Golden V Labrador - Which is best with children? Questions

As some may know I am researching into breeds of dog with the view of getting one at some point. I am not a first time owner but lost our last dog at christmas. I have narrowed my short list down and was wondering what people thought was best a lab or a golden retriever? I have kids between 6 and 11 who are fine with dogs. I am home most of the time so time is not a problem.

Which would you say is better to have with children as this is our number one priority?

Thanks in advance

GRs have had issues with temperaments in the last 20 years or so (not from reputable breeders).

There are more Labradors born per year than GRs.

Goldens only come in one colour, but of course with Labs you have a choice of three.

However I would not say there is much to choose between them.

I have a Lab and am currently looking after a Golden for someone else. So some basic points to perhaps note:

1 - Goldens require a LOT more grooming than Labs. Goldens can shed very heavily and it takes far more time and effort to keep the coat looking nice.

2 - Goldens *usually* calm down faster than Labs. Labs often stay 'puppy-like' for many years (this can be both a good thing and a difficult thing at times)

3 - both breeds are big, strong dogs so around children you need to ensure they don't jump up. Both breeds can be very excitable when very young.

Out of the two, I personally prefer Labs; I think they have more personality and also that they age better. I'm basing this purely on the examples of both breeds that I know. That said, they are both really lovely breeds. Be sure to ONLY get a pup from a reputable breeder as both Labs and Goldens are prone to various diseases and problems.

I believe that the incidence of cancer is higher in Goldens than in Labs.

Hope that helps a bit.

IMHE they are two very different breeds. Both sadly overbred-the Labrador more than the Golden. They have some of the same genetic & clinical health conditions.

The Golden should be softer in temperament & from my experience as a dog trainer, a much more biddable dog & more willing to listen & learn

Although Labradors are touted as the ideal family pet, they are far from it & need careful training from the moment they go to their new owners. They are notorious chewers & canine dustbins

They have some similarities of course, they are both physically strong breeds & not suitable to be walked by children, no matter how well trained they are, if they want to go they take a lot of holding.

Some of the showlines are excessively "overbuilt"& some working lines are way too active for normal family life.

As for grooming, Labradors may have least obvious coat, but they do shed 24/7 they have quite fine individaul hairs & brush past a yellow in black & you will fine a lovely deposit on your clothes. Some Goldens have a lot of course, but like most breeds a qiick daily groom & a weekly more thorough one can keep the coat looking good.

You do have to be very careful where you get either breed from, they should come from a complete 5 generation pedigree of clinically hip & eye tested dogs. The parents & G parents should also be elbow scored & the parents should also be DNA tested. Any clinical eye certificate should be current(ie done within 12 of the birth of the puppies)

DNA tests for Labradors:Narcolepsy (NARC), prcd-PRA, Retinal Dysplasia/OSD

For Goldens:GR_PRA1, prcd-PRA, Ichthyosis (ICT-A)

Labradors are also one of the breeds with the highest risk of epilepsy

I totally agree. Well said.

I find the theory that GR are a much more biddable breed than the LR and more willing to listen and learn quite entertaining.

As there are FAR more Labradors which compete in both Field Trials and Working Trials than GR!

And percentage wise, they are far more successful on both fields.

Odd that eh?

God yeah, I think a black Labrador would have been a better match for me considering I mostly wear black or dark coloured clothing Rupert shed a lot but Spencer is something else entirely.

Hello

Either make good pets.

Both have a distinct split between working and show lines. There are many more working Labs than working Goldens. Labs generally are significantly more common in the shooting field than Goldens. So, getting hold of a working type Golden is usually a bit more difficult as there are less of them about. Finding a good working type Lab is usually no trouble at all.

The show types of both breeds are generally heavier set physically, less worky (although there are plenty of exceptions!) and have more coat.

I also find the comment that Golden's are more biddable and willing to learn than Labradors to be a bit laughable. As SB pointed out, this simply isn't true as Labradors are used for work and competition far more extensively than Golden's have ever been. So I'm not sure how one has come to the conclusion that Golden's are more biddable? would Golden's not be the choice of dog for work and competition if they were indeed more biddable?

I find Golden's to be more sensitive than Labs and much quicker to mature. I also find them to be lower energy generally and less "in your face" than Labs.

I'd say if you want the 'easier' dog, I'd go for the Golden. If you want something with a bit more oomph, go for the Lab.

Thank you all for your replies it has been interesting to see different people's perspectives. It sounds like a GR would be better with children as in calmer etc. My children are no stranger to large dogs, in fact either GR or lab would be smaller than our last dog. As for children walking dogs alone, I feel this is a big no no anyway. Having had a responsive dog I know it is not how well behaved your dog is necessarily but the unpredictable ones you meet.

