There are various reasons why people choose a particular breed of canine. For instance, some people want a dog that can cope up with their active lifestyle. Others want an excellent guard dog for their family. If you are looking for a friendly, loving, loyal, yet fierce companion, the Golden Retriever Pitbull mix has everything you need and more!
The Golden Retriever Pitbull mix or the Retriever Pit is a unique mixed breed dog that is sweet, kind, and simply adorable. It results from combining two popular parent breeds - the Golden Retriever and the American Pitbull Terrier. Therefore, you can expect it to have great looks and an even greater personality.
But of course, like getting any other dog breeds, welcoming this dog breed into your home is a huge commitment to take. It is recommended that you do diligent research to ensure that they can adapt to your lifestyle, living arrangements, and family set up. In this article, we will share everything you need to know about an exciting dog breed mix that could be the perfect new companion for your family. So, let's learn more about the Golden Retriever Pitbull mix, its parents, appearance, personality, health, and caring needs.
The Breed Origin of the Pitbull Retriever Mix
Primarily, the Golden Retriever dogs are the eternal sunshine of many dog lovers and a popular family dog. They are large-sized canines that stole the hearts of thousands of pet owners around the globe. The dog breed originated in mid 19th century Scotland. They were bred as wildfowl hunting companions for their capability to retrieve games without damaging them. Apart from being capable retrievers, they were also excellent swimmers and loved the water.
Golden Retriever dogs are loving, loyal, easy to train, and highly intelligent dogs with excellent obedience skills. These dogs are physically known for their dense lustrous gold coat that gave them the name "golden." They also have a thick inner short coat that keeps them warm in colder climates. These dogs' standards include a muscular body, a broad head, friendly and intelligent eyes, straight muzzle, and short ears.
On the other hand, the American Pitbull Terrier is a medium-sized dog that is intelligent, short-haired and has a solid build. Their ancestors came from the British Isles, where they are originally bred for dog fighting and bull-baiting. They were brought to the United States by British immigrants and used them as farmworkers, cattle drivers, guard and companion dogs.
Physically, Pitbulls are healthy with stocky and muscular bodies. Despite their seemingly heavyweight body, they are light on their feet and athletic. They are slightly longer than they are tall. It has well-developed head and neck muscles, with small eyes and ears that are either cropped or uncropped. Their coat is typically short, smooth, and sleek in varied colors such as black, tan, white, or brindle. These days, Pit Bull dogs are also a popular family dog with friendly personality traits. They are loving and loyal pets that are far from their past as bull-baiting dogs.
The Appearance of the Pitbull Retriever Mix
There are no official standard looks for a Pit Golden Retriever mix. The appearance of this dog largely depends on where your puppy takes its looks from. The ideal of this breeding practice is to produce a puppy that embodies all parents' positive traits.
For the physical appearance, a Golden Retriever Pitbull mix is a medium to a large, well-built dog that can grow up to 24 inches tall for males and up to 22 inches tall for females. They can be thin or lean with a broader and more muscular build than what you often see in Golden Retrievers. You can expect them to weigh around 30 to 75 pounds.
As with most mixed breeds, Retriever and pit bull mix dogs can look like any of their parent breed or a perfect mix of both. Appearance, build, and colors are variable, and it all depends on gene expression.
Common Coat Colors of Golden Retriever Pitbull Mix
The Pitbull Golden Retriever mix comes in various colors. They can sport the solid golden colors of the Golden Retriever or have a blend of dark colors with a white coat as the base. They can come in a solid color, bi-colored, or even tri-colored canines.
Additionally, the Golden Retriever and Pitbull mix can have a single or double coat of any length. Those with short coats typically are thin and fine furred. Long-coated mixes can have a wavy or shaggy fur with some sporting cute curls to them. If you get a Pitbull Golden Retriever mix with short to medium coats, expect them to shed lightly, while those with longer coats will shed more frequently.
Traits and Temperament of the Golden Retriever Pitbull Mix
Many dog owners fail to understand the importance of knowing and understanding a dog's traits and temperaments before pursuing to get one. A breed's personality should be one of the essential things to know before getting a dog, for you might regret it later on. It is doubly important if you are getting a breed like the Golden Retriever Pitbull cross. Get to know more about these dogs to ensure that your lifestyle is compatible with your new pet. Here's what to expect about this loveable breed.
