The Golden Retriever

Golden Retrievers are well known for their gentle, affectionate natures, making them a popular breed for families. They are intelligent, easy to train and boast lively, energetic personalities which are perfect for active homes. Classed as a large breed of dog, the diet of a Golden Retriever is different to smaller canines. Read on for more tips on the best food for your Retriever.

How much should I feed my Golden Retriever?

Golden Retrievers are well known for eating everything and anything they can find. They will most likely wolf down whatever is in their bowl, and still seem able to eat more! However, large breeds like Golden Retrievers don’t need as many calories as smaller dogs due to their slow metabolisms. A high calorie intake can lead to weight gain and exacerbate genetic joint problems. It’s important to provide them with the correct amount of food to ensure that they don’t put on weight. How much food a Golden Retriever should eat will depend on a range of factors including their age, weight and activity levels. At Different Dog we personalise our plans to each individual dog. Follow our questionnaire to find out how much of our food your Golden Retriever needs.

Do Golden Retrievers need special dog food?

The diet of a Retriever depends on what life stage they are at, but in general the best food for Golden Retrievers is high in protein, with only a moderate fat content. This helps to manage calorie intake and keep them fit and active for much longer. At Different Dog, we use high quality ingredients packed full of nutrients. Each recipe is made up of 60% meat, 40% fruit, vegetables and superfoods, which will keep your Golden Retriever happy and healthy throughout their life. We have a trained vet and nutritionist on our team, who have helped to formulate all of our recipes. They are always happy to chat about any questions you may have. You can find our wide range of recipes here: LINK to recipe page.

How many times a day should I feed my Golden Retriever?

As a large dog, Golden Retrievers are prone to bloating if they eat too much, too quickly. For that reason, it’s usually best to split their calorie intake into two meals a day. Feeding a Golden Retriever twice daily keeps their happy tails wagging, and if you have given them any treats in the day then it means you can slightly reduce the afternoon meal accordingly. Different Dog’s food is all perfectly portioned out to suit the individual dog in question, ensuring the correct calorie content for your Retriever.

How much should a Golden Retriever puppy eat?

Growing Golden Retriever puppies require more energy and protein than a typical adult dog diet. Due to their smaller stomach size, you should feed your Golden Retriever puppy smaller amounts, but at more regular intervals. A 1-6 month old Golden Retriever puppy will usually eat three times a day. This is reduced to twice a day at around 7 months old. This helps them grow at a healthy rate without them going hungry. It’s easy to fall into the trap of overfeeding a puppy, which can lead to rapid growth and obesity. We use an algorithm devised by a veterinarian in order to estimate your puppy’s portion size and send out the correct amount of food to promote healthy growth.

How long should a Golden Retriever eat puppy food?

You can safely switch a Golden Retriever puppy to adult food at approximately 12-14 months old. Growing puppy diets are more tightly restricted on calcium and phosphorous amounts, and there is a greater need for energy and protein than in an adult dog diet. Here at Different Dog, all of our recipes are complete and balanced for dogs at all life stages, and with our personalised plan we send you varied recipes that are appropriate for the age of your dog. The recipes themselves won’t change, but are simply amended to suit the life stage of your Golden Retriever.

Looking after your older Golden Retriever

After a life of energetic bounding around, senior Golden Retrievers will start relaxing into a more mellow routine. It’s still important to give them gentle exercise each day in order to maintain a healthy weight and keep joints limber. High-quality food for older dogs is vital to make sure that your Retriever is getting all the nutrients, antioxidants and fatty acids that they need. Senior Golden Retrievers can be prone to putting on weight, but at Different Dog we make sure to keep our recipes varied so that fat levels can be tailored to your dog’s individual needs.