Short Haired Golden Retriever: Things To Know!

When you think of a Golden Retriever, one of the characteristics you’re likely to see is the long golden coat that is often attributed to the breed. Of course, dogs with longer coats tend to shed more heavily, which often leads potential dog owners to consider alternatives. One such option that is often the subject of debate is the short haired Golden Retriever.

Although many people will say they saw these dogs, others claim that it is simply not possible for the Golden Retriever to have short hair. What’s the truth about that? If you’ve been looking for a short-haired Golden retriever to be introduced into your family or as a new companion, but you’re not sure whether this unique type of Goldie even exists, here are some key points to keep in mind.

Short Haired Golden Retriever: The Basics

Golden Retriever is the fourth smartest dog breed in the world. They’re lovely, smart, and gorgeous with a long yellow coat. However, some owners don’t know what’s going on with their dogs because instead of having a long coat like the others, they have short fur that makes them so abnormal. So in this post, let’s talk about the short-haired Golden Retriever!

Short Haired Golden Retriever: Origin

Golden Retriever is a large breed of dog whose origin is in Scotland. This breed is one of the ten most popular dog breeds globally (besides German Shepherd, Rottweiler, Bulldog, Boxer, etc.) with special features such as intelligence, beauty, and growth at a very slow pace, and playing well with children. They are recognized by the AKC (American Kennel Club) as a pure dog breed.

Short Haired Golden Retriever: Tackling The Hair

Golden Retriever has a long, thick coat of hair. Their hair may be wavy or straight, depending on the genes. The thicker feathers remain mostly on the chest, thighs, belly, and tail.

There are three common colours found in pure Golden Retrievers: light golden, golden, and dark golden. In general, their colors may be a little brighter or darker than the standard ones, but they are still on the list of pure dog breeds.

You may see a strange Golden Retriever with a black coat sometimes. Although this guy is unique, he’s just a mixed dog, not a pure dog.

Usually, Golden Retrievers are preferred by those who love vigorous exercises. They’re very active, and they need to be active every day. What’s more, if you want to get a Golden Retriever, your house should be large and have a wide playground. If you’re the one who loves swimming, the Golden Retriever could be a great swim partner, because his swimming skills are very good. He enjoys swimming, too.

Introduction: The Short Haired Golden Retriever

If you’ve spent some time around Golden Retrievers or browsing online to check out pictures of them, you’ve most likely seen a short-haired Golden Retriever at some point. Long coats are common in this breed, causing a moment of pause when someone comes across a Goldie with a shorter coat.

While the existence of a short-haired Golden retriever is not impossible, it is often suggested that such characteristics reflect the fact that a Golden retriever is not purebred or that dog lovers do not recognize the characteristics of a different breed. Yet many Goldie lovers say with certainty that their fuzzy friend is indeed a Golden retriever with a short coat.

The American Kennel Club has never recognized the possibility of a short-haired Golden retriever. This is not unusual, as it is worth noting that the club also does not recognize different coat colors or patterns of specific breed types, such as brindle variations.

Since the AKC does not attribute short hair or shorter coat lengths to the overall breed of Golden Retrievers, it is impossible to recognize short-haired counterparts because these dogs are not purebred according to the standards of the kennel club. This is not to say that short-haired Goldies do not exist at all, but rather, they are simply not recognized as a type of Golden retriever by purebred criteria.

Short Haired Golden Retriever: The Reasons Behind It

The American Kennel Club recently failed to recognize any short-haired Golden Retriever. The reason is simple: short hair doesn’t come from a pure breed to this club.

So if one day, you realize that your Golden Retriever doesn’t look like the rest of you, and you still don’t know why. Don’t worry. There are three reasons for this:

They Might Not Be A Purebred Dog.

When you’ve paid for a pure breed, it doesn’t mean you can get the one you’ve asked for. A lot of bad guys out there are willing to cheat on you for money. The dogs you get can be a mixture of a Golden Retriever and a different breed. Golden Retriever is commonly crossed with Labrador because they look up to 90% similar. Features that allow us to distinguish them are just the length and color of the coat.

