When the two most popular Retriever breeds — and two of the most popular breeds in general — team up and have a puppy, you know it’s going to be one incredible dog. Meet the loyal, loving, and always happy Goldador. This new breed is a cross between the Golden Retriever and The Labrador Retriever.
Two dog breeds that are well-loved throughout the world for their loyal, fun-loving personality, and high-intelligence that makes them easy to train and a perfect fit for many people.
Unlike a lot of designer breeds that cross dog breeds with a wildly different character and physical traits, causing a guessing game of epic proportions, the Goldador is a nice predictable breed the same way any purebred dog is.
As well, unlike other designer breeds — which the Goldador is and isn’t — the Goldador is a common mix breed found in animal shelters.
So how does the Goldador stack up to two of the most well-loved dog breeds in the world? Let’s find out!
Goldador Breed Characteristics
| Other Names | Lab/Golden Mix |
| Breed | Mixed or Designer Breed |
| Group | Non-Sporting |
| Recognized | No |
| Lifespan | 10-12 years |
| Size | Medium |
| Height | and inches at shoulder |
| Weight | 55 to 75 lbs |
| Coat Colors | Yellow, Black, Chocolate, Golden, Red, & White |
| Grooming Needs | Medium to High |
| Exercise Needs | Medium to High |
| Training Needs | Easy |
| Suitable For Apartments? | Larger Ones / Townhomes |
| Suitable For Families? | Yes |
| Suitable For Singles? | Maybe (Doesn’t do best when left alone for longer periods) |
What is a Goldador breed?
A Goldador dog is a cross between the Golden Retriever and a Labrador Retriever. The best way to learn what you can expect to see in a Goldador puppy is to learn about their parent breeds.
Golden Retriever
A member of both the medium-size and sporting groups, the Golden Retriever is a lean but muscular dog with long hair that’s most often golden in color — all-white, yellow-white, and red are also common coat variations. The Golden Retriever is a bit of a jack of all trades, but they are afraid to master a few too.
They excel at retrieving pretty much anything you want, and this helps make them some of the best candidates for being a seeing-eye dog or other guiding job.
Easy-to-train, smart, eager-to-please, and social but discipline when needed, has all made the Golden Retriever one of the most popular dogs around the world. Landing them frequently in the top 3 most popular dog breeds in North American for several years running.
Labrador Retriever
Who could possibly beat out the Golden Retriever’s immense popularity? That would be the dog of all dogs, the Labrador Retriever, who has been the number 1 most popular dog in the world for decades. The Labrador Retriever is a lover of everyone and anything they meet. They are painstakingly happy and enthusiastic about life.
Easy-to-train, the Lab is less high-strung than the Golden Retriever, but the Golden may just be a touch smarter. They are also stocky with a good bit more muscle making them powerful athletes, but they can be lazy if allowed, putting them at risk for obesity. They have shorter and significantly less hair than the Golden.
If you want to truly experience a breed that encapsulated all the common traits we associated with dogs, no one comes close to the Labrador. This isn’t a Siberian Husky who has odd traits similar to a cat or a Border Collie whose hyperfocus athletics often feel supernatural. The Labrador Retriever is a dog and acts just like, and we love them for it.
Lab vs Golden
All-and-all, besides some a few different characteristics in their appearance, there aren’t many significant differences between the Labrador and Golden Retriever.
Especially in personality and behavior. One (Lab) may love everyone a bit more vs. one (Golden) being more loyal to a single person. The Golden may be a tad bit smarter and have more energy, but they might come off a bit more high-strung, but they are also less prone to weight gain.
Both are fantastic and wonderful dogs.
History / Origin
As we said above, the Goldador is and isn’t a designer breed. Because the Golden Retriever and Labrador Retriever are popular dogs, they are unfortunately commonly found in rescues along with their mixed breed Goldador puppies.
However, there are times when the Goldador is a result of dog designing with breeders hoping to create an interesting take on two very lovely, emotional, smart, and amazing companion breeds.
The Goldador reflects their parents’ personality to a tee, which isn’t too different from one another. This, of course, has made popular dogs for employment, and you can find them working as guide dogs, emotional support dogs, and various other forms of doggo careers.
Behavior
Friendly, loving, lover of life, and full of high-spirited energy, the Goldador makes an ideal dog for most people, in particular, families with kids of any age. They get along with other dogs no-problem and usually love other critters as well. The biggest concern is watching all that energy as it can get them in trouble.
They aren’t always the most graceful dogs, so they should be watched around little kids who they could knock down when the zoomies hit them. This also puts them at odds with living in small apartments where they don’t do best.
A fenced-in yard with a multiple-person household is the best fit for the Goldador.
Size
A medium to large breed, the Lab/Golden cross typically stands between 22 and 24 inches tall at the shoulder while weighing between 60 and 80 lbs. Except for the Lab sturdier and heavier build vs. the Golden’s slenderness, there aren’t extreme size variations between Goldador dogs.
Appearance
A little bit thicker than a Golden Retriever yet a little slimmer than a Labrador, the Goldador can really take after either parent breed’s appearance. But most often they look like your typical Labrador Retriever but with longer hair, a slightly longer face, and a more slender body.
Black Goldador
One of the ways the Goldador can stand out from their parent, the Golden Retriever, is with their obsidian black coat that they can inherit from their Labrador side.
Chocolate Goldador
The Chocolate Goldador is stunning looking and perhaps the rarest of the Goladors. This is the same for Chocolate Labrador Retrievers.
