I have to buy a new dog: which one between Golden Retriver and Labrador?
By Ciuffo
@Ciuffo (69)
Italy
8 responses
@emeraldisle (13139)
• United States
8 Mar 07
They are both great dogs and are great with kids. The only disadvantage I know with a lab is that if there is water around they will jump into it. They love the water. Now for us in Florida this can be a problem due to all the lakes with gators around. However if that is not an issue for you then you don't have to worry. Now with a retriever the only disadvantage is they are longer haired then the lab is. Which does mean more shedding, more brushing etc. So they are a bit more maintainence then a lab is. Hope that helps you with the choosing.
@Kchele (77)
• United States
8 Mar 07
Not always!!! I have a lab and she is terrified of water!!!!
Both are great! Goldies are very affectionate and loving and gentle. Labs are the same, but if you are getting a puppy I will warn you Labs aren't "adult" until 3 years old, they are H-Y-P-E-R. I have one that is almost 3. She is great but sometimes a little much. But they are great watch dogs.
@beaniegdi (1964)
•
8 Mar 07
i have a dog that is a cross between the two and it is called a labrador/retriver, why not see if you can get one then you have the best of both worlds. i think my dog is fantastic.
@winky73 (1404)
• United States
8 Mar 07
They are both really great breeds.....but why buy one?I would check with your local shelter first....they do get a lot of pure breed dogs there.
I would do some research on both breeds and then decide which is most suited for you.
@ShadowStalker002 (107)
• Philippines
9 Mar 07
well they look the same, only goldens have longer hair. and i hear labs eat a lot though...so, personally i prefer goldens.
@contuletz2007 (734)
• Romania
8 Mar 07
i'd personally choose the Golden Retriever, i've always liked those dogs, they're too smart and loving.
anyway i'm not a fan of the Labrador, perhaps it's because my neighbours have one and it's driving us crazy. we live close to the emergency hospital and a lot of ambulance cars pass on our street. well, everytime an ambulance passes with the siren on, it starts howling and stops only when the siren stops. it's awful.
so don't count too much on my opinion because i may be seeing it from a totally wrong pint of view.
i just wanted to tell you what i'm going through because of this little creature...
@ctinabina (386)
• United States
8 Mar 07
I used to have a golden/lab mix, too. They were great dogs and having a mix breed has many advantages- not the least of which is that you can usually adopt them from a shelter!
One difference between the breeds is Goldens have longer hair than labs, and they would need more grooming than a lab does.
@AlexMasters (247)
• Philippines
9 Mar 07
Well, since you've narrowed down your choices to just 2, I may give you a help in this. Basically it depends on what you are looking for. For comparative reasons both are retrievers, so expect both to love the game fetch and other. Main difference is that a Lab is more of a pet, that is he is not a guard dog, also he matures only around 3 years of age. A golden however can be a guard dog if trained to do that task
