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Breed guide · Dogs
He carries the same tennis ball on every walk. I carry his water.
Last updated 14 October 2026
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What they brought with them.
Tap a card to see what is going on.
At home
Guests get handed a slipper at the door, with great ceremony.
What's going onGoldens were bred to carry a bird back so gently it had no mark on it. Give them a toy that is theirs, and swap it for whatever they have taken.
At home
Half the beach comes home in their feathering after every walk.
What's going onTheir thick double coat was made for cold Highland rivers. In Dubai it holds on to heat, so brush them through several times a week and walk in the cool.
At home
One rustle and they are at your feet, sure that dinner never happened.
What's going onExtra weight strains hips and elbows that are already a risk. Weigh their food, and take treats out of the daily amount.
At home
Room to room all day, then flat out across the bathroom doorway.
What's going onGoldens were bred to spend the whole working day beside one person. A midday walk or a visit breaks up a long day alone.
At home
Tail going, ball in mouth, even on a day they feel unwell.
What's going onGoldens carry a higher cancer risk than most breeds. Run your hands over them once a week, and photograph any new lump to show your vet.
At home
Every guest is an old friend, and gets greeted by jumping up.
What's going onThe friendliness was bred in. The jumping is learned, so teach four feet on the floor while they are small. A grown Golden can knock a child over.
The bit nobody tells you.
Their day
Built for: The whole day outdoors, beside a person.
In Dubai: Often the day in a flat, until you get home.
Their water
Built for: Wading into cold Highland rivers.
In Dubai: Very little water they are allowed into.
Their coat
Built for: A thick coat for Scottish winters.
In Dubai: The same coat, in 45°C heat.
The stolen slippers, the teenage chaos and a lot of the heat trouble start in that gap.
A flat will never be a Highland river. What you can give them is a job, and the ten things below are how.
Your plan is built around their breed: the health risks for a Golden Retriever at every age, and the care that goes with each one.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Ten things that make their life better.
Food they find on the pavement adds calories you never counted.
Every age
Why
Food they find on the pavement adds calories you never counted.
What to do
Practise "leave it" every day, at home first and then outside. If someone else does the walking, give the walker the rules: the treats you hand over and nothing else.
Their thick double coat holds on to heat, and they will keep playing long after they should stop.
Every age, most of all puppies and from 7 years
Why
Their thick double coat holds on to heat, and they will keep playing long after they should stop.
What to do
From May to September, walk before sunrise and after dark. Put the back of your hand on the pavement for five seconds. If you cannot keep it there, they cannot walk on it. Keep games in the heat short, take water, and brush out their undercoat several times a week.
They were bred to work beside a person from first light. A long, empty day is where the chewed cushion comes from.
Every age, hardest from 6 months to 2 years
Why
They were bred to work beside a person from first light. A long, empty day is where the chewed cushion comes from.
What to do
If you are out for more than a few hours, arrange a midday walk, a visit or daycare. Leave a stuffed chew when you go. Keep leaving and coming home low-key. If they are distressed when you leave, contact your vet rather than trying to fix it at home.
A Golden grows into a big, strong dog who still thinks they are a puppy.
6 months to 2 years
Why
A Golden grows into a big, strong dog who still thinks they are a puppy.
What to do
From six months to two years, expect pulling, jumping and selective hearing. Reward four feet on the floor every time someone says hello. Two short training sessions a day, paid with part of their dinner.
In a breed with a higher cancer risk than most, a new lump is worth finding early.
Every age, most of all from 4 years
Why
In a breed with a higher cancer risk than most, a new lump is worth finding early.
What to do
Once a week, run your hands over their whole body, including under the feathering on their chest, legs and tail. Smell their ears, look between their toes, and note any new lump. Weigh them once a month.
They were bred to carry things. If you do not give them something, they will choose it themselves.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
They were bred to carry things. If you do not give them something, they will choose it themselves.
What to do
Keep a soft toy or a canvas dummy that is theirs, and hand it over when guests arrive or you come home. If they take a slipper, swap it for a treat. Do not chase them, because that makes it a game they win.
Retrieving is the job they were bred for, and they will not stop by themselves.
Every age, gentler from 7 years
Why
Retrieving is the job they were bred for, and they will not stop by themselves.
What to do
Five to ten throws, then stop. Ask for a sit and wait before you send them, and throw along the ground or into water rather than high in the air. Skip the ball launcher.