If you’re wondering if your dog is a hybrid, the most easy-to-find guy who can help you make it clear is a vet. You may be asked to take a test kit to identify the breed of your dogs. Until then, everything will be clear. In general, there are four main breeds of dogs used to cross the Golden Retriever.

Chesapeake Bay Retriever: The mixture of this breed and Golden Retriever may have half-curly and half-straight or wavy hair with abnormal colors.

Curly Coated Retriever: The mixture of this breed and Golden Retriever may have half-curly and half-straight or wavy hair of a black or liver color.

Labrador Retriever: The mixture of this breed and Golden Retriever may have short black, chocolate, or yellow hair. You might want to check out Catahoula Lab Mix or Doberman Lab Mix for other Lab hybrids.

Flat-coated Retriever: the mixture of this breed and Golden Retriever may have long black or liver hair.

They’ve Got A Unique Coat.

As has been said, Golden Retrievers belong to the long hair breed because they have a very long and dense coat. However, there is nothing to ask all the Golden Retrievers to have this feature. Some Golden Retrievers can be found with short hair, but they are confirmed to be the standard one when they are tested. In these cases, they have the key in their genes. They may have some genetic variation that makes them a short-haired coat compared to the same dog breed.

However, you must know that this is a very rare case. You’ll know this if you’re holding a group of same-parent dogs, and there’s going to be one of them whose hair is short. So it’s definitely because of the gene problems.

They Could Be Another Breed.

Golden Retriever has many “brothers” who all belong to the Retriever, and they all look pretty much the same. So you can be cheated, or you can get the wrong dog breed. Let’s consider two breeds of dogs below.

a. Labrador Retriever

First and foremost, despite being part of the same Retriever, the Labrador has very short hair. They have three official colors: yellow, chocolate, and black. There are also fox red and polar white colors, but they are not recognized as pure.

The Labrador is heavier than the Golden (65 to 80 pounds) (55 to 75 pounds). The Labrador has a life expectancy of about 10 to 12 years, almost the same as the Golden 10 to 13 years.

One more thing you can see is that despite having short hair, the Labrador has shed a lot of hair all year round, while the Golden has just shed a small amount of hair in a season.

b. Flat-coated retrievers

This breed is similar to the Golden in that it has a dense, thick coat, but its fur is always flat, not waved like the Golden. Besides, their coat is not water-repellent. This breed has three main colors of coat: black, liver, and blonde. The blonde color makes them look more like the Golden One.

Flat-Coated Retriever is a little less active than the Golden Retriever. Rarely do they make such a noise. However, like the Golden Retriever, they need to exercise every day at least an hour a day. The life expectancy of this breed is quite short, only about 8 to 10 years.

This breed is similar to the Golden in that it has a dense, thick coat, but its fur is always flat, not waved like the Golden. Besides, their coat is not water-repellent. This breed has three main colors of coat: black, liver, and blonde. The blonde color makes them look more like the Golden One.

Flat-Coated Retriever is a little less active than the Golden Retriever. Rarely do they make such a noise. However, like the Golden Retriever, they need to exercise every day at least an hour a day. The life expectancy of this breed is quite short, only about 8 to 10 years.

Short Haired Golden Retriever: Misidentified? 

Having admitted that there are instances where one might misidentify their dog like a Golden Retriever or potentially invest in what they thought was a purebred Goldie, you may be wondering if your pupa was misidentified. In general, there are two ways that you can address this situation to try to find answers about your dog’s background and family history. As you might expect, the first option is to reach out to your dog’s vet.

Veterinarians have undergone many years of rigorous study to understand and care for your dog. As a result, they tend to have a significant amount of resources and knowledge about different dog breeds’ typical characteristics and identify them. Suppose you are skeptical as to whether your short-haired Golden retriever is a Goldie at all. In that case, you can certainly reach out to the veterinarian for an examination and a second opinion. Most veterinarians are great at identifying dog breeds and can usually clear all suspicions about whether crossbreeding has occurred.