Excellent Watchdogs
Pitbull Golden Retrievers make excellent watchdogs. They are quite serious in their roles in protecting the home and their family. It might have taken this trait from their American Pitbull Terrier parents, who are wary of strangers and are always alert to intruders. On the other hand, some of these mixed breeds can be excessive barkers during the night. It is best to train them early to avoid these behaviors and have a peaceful sleep at night.
Social Dogs
Though they can be suspicious of strangers, your Pitbull Golden Retriever mix can be very friendly and highly social to everyone. These dogs enjoy meeting other people and getting socialized. When introduced properly, they get along well with other dogs, pets, and people around your neighborhood.
Despite their friendly temperament, they still need early socialization and proper obedience training. Don't forget that these mixes may carry the strong prey drive from their Pit bull parents. They may run after small pets like squirrels or rabbits. Thus, start introducing them to different people, pets, and situations while they are still puppies. It is vital in shaping their traits to become well-balanced and friendly adult dogs in the future.
Intelligent and Fast Learners
Both the American Pitbull Terrier and the Golden Retriever are intelligent dog breeds; thus, their offspring can inherit their intelligence too. You can expect your Golden Retriever Pitbull mix to learn new commands and be easy to train.
Start training them once you get them home because they learn best during puppyhood. It will stick to the behavior that it learned during this period and carry it to adulthood.
Energetic and Active
The Golden Retriever Pitbull mix is an active and highly energetic dog. They need regular exercise to stay happy, healthy, and content. Take them for walks or an hour of exercise to keep them stimulated and content. They also love jogging and swimming. If you are too busy, make sure to play with your pet to release some of their pent up energy and strengthen your bond.
Grooming and Maintenance Needs
There is a range of possibilities in the coat colors and coat length of a Golden Retriever Pitbull mix. It would be best if you also prepared for the potential grooming and maintenance needs of your puppy. These mixes can have coats that take after the Golden Retriever breed, the American Pitbull Terrier, or a mix of both.
If your pet takes after its Golden Retriever parents, you will have coated dogs with high-maintenance grooming needs. It would be best if you brush its long coat at least once a day to lessen shedding and untangle its fur. Bathing can be done at least once a month to keep their coat soft, clean, and unmatted. Choose some odor control natural oatmeal shampoo that's safe for your Golden Retriever Pit Bull mix.
Additionally, if your pet's nails are too long for comfort, have them trimmed at least once a month. Some dogs wear down their nails outdoors when they dig and play. But if you live in urban areas and there is no venue for your dog to wear down its nails, use a sharp nail clipper for safe and accurate trimming. Long nails can split, and it can hurt your pet, but if you are not sure how to do it, ask a professional groomer to teach you how.
Exercise Needs of Your Golden Retriever Pitbull Mix
Golden Retriever Pitbull mix is highly energetic canines with plenty of exercise needs. They prefer to have someone to play with is not a good choice if you are a couch potato. They make excellent companions for those who lead an active lifestyle. You can take them for hikes, long walks, swimming, and others. These pets need an outlet to release their energy throughout the day. If their exercise needs are not met, they may develop destructive behaviors such as chewing and barking.
- Some ways for you to keep your Golden Retriever Pitbull mix active include:
- Take them on playdates with other large dogs to socialize and exercise.
- Provide toys for them to chew and chase around the house, especially if they do not have anybody else to play with.
- Take them with you when you run, walk, or exercise.
Training a Golden Retriever Pitbull Mix
Both Golden Retrievers and Pitbulls are highly intelligent breeds. These two are always eager to please; thus, their mix will be easy to train as well.
Early socialization and obedience training is essential in a mixed breed that is extremely strong and large like the Golden Retriever Pitbull mix. When appropriately trained, they grow up to become properly mannered pets around other people and pets. If you are new to training these types of dogs, get help from expert trainers. The Golden Pitbull are independent and maybe stubborn in training too.
In training, assert your dominance and be sure to take the alpha position. Let them know that you are in control and that they must respect you. Stay firm and definite so that these dogs learn to know their place.
Likewise, keep your training sessions short because these dogs have a short attention span. More importantly, always give them positive reinforcement and praise them when they follow your commands. Praising them for their excellent behavior will encourage them to comply with your orders.
