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Golden Retrievers v. Labrador Retrievers

Although yellow labs and golden retrievers do kind oflook like cousins, there's a big difference in their coatsthat might surprise you.

And if you want more go with the flow dog, then one ofthese dogs is a much betterchoice for you than the other.

You'll see golden Retrievers serving as sweet therapydogs, cheering people up in hospitals and nursinghomes and you'll see Labradors helping differentlyabled people lead independent lives and think, hey,these two dogs are pretty similar.

It's true. They are both originally bred to work withpeople, but how they use today has changed, thisbrings us into the first difference.

Their jobs, both golden retrievers and labs wereoriginally bred to be hunting dogs.

Golden retrievers originated in Scotland and Labradorretrievers originated in Canada.

They each have double coats to keep them warm in thecold water and they even have webbed feet so thatthey can swim better.

Today. They're still both used as hunting dogs.

Although labs are more commonly used as huntingpartners than golden retrievers, they're also both usedas service dogs.

But again, labs are more common than goldenretrievers in this role.

Labradors are just better workers, which takes us tothis next difference. Their personalities. Labradors aremore strong willed.

Part of the reason they're such great workers is thatthey've got a great work ethic and they're very driven.

Golden retrievers. On the other hand, are more likefluffy goofballs. They want to play more and mix it up.

They just want to be loved and give love, which is whatmakes them such great therapy dogs.

Another trait that makes both of these dogs such goodworkers is this next one, ease of training.

According to Doctor Stanley Corn's book, TheIntelligence of Dogs. Golden Retrievers are the fourthsmartest dog breed.

While Labradors are the seventh, they were both bredto work with people.

They love treats and they like to learn which all makesthem easier to train than most other breeds.

But even though Golden retrievers are smarter thanlabs, Labradors are easier to train because of theirintense work ethic and their focus and because they'reboth easy to train, that's what makes them great forthis next point.

How good they are with families. This is the first of afew similarities between golden retrievers and labs.

Goldens and labs are both great family dogs.

They're loving, loyal and they just want to hang withtheir families, plus they're gentle and intuitive, sothey're good for families with kids.

This is a big part of what has made the Labrador the AK CS most popular breed inAmerica for 30 years in a row.

Although golden retrievers aren't too far behind as thefourth smartest dog breed.

But even though their loyalty and love for people makethem great family dogs, there is one thing that canmake having one of these dogs in your house tough,especially if you have little kids and that is their size.

Golden retrievers and labs are both medium to largedogs so they can easily knockover little kids if they're not careful.

Male golden retrievers stand about 23 to 24 inches talland usually weigh 65 to £75.

Female golden retrievers are usually 21 a half to 22 ahalf inches tall and weighs 55 to £65.

Labs are slightly bigger. The males are usually 22 ahalf to 24 a half inches tall and weigh in at 65 to £80.

Female Labradors are usually 21 a half to 23 a halfinches tall and weigh 55 to £70.

Does this mean that labs and goldens can't be biggeror smaller than this?

Of course, not many people are actually breedingbigger dogs these days, which is not good.

But the numbers I just mentioned are from the A K Cbreed standard for each of these breeds.

So why is it bad that people are breeding bigger dogsaccording to A study fromthe Golden Retriever Club of America.

Taller golden Retrievers have a shorter lifespan.

Plus both of these breeds commonly suffer from hipand elbow dysplasia and the heavier they are, thehigher the chances that they're gonna suffer from thatare, I'll drop a link to the study about taller goldenretrievers in the description.

But if you find a breeder that brags about how big theirgolden retrievers are, then youmight want to find another one.

Golden retrievers and labs aren't just good dogs forfamilies with kids though, they're also great forfamilies with multiple dogs or other animals.

Both golden retrievers and labsare friendly with other dogs.

We did a study where we found that 31.6% of goldenretriever owners have more than one dog.

They can also be good with cats and other animalsbecause they have a relatively low prey drive.

Yes, they were bred to help hunters, but they were onlybred to retrieve birds oncethey were shot dogs like beagles.

On the other hand, were actuallybred to go find small game.

So they have much higher prey drives and are morelikely to chase other small animals in the house likecats or guinea pigs.

In the same study I mentioned earlier, we found that25% of golden retriever owners also have a cat.

