About Golden Shepherds
The Golden Shepherd is a mixed breed also known as a hybrid. She is the result of a breeding between the Golden Retriever and the German Shepherd. She is expected to live between 10 to 14 years and falls into the breed groups herding and sporting. She is multi-talented with talents in obedience, search and rescue, watchdog, agility, hunting, tricks, competitive obedience, tracking, retrieving, guarding and police work.
General Overview
“Designer” dogs, a recent trend, is the deliberate cross breeding of two different purebreds to create a hybrid with the better qualities of both parents. The hope with a Golden Shepherd is to create a puppy with the alertness, courage and quickness of the German Shepherd while getting the retrieving ability and gentle, playful nature of a Golden Retriever.
Temperament
The Golden Shepherd is like the Golden Retriever in that she loves people and needs to be with them. Therefore she is not good being left alone for too long. She is a devoted dog, gentle and affectionate. She is also intelligent, alert and energetic outside. She is agile and great as a work dog or family dog, much like the German Shepherd. She is quite bold and is protective of her family. She loves to have fun and can be playful and is good with other pets and children.
Appearance
She is a large dog weighing 60 to 85 pounds and standing 20 to 26 inches tall. Her body can be like a German Shepherd’s but with head like a Golden Retriever’s… or vice versa. Her ears can be upright or droopy but short which lift up when they are excited. She has a long coat that can be soft, wavy or smooth, or rough and dense. Common colors are black, cream, yellow, tan, white, golden and blue. She has a thick chest.
Training and Exercise Needs
She loves to be active and take part in activities like retrieving a ball, swimming, or Frisbee. She needs daily exercise, at least 60 minutes a day. One or two long walks, play time, jogging or hiking with her owners and so on. A yard is a bonus place for her to play but if you do not have one she can adapt. When she is in the house she remains calm, she saves the activity for outside mostly.
Does she train quickly?
She is intelligent, eager to please, able to learn quickly and inclined to obey commands so she trains very quickly. She will need fewer repetitions so it will be quicker than many other dogs. Be consistent, firm but positive. You need to be dominant and set yourself as pack leader but still encourage her with praise and rewards, either treats or play or a new toy. Early socialization and training are key for all dogs in how they behave, how well they react to other people, animals and situations.
Living with a Golden Shepherd
How much grooming is needed?
She is a frequent constant shedder so you will need to vacuum often as hair will be on your furniture, carpets and probably your clothes too. It also means she will need daily brushing to try and keep on top of the loose hairs and to keep her coat looking shiny and healthy. Give her a bath when she needs it and make sure you use a suitable shampoo. Check her ears once a week and give them a wipe with a cotton ball or cloth damp with water or an ear cleaning solution. Do not insert anything down into the ear though. Her nails will need to be cut when they get too long, being careful not to cut down too low. Her teeth will need regular brushing, once a day or at least three times a week.
Early socialization and training should be undertaken with any dog. The Golden Shepherd is usually good with children, other dogs and other pets. She is gentle and patient with them and playful when they want to play. Watch the toddlers with her in case she accidentally bumps one over though. Also make sure you teach them how to be nice to her, no pulling ears or tails, no being mean or teasing her.
What are their living environment needs?
She can adapt to apartment living if taken out regularly for exercise and play. She is not much of a barker but she will bark to alert you if an intruder enters your home. She is good for most climates though take care of her in extreme heat. She will need to be fed high quality dry dog food in two meals, totaling 3 to 4 cups a day.
Health Concerns
She can be prone to certain conditions or diseases that her parents are more prone to, as is the case with any offspring. In the Golden Shepherd’s case this includes OCD, Von Willebrand’s Disease, bloat, epilepsy, cancer, Degenerative Myelopathy, EPI, joint dysplasia, eye problems, allergies and hyperthyroidism.