Another potential option that is increasing in popularity is dog DNA testing. Some vets offer these tests in their offices and may even recommend them after the test if you are still uncertain. Genetic testing can provide some general insight into the different breeds that may have been present in your dog’s family over different generations. These tests are often used to check whether or not Goldie is a purebred pupa.

More Information

Despite curiosity, the fact remains that whether or not your short hair Golden retriever is a Goldie, you’re still going to love it all the same. Although misidentification can be disappointing if you’ve made a financial investment in a dog that you thought was purebred, it doesn’t ultimately affect your relationship with your dog or anything else.

Also, short hair Golden retrievers have not been shown to have more or fewer health concerns than any other type of Goldie, so the only overall difference is that you might gain new insight into your dog’s background.

When Do Golden Retrievers Grow Hair? 

Golden retrievers are one of the most popular breeds of dogs due to their loving, playful, and friendly nature. They have a golden personality with a warm, cheerful temperament, but that’s not where the name comes from. Their strikingly beautiful golden coat is flowing along with them. The coats are fluffy when they are puppies, but the hair grows long and shiny over time. So when are the golden retrievers growing long hair?

A Golden’s Long Hair

The short, fluffy coat of golden retriever puppies lasts for about three months. Depending on the puppy’s bloodline and heritage, after this time, the coat may begin to turn into long hair. If the parents of the puppy have taken a long time to grow the coat, the chances of the puppy taking a long time are increased. You should ask the breeder about the puppy’s heritage so that you have enough information to prepare for a loving golden retriever with long hair.

After three months of a fluffy puppy, you will begin to see some long hair that has started to grow on the puppy’s tail. This is the beginning of a process known as ‘feathering.’ Golden retrievers with long hair begin with feathers on their tails, legs, and under their stomachs. It starts from the tail and travels to the head of the body in a gradual process. You’ll be able to notice the new hairs at once because they’re darker than the light hair puppies usually have.

Most breeds shed the fur of the puppy, but the golden retrievers do not. The longer adult hair begins to grow on the top of the puppy’s hair and pushes the puppy’s hair aside. The puppy’s hair turns into a dog’s undercoat as a second layer of fur. With time, the undercoat begins to grow thicker as the longer outer coat grows. This whole process takes about 18 months to develop until you have a gorgeous golden retriever with long hair.

How To Groom A Golden Retriever

Grooming can help your hair grow healthily and quickly. You should start grooming your golden retriever when he’s a puppy. This will give you and the dog two main benefits. First, the puppy will be used to grooming to make it easier to do as they grow. Second, golden retrievers with long hair are heavy sheds. The more you groom them and keep their hair under control, the less hair you’ll find on your sofas and clothes.

Brushing 

The first step in the grooming process is to brush the dog with an appropriate dog brush. Make sure there is no matted fur on the body at the end of the brushing. If you brush your dog at least once a week from head to toe, you’re not going to have any problems with shedding or matting.

Start by focusing on the mats in the fur. Don’t pull over because that might hurt your beloved pet. Be gentle and hold the fur close to the dog’s skin. Work your way up to the skin, gently brushing your mats loose. If the mats are too tangled to be combed or brushed, you can use a pair of sharp scissors to cut them out.

Final Words

No short-haired Golden Retriever is officially recognized. And the three main reasons for this are: they’re unique. Naturally, they’re not pure, or you’ve confused them with other Retriever breeds. If you are interested in finding the most accurate answer to this problem, we recommend that you come to a vet.

As we’ve learned, there are a few reasons why a Golden Retriever might have short hair. Whether due to genetics, crossbreeding, or misidentification, shorter hair combined with traditional Golden retriever features presents a unique appearance that garners widespread curiosity among dog lovers.

While it’s possible to have a Goldie with shorter hair, it’s usually unusual. If you have a true Goldie with this characteristic, your canine companion is considered rare! Golden Retrievers are an impressive breed, as any Golden lover knows. It’s no wonder they’re the third most popular dog breed in the U.S.