How Many Different Types of Golden Retrievers Are There?

There are white Goldens, red Goldens, golden Goldens, mini Goldens, and Canadian, English, and American Goldens… right? Well, not exactly. Talking about the different types of Golden Retrievers is a discussion as simple as it is complex.

Simple, because there is only one recognized breed: the Golden Retriever.

But complex because there are different styles of Golden and a lot of misinformation about them.

With this information, you will be able to distinguish lies from the truth and will break down everything you need to know about the different types of Golden Retrievers.

Are there different types of Golden Retriever?

First of all, it is essential to note that there is only one breed of Golden Retriever. It is true that there are different styles (such as show or field Goldens), but they all belong to the same breed.

On the other hand, what some call Golden Retrievers are not Golden Retrievers, like Black Golden Retrievers and Mini Golden Retrievers.

In this article, you'll break down what some people think the different types of Golden Retrievers are and find out the truth about each type.

These types are:

 British golden retriever

Show Golden Retriever

Red Golden Retriever 

American golden retriever

Canadian golden retriever

Black Golden Retriever

Mini golden retriever

But before you delve into the different types and styles today, you should understand where Golden Retrievers came from.

 

Origin of the Different Types of Golden Retrievers

 According to legend, Lord Tweedmouth of Scotland wanted to create a hunting dog that could save shot birds both on land and in the water. His solution was to create a hunting pup with a Tweed Water Spaniel and a Wavy Coated Retriever, thus breeding the first litter of Golden Retrievers in 1868.

Today, although they are standard family puppies, the fact that Golden Retrievers were originally bred to retrieve birds all day in the wild has left lasting physical and personality traits seen in them today.

They have a lot of energy because they were bred to hunt all day. They are athletic because they were bred to swim in lakes and rivers and run across fields. However, they are usually buccal because they were bred to support birds with their mouths. 

 Knowing where Golden Retrievers come from can help you understand where you are today.

 So now you will know the characteristics of the eight supposed "types" of Golden Retriever and discover the truth about each one.

 

 British Golden Retriever

There are many names for these beautiful, light-colored Goldens. Unfortunately, there are also many myths about them, such as people thinking that they have a better temperament, are rarer, or are not even Golden Retrievers.

Here's the truth: Just because they're white doesn't mean they're better than any other Golden. What matters is a puppy's pedigree and how he has been raised.

If a puppy has good-natured parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents, he is likely to be a healthy, good-natured puppy, regardless of color.

And if a puppy is well socialized as a child, he's likely to be comfortable and confident as an adult, rather than anxious or fearful.

The problem with most Golden Retrievers is that people wanted to make money selling Golden Retrievers, so they irresponsibly bred unhealthy puppies, had poor pedigrees, or were too closely related.

 When purchasing a Golden Retriever puppy, choosing a good breeder who performs genetic and health tests on the puppies they raise is essential.

There are many myths about British Golden Retrievers, but there seem to be some truths (or at least trends).

 They are more corpulent and have square heads and thick fur. 

They are also often expensive, but that may be because high-quality breeders choose this style of Golden, thus charging more, or because people think they are rare, which increases their value.

 

Canadian Golden Retriever

American vs Canadian vs British Golden Retriever

There seems to be a lot of misinformation when it comes to American, Canadian, and British Golden Retrievers. You must remember that according to expert breeders, there is only one breed of Golden Retriever, so saying that there are different types of Golden Retrievers is a bit misleading.

However, the breed standards are not as standard among the three nations. Here are some interesting notes:

The American and Canadian standard for height is 58 to 61 centimeters in males and 55 to 57 centimeters in females, while for the British, the standard is 56 to 63 centimeters for males and 51 to 56 centimeters for females.

Regarding weight, the American and Canadian standard for males is from 29 to 34 kg and for females from 25 to 29 kg, while for the British they are not specified.

American Golden Retriever

The American standard is an abundant and brilliant gold color of various shades. The predominant color of the body, which is extremely pale or dark, is not desirable.

