restlessness are common.
- Morning sickness
- Change in eating habits (your pet loses its appetite at the early and later stage, while it starts getting hungrier in the intermediate stage of pregnancy.)
- Your pal’s behavior changes a lot. Thus, it starts becoming sad, isolated, depressed, anxious, and uncomfortable.
- The size of the nipples grows, and they start becoming darker.
- Weight gain
- Enlarged abdomen
- Starts nesting to make room for its young ones
However, some signs of pregnancy do contradict other health hazards. So, it is better to consult the Vet to confirm whether your pal is pregnant or not.
How Many Days Is A Golden Retriever Pregnant?
After you know that your Golden Retriever is pregnant, you might be counting the days to meet the adorable puppies. Aren’t you?
Generally, the gestational period of these dogs depends on the breed type, hereditary, health status, and history of the medical condition. But most commonly, Retrievers will be pregnant for about 63 days.
Furthermore, due to the lesser gestational period, you will notice a drastic change in your pal’s body structure and behavior in few weeks. So, don’t worry about it.
Besides this, it isn’t an issue if your pal gives birth to the puppies a week early or later than the gestational period as long as they are healthy.
However, do you think it is a good idea to breed a Golden Retriever?
Is It Good To Breed A Golden Retriever?
Moreover, due to the outrageous demand for Golden Retriever, many breeders and owners want to breed these dogs to produce young puppies.
And since the puppies are very friendly, it is a good idea to breed them. Besides this, the excellence of this breed in every field makes it worth the demand.
But like every other thing, Golden Retrievers also has a lot of cons that make the idea of breeding them questionable. However, some of the reasons why you shouldn’t breed these dogs are:
- Being a high-maintenance dog, Golden Retriever is expensive to care for and groom.
- These dogs have a shorter lifespan of only 10-12 years.
- They shed a lot of hair throughout the day.
- Golden Retrievers prefer moderate temperature. And thus, they can get cold easily below 10º.
- These dogs can be very needy sometimes. Hence, they will invade your personal space.
- You need to invest more time, money, and effort while parenting these breeds.
- Golden Retrievers are susceptible to health issues like cancer, heart disease, ear infections, eye disease, constipation, etc.
- Their thick skin coat needs a lot of grooming and care.
- Golden Retrievers can be very aggressive and destructive sometimes.
Thus, if you aren’t ready to adapt to these conditions, you shouldn’t breed your pal. Apart from this, some signs suggest that you should stop breeding these dogs.
So, are you familiar with those signs?
What Are The Signs Golden Retrievers Should Stop Breeding?
Undoubtedly, breeding can give adorable litters to your pet. But breeding isn’t always a good idea. And if you fail to realize when to stop breeding your pet, it might lead to various health issues and complications.
Thus, to ease out some of your tension, here are some signs that can tell you when to stop breeding your Golden Retriever:
- After your Golden Retriever produces six puppies in a single pregnancy
- Puppies are born with health issues like blindness, cancer, hip dysplasia, aortic stenosis, dilated cardiomyopathy, etc.
- When pregnancy becomes complicated and your pet suffers from diabetes, pyometra, multiple miscarriages, prolonged labor, etc.
- If your pal stops showing interest in matting
- When the puppies are stillborn or have some hereditary autoimmune disease
So, you must be cautious while breeding your Golden Retrievers.
Furthermore, you should be familiar with the safest way to mate and get puppies from your pal.
Hence, do you know how to breed your pet safely?
How Can You Make Golden Retrievers Safe While They Breed?
If you want to breed your pal despite the complications and drawbacks, it is better to do it safely. Therefore, here are few tips to make the breeding process safe:
- Take your Golden Retriever for a pre-breeding health checkup.
- Check the compatibility of the breed type and genes of the two dogs you decide to breed.
- Ensure that your pal is getting all the essential nutrients and food supplements. Also, give more emphasis on natural healthy foods as snacks.
- Wait until your pal is mature enough before breeding.
- It is safer to use diapers and panties to prevent unsupervised mating.
- Talk to the Vet and seek advice.
- It is better to conduct the mating process in professional supervision.
Moreover, I hope these ideas will help you while you breed your Golden Retriever.
Summing up, breeding dogs safely is not as easy as it seems. And thus, you need a lot of experience to master this like professionals. So, I suggest taking help from the professionals in each step once you decide to breed your pal.
Furthermore, puppies are more complicated to handle than adults. So, if you want to have puppies, be aware of the pros and cons. Once you bring them home, you hold a huge responsibility for their diet plan, exercise pattern, and healthy lifestyle. And a slight ignorance can be fatal.
Undoubtedly, their adorable temperament and contagious smile can steal your heart. But Golden Retriever puppies are more than their beautiful features. And only your hard work can give them a qualitative life. Always remember that.
However, I hope this article was informative.
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