Pitbull Golden Retriever Mix Health
As much as we'd like to have perfectly healthy pets, most breeds are predisposed to various health conditions and diseases. Mixing breeds often limit exposure to diseases, but they may also be prone to conditions common to their parent breeds. As dog owners, the best you can do is to be observant of your dog and address any health problems at the first sign of symptoms to prevent them from worsening.
Some of the most common issues for this mix include heart diseases, cancers, and hip dysplasia and bloat.
Bloat in dogs can be fatal; thus, it should be treated as an emergency. It happens when your pet's stomach is full of gas, and it is twisted in a way that it cannot release gas and food correctly. This condition is among the leading causes of death in large dog breeds like the Golden Retriever Pitbull mix. Watch out for symptoms such as drooling, restlessness, distress, pain, and swollen hard belly.
Additionally, hip dysplasia is a health condition that can be prevented by monitoring your dog's weight and nutrition. It can impact your dog's way of life and can be very painful for them to experience. Dogs with this condition have limited movements and are unable to run and jump properly. Give your pet healthy food and supplements to promote bone health. Additionally, you should ensure that they get enough exercise so as not to become overweight.
Health screenings are vital if you adopt an adult dog or get a puppy to ensure that your new pet has no health problems or diseases inherited from its parent breed. Some of the tests and screenings you should check before getting your new mixed breed include Cardiac exam, Ophthalmologist evaluation, Elbow dysplasia evaluation, hip evaluation, and genetic DNA tests.
Life Expectancy of Golden Retriever Pitbull Mix
This cross between the Golden Retriever Pit can live up to 10 to 15 years. Depending on their health conditions, they can live beyond these years and serve their human families for longer.
Feeding and Nutritional Needs of A Golden Retriever Pitbull Mix
This mixed breed of two large and active dogs are prone to gaining excess weight. Avoid overfeeding them as they can develop heart conditions and hip dysplasia when they become overweight.
Always give your pets well-balanced, high-quality food and plenty of clean, fresh water to keep them hydrated. Likewise, giving them fish oil and a high-protein diet is beneficial for their bones, muscles, health, kidneys, and skin.
Does the Golden Retriever Pitbull Mix Make Good Family Pets?
This ideal cross between the American Pit Bull Terrier and the Golden Retriever dogs make excellent family pets. Its parent breeds are well-known family dogs that are patient with small children and are friendly to other people. They are also affectionate and loyal to their families, but they are not the best guard dogs.
Often, the American Pitbull Terriers are too friendly with strangers; thus, you cannot rely on them to be a guard dog. When mixed with the Retriever, you can expect to have an excellent family companion that loves children, active, and loyal to their families.
Although there are many positive things about the American Pitbull Terrier and the Golden Retrievers, many of their mixes still end up in shelters around the United States.
If you find this specific Golden Retriever Pitbull mix in one of your local shelters, adopting and taking care of them is always a huge help. Try to foster a rescue dog for a few days before you commit to an adoption. It will allow you to get to know your dog better, and you can gauge whether you and the rescue are compatible with one another.
Finding a Golden Retriever Pitbull Mix Puppy
Mixed breeds from popular breeds are gaining a lot of attention in recent years. While it might be tempting to check out unlicensed breeders, it is never recommended for various reasons.
Additionally, adopting from shelters and supporting ethical breeders is one of the best ways for you to help minimize the neglect and abuse happening in puppy markets.
This delightful combination of the Golden Retriever and Pitbull mix can easily suit your lifestyle and be the perfect companion dog for your family. The Golden Retriever Pitbull mix are kind, loving, and loyal canines. Its parent breeds has a gentle and patient nature with children; thus, you can rely on them to be ideal for families.
In terms of intelligence and ease of training, these mixes are intelligent, and they love to please their owners. Although they may show some stubborn streak, they are easy to train and teach.
The best way for these adorable canines to suit you is for you to understand their needs too. Before taking them home, be sure that you can provide the right amount of care, exercise, and attention that they need. Keep in mind that these are social and active dogs; thus, they can develop destructive behavior when not properly stimulated or left alone for long periods. Finally, if you can work with a Golden Retriever Pitbull mix, they will pick up on your right away and reward you with their special kind of love.