The Canadian standard is "Multi-Tone Brilliant Gold."

The British Standard for Golden Retrievers is "Any shade of gold or cream, not red or mahogany."

In accordance with the above, the British standard accepts smaller Goldens (which is in line with the English cream Goldens, who tend to be more corpulent).

Specifically, the standard also says, "Those that are too pale or too dark are not desirable".

Although these nations vary in accepted colors and sizes, one thing remains true: Golden Retrievers are generally friendly and affectionate family dogs.

Until now, this list has included different styles or fancy names of the same breed of Golden Retriever, but that's about to change.

Red Golden Retriever

Red is one of the most common shades of the Golden Retriever's coat. Most Goldens in the field are red or dark gold, so if you see a red Golden Retriever, you can expect him  to be similar to the style of rearing in the field:

  Shorter hair

Athletic

Driven

Big mouths

Of course, this is not a rule, it's just a trend.

Red Golden Retrievers can be large, with square heads and long coats. At the opposite end of the color spectrum are cream colored Golden Retrievers.

Best Products for All Types Of Golden Retrievers

Field-bred Golden Retriever    

Country-bred Golden Retrievers represent what Golden Retrievers were originally bred for hunting.

Country-bred Goldens are on the small end of the spectrum in how big Goldens get, they are athletic and generally more motivated than other styles of Golden.

Their fur is generally shorter and ranges from gold to red; they have tons of energy.

They excel at hunting and agility and make excellent pets, as long as they are well-trained and have a job to do. They can also be quite mouthy, as they are created to retrieve things with their mouths. To be clear, field Golden Retrievers are just one particular style of Golden.

The opposite of farm-bred Golden Retrievers are conformation Golden Retrievers or show ones.

Show Golden Retriever

Show Golden Retrievers have been bred to conform to a specific look, and that look is what judges at dog shows consider to be the standard for Golden Retrievers.

This has evolved over the years, and today's Show Golden Retrievers are stocky, big-boned, and have long abundant hair with square heads.

And like the Golden Retrievers in the field, these are types of Golden Retrievers.

Mini golden retriever

Mini Golden Retrievers are not small or dwarf Golden Retrievers, but rather a cross between a Golden Retriever, a Cocker Spaniel, and/or a Mini Poodle.

Like British Golden Retrievers, they were probably given that name because it would help sell more puppies.

Do you prefer to buy a "Golden mixed with Cocker" or a "mini Golden Retriever"?

Most mini Golden Retriever breeders aim to create smaller, healthier Goldens that shed less.

Hybrid vigor (the belief that mixed breeds are healthier) can help make them healthier, the inclusion of smaller breeds like mini Poodles and Cocker Spaniels will help create a smaller pup, and the fact that they are part Poodles can help them lose less hair. 

Mini Golden Retrievers can sell for twice the price of purebred Goldens, so they could attract breeders who are into it for the wrong reasons.

Cross-breed puppies are often inconsistent in their appearance (some may look more like one parent than the other) and the best way to get consistent-looking puppies is to mate two crosses together, but this can reintroduce inbreeding into these puppies , which is why most Golden Retrievers are unhealthy in the first place.

Be very demanding with the breeder if you decide to have a mini Golden Retriever.

 

Black Golden retriever

The Black Golden Retriever does not really exist.

They are part of this list because many people think that this is one of the colors of the Golden Retriever or think that it is a genetic mutation of the Golden Retriever. But instead, it's probably another race. 

If you see a puppy that looks like a black Golden Retriever, it's probably a:

Short haired retriever

Newfoundland

Black Labrador and Golden Retriever Mix

German Shepherd and Black Golden Retriever Mix

Other combination of Labrador, Golden Retriever, Setter or Spaniel

Conclusions

Regardless of the types of Golden Retrievers, they are all lovable pups that can make great pets, provided they have the proper training and exercise.