Golden Labmaraner

You may think that when you bring together three popular hunting breeds to produce a tri-cross Designer Dog that you’ll end up with a pooch that is highly territorial and built for nothing more than the chase. But you’d be wrong. The Golden Labmaraner is a wonderful family dog who draws his character traits from the gentle, sweet-natured Golden Retriever, the loyal, easy-going Labrador Retriever and the energetic yet devoted Weimaraner. What’s great about this highly social pooch is that he does well in a household with kids and other pets including dogs. While socialization is important to achieve a non-conflicted fur family, you’re working with three super intelligent breeds that take instruction easily and will be quick to obey your commands if their natural instincts to chase or retrieve suddenly kick in.

The Golden Labmaraner brings together three different hunting breeds for a wonderful companion dog who loves to be part of all family activities.

The Golden Labmaraner is a Designer Dog and its likely he first appeared back in the 1980s when the practice of crossing two or more pure-breds to arrive at a dog that is healthier, often non-shedding, smaller or gentler than many of the popular breeds of the day, first began. With the Golden Labmaraner, his parent breeds are the Labrador Retriever, the Golden Retriever and the Weimaraner and while his own history is fairly recent his parent breeds bring some pretty impressive lineage. The Labrador Retriever as we know him goes back to the late 19th century and while he is a native of Canada, the breed was refined as a hunting dog in England. The Weimaraner originated in Germany, also back in the 1800s where he was bred for hunting; today he is known as the “grey ghost” because of his silvery-grey coat. The Golden Retriever was developed in Scotland back in the mid-1800s to solve the need for a hunting dog that could retrieve fowl on both land and in water.

With the American Kennel Club (AKC) committed to promoting pure-bred dogs over mixed breeds, a Designer Dog such as the Golden Labmaraner just isn’t going to qualify for registry in this highly coveted club. However, all three of this dog’s parent breeds are long time AKC members who have also proven to be highly popular sporting breeds. The Labrador Retriever became a member of the club’s “sporting” group back in 1917 and is described as friendly, active and outgoing while the Golden Retriever was inducted back in 1925 to the same group and is considered a friendly, intelligent and devoted dog. The Weimaraner became a member of this group in 1943 and he’s classed as friendly, fearless and obedient.

The Golden Labmaraner is a highly active dog that will require a high-quality kibble specifically designed for his age, size and activity level. As the Weimaraner in him may be prone to bloat, meals should always be smaller and served 2 to 3 times throughout the day versus allowing him to free-feed or giving him large volumes of food all at once. Exercise should also not be planned for sooner than 1 hour after feeding. Because this dog may be prone to joint issues later in life which means you need to establish and work at maintaining his ideal weight throughout life.

The Golden Labmaraner is a wonderful family dog who gets along well with kids and other pets.

While your Golden Labmaraner brings together three intelligent breeds that are quick to learn new commands, the Weimaraner can be stubborn and because he is a high-prey dog he can easily become distracted by different scents. For this reason, a firm, consistent approach with lots of patience is the way to go when training this boy. Particularly because of the Weimaraner influence, it’s important that socialization become an important part of this dog’s training and it needs to begin at an early age by exposing him to new people, places and experiences including puppy training classes. This will help to not only ensure his comfort in different situations but also teach him how to play nice with other animals – particularly the smaller ones. As with most dogs, the Golden Labmaraner will respond best with a positive, rewards-based approach to training and while this can include verbal praise and head-pats, the food-loving Lab side of this dog will always appreciate acknowledgement in the form of food or treats for a job well done.

When your Golden Labmaraner reaches adult-hood you can expect him to weight in at between 65 and 80 pounds depending on gender and which parent breeds contributes most to the gene pool.

