Do Golden Retrievers Drool A Lot?

Drooling can be a pain to deal with in a dog and some owners may choose to avoid this problem by sticking to dogs that are not prone to drooling. You’re probably considering a Golden Retriever since they’re one of the most popular dogs around. But do they drool a lot?

If they are in good health and not advanced age, Goldens should be drooling a lot unless they have dental issues or perhaps ate something that will make them sick.  Another reason they might drool includes being overheated.

If a Golden is overheated and there is no water in sight, its body will respond, and it may drool in response.  Other issues can cause drooling, including over-excitement, anxiety, and stress.

More severe issues that cause drooling include food poisoning, problems with their kidneys or liver, and potentially rabies.

Drooling is a normal part of a dog’s life; they often drool when excitable, stressed, or have anxiety or dental issues.  They can also suffer overzealous drooling if they are hungry and smell something delicious.

More serious issues will have a Golden Retriever drooling continually or more often than normal daily.  For such issues as rabies, a Golden Retriever should receive regular checkups and vaccines to keep them healthy, so hopefully, this isn’t a problem.

Rabies is a serious health issue that not only affects the dog, and their life but also the family and community.  Health problems associated with organs like the liver and kidneys will require a diagnosis from their veterinarian, and other symptoms may be noted.

Emotions

Emotional issues can cause our bodies to react.  If a Golden Retriever is nervous, stressed, anxious or excited, this will be displayed in various physical ways.   

Drooling can be one of those symptoms; once the emotional distress is over, the drooling should stop.

Dental Problems

Dental problems can cause symptoms like bad breath, pain, soreness, discomfort, and drooling.  

As part of a healthy lifestyle, dogs should receive annual checkups with their veterinarian, including an evaluation of their teeth.  Once their teeth and gums are healthy, drooling will stop.

Hunger

Our bodies respond to hunger, and so does our Golden Retrievers body.  A growling tummy may not be the only way it responds.  Drooling if they smell something delicious can be a symptom.  If they are fed, the symptom will stop until they get hungry again.

Excess Heat

When a Golden Retriever is overly hot, its body will respond to this and drool.  Since they don’t have sweat glands, they don’t respond the same way to excess heat.   

Initially, they will pant, but if the heat is too hot, they will end up drooling.  Providing the Golden with water and a cool spot can relieve this problem.

Food Poisoning

Food poisoning and other digestive issues will cause various symptoms up and down the GI tract.  The severity of the symptoms and where they will depend on the sickness or poisoning.  Drooling may be one of those symptoms, and it may be necessary to consult their veterinarian if other symptoms are present, like vomiting.

While food poisoning is significant, other mild digestive issues like bloating or food allergies can also cause drooling.  Uncover what their digestive system doesn’t like and remove it, then the drooling should stop.  It may take a few days or weeks, but drooling will stop when the body settles down from the allergy.

Sickness

Major illnesses that affect the internal organs like the kidneys or liver will cause numerous symptoms, some more obvious than others.  Other symptoms can include weakness, tiredness, inability to rest due to pain, and sometimes lack of coordination.

How do I stop my Golden Retriever from drooling?

Promoting a healthy lifestyle is the best way to stop your Golden Retriever from drooling.  A healthy lifestyle will include regular veterinary visits, a healthy diet, adequate water, exercise, good sleep, and quality grooming sessions, including teeth brushing and protection from harmfulness.

A healthy lifestyle will not cure drooling, and you will find that your Golden Retriever will still drool sometimes, but it shouldn’t be a chronic or continual thing.  If they have an underlying health issue, you will notice, and so will their veterinarian.

A healthy lifestyle will also create a strong, deeply connected relationship between you and your Golden Retriever that will have you responding appropriately to their needs.   Issues like overheating will be reduced because of your responsiveness to their physical needs.

Beyond that, there isn’t much that can be done.  All dogs drool sometimes, and some reasons are easily remedied or reduced, like hunger and over-excitability.  If drooling is constant or comes and goes more than what seems normal for your Golden Retriever, a trip to their veterinarian is important.

Depending on your Golden Retrievers personality, emotional issues can be harder to keep up with.  Emotions can be managed with lifestyle and home modifications.  Changes to the environment and offering more comfort can bring a drooling Golden Retriever peace.

While this might not immediately impact the drooling they do, it can eventually reduce their emotional upset and, in turn, the excessive drooling.

Sometimes, a Golden Retriever drools because they have something lodged in its mouth, like a toy or foreign object.  If this is the case, gently exploring their mouth and removing the object can cause the drooling to stop.

In Conclusion

Drooling happens to the best of all dogs, and Golden Retrievers will be susceptible at some point.  A healthy and well-rounded lifestyle can promote a healthy dog and less drooling.

If that doesn’t work, managing each issue as they arise will ensure that the drooling doesn’t continue.  In some instances, serious health problems can be the cause, but this is rare and not to be the first thought.

While walking around with a drool towel like with babies may not be the theme of the day, but it can come in handy for those moments when they are drooling with no known cause.  A bib might work too, but maybe not when they’ve ripped it off!