Can Golden Retrievers Live Outside?

When you get your Golden Retriever puppy it is not hard at all to let him live inside your abode, whatever that may be. Puppies are small, it is easy to pick them up and move them, they are cute, they sleep a lot, and so forth. But then the pup grows up and you have a large, heavy, but still playful dog on your hands. You are sorely tempted to ban it from the inside but the question is, can Golden Retrievers live outside?

So, can Golden Retrievers live outside? Yes, most of the time. They can not live outside when the ambient temperature is below 20 degrees Fahrenheit (-6 Celsius) but they already feel the cold around 45 degrees F (7 Celsius). They become uncomfortable living outside if the ambient temperature is above 80 degrees Fahrenheit (26 Celsius). Finally, they can not live outside alone and stay happy and obedient.

Many people have the opinion that all dogs should be living outside. Adverse weather is an obvious reason why it is sometimes not a good idea to leave a dog outside, but there are other factors. 

The same temperament that makes Golden Retrievers so popular, also makes them better at being inside than outside. Goldies love people and interaction with the family. If you make it live alone outside chances are excellent that you end up with a destructive, loud, and neurotic dog that is the opposite of what Golden Retrievers are supposed to be.

Sometimes though, you do not have a choice so below are some issues to consider if you have no other option than to make you Golden Retriever live outside.

Can Golden Retrievers Live Outside in the Cold?

Many dogs are cold-weather dogs and are adapted to live in very cold conditions, even snow. Siberian Huskies immediately spring to mind. Golden Retrievers can tolerate some cold weather but not extremes.

Remember that it is not only the temperature on the thermometer that matters. You also have to take into account wind chill, dampness, and cloud cover, to determine whether it is too cold outside for your dog. The windier, wetter, and darker it is outside, the colder it is going to feel not only for you but also for your dog. 

Signs that it is too cold for your dog are listed below. This applies to a situation where it is living outside as well as when you just take it for a walk in the cold weather.

• Shivering or trembling
• Acting anxious – when it becomes listless it is getting hypothermia
• Hunching and/or tail tucking
• Whining
• Slowing down while walking
• Searching out warm locations or burrowing
• Holding up one or more paws – cold paws are a sure sign that it is too cold for the dog.

There are many ways that you can make it more comfortable for your Golden Retriever to live outside when it becomes cold.

• You naturally have a dog-house for it. Expecting your dog to find shelter somewhere for itself is irresponsible and unfeeling, to say the least. To cope with snowy, cold winters the kennel should be insulated with a waterproof roof and weather-resistant door flap. It should be placed in a sheltered spot, the door facing away from the prevailing wind. A dog-house that is just big enough for the dog will warm up faster and retain heat better than one that is too big. But it should be large enough for your Golden Retriever to comfortably stand-up completely and turn around. There should be clean, dry, warm bedding material inside. It’s better if the floor is raised a few inches clear of the ground and sprinkled with wood shavings or covered with straw. This improves insulation.
• Throw away the metal water bowl. You know what it’s like to have your tongue stuck to a piece of ice. Imagine what it feels like for the dog when it tries to take a drink and the water has frozen in the metal bowl. Dogs have sustained injuries this way. Provide a plastic bowl and keep a clean tennis ball floating in the water. That should keep the water from freezing over.
• Wipe paws and pads after walking your dog. Snow removal chemicals, even just road salt, can damage dogs’ pads. Consider getting it used to wear booties when you go walking. At home in its kennel, you may want to rub petroleum jelly or special paw salve into the pads to keep them from cracking and bleeding.
• Blizzard emergency plans are not only for humans. Make sure you have enough dog food and medications as well as extra warm bedding. A veterinary first aid kit is a great idea and can be useful in any weather. Be ready to shovel some snow away from the kennel to enable your dog to do its business outside in as short a time as possible.

Can Golden Retrievers Live Outside in the Heat?

Tolerance to heat and cold depends a lot on the dog’s coat and its acclimatization. However, in general, a Golden Retriever can do very well in warmer climates. The coat is not as thick as many other breeds and it loves to swim. So it can happily live outside in hotter temperatures provided there is a good bit of shade, and if there is water into which it can jump to cool off, even better. If nothing else, give your Golden a wet towel to lie on. It will love it!

The dog’s body temperature should not rise above 41 degrees Fahrenheit, because then it is on the verge of getting heatstroke, which can kill it. When the outside temperature starts to rise above 103 degrees Fahrenheit, danger bells are ringing for your dog’s life. Heatstroke is imminent and if it is not cooled down rapidly it can either die or suffer immense internal damage including brain damage.

By now everyone should know that you do NOT leave a dog in a car in summer, even in the shade with the window rolled down a bit. The temperature inside the car can rise at a rate of 40 degrees per hour and it makes no difference if the windows are open or closed!!!

Do not think that you are helping your dog to cool down by shaving its coat.

Quite the opposite.

If you remove the hair that regulates its temperature, it heats up instead of cooling down. Dogs do not sweat as humans do, so they do not cool off by evaporation. 

Living Alone

For a Golden Retriever it is hell on earth to live alone, regardless whether it is inside or outside. Goldens love people, they are friendly, they like to play, they want attention.

That is the reason why you got one, is it not? If this behavior is a burden to you, I’m sorry, but…

“If you want to leave your dog locked up outside so that you do not have to interact with him, you should not have a dog.”

*micdrop*

Golden Retrievers are prone to depression and isolation distress when left alone. It is not the same as separation anxiety.

Dogs are social animals. It is in their nature to be part of a pack. Therefore it is not right to leave them alone outside without some job like livestock to watch, or companionship like other dogs to play with, or humans to interact with. 

The Golden Retriever is being bred these days to be a sociable family pet rather than a hunting dog (at least in the USA). But even in those countries where they are bred as gundogs, they are typically kept in packs outside or in the house with the boss and have companionship all the time. Allow it to be happy, don’t let it pine from loneliness.

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