The Golden Labmaraner is a wonderful family dog who gets along well with kids and other pets including dogs when he’s been properly socialized. The protective traits of the Weimaraner means this pooch is wary around strangers and will bark to alert to perceived danger, making him a great watchdog. The Weimaraner also brings a very strong prey drive that can result in injury to smaller animals, so socialization will be important with this dog. The energetic nature of all three breeds produces a dog that will be a great walking, hiking or running companion and because he thrives on human interaction, you’ll find he wants to be involved in all family activities. Due to this need for human contact and because separation anxiety is common in both Golden Retrievers and Weimaraners this dog likely won’t do well when left on his own for long periods of time. Barking, chewing and other destructive behaviors can surface if he feels anxious about being alone or even if his need for physical activity isn’t being met and he becomes bored and restless. Consider purchasing puzzle games and toys that will keep him occupied and mentally stimulated when he’s on his own.

While the Golden Labmaraner is considered a hale and hearty dog, that isn’t to say he is free of some of the health issues that plague his pure-bred parent breeds. It’s always important to do some research into what types of problems your new pup may experience down the line and particularly when there are three breeds involved. With the Golden Labmaraner, health issues can include certain cancers from the Golden Retriever, von Willebrand’s disease, joint issues such as hip dysplasia from all three breeds and from the Weimaraner, digestive issues including bloat. Although this may seem like a highly daunting list, rest assured that this pooch is still considered a healthy dog and it’s quite possible your pet will never experience these concerns throughout the course of his lifetime.

Provide your Golden Labmaraner with a healthy lifestyle including regular exercise, a top-quality food that’s suited to his nutritional needs, plenty of activity and regular check-ups with your vet and you can expect him to live between 10 and 12 years; about average for a large-sized dog.

The Golden Labmaraner is a high energy dog who would do best with an active family who can cover off his need for regular exercise and interactive playtime. In addition to long daily walks, this busy boy loves agility and opportunities to please his human pack so a big fenced yard where he can chase a tossed ball or Frisbee to burn off some energy would be ideal. Dog runs where he is isolated from his human pack will not work for this type of pooch as he needs the psychological benefits of human interaction. Visits to a dog park where he can run and interact with other dogs is another great outlet for his energy however previous socialization is important because of his predatory instincts and his need to be taught to play nice with other animals. And off-leash opportunities need to be in a secure, fenced environment because of his tendency to pick up a trail and wander off. Without sufficient exercise and mental stimulation, this dog can become high-strung and display destructive behaviors such as chewing and continual barking.

The Golden Labmaraner may suffer from separation anxiety so doesn’t do well when left on his own for longer periods of time.

The Golden Labmaraner comes from three different pure-bred dogs and because of this he doesn’t qualify to join the roster of the American Kennel Club (AKC) who are dedicated solely to individual pure-bred lines. At this time, he is not recognized by any of the lesser known clubs.

Whether your Golden Labmaraner inherits the coarser, shorter coat of the Labrador Retriever and the Weimaraner or the longer, wavy, silky coat of the Golden Retriever, you can expect this dog will be a heavy seasonal shedder and require brushing 3 to 4 times a week (more during shedding season) to not only keep his fur from matting and tangling but to control the loose hair that will inevitably be floating around your home and vehicle. Additionally, because this dog is the offspring of pooches who just love to swim, it’s important that he be thoroughly dried at the end of his swim (or bath) to help prevent fungal infections and hot spots that can occur when the soft under-coat is allowed to remain damp. And because this is a floppy-eared dog, plan to inspect and clean his ears weekly to remove the debris and bacteria build-up that can result in smelly yeast infections. A simple, damp cotton ball and a few minutes of your time is all it takes.

Golden Labmaraners typically have between 6 and 10 puppies in a litter and because socialization is so important with this dog, you should make a point of carefully, gently handling these puppies within a couple weeks of arrival (with mom’s approval of course). Why? Because these pups carry the DNA of three very smart breeds that have a high prey / hunt instinct and by socializing them early on, you introduce them to new faces, the experience of being handled and the smells and sounds of other animals. Slowly build up the pup’s confidence with new, positive experiences in a controlled situation – e.g. carefully and with adults or older kids who understand the importance of being gentle and respectful of a young puppy. This little guy can be prone to joint issues and digestive problems such as bloat later in life, so ensure playtime and exercise don’t over-exert tiny limbs and that he begins a feeding regimen of smaller meals throughout the day versus allowing him to free-feed.