What have you known so far about Golden Shepherd? This article will be dealing with German Shepherd Golden retriever mix Dog breed information in the most precise and concise way possible; keep reading below to know more! Having a Golden Shepherd is something like two in one offer.
It is a fact that German Shepherd is rather ferocious when protecting their prized possessions or owners; in simple terms, German Shepherds often come into utility as guard dogs since they are intelligent enough to identify danger and just as vital to overcome such.
Golden Retrievers, on the other hand, are highly different, especially in terms of personality; unlike a German shepherd, Golden Retrievers can welcome strangers without becoming violent and are often known for their playful and energetic behaviour. Check out this article about Goberian (Golden Retriever Husky mix).
Origins
The Golden Shepherd (mix of German Shepherd and Golden Retriever) is a unique crossbreed result.
As the name suggests, the Golden Shepherd comes from the crossbreeding of a German Shepherd and a Golden Retriever, both of which have varying traits and physical aspects along with dietary needs.
In 2009, this crossbreed officially received recognition by International Designer Canine Registry and had been registered as a designer dog since then.
While any major Kennel Club does not recognize them yet, they are still considered some of the finest pets to have as they share the best and slightly bad parts of their respective parents.
Therefore, in most senses, the German Shepherd Golden Retriever mix is considered to be a unique luxury to have in tow.
Appearance
A Golden Shepherd’s appearance may often vary because they are crossbred from a German Shepherd and Golden Retriever, resulting in the genetic behaviour being somewhat unpredictable.
But in most cases, the German Shepherd Golden Retriever mix breed gets a combination of the smooth and silky fur from their Golden Retriever side parents and the thick double coat from both German Shepherd and the Golden Retriever.
The Golden Shepherd hybrid also borrows its rather big and muscular appearance from the German Shepherds, as they can appear somewhat intimidating to a new owner or a stranger.
The coat colour itself can range from varying colours such as brown, black, golden, yellow, tan or white. In essence, a specific appearance can’t be dictated for this breed as it can vary widely.
The Golden Shepherd also seems to have inherited the long and droopy ears from their Golden Retriever parent, almond-shaped eyes, and relatively firm nose.
Size
What about the size of the German Shepherd Golden Retriever mix? While Golden Shepherds may differ in size due to nourishment, slight changes and alike, you may expect a Golden Shepherd to be between 20-27 inches tall and weigh around 60-95 pounds.
The weight itself may depend more on their nutrition as treats such as Beef Jerky may cause them to gain weight if they are overfed.
Coat
The German Shepherd Golden Retriever mix, just as their parents, are known to have rather magnificent coating colours; the Golden Shepherds get the added benefit of inheriting both parents’ fur colours to combine them into something unique.
The Golden Shepherd also has a double coat; that is, they have an undercoat and an outer guard layer to keep them warm in the case of terribly cold weather.
While this a good thing, it does comes with the disadvantage of the crossbreed inheriting the shedding traits of both their parents, something that may give one of your family members, you or someone else a hard time as they will keep coming across dog hairs on their couches, beds or even food.
The best way one can deal with this problem is to try and groom their Golden Shepherds as much as possible, at least weekly; this will keep the shedding to a slight minimum and therefore keep the dog hair hidden from the sight of a newcomer or a somewhat irritable family member.
Remember to be more careful during the spring and fall seasons, as Golden Shepherds tend to shed more during these times.
Personality
This is the one place where Golden Shepherds shine; from being energetic and as happy and friendly as a Golden Retriever, they still have a fierce personality like that of a German shepherd.
This can often result in unpredictable behaviour from a Golden Shepherd and might be the cause of concern, specifically when a stranger is in a house where Golden Shepherds live.
To make things even better, the Golden Shepherds are known to be highly intelligent and may even surprise a new owner with their wit and fast learning of manners.
If you are the type to stay cooped up for extended periods while working on a PC, then a Golden Shepherd might not just be for you as they are some of the world’s most active creatures, and periods of doing nothing will aggravate them.
The German Shepherd Golden Retriever mix has a long history of parents working for the community’s welfare, such as the German Shepherd often working as a canine unit for either military or law agencies. In contrast, the Golden Retriever works for emotional support therapies, such as rescue dogs or helper dogs for disabled people, to make them safely cross roads and live comfortably.
Hence, Golden Shepherds essentially come with these traits magnified tenfold and may just as well be used for various purposes as their parents in the long term. Golden Shepherds also handle positive reinforcement well and may become more attached to you as you take them out for regular walks and reward them for good behaviour.
Giving them an exercise for an hour or two can also be a great way to keep them healthy and free from stress as they will be distracted by exercises such as agility.
