Golden Retriever Puppies in Snow: Boon and Her Litter of Fifteen

A golden retriever mother bounds across a snowy yard while her puppies tumble after her, sinking into the powder, changing direction and scrambling to keep up. The clip comes from Susan Menne of Butternut Goldens, who filmed her dog Boon outside with a litter of fifteen puppies.

Boon and her litter of fifteen

Fifteen puppies is an unusually big family for the breed. Golden retrievers have about seven puppies per litter on average, so Boon’s litter was roughly twice the usual size. In the video the difference in scale is what makes the scene so lively: the mother crosses the yard in a few easy strides, while each puppy makes its own short, determined journey through snow that comes up to its chest.

The puppies follow her everywhere. Watch one pup at a time and you see it stop, sniff the snow, lose its footing and hurry on again; then look at the whole group and it moves around the mother like a small golden cloud.

A retriever built for Scottish weather

Golden retrievers were developed in Scotland in the 19th century by Sir Dudley Marjoribanks, later Baron Tweedmouth, at his Guisachan estate in the Highlands. He crossed a Flat-coated Retriever with the Tweed Water Spaniel and other breeds to create a gun dog that could retrieve game in rough, wet country.

That heritage shows in the coat. Goldens have a flat or wavy outer coat over a dense, water-resistant undercoat, with feathering on the forelegs. The colour ranges from cream to deep gold and often lightens with age. Combined with their gentle, eager-to-please temperament, this made them one of the most popular family dogs in the world, regularly in the top ten breeds by registrations in the UK, the US, Canada and Australia.

Puppies in snow: how to keep play safe

An adult golden is well equipped for a winter outing, but young puppies are a different story. They have less body fat than grown dogs, struggle to regulate their temperature and lose heat quickly, even with a thick coat. Veterinary advice suggests waiting until a puppy is about eight weeks old before taking it out on winter days.

• Keep sessions short and supervised, and never leave a puppy alone outdoors in cold weather.
• Below about 0 °C (32 °F), conditions can become dangerous for young dogs.
• Bring the puppy inside at once if it shivers, breathes fast or becomes lethargic: these are signs of hypothermia.
• Stay indoors during heavy snow, sleet, freezing rain or strong wind.
• Dog boots protect paws from ice, sharp objects and rock salt, and improve grip.

Short, happy outings like Boon’s are the best way to introduce a litter to winter: a few minutes of discovery, then back to a warm, dry bed.

Related reading

• a toddler investigating an icy patch
• Juha Salo’s seal pup
• Dogs and Cats Encounter Snow: A Winter Video Compilation
• Savor Every Moment: Keith Hopkin’s Film About Dogs
• An Unexpected Dog Encounter: Dean MacDonald’s Candid Winter Clip
• Chaya the German Shepherd Joins the Snow Shovelling

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