How Many Puppies Do Golden Retrievers Have? Litter & Lifetime

For most people, the best part about being a dog parent is getting new puppies, but how many puppies can a Golden Retriever have?

How many puppies can a Golden Retriever have?

Golden Retrievers typically have six to ten puppies, depending on several variables. Such factors include age, size, repeat mothers, etc.  Over a lifetime, your Golden Retriever should not have more than four to six litters.

While your Goldie is unlikely to give birth to one Golden Retriever puppy, Golden Retrievers can have litters with more than twelve puppies.

We sought answers from multiple dog encyclopedias to get accurate explanations of how many puppies a Golden Retriever can have. Our resident vet also gave us plenty of input and recommended different books we could read to compile the only guide you will need.

How Many Puppies Can A Golden Retriever Have?

Golden Retrievers typically give birth to six to ten puppies, subject to various factors. It is doubtful that your Goldie will give birth to a single puppy. It is also possible for Golden Retrievers to have litters with more than a dozen puppies, but this is not as usual.

Factors That Affect The Number of Puppies A Golden Retriever Can Have

The number of puppies a Golden Retriever can have is affected by many factors. These include:

The Health of the Dam

Healthy dams will give birth to a larger litter compared to a dog that is not healthy. Healthy canines can carry a pregnancy to term and lower the likelihood of miscarrying the pup.

On the other side, unhealthy canines may have trouble carrying the pregnancy and, in the worst situation, may lose some or all the puppies.

First-Time Moms

Usually, the first two litters are smaller than the subsequent ones. For a first-time dog mom, the average size of the first litter is eight but after that, expect a litter size of six to ten.

Repeat Moms

If this is your dog’s third or subsequent litter, she will probably give birth to 6 to 10 puppies. Although uncommon, Golden Retrievers can have litters with more than twelve puppies.

Size

Physical size plays a significant role in determining litter size because larger bodies may naturally support larger litter than smaller ones.

Method Of Breeding

Goldens that have been artificially inseminated have fewer litters than dams that got pregnant naturally. The reason for this is that during collection in the artificial insemination process, a lot of sperm dies before fertilization.

The Dam’s Age

Golden Retrievers below the age of 2 should not be bred; breeding must be between 2 and 5 to get a larger litter size. Because they are still young, a Golden Retriever can initially handle the strenuous effort of carrying a pregnancy.

However, with age comes plenty of health conditions, and your pet can start to experience these effects over time. You will always get small litter sizes if you wait until your puppy is over five to breed them. Breeding your Golden Retriever while they are in their old age results in difficulties with the puppies’ birth.

Don’t wait until your dog’s health is compromised by age for you to start breeding them. Take advantage of them when they are at their peak.

The Father’s Age

The Golden male’s age is another factor that impacts how big the litter size can be. Like a dam, mate your pup while the male is between two to five years old.

Past that, the amount and quality of the sperm start to deteriorate. Additionally, the likelihood of sperm fusing with the dam’s eggs rises between 1.5 and 5 years.

Time Of Breeding

The timing of a dam’s delivery of a litter of puppies is another crucial factor that affects size. Litters born in the spring are frequently larger than those born at other times of the year. If you’re going for a larger litter size, wait till the spring season.

Diet

While providing your Golden Retriever with a healthy, balanced diet is always essential, pregnant dogs need the best possible vitamins, minerals, and protein. A balanced diet without additives and plenty of water for hydration produce the largest litter sizes.

The food a puppy eats during pregnancy also impacts their postnatal health and litter survival rate.

The dog’s diet gives them the energy to carry the puppies safely and ensures they remain healthy in the stomach. Dog foods containing chemicals can change the number of puppies produced, so avoid dog food with chemicals during pregnancy unless your vet instructs.

Can The Breeder Influence The Number Of Puppies That Are Born?

The answer is neither here nor there. Breeders have used several approaches to influence the number of puppies born, with varying degrees of success.

It is difficult to tell if these successes were the product of lab processes that increased the number of puppies or whether they were the consequence of pure luck.

How Big A Litter Has The Golden Retriever Ever Had?

The largest litter contained 24 puppies, proving that not all dogs breed on average. Your Golden Retriever won’t typically give birth to 24 puppies, though.

How Many Puppies In Total Should A Golden Retriever Have?

Golden Retrievers can have four to six litters in their lifespan. Afterward, it is essential to spay your dog. There should never be more than six litters per dog because anything beyond that is detrimental to the dog’s health.

Although dogs enter their breeding season quickly, ensure you wait 18 to 24 months before mating them again. 

This period is necessary for the Golden’s body to heal and nurse the puppies. It is also essential to observe how your canine behaves after the pregnancy to decide whether they can handle carrying other pups.

Key Takeaways

• If you want larger litter sizes, ensure you breed your dog when they are between two and five years and give them 18 to 24 months.
• In their lifetime, Golden Retrievers can have four to six litters. Then, it’s critical to spay your dog. There should never be more than six litters per dog, as anything more is wrong for the dog’s health.
• Fewer litters are produced by artificially inseminated Goldens than by natural conception. This is because many sperm perish during collection in the artificial insemination procedure before fertilization.