Diet
A Golden Shepherd’s diet may vary according to how much they workout during the day and on what sort of activities they spend their energy on, one thing to remember is the fact that Golden Shepherds are particularly prone to gaining weight as soon as they start overfeeding on food or treats, hence it may be better to try and keep the diet as controlled as possible to keep your dog healthy and in a fit shape.
Otherwise, a Golden Shepherd’s dieting plan should be based mainly on large breeds of animals as they tend to have higher dietary needs thanks to their lineage to German Shepherds; hence it would be advisable to contact your animal veterinarian for an accurate diet chart for a Golden Shepherd.
Grooming
As mentioned above, it is essential to keep grooming your Golden Shepherd regularly as Golden Shepherd may shed a lot along with growing fur quickly with long nails. Washing your dog at least every two months can be more than enough instead of doing that in a week as this breed has weatherproof fur; if you are uncomfortable with grooming your dog, you may look for a dog groomer service. There are many breeds such as this.
You should also brush your dog’s teeth daily or weekly if you are too busy; the German Shepherd Golden Retriever mix is somewhat prone to wax buildup owing to their long and droopy ears. Hence it can be a good idea to regularly check the ears of this breed and clean them whenever possible.
Health
While a golden shepherd can remain relatively healthy if taken care of properly and given an appropriate diet without overfeeding, they still can remain prone to the diseases faced by other breeds of dogs along with their parents, such as:
- Hip and Elbow Dysplasia: Unfortunately, one of the most common disorders faced, especially by the German shepherd golden retriever mix, this condition results in the elbow or hip joint repeatedly popping out of its socket, resulting in an essentially thinning down of the bone until eventually causing mobility issues for the dog.
- Canine Bloat: As golden shepherds are rather energetic animals and may speedily consume food, it may result in the Gastric Dilatation Volvulus (Canine Bloat) occurring, which is when the stomach fills with gas, food or any other sort of air and makes the stomach expand painfully. This condition can be fatal if not treated in time.
- Atopic Dermatitis: The golden shepherd breed is most prone to this; the condition results in dogs developing allergies to food, medication or pollen along with insects.
- Von Willebrand’s Disease: This is another common but fatal condition commonly acquired by dogs of all breeds; symptoms can often manifest in a threatening manner which may include:
Bleeding from the mouth or nose takes far too long to stop, and blood is in the urine. Unfortunately, there is no cure for this condition yet, but a canine can live with it if they are taken care of properly by an owner.
And these are some health issues the German shepherd Golden Retriever mix may face in the long run if something goes wrong.
Golden Shepherd Mix is Loyal and Strong
Besides the above, the golden shepherd hybrids are often known for their undying loyalty and tough exterior, inheriting the rather aggressive behaviour toward strangers from their German shepherd parent, these won’t exactly give a warm welcome to a stranger. However, due to their mixed nature, they will still not attack a stranger outright unless they feel some threat from them.
Besides this, golden shepherds are often fun to play around with and can work exceptionally well with children, which can be a rather good sign for parents looking to get their kids to spend some time outside, which would be done by the golden Shepherd playing with them.
Golden Shepherd are Excellent at Protection
As a German Shepherd and a golden retriever mix, the golden shepherds are excellent at training and can learn techniques quickly owing to their intelligent nature. In this sense, they can act as an excellent guard or watchdogs; in the face of danger, the German shepherd golden retriever mix will not back down, no matter how intimidating the danger.
Caring for a Golden Shepherd
A golden shepherd, due to its highly energetic behaviour, may often require daily feeding of high protein foods such as 2-4 cups of dry kibble, beef jerky or raw chicken; make sure to keep watch on their weights as this breed has a relatively common tendency to become obese due to overfeeding and a little work of genetics.
Grooming is another part where this breed should be taken care of as they can often shed along and may require brushing every day or at least a week.
Aside from this, maintaining high morale for the German shepherd golden retriever mix can be equally important as they are known to fall into a rather depressive mood if left alone for long periods; this can be helped by taking them out for regular walks along with giving them toys to play around with if they are not having a walk in the park.
On the health side, this breed should be taken at least once or twice a week to an animal vet to ensure that they are healthy and not sick due to any medical disorder, along with crafting a good diet chart to keep the golden Shepherd healthy.
Conclusion
The German shepherd golden retriever mix is an excellent breed unique from others as they come from the world’s most popular dog breeds.
Suppose if you are looking for a fun fur buddy to play around with and get top-notch protection, t. In that case,e golden Shepherd will not disappoint you, do remember to take care of your hybrid pet as they are often energetic and may chase other animals out of excitement and might try to run off in the event of a female dog in heat.
Otherwise, you can be sure to rely on the golden Shepherd to keep you active company and be a guard against any outside danger.