So far, all the similarities between these two have beengood things, but this next one is not so good.

If you like to chill and watch Netflix all day, let's talkabout their energy levels.

I've mentioned several times that both goldens andlabs were bred to be hunting dogs.

They were made to run through fields and over hillsand swim through pondsand marshes. That's hard work.

So it's literally in their blood to have lots of energy andendurance. Now, their extra energy alone is fine.

But if you like to relax at home all day, your dog isgonna get bored and restless.

This is where problems start to happen.

Barking, digging, jumping, chewing up everything inyour house or any other unwanted habits can all occurin a bored dog with pent up energy.

So if you decide that a golden retriever or a Labradoris the right dog for you plan to give them about 1 to 2hours of exercise each day so that their exerciseneeds are met if you don't meet their needs.

Well, maybe you'll be strugglingwith this next difference. Barking.

Here's the good news because golden retrievers andlabs were both bred to help hunt birds.

Neither of them typically bark very much. If they didbark in the field, they'd scare all the birds away.

But when it comes to which breed barks less thataward goes to the golden retriever, it's a slight edgeand there are always exceptions, but most goldensdon't bark very much.

You can learn about theirdifferences. In barking by googling.

Golden Retriever versus Labrador and clicking on thearticle from Golden Hearts.

Now, it's a good thing they want this one because thenext trait they're definitely not winning. Grooming.

Golden retrievers have beautiful flowing coats. Butthose coats are a lot of work.

They'll need to be brushed 2 to 4 times a week whilelabs will only need to be brushed 1 to 2 times a week.

Plus, if your dog decides that they want to go play inthe mud, I sure hope you have a lab because cleaningmud and dirt out of a lab's coarse coat is a lot easierthan cleaning up a golden's fluffy mud absorbing coat.

As far as other grooming activities go, both breeds willneed their floppy ears, cleaned their teeth brushed andtheir nails trimmed, but there are more differences intheir coats than just howmuch you need to brush them.

The most obvious difference is their color.

Golden retrievers come in some shade of gold fromlight cream to gold to rich red.

Labradors come in three separatecolors, yellow, black and chocolate.

And I mentioned that labs have coarse coats whilegoldens have soft coats and one weird result of this ishow they fall on your floor.

Both of these breeds shed a ton because of theirdouble coats, but the soft golden retriever hairs willclump together into little golden tumbleweeds.

The coarse Labrador hairs scatter all around the houseSo it's actually easier to clean up golden Retriever hairthan it is for Labrador hair.

This next point is a littlesad but really important to know.

And the one after that is something that most dogowners overlook and will save you a ton of heartbreakif you know before you get a dog.

Now, let's talk about cancer. According to a study doneat Cambridge on the cancer rate in dogs, goldenretrievers have a 38% cancer rate while labs only havea 31% cancer rate.

If you crunch the numbers, that means that goldenretrievers have a 23% higherchance of cancer than labs.

And that's based on a study from England studies inAmerica have found that the cancer rate is even higherin goldens, but you can learn more about that in thenext video about Americanverse English golden retrievers.

Now there are some things you can do to decreaseyour dogs risk of cancer like waiting longer to spay orneuter them and I'll put a link for you down in thedescription so that you can read more about it.

But enough of all the sadness, let's talk aboutsomething that most dog owners don't really plan out,which ends up being one of the main reasons peoplehave to abandon their dogs and that is price.

Golden retrievers are more expensive than labs. Pricesvary depending on what the dogs are bred for.

And where the breeder is located.

But you can expect to spend about 1000 to $3000 on alab and 1500 to $4000 on a golden retriever.

Here's the problem though. That's just the initial price.

After you bring your pup home, you'll spend almost$2000 per year on your dog between their food, theirvet visits, their toys treats, taking them to thegroomers and other services that they'll need.

Most people don't realize how expensive dogs are.

So, the cost of owning a dog is one of the mainreasons people have to abandon them.

If you do decide one of these breeds is right for you,then be prepared to spendabout $2000 per year on them.

I mentioned that there are some strange differencesbetween American and English golden retrievers andyou can watch that videonext to learn more about them.

Have you had either of these breeds? Let me knowdown in the comments.

And if you enjoyed this video, subscribe for moregolden retriever videos and I'll see you in the next one.