Have you wondered what the types of golden retrievers are? In this post, we highlight our top golden retrievers to know.
Golden Retrievers, a name that is very popular among dog lovers, especially in the United States and yes, it is for very good reasons. These are very smart, loyal dogs and the perfect fit for families.
Their friendly, tolerant nature makes them even better fits. Golden retrievers usually weigh about 55-75 pounds and live to about 10-12 years. These gems love to maintain their fun-loving puppy attitudes and signature smile into adulthood.
Golden Retrievers are considered as part of the sporting dog group and thus require at least an hour of daily exercise. As their name suggests, golden retrievers love to retrieve almost anything thrown at them.
They love to hunt and make very wonderful and skilled service dogs. What is even more fascinating about them is that they love to be around their owners and are truly obedient and spry.
Although there are numerous ‘breeds’ of Golden Retrievers, there is technically just one breed, according to the Golden Retrievers Club of America.
Nonetheless, this article will give you insights into the various breeds that are associated with the lovely golden retrievers. Yet, before we delve into them, we consider it important to share with you a brief history of golden retrievers.
History Of Golden Retrievers
Of course, many prospective golden retriever owners will want to know the historic background of your golden retriever or if you’re new to dogs and seeking to own a retriever, this will interest you.
It is as well important to know where our golden retrievers came from, so we can understand where we are today. Generally speaking, history, as we all agree, does play a relevant role in our present world.
Now, history has it that Lord Tweedmouth of Scotland, in 1868, wanted to create a hunting dog that could retrieve shot-down birds from both land and water. What he did was to breed a way-coated retriever with a Tweed water spaniel, and the world had its first ever litter of golden retrievers.
As is already known, golden are common family dogs, yet because they were originally bred for retrieving birds all the time, they are accustomed to some lasting physical and personal traits we see in them today.
Some of which include the facts that they possess impressive energy, are very athletic and can swim as well. They are also able to hold things in their mouth for a good number of minutes.
There you have it. Now you know where your golden retriever originated from. The question now is, how many supposed ‘breeds’ of golden retrievers are there, and what are they?
The Eight (8) Types Of Golden Retrievers
There are eight (8) known ‘breeds’ of golden retrievers. Let’s look at each of them.
Mini Golden Retriever
You are probably thinking, ‘these might be the smallest of golden retrievers!’ No friend, the name is only so because mini golden retrievers are a crossbreed of a golden retriever, cocker spaniel and/or a mini poodle. Because of this, mini golden retrievers are not considered purebred.
What mini golden retriever breeders sought to achieve was to create smaller yet healthier puppies that shed less.
Their small stature gives owners a feeling of having a puppy forever, and yes, some owners love this idea! One thing, though, is that mini golden retrievers can sell over double the price of traditional, pure-bred golden retrievers.
If you’re in for a mini golden retriever, note that these puppies are usually inconsistent in their looks, as some may resemble one parent more than the other.
Breeding two crossbreeds together are the ideal way to have puppies with consistent looks. Yet, there could be the issue of inbreeding in these dogs, making them mostly unhealthy. Prospective owners should carefully choose which breeder to get their mini golden retrievers from.
Red Golden Retrievers
Another type of golden retriever is the red golden retriever, and this colour type is one of the most common shades of coats we see golden retrievers in.
You can expect a red golden retriever to be similar to a field breed since the latter usually comes in red or dark gold colours.
Other similarities include their small stature, they have shorter coats, and they’re athletic and driven, although red golden retrievers are sometimes big with blocky heads and even long coats.
Field Bred Golden Retrievers
These dogs are a bit smaller than other breeds, but are mostly more athletic and driven. Field-bred golden retrievers are what many call the original golden retrievers, given that retrievers were originally bred to hunt.
Although they are agile, mouthy and excel in hunting, they make very lovely family companions and are especially great with kids.
Their coats are usually shorter and range from gold to red. Conformation or Show golden retrievers are the opposite of field golden retrievers.
Show Golden Retrievers
Show golden retrievers are, as the name suggests, the type of golden retrievers we see at dog shows. They are bred to have a certain look, and even judges of these dog shows think they are what standard golden retrievers should look like.
Over the years, their evolution has seen them being now thick, stocky, big-boned and have long and full coats with blocky heads.
Breeders and owners alike consider this type more friendly and sociable, with less energy than the field golden retrievers.
English Cream Golden Retrievers
English cream golden retrievers are becoming quite popular as a designer dog breed. You might want to consider this breed if you want a distinctive breed of golden retrievers.
These are English golden retrievers with particularly light-coloured coats, almost white, actually. These unauthenticated dog breeds are not recognized by any kennel club.
There are some that argue that the English Cream Golden Retrievers have a better disposition or are even rarer than compared to other breeds of golden retrievers.
Nonetheless, these are just myths, as the most important thing when it comes to picking a breed is their pedigree and how they’re raised. Whatever characteristics parent breeds have will definitely be passed down to the puppies, no matter what colour your puppy is.
Some of these problems stem from breeders who wanted to make more money selling golden retrievers and thus had to breed unhealthy dogs in very irresponsible methods without recourse to what pedigree the breeds had.
Rather unfortunately for prospective dog owners interested in English cream golden retrievers, they’re so expensive. However, if you still want to get one, find a good breeder that runs texts on the health and genetics of the dogs they tend to breed.
This could save you from later health issues that may arise with your puppy.
Black Golden Retrievers
If you know so much about golden retrievers, finding this type here might come as a bit of a surprise to you, and yes, you’re right!
These breeds do not actually exist. The reason you find them here is that people perceive them to be one of the colours of golden retrievers or that they’re a genetic mutation of golden retrievers, but that is not true.
They are actually genetically impossible to make and if you’ve seen any black golden retriever, they were probably crossed with another breed such as a black Labrador, setter or spaniel at some point.
Also, a flat-coated retriever, a Newfoundland, a black lab and golden retriever mix and a black German shepherd and golden retriever mix may look like what people call a black golden retriever.
Canadian Golden Retrievers
Canadian golden retrievers are very similar to their American counterparts. Their average height and weight are the same. They also have average temperaments.
What differentiates them is that Canadian standards allow breeders to come up with dogs of various shades, not caring so much about how light or dark their coats are.
American Golden Retrievers
As noted under the Canadian golden retrievers, the difference between American golden retriever and their Canadian pals is the difference in breed standards for American Golden Retrievers.
Although they are all kind, even-tempered dogs, excessive light or dark shades are undesirable among American breeders.
Final Words
There you have it, friend. These are all the supposed breeds of the lovely golden retrievers. We say supposed because according to the Golden Retrievers club of Golden Retrievers, there is only one breed of golden retrievers.
However, breeders and owners alike have been able to come up with other different types, to either make more money, on the part of breeders or to satisfy their own pleasures of owning other ‘breeds’ on the part of owners.
Thus, if you’re going in for a golden retriever of any type, go to a breeder you can trust and make sure to have adequate information on the puppies’ pedigree. This will save you a lot of vet money later.
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