Say you’ve got a litter of puppies and while you’re cleaning up, you notice that something is not quite right with one of them. You can hardly believe your eyes, but right in the middle of his butter-colored siblings sits a black colored puppy shuffling blindly about.
The Truth About Black Golden Retrievers: Rare but Not Different
Now, you shouldn’t get worried at all. The black Golden Retriever, as most dog enthusiasts theorize, is merely a very rare and recessive gene that was expressed by the puppy. Most enthusiasts trace the origin of this gene back to one of the Golden Retriever’s ancestors, the Flat-Coat Retriever.
This type of retriever had a black coat gene in its genetic makeup, and it’s possible that this gene is simply buried deep within modern Golden Retrievers. Be that as it may, it proves that black Golden Retriever is no different than golden colored ones, and do not need any special attention or treatment.
For the most part, taking care of black Golden Retrievers is pretty much the same as taking care of the golden colored ones. They will mature and grow at the same rate, which means that they will require the same amount of food. For puppies below three years of age, you need to feed them three times a day. Mature dogs only need to eat once a day, unless the dog has regular exercise, then you can feed it twice. You will need to refer to a breed-specific age, weight and height chart to know just how much to feed your black Golden Retriever.
Training Black Golden Retrievers: Just as Smart and Trainable
Another similarity between the two “varieties” is that both are very intelligent. Puppies are curious and love to explore, and are quick to learn about things. If you try teaching a black Golden Retriever tricks or you’re trying to toilet train it, you’ll find that it’s generally no easier or harder to do so. You can use the same methods, tips and strategies that you use to train a white or golden retriever. You can teach both types of retriever to walk on a leash and collar or a harness without any problem from either one.
Grooming Tips for Black Golden Retrievers
Since their biggest difference is their coat color, it’s possible this is what would be different in their care. For white or golden retrievers, brushing and check the fur and the skin underneath is easy when the fur is light, and the skin is easy to spot underneath the fur. For the black version, however, since the fur is black and it is harder to spot parasites such as fleas and ticks hiding in the fur. You therefore may want to use more flea or tick repellent on a black golden retriever.
So as you can see, aside from the difference in the coat color, both retrievers are similar to each other. As long as you have the same patience and passion for molding your black golden retriever as you do for the golden retriever, then you will have no problem taking care of this beautiful black baby!
