Golden Retriever or Labrador?

Which is bigger?

Neither breed is much bigger than the other. A male Lab stands 22.5 to 24.5 inches and a male Golden 23 to 24, and their weights overlap almost completely, with the Lab's range running about five pounds higher at the top. The Lab standard is the stricter of the two on height, ruling out a dog more than half an inch outside its range, where a Golden can be up to an inch off.

We expect our Lab puppies to grow to 65 to 95 lbs and our Goldens to 65 to 80 lbs, and each puppy's own page has our estimate for that puppy.

How are they different to live with?

Both are friendly, eager family dogs that need real exercise every day. A Lab should be kind, outgoing and eager to please, and it is a lively, very energetic breed that will find its own fun, usually destructive, if it doesn't get enough exercise. A Golden should be friendly, reliable and trustworthy, and Goldens keep their playful, puppyish side well into adulthood and are very easy to train because they want so badly to please.

Neither breed is a couch ornament, and both do best with plenty of gentle socializing between 7 weeks and 4 months of age, with puppy classes on top. If appetite is your deciding factor, some Labs carry a gene that makes them hungrier, which any Lab owner guarding a sandwich will believe.

Which sheds more?

Both shed, and the Golden asks for more brushing. Goldens shed steadily all year with one or two heavy sheds on top, and they need brushing once a week, every day during a heavy shed. A Lab sheds twice a year in handfuls, and otherwise needs a comb and a bath every four to six weeks.

Golden hair is the easier kind to spot on a sweater, though a dense short coat like the Lab's often sheds more than people expect. Neither breed is hypoallergenic, and our guides to Lab shedding and Golden shedding go further into each coat.

What colors do they come in?

A Lab is black, yellow or chocolate, while a Golden is one color in many shades, from pale cream to dark gold. We raise Labs in all three colors, with yellows running from a light white to fox red, and our Goldens range from cream to gold.

Color also behaves differently in each breed, since a Lab's color follows two genes and the colors a pairing can have can be worked out ahead of time, while Golden shades vary even among littermates. The Lab color guide and the Golden color guide explain what each breed allows and how we plan a litter's colors.

How long do they live, and what should the parents be tested for?

Labs usually live 11 to 13 years and Goldens 10 to 12. For both breeds, the parents should have their hips and elbows x-rayed and their eyes checked. A Golden's parents should also have a heart exam and a DNA test for an inherited disease of the nervous system, and a Lab's parents DNA tests for an eye disease that leads to blindness, a collapse that can follow hard exercise, an inherited muscle disease and the gene behind silver coats.

We are working toward health testing every one of our mamas and papas. As each parent's certificates come in, we post them on that parent's own page.

Still deciding?

Tell us about your household and we'll give you our honest read on which breed fits it. Labs are our mainstay, and Golden litters come along less often, so a family set on a Golden may be joining the waiting list. You can tick both breeds on the application, and see who's here now on our Labrador and Golden Retriever pages.