Extra weight strains their joints, and in Goldens it is linked to a higher cancer risk.
Every age
Why
Extra weight strains their joints, and in Goldens it is linked to a higher cancer risk.
What to do
Weigh their daily food on kitchen scales. Take treats out of that amount, not on top of it. Feed part of each meal by hand while you train, or from a slow feeder. A Body Condition Score (a check on whether they are the right weight) is in your plan at their puppy visits.
Swimming is the easiest exercise on their joints, and water left in their ears makes infections more likely.
Every age
Why
Swimming is the easiest exercise on their joints, and water left in their ears makes infections more likely.
What to do
Use any water they are allowed into. Show them the steps out of the pool every time, and never leave them near one alone. After every swim, dry inside their ear flaps, use the ear cleaner your vet gives you, and dry their coat right through to the skin. Monthly ear cleaning is in your plan from age two to four.
Hip and elbow problems are the first two health risks for a young Golden, and marble floors do not help.
Every age, evaluation before 2 years
Why
Hip and elbow problems are the first two health risks for a young Golden, and marble floors do not help.
What to do
Put rugs or runners where they turn and run. Lift them in and out of the car, or use a ramp. Keep stairs to a minimum while they are growing, and book their hip and elbow evaluation before they turn two.
Three of these are in your plan. The rest you can do at home.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Their health, at every age.
How old are they?
Their age
the first six months
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
6 months to 2 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
2 to 4 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
4 to 7 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
7 to 10 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
10 years and over
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Breed predispositions indicate an increased risk rather than certainty of disease. What is right for them always comes from their own history and an evaluation.
Before they come home.
Field or show line
Field lines come from Goldens bred to work as gundogs: lighter, busier and keen to be doing something. Show lines are bred for the show ring: usually heavier, with a fuller coat.
Colours
Goldens come in every shade of gold, from the palest cream to a deep, rich gold. The lightest are often called English cream or white Goldens. They are the same breed, just a lighter coat.
The first six months
Their full vaccination course, microchip and Dubai Municipality registration come first. A heart murmur can show up from puppyhood in this breed, so keep every visit, even when they seem perfectly well.
Puppy health, 0 to 6 months
Getting the flat ready
Put rugs or runners where they turn and run, and lift them in and out of the car, or use a ramp. Marble floors are hard on young hips and elbows.
Ten things that make their life better
Before you commit
Ask the breeder for both parents' hip and elbow scores, the x-ray grades of how well the joints fit. Hip and elbow problems are the first two health risks for a young Golden.
Before the clinics open
AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199. No payment now.
For a new puppy: First 30 days with a new puppy · Puppy vaccinations in the UAE · Heatstroke in dogs
When it is not behaviour.
They'll keep carrying that ball. If they drop it and won't pick it up again, tell your vet.
Before they were yours.
1868
The Golden Retriever was made on one estate. At Guisachan, Dudley Marjoribanks bred a yellow retriever called Nous to a Tweed Water Spaniel called Belle, and their puppies founded the breed.
What they still carryA soft mouth, a love of cold water, and a wish to work beside a person.
1911 to 1925
In 1911 the Kennel Club listed them as Yellow or Golden Retrievers, and in 1920 the name became Golden Retriever. The American Kennel Club followed in 1925.
What they still carryA gundog at heart, whichever line they come from.
The 20th century
Goldens moved from the shooting field into homes, and the breed split into lighter field lines and heavier show lines.
What they still carryA dog chosen for how easy they are to live with, and for a lot of coat.
2012 onwards
Owners and breeders kept losing their dogs to cancer. In 2012 the Morris Animal Foundation began following thousands of Goldens for life, to find out why.
What they still carryA breed with a higher cancer risk than most, which is why their body is worth knowing.
Today
In the UAE a Golden lives in a flat or a villa, carrying slippers instead of grouse.
What they still carryA dog bred to work in cold rivers, now in 45°C heat with very little water they are allowed into.
The ones you type at midnight.
If the Golden Retriever suits you, so might these.
Labrador RetrieverThe same kind of dog: a friendly retriever, with more energy, in a short coat that sheds just as much.
Flat-Coated RetrieverAnother gentle retriever, livelier and more vocal, in a flatter coat that sheds a little less.
Cavalier King Charles SpanielThe same gentle, people-loving temperament and quiet manner, in a small lap dog that fits on your knee.
American BulldogA similar size and the same need for cool-hour walks in summer, in a short coat that sheds far less.
