Owning a large dog like a Golden Retriever presents unique challenges. For instance, do golden retrievers smell? Can a golden retriever live in a tiny house? However, there are other things that you should know about large dogs before you bring one home like do golden retrievers drool?
Yes, all dogs drool but being large dogs, golden retrievers have larger jaws and drool more than dogs with smaller jaws. A golden retriever drools when hot, excited, playing, running, hungry, or right after eating or drinking water.
However, excessive drooling can be a sign of a dental problem, a reaction to get rid of a bad taste, or an illness and should be investigated further.
Can I stop a Golden Retriever from drooling? You can’t truly stop a Golden Retriever from drooling because it’s normal for dogs to drool. But you can control excessive drooling. Do this by lowering the temperatures to keep the dog cool, and checking the gums for stuck foreign objects. Take your dog to the vet if it drools excessively and exhibits abnormal behavior like weakness, difficulty walking, etc.
Let’s take a look at some of the main reasons why Golden Retrievers drool:
A Golden Retriever Drools When Hungry or Expecting Food
Ever found yourself salivating when you smell some great cooking in the kitchen while hungry? Who hasn’t? You might not drool all over your shirt but you get the point.
Dogs react the same way as we do and a golden retriever drools when it sees, smells, or is about to get food.
The Solution
Salivating right when the dog is about to get food is normal and shouldn’t get you worried. One thing that you can do is to make sure that your doggy is full when preparing dinner. Also, don’t make your dog wait for food because it will start salivating.
Drooling Because of Excitement
Dogs get overly excited when the owner or favorite person comes home. When a big dog like a golden retriever gets excited, he’ll jump and run around. His body will heat up and will start drooling.
The Solution
You can’t stop a dog from getting overly excited. However, instead of allowing him to run around, hold your pooch and give him a few rubs while on the floor or on the couch. Cuddle with your dog until he calms down.
Drooling When It’s Too Hot
Golden retrievers are large dogs with thick coats. This makes their bodies heat up faster than other smaller dogs when out on a walk, when it’s hot, when they’re playing, or when they get excited. This usually happens when playing a game like dog frisbee.
On top of drooling, you’ll also notice that your dog will start panting. Too much heat can lead to health complications for your furry friend, so you should keep an eye out to make sure that he isn’t experiencing heatstroke. If left unchecked, heatstroke is fatal.
The Solution
You need to cool your dog down when it starts drooling excessively.
Do this by firing up the fan or the air conditioner, submerging your dog in cool water, providing cold water to drink, or taking it to a cooler room.
However, take your golden retriever to the vet if you notice anything out of the ordinary. It’s an issue if your dog has pale gums and tongue, is excessively thirsty, has glazed eyes, or shows sluggish movement.
There’s an Object Stuck in Its Mouth
A Golden Retriever, or any other dog, drools when there’s an object stuck in its mouth.
These dogs have large, strong jaws and crush bones for fun. Tiny bone fragments can get lodged between the teeth, and if the dog can’t get them out, it will start drooling excessively.
Also, if a small fragment from a toy or whatever your dog has been chewing on gets stuck between the teeth or causes some damage to the mouth, then your dog will drool.
The Solution
Just get whatever is stuck in your dog’s mouth out, and your dog will stop drooling. You can take your dog to the vet if there’s significant damage to the gums or any other part of the mouth. But you don’t have to if the damage is minimal because it will heal in a couple of days.
A Golden Retriever Drooling Because of a Dental Problem
Dental problems such as an abscess, gingivitis, damaged teeth, a chipped tooth, or tooth decay make golden retrievers drool more. Also, the pain from a toothache will make your pooch drool excessively.
The Solution
You should check your furry friend’s mouth for any signs of dental problems. Bad breath and swollen or bleeding gums are signs of a dog’s dental problem. A toothache causes serious discomfort for dogs, and usually, your dog won’t eat and will also whine and cry.
Take your dog to the vet if you identify a dental problem or if you’re not sure what’s causing excessive drooling.
Drooling Because of Bloating
Bloating is a digestive problem that makes your dog’s stomach become inflamed and swollen. This condition causes extreme discomfort for dogs, making them drool excessively, and if left unchecked, can cause shock.
Bloating happens when gas or food stretches your dog’s stomach.
The Solution
If you notice that your four-legged friend’s stomach is bloated and starts to drool excessively, take him/her to the vet.
