The Miniature Golden retriever or the Mini Golden retriever is a cross between the Golden Retriever and the Miniature Poodle. This new designer dog has all the amazing personality traits of a regular Golden retriever only in a smaller package! This makes them great pets for people who live in apartments.
Now, don’t confuse the Mini Golden Retriever with the quite similar Comfort retrievers. Even though they do have many characteristics in common, nevertheless these are two completely different designer breeds.
The first difference is that the Comfort retriever is a mix of three breeds, not two: The Golden Retriever, the Cocker Spaniel and the Poodle. All the thanks go to Kathy Burgess, the women who invented this breed.
The Mini Golden retriever has the same personality as the Standard Golden Retriever. However, we must state that this breed is nevertheless different from what you might expect.
In this article, we are going to explain everything you need to know before getting a Mini Golden retriever.
Small Golden Retriever dog info
Like mentioned, the petite golden retriever is a designer dog. A cross between a Golden retriever and a Cocker Spaniel, or a Golden retriever and a Poodle.
Now, many people don’t like the idea of a designer dog. But you should know that the Mini Golden came to life for a specific purpose. To give people, who can’t have a normal-sized Golden retriever, all the best qualities of this breed. Well, just in a smaller dog but stil a real breed.
Now, you might be wondering why someone wouldn’t be able to have a regular-sized Golden retriever. Well, for different reasons actually. The biggest one is the fact that mini Goldens are smaller size and easier to take care of. Especially if you’re living in an apartment.
Since Golden Retrievers ar known as great guard dogs, mini golden retriever will have not such more different temperament.
1. Not the same as a Dwarf Golden Retriever
Don’t confuse this smaller version of a Golden retriever with the Dwarf Golden retriever. There is a huge difference between these two, although they both have the Golden Retriever look.
Dwarf Golden Retrievers actually have a condition called dwarfism. You can see this condition among humans too. This is when a genetic defect affects bone growth.
The biggest difference between these two is that the Miniature Goldens do grow past two or three months of age. However, Dwarf Goldens will continue having stunted growth and skeletal deformities.
But still, the biggest happiness is a warm puppy in your bed. That is the feeling you have to feel to understan our love for our furry friends.
2. How mini is mini?
With the Golden retriever, you just know how big your puppy will get. Male Golden retrievers can grow up to 23 and 24 inches or 58 and 60 centimetres. The females are a little smaller, between 21.5 and 22.5 inches or 55 and 57 centimetres.
With the Miniature Golden retriever, you just can’t know for sure. Because they are designer breeds their size differs from litter to litter, or better said from puppy to puppy!
Mini Golden retrievers’ height can range between 12 to 15 inches or 30 to 38 centimeters! Whereas their weight ranges between 20 and 55 pounds or 9 to 25 kilograms. So you can say that these estimates vary a lot.
3. Mini Golden retrievers shed less
Experts actually consider Miniature Golden retrievers as hypoallergenic dogs. This means you can expect less shedding than the regular-sized Golden retriever.
However, this does not mean you can slack on the grooming and brushing. The fact is, daily brushing is still essential! With brushing, you’ll ensure that your dog’s long locks don’t knot themselves into mats.
4. Are they healthier?
In the case of health issues, many people claim that designer dogs are healthier than purebreds. On the other hand, we have people who claim that this complete nonsense. The truth is we don’t know. There is actually no statistically significant data to support either side!
The reality of things is that each dog is unique. It can happen that your Mini Golden suffers from health problems that commonly affect its parent breeds.
For Golden retrievers, this is:
- hip dysplasia,
- lymphoma,
- and skin problems.
Poodles often suffer from:
- progressive retinal atrophy,
- epilepsy,
- bloat, and
- collapsed trachea.
Cocker Spaniels often have issues like:
- display cherry eye,
- cardiomyopathy,
- allergies, and
- urinary stones.
You can help by choosing only the best dog food and implementing an optimal diet every day for the perfect health.
So either of these illnesses is possible in your Miniature Golden retriever.
Products like Nuvet Plus or NutriVet can be of great help and help the dogs have fewer health problems, maybe even prevent them. Try finding them here:
5. Very expensive
Breeding miniature goldens
It’s not uncommon for designer dogs to be way more expensive than purebreds. The truth is, if you want a small Golden retriever you’ll have to dig deep into your wallet.
How much do mini Golden Retrievers cost? Well, puppies cost around $1500. I’ve seen some people ask even for 6000!
You also always want to buy a dog from a reputable breeder who can vouch for the good genes. Someone who will be able to provide you with all the necessary documentation for the dog. For example, their medical records, proof the puppies got all the vaccines and so on. Be sure to choose responsible breeders.
Breeding stock
If you don’t want to buy a Miniature Golden retriever, you can always adopt one!
Going to shelters and rescues is a great way to make sure you aren’t supporting the wrong people. Besides this, an adoption is a great option because it’s usually cheaper. Try the Puppyspot mini Golden Retriever adaoption or C and S ranch.
Generally speaking, rescue centers require an adoption fee of $75 to $200. This covers basic puppy healthcare, plus you’ll have to pay a dog license fee which is around $10.
6. Pros and cons of getting a miniature Golden retriever
As it is with every breed, there are certain pros and cons you should take into consideration before buying.
This hybrid mix seems like fun to have, but there are still certain cons. These might be a total NO-NO for some people so you should definitely read them.
First, let’s take a look at all the cons of getting a mini Golden retriever.
Pros:
- Very friendly dogs, kind and gentle
- Because of their nature they make an amazing therapy dog
- According to many people they have an even temper
- Quite playful and very fun to be around. There’s never a dull moment with them. Watch out if you are a couch potato.
- Aren’t high maintenance and thrive in most lifestyles, like many great breeds
- Make great pets for children and get along with other animals as well. Obvious choice for families.
Of course, there are also many cons we can’t forget about either.
Cons:
- Normal-sized Goldens are already expensive, but mini Goldens is the next level of expensive
- It is very likely that your mini Golden retriever will, unfortunately, suffer from anxiety. You should consider hiring online puppy trainer to help you in your first days.
- Mini Goldens have a reputation that they have an even temper. However, in reality, it’s a bit different. Because they are designer dogs we can’t really predict their temperament.
- If you’re looking for a hypoallergenic dog, the miniature Golden retriever is not it
- They don’t get the recognition by the American Kennel Club or AKC for short