If you are looking for a loyal and lively companion dog for you or your family, the Golden Retriever Pitbull mix is a great choice. It is a rather new designer mix-breed that is made by crossing a Pitbull and a Golden Retriever.
Most people love this crossbreed because of its cute appearance and friendly attitude. And despite the negative reputation associated with the Pitbull parent, they are sweet with kids.
Before you decide that this crossbreed between a Pitbull and a Golden Retriever is a good choice for you, you need to know more. In this article, we have included everything, including their characteristics, nutritional needs, potential health issues, training, and more.
Table of Contents
What do you call a Golden Retriever mixed with a Pitbull?
The Golden Retriever and Pitbull mix is sometimes called a Retriever Pit.
History of the Breed
Unfortunately, not much is known about the history of the Retriever Pit or the cross between a Golden Retriever and Pitbull.
Parents
What do we know about the parents of the Retriever Pits?
The Golden Retriever:
This dog breed originated from the Scottish Highlands and was mostly used as hunting dogs. Because their hunting grounds had many ponds, the estate owners needed a pooch that would fetch birds when they shot them in marshes, in water, or on land. It is currently among the most popular dog breeds in the US.
The breed is well-liked for its adorable character. Golden Retrievers are intelligent, reliable, kind, friendly, fiercely loyal, and confident. This temperament is what makes it an outstanding companion and family dog. The AKC only recognizes Golden Retrievers that are golden, lightly golden, and dark golden.
A male Golden Retriever is 23 to 24 inches in height and weighs between 65 and 75 lbs., while a females stand 21 to 22 inches tall and weigh 55 to 65 lbs. The breed is prone to health problems such as hip dysplasia, cancer, cataracts, luxating patella, chest & skin conditions, and Von Willebrand Disease. They have a lifespan of 10 to 12 years.
Pitbull
– Pitbulls have a nasty history that makes people fear them but a well-trained pooch makes an excellent companion. They have their origins in the United Kingdom and were bred from the Old English Bulldogs to participate in a bloody sport called bull baiting. When they set foot in America in the 1800s, they were trained to be working dogs and companions.
Though stubborn, Pitbulls have a sweet temperament that makes them terrific companions and family dogs. They are intelligent, funny, affectionate, obedient, gentle, brave, strong-willed, and friendly. The AKC does not recognize them as a breed but the UKC (United Kennel Club) does.
A male Pit stands about 18 to 21 inches tall and weighs between 35 and 60 lbs., while a female is normally 17 to 20 inches tall with a weight of 30 to 50 lbs. They tend to suffer from hip dysplasia, kneecap dislocation, skin problems, congenital heart defects, and degenerative myelopathy. Pits have a lifespan of 8 to 15 years.
Overall
| Characteristic | Description |
|---|---|
| Weight | 35 to 75 pounds |
| Height | 17 to 24 inches |
| Child-friendly/ Pet-friendly | Yes |
| Coat Type | Single or double |
| Coat Color | Golden yellow, black, brown & white |
| Shedding | Moderate |
| Temperament | Loyal, sweet, friendly & courageous |
| Lifespan | 10 to 15 years |
Appearance
One will often wonder, what would a Golden Retriever and Pitbull mix look like?
The appearance of a full-grown Pitbull golden retriever mix is not easily predictable as some would resemble one parent more or inherit from both. However, you should expect your cross to be strongly built with a solid layer of muscles. It will have floppy ears and blue or brown eyes.
Retriever Pits are large dogs! So, their size can be anywhere between 17 and 24 inches with a weight of 50 to 57 lbs. The coat can be short (thin & fine), medium, or long (shaggy or wavy). It is also possible for them to have curly coats. When it comes to colors, it can be solid or sport bi-color or tri-color patterns.
Check out these pics below of Golden Retriever and Pitbull mix puppies
Temperament
Like the appearance, predicting the Retriever Pit’s characteristics and temperament is hard work! It can favor any parent more or inherit personalities from both. Your Pitbull Golden Retriever mix will be very loyal and devoted to you, very gentle and protective of your kids.
And while they can somehow be aloof around strangers, they are really social and welcoming, they are fast learners, energetic, and active.
Nutrition
Your Retriever Pit’s most ideal diet should contain plenty of fats, proteins, essential vitamins, and minerals, as well as wholesome carbs. The hybrid is large and active! Therefore, your adult pooch will require approx. 1,600 calories separated into 2 small meals per day. During their pup stage, the Retriever Pit should eat a high-quality puppy diet divided into 4 small meals daily.
Training & Exercise
Like their parents, Retriever Pits are very smart doggies which makes training easier. However, they tend to be quite independent so they can be very stubborn and make training sessions harder, especially if you are a beginner. They, therefore, need you to take the alpha position. Remember to use positive reinforcement and keep your training sessions short.
When it comes to practice, the Golden Retriever mix is extremely energetic so they need someone who lives an active lifestyle. Aim for 40 to 60 minutes and above of daily exercise and include activities such as running or swimming. And unless you want them to develop a damaging behavior, keep them mentally stimulated!
Health Issues
The best thing about a designer or hybrid dog is that they tend to have fewer health problems than their parents and so is the case for the Retriever Pit. This mixed breed is susceptible to common health issues such as hip and elbow dysplasia, cancer, and cataracts.
Always remember to ask the breeder to show the scores on hip and elbow dysplasia plus other conditions to ensure they do not inherit them.
Life Expectancy
The Golden Retriever Pitbull mix has a lifespan of 10 to 15 years on average.
Grooming Needs
Your Golden Retriever Pitbull mix grooming needs depend on the genes they inherit. Their coat can be single or double with any of the 3 lengths cited above. If they have a short to medium-long coat, brushing them twice a week is ideal since they do not shed a lot. If they, however, have a long-haired coat, it will shed copiously so they would need daily brushing.
For bathing, this depends on how active your pooch is and how dirty they get. The dirtier they get, the more frequent the baths. Be sure to use natural or mild hypoallergenic dog shampoos that will not dry out your pooch’s skin. Retriever Pit puppies should bathe once every 3 months.
Give your Retriever Pit regular nail trimmings (at least once every two weeks), ear cleaning, and teeth brushing.
Cost and Maintenance
The cost of bringing a Golden Retriever mix pup home can go as high as $2,500 from a reputable and dependable breeder. Always remember to ask for the parent’s health certifications and registration before spending a dollar.
This crossbreed is among the high-maintenance dogs.
Where to Adopt
Being a relatively uncommon breed, finding a Golden Retriever mix in a shelter can be a challenging task. But you can always begin with local centers such as the Humane Society.
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Hi there! My name is Alex Landy, one of the co-founders here at Our Pets HQ and a parent to a small-breed Yorkie. I am a published author of two books on dog breeding and currently write on various pet-related blogs about caring for dogs. I am a parent of two daughters and live outside Boston where I spend a lot of time with family and serve in different breeding clubs. You can reach me at alex@ourpetshq.com
