When you were stretched out on the bed napping with your golden retriever, it may have soothed you to listen to his heartbeat. Don't be alarmed if yours didn't line up with his; as a large breed dog, the golden retriever has a heart rate ranging between 60 and over 100 beats per minute.
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A golden retriever's weight can range between 55 and 75 pounds, influencing what his heart rate should be. In the dog world, small dogs have a higher heart rate, running between 120 and 160 beats per minute if they're less than 30 pounds. Over that same weight and a dog's heart rate gets slower, ranging from 120 to 60 beats per minute. The larger the dog, the slower his heart rate. If you want to count your dog's heartbeats, you can feel along the inside of his thigh, where his leg and body meet and detect the beats per minute with your hand. You also can find his pulse by lightly pressing against his rib cage, over his heart on his left side. If he's breathing normally, he's taking between 10 and 30 breaths per minute, unless he's panting, when he can pant up to 200 times per minute.