You just got your first golden retriever and it’s a girl! She’s adorable, playful and comes from a great line of golden retrievers.
An important event in a female golden retriever's life is their heat cycle. It is important to know when your golden will go into heat and how long their heat will last.
Well, most female pups will not enter their heat cycles until around 6 months (normal for smaller breed dogs). Golden retrievers are more likely to have their first heat cycle at about 10 to 14 months; with giant breeds starting at 18 to 24 months.
Keep in mind, these are ranges and it could be earlier or later as every dog is different. It is important to track when your dog has their first heat cycle. For the most part, their timing should become regular after the first cycle.

Signs Your Golden Is In Heat
On an average, a dog’s heat cycle can last anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks. Again, all dogs are different and may be exhibit signs at different times.
We know that your dog is not only experiencing hormonal changes, but visible and behavioral changes as well. Here are some of the changes you can look for:
There are different thoughts in regards to the excessive licking in the genital area. Some believe it is your dog’s way of cleaning herself due to the bleeding and discharge. While some feel that the area is tender and sensitive due to excessive blood flow. Either way, it definitely helps with the possible mess.

Stages of a Golden's Heat Cycle
It is important to know your golden’s behavior and signs as she goes in and out of heat. This will help you know what stage she may be in, what is going on with her physically and how to address her needs during each phase.
Remember every golden is different so the time ranges may vary from dog to dog, as well as, the behavior.
Stage 1 – Proestrus
Stage 2 – Estrus
Stage 3 – Diestrus
Stage 4 – Anestrus

Great tips thanks 🙏🏻
My almost 4 year old female golden always had predictable heat cycle exactly every six months not even 1 day late. Now she should have it in the or around first week of June…but June’s over and she’s late. Is that a normal?
Thanks for your information,good help and advice
Great info, thanks. My Golden is five months old and I believe she has started her first cycle. Again THANKS.