In fact, the coat color is so rare and desired that the Chocolate Labs got the stigma that they were dumber than Yellow and Black Labs because they were only bred for their coat and not for their intelligence or desire to work. This may have had some truth to it in the past, but is unlikely the case anymore thanks to more responsible breeding practices.
Health
Goldadors are typically healthy dogs, but like all breeds, they are prone to certain health conditions. The breed is at a higher risk for hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, cataracts, progressive retinal atrophy (PRA), and diabetes. As with all dogs, after 10 years of age, cancer becomes the biggest threat to the Goldador’s life.
Lifespan
Based on their parent’s life expectancy, the Goldador lifespan is around 10-12 years. This is typical for a dog of their size.
Care
Besides giving the Lab/Golden cross a nutritional and well-balanced diet, and taking care of their grooming needs, is giving them mental and physical stimulation. And lots of it!
The Goldador is a great family dog, not only because of their love of kids and friendly and loyal disposition but because they love being active no matter what it is. They love mental games and puzzles, and could waste their days away swimming and playing fetch.
Food – What Do Goldador Eat
Dry kibble, wet food, or raw, the Goldador loves it all and does well with any diet that’s appropriate for dogs. These guys love to eat, and this is not a dog you can fill up their bowl with their daily food and watch as they pick at it throughout the day. No, no, no. The issue with these guys is getting them to slow down, so they don’t eat too fast.
A great trick is placing a ball in their food, so it slows down their eating; it’s particularly great for Goldador puppies.
Training
The Goldador is an emotionally smart dog that’s both loyal and loves to please, making them extremely easy to train. Especially when you’re rewarding them with a yummy treat for good behavior.
They excel at training, much like they do with other things, making them a true joy to train. They are fantastic at learning advanced tricks, and like the parent breeds, they make fantastic guide and assistance dogs.
Like with all dogs, training should start early to encourage the best results. But these dogs never stop loving to learn and will continue to learn more tricks and advance their training for their entire lives.
Grooming – Goldador Shedding
With a medium-short coat, the Golador isn’t the biggest shredder around, but they aren’t low shedders either. With the Goldador, you can expect heavy shedding around the spring and fall and moderate shedding year long.
How much you should expect your Goldador to shed depends on whether you Goldaor has a doubt coat or not — which they can inherit from the Golden Retriever.
Where To Find A Goldador
Unlike other designer dog breeds, the Goldador is not strictly a designer dog, which basically means they are a result of a breeder selectively breeding two different dog breeds together.
Since the Golden Retriever and Labrador Retriever are essentially the two most popular breeds in the U.S. — ignoring the German Shepherd — they often end up getting together to have puppies whether their owners wanted it to happen or not. This makes a pretty common mixed breed to see around, whether you’re out in the park or in a shelter.
Goldador Puppies
Like the adults, Goldador puppies are wickedly smart and take to housebreaking and learning new tricks well.
In fact, it’s important to push for teaching them new tricks often to keep their growing mind — that’s easily bored and likes to wander — active After about two years of age, the Goldador puppy is no longer a puppy, but a much more mellowed out adult.
Goldador Price
Depending on where you find your Goldador, you could end up paying around $200 from a shelter or rescue to $1,000-5,000 if buying from a top breed line where either one or both parents are show quality with papers.
Facts & frequently Asked Questions
Because the Goldador is a more recent breed to have emerged on the scene, there are a frequent number of questions about them. So we scattered the internet to bring you answers to the top 5.
Do Goldadors Shed?
Both the Golden Retriever and the Labrador Retriever are moderate shedders, making the Lab/Golden mix the same. As well, unlike some other Golden Retriever mixes, the Goldador is not hypoallergenic.
Who Sheds More Lab Or Golden?
Both dogs shed around the same rate, but due to the Golden Retriever’s hair length and double coat, they are the bigger shedders.
How Long Can A Labrador Be Left Alone?
A Labrador Retriever can physically be left alone for 8-9 hours — that’s right around how long they can comfortably hold their bladder. However, they are sociable dogs that like a lot of playtime, making them not the best dog to keep alone for that long on a regular basis.
How long Can A Golden Retriever Be Left Alone?
You should only expect your Golden Retriever to hold their bladder for around 8 hours. The Golden Retriever loves attention and being around others and can struggle when left alone for long periods of time like the Labrador Retriever.
Should I Get A Goldador?
Only you can truly answer this question, but we’re here to greatly help. First, the Goldador is an active dog. And while they are a great fit for many, if you think you’ll have to leave you Goldador alone for 6+ hours a day and can’t exercise them every day for 1-2 hours, then they probably won’t be a great fit for you.
These dogs do best with families because they can get a lot of social attention and playtime.
Conclusion
Full of life, incredibly friendly, and loyal to a fault, the Golador is one dog that is a perfect fit for many. From the single looking for a second dog to keep their first some company to families looking for a dog that will be their kids’ best friend.
Remember, while these are pretty easy-going trainable dogs, it’s important to start training early. They’re children of two of the smartest breeds around, and can find themselves bored and in trouble if they aren’t having their minds regularly stimulated with both physical and mental exercises.
As well, you’ll want to watch them around food because they won’t know when to stop eating, putting them at risk for obesity. Last, plan for regular grooming, and especially brushing, if they adopt the Golden’s double coat.
All-and-all, this is one incredible breed that truly lives up to their parent’s prestige and status, and we can’t wait to see more of them.
Not quite the dog for you? No problem, head over to Dog Breeds And Personalities for more guides and articles on the most interesting dog breeds around.