Do this to stop your Golden Retriever from getting bloated:
- Don’t feed your golden retriever from a raised food bowl
- Use a slow feeder bowl to stop your doggy from eating fast
- Don’t serve one large meal a day. Serve a portion in the morning and another in the early evening.
- Don’t allow your golden retriever to exercise or run after eating
- Keep other dogs that experience consistent bloating away from your golden retriever.
- Don’t allow your fido to drink and eat a lot in one sitting
Drooling to Get Rid of Bad Taste in the Mouth
When a dog eats something that leaves a bad taste in the mouth, it will produce a lot of saliva to get rid of the taste.
If you feed your dog a treat or food and immediately he starts drooling, then there is probably some bad taste in his mouth.
The Solution
Give your Golden Retriever some chew toys after eating that clean the teeth, gums, and tongue.
Golden Retrievers Drool Because of Motion Sickness
If you take your dog on a car ride and he starts drooling excessively, he might be about to vomit, which is a sign of motion sickness.
Golden retriever puppies are more prone to motion sickness compared to adults because their inner ear, which plays a key role in balance, is not fully developed. However, they’ll outgrow the motion sickness by the time they’re a year old.
Adult golden retrievers also get nervous and sick when they ride in cars with bad air conditioning. Also, if your pooch isn’t used to car rides, he’s more susceptible to motion sickness. If this happens often, your golden retriever will associate the car ride with the stressful experience.
An infection in the inner ear, or vestibular disease, can also cause motion sickness in adult golden retrievers.
The Solution
Don’t take a golden retriever puppy on a car ride until he is one year old. For adult golden retrievers, you can reassure your dog to overcome stress or anxiety so he’s comfortable on car trips.
Also, try taking several short trips before embarking on a long one. You can also place your dog in the car, sit there, and start the engine without moving. Do this a few times, and your dog will not get anxious when taking a ride in a car.
It Might be Liver Problems
If your golden retriever has a liver problem, he or she will drool excessively. Drooling, as we have seen from the above causes, should not concern you that much. But due to serious health conditions like liver problems, it’s important to take your golden retriever to the vet when you notice excessive drooling.
The Solution
Identifying a liver problem in your golden retriever is not easy. But a serious condition like this makes the dog act strangely, like moving in a strange way and being weak. Take your pooch to the vet if you notice excessive drooling.
Golden Retrievers Drool Because of Nerve Damage
If there’s nerve damage or a tumor in your pooch’s mouth, then they’ll not close their mouths properly, and even some facial muscles might go numb, resulting in drooling.
The Solution
Immediate medical attention from a qualified vet is necessary to get your dog back in good condition.
Golden Retrievers Drool Because of Poisoning
A golden retriever will start drooling when it ingests something poisonous. This might be something that it picks up when playing in the park, when out for a walk, or in your house.
Dogs also love chewing on plants, and if it eats some poisonous leaves, then your pooch will start drooling. If it’s not something serious, your Golden Retriever will vomit and stop drooling. However, if drooling continues, take your pooch to the vet for immediate medical attention.
Golden Retriever Drooling Because of Rabies
Rabies is a serious condition and can affect your dog if you live in an area where it’s reported to exist. Excessive salivating is one of the signs of rabies, but it’s difficult for dogs that have received all their vaccinations to get rabies.
The Solution
If your dog hasn’t been vaccinated against rabies (which is highly unlikely), take him to the vet to get the vaccine.
Tips to Control Excessive Drooling in Golden Retrievers
- Find out the exact reason why your golden retriever is drooling. Check for a stuck object in your dog’s mouth. If you find one, remove it.
- While checking the mouth for lodged items, check the mouth and teeth for any gum disease. If you find a chipped or cavitied tooth, take your pooch to the vet.
- Tie a bandana around your dog’s neck to stop the drool from irritating his neck.
- Place a towel near your dog’s feeding bowl to control the drool when eating.
- Feed your pooch four hours before going for a car ride.
- Dry the mouth of your golden retriever using a washable towel when exercising or walking.
Final Thoughts
Yes is the answer if you’re asking, “Do golden retrievers drool? It’s normal for dogs to drool, but with the information in this article, you can figure out why your furry friend is drooling. If you can’t explain why your golden retriever is drooling, take him to the vet for immediate medical attention.
