This is a purely hypothetical question as I am the proud owner of a 12 week old Cavalier puppy, and dont intend adding another dog, but a question that Ive always wondered is what exactly are the differences between a golden and a labrador retriever.  I know they are different breeds but they do look very similar so I wondered just what the difference are?
Thank you

From my experience they seem to have very different characters, but I'll leave ti to the experienced to give details.

Well for a start Golden retrievers are long coated and Labrador retrievers are short coated. Golden retrievers come in a variety of shades from nearly white to dark golden, and labs come in 3 colours black, yellow, & chocolate.

Not sure if this is just my experience but the labs we've met have been much more boisterous than the goldens - bit bull in a china shop ish really! The Goldens have been rather more laid back and seem to keep all 4 feet on the floor more often

Now my expereince si teh oppostie the adult labs I ahve met ahve been much clamer than the goldens that seem to be more Peter Pannish and immature.

I have golden retrievers and they are a completely different breeds to labrador retrievers. Here are some of my generalizations. Goldens are slighty less energetic than labs, more laid back and less in your face towards other dogs. Just calmer overall. They are more senstitive and more stubborn. Most labs I've been with are more biddable, some goldens  are more thoughtful about whether they feel like pleasing you. Of course that's in relative terms, goldens are pretty biddable. I spoke to someone who worked both breeds in field trials and she says she doesn't count on her goldens being totally reliable until they're 4, her labs are at 2 years old. Labs also seem to be more bomb-proof.

When I was looking for my second dog I contacted lab rescue thinking they were similar enough but the rescue coordinator convinced me to get a second golden and I think they were right (BTW she owned goldens but rehomed labs). The Cavaliers at the training club adore my dogs, even the shy little ones. The big guy lays down and lets them snuggle all over him.

Obviously the breeding behind the dog makes all the difference. My goldens came from a breeder who has dogs with fantastic natures and the temperaments i wanted. I went and met the gang, made up of a few generations, to decide if they were my kind of goldens. The pups from my dog's sire tend to be as calm and laid back as him.

Physically the goldens have longer coats than the labs but most labs shed more. My sister has a yellow lab that we call the dandelion. If you do have a GR you have to be prepared to have wet muddy dogs around. At least with labradors you can towel them off easily. Guaranteed, no matter who I walk with my golden dog is always the muddiest and has rolled in the most smelly stuff around. :-D

>they are different breeds but they do look very similar so I wondered just what the difference are?

Where have you been looking they look completely different to me GR have a longer coat, LR's come in 3 colours and have a short coat............

I think people are so used to seeing the guide dog crosses of the two breeds that to a non dog person this is where the looks get blurred.

Jolene i am with you to me (an untrained eye!) they look completely different!:rolleyes:

Well I was once stopped by a person who thought my Elkhounds were the same as the three English Setters that live in the neighbourhood!

I would say a golden and a Lab are probably as like Elkhounds and Huskies, and people are always calling mine Huskies, or Malamutes or Akitas or even Chows.

I think when I said "differences" I meant more personality and nature I suppose.  I knew that GR were longer coated and only came in Golden, and I did know that LR came in three colours - there seems to be a lot of chocolate/liver coloured labs around here at the moment.  But I wondered what made someone choose a LR over a GR or vice versa.

Ive had someone ask me if my Cavvie was a springer in the last couple of weeks!

The temperament can vary a lot between individuals. I have 3 Goldens, have had Goldens for the past 26 years, and now also have a Labrador. In our case the Labrador is far, far more sedate. Also my Goldens are all dual purpose bred which means they are from breeders who work AND show their dogs and therefore don't want them too laid back as they need to be able to do a day's work in the field. Then there are field trial bred dogs of both breeds which are higher energy and lighter in body, bred to work ONLY, and likewise show dogs of both breeds that tend to only be shown so often are calmer. I'd say it's six of one and half a dozen of another -but in LOOKS, they look nothing like each other as the coat makes a huge difference. :)

Lori has completely described the differences in her first paragraph. I was travelling to a show yesterday with a friend with Labs and that is exactly how we described their differences.

I must know some very atypical labs and Goldens as the labs are all rather staid and the Goldens clowns even as mature adults, (pups of both breeds can be full on).

We have a few nutball goldens around here too Barbara but they're mostly backyard bred and some barely look like golden retrievers. For me, no matter what breed I decided on, I would go view them at shows or club gatherings and get a feel for which breeders were producing dogs that were of the type and temperament I wanted. Then go meet them and a few of their dogs in their home - if they'd have me of course. :-D

A bit obvious maybe, but as the OP hasn't responded to posts ....is s/he talking about yellow and black labrador retrievers & confusing yellows with goldies???????

Margot

All other questions have been answered but one major difference in deciding between them has to also be grooming a GR will need much more attention. ;-)

Im having really BIG problems logging in here, Im having to change my password each time sorry Ive not been able to reply to each post.  I definately know the difference between what the two breeds SHOULD look like, however round here there seems to be lots of either yellow labradors with slightly longer hair than the normal, or goldens with slightly shorter hair, they seem to look fairly similar facially.  Maybe its the backyard breeder scenario. My original question was just what would make someone chose one breed over another, when they are both retrievers, both like lots of exercise, both are reported as being good with (sensible) children and are very popular breeds.  Im NOT thinking of getting one, it was just an "I wondered" question that maybe other people may have thought of.

Thanks for all your thoughtful replies.

If it is just looks then the coat, would make me choose the golden.  Also they are taller and more elegant generally.  Of the Retrievers though for me the choice would be the Flat coated Retriever as I like the cleaner head type with that moulded look, or a Working type Golden.