No because there are far more Labradors bred each year therefore I would expect to see more at Field Trials on those statistics alone

There are far more Goldens in obedience that Labradors

I have found this to be the case from my personal experience training dogs over the past 40 + years.

Look at the number of Labradors bred each year-in the region of 45,000 registered & the same unregistered, then the number of Goldens registered less than 8,000 so I would expect Labradors to outnumber Goldens by at least 6:1

The number of Goldens doing Obedience vastly outnumber the Labradors which is another indication.

As a dog trainer I have found Goldens much quicker on the up take & more receptive. The labradors take much longer to grasp what is required of them & take much longer to correct an unwanted behaviour

The goldens sometimes have a sharper attitude to life than the labs do. Both breeds are gundogs and can have some of the gundog traits which may not be desirable in a pet home.

Working line goldies are very different to some show lines. Same with the labs.

It might be an idea to look around at various breeders and check out their dogs before you actually commit to either.


rune

But PERCENTAGE wise Labradors outnumber GR in Working and Field Trials.

That is why we use percentages in statistics to avoid the mistake many people make in actual individuals.

So for example If I said that

10 Goldies (tee hee) competed in Working Trials and of those 3 were WT Champion (only been one)

And there were 5 Labs in Working Trials and 3 were WT Ch (there have actually been loads)

PERCENTAGE wise, which would be the most successful?

HTH Dyane

I have a 5 year old Golden and a 10 month old Lab. Personality wise they a quite different the Golden is far more laid back happy to be running around but also happy to relax. They are very trainable but I find Golden's less intuitive than the lab.

Our Lab is very driven she needs a lot of exercise and to be entertained. She picks up things very quickly but sometimes she can be a bit too overexcited so training needs to keep this under control. We are using Rally Obedience to help with this,

Training our Golden I have always found takes a little longer to pick up but needs less reinforcing.

One thing I think shows the difference our Golden will always relax on the Sofa (Goldens always find the most comfortable spot) while our lab is always looking out of the window at what's going on in the world

As for Labs there undesirable traits I find their food obsession rather annoying (though it does make training easier). Also I find the Lab far more destructive than our Golden ever was.

Lovely things about the lab is her pure excitement about everything. As much as our Golden is happy to see us he it's normally an 'O it's you' attitude. The golden I find a bit more empathetic if you are feeling a bit ill or something.

This are just my personal experiences personally i think a Golden is a better Family pet as they aren't as Hyper as the lab. I will always have a Golden in my life as for a Lab the jury's out on that at the moment.

One thing if you get a Golden get a good Hoover as you have Golden hair everywhere.

They are both though big active dogs that need a reasonable amount of exercise and are people dogs so would rather be with you than anywhere else.

Sorry to correct but percentage in Statistics is only valid if the sample size is big enough. 50% of a 2 dog sample isnt enough to draw a conclusion but 50% of a 1000 dog sample is

HTH delos

No need to apologise but thanks anyway.

No need to correct but thanks anyway.

I used a small number as an EXAMPLE to demonstrate how to calculate percentages and thus reflect reality rather than legs on ground.

This is how you do comparitive studies such as being able to compare accident rates between two very different size employers eg man in corner shop v BP.

The truth is in actual fact FAR more illustrative of the difference between the numbers of each bred and the numbers of each which have become Champions in any field.

With the FACT demonstrating that Labradors FAR outweigh Goldies in success rates.

HTH

I have a golden retriever, and he is great with the kids, in fact any kids.

As for being biddable my Golden is stubborn , eg. he won,t get in the car unless you throw food in.

When I did training with him, there were 3 other labs and he did pick it up quicker than them.

They are very sensitive if you shout at them they block it off.

Also he is very good at picking up peoples emotions.

As for the hair, we have wooden floors I just sweep once a day.

Exercise probably about the same as a lab, at least an hour, but when he comes home he falls asleep on the sofa. My husband goes cycling with him once a week, only does about 10 miles, but the Goldie keeps up easy.

If you do get one, you must teach it to heel otherwise you will have a big dog who can pull you over.

We have two kids aged 6 and 4 and were going to get a lab but ended up with a Goldie who needed a home. She is the most gentle thing and loves the kids. She is so trainable- just in three weeks she is picking up things. The downside is she is heavy and I am having to be strict with her not jumping up as she has knocked by youngest over a couple of times (only playing not nasty) and she has a stubborn streak- but then don't all dogs? especially at one years old. Good luck with your decision

I grew up with a golden retriever boy we rescued at 10 months as his then owner was beating him with a stick while chained to a pole in the garden, it took us hours to coax him to come inside our house as he had never been let indoors, He was the most faithful dog I ever had, he was soft loving and very obedient and I can still feel his soft furry cuddles if I close my eyes, Miss him dearly to this day 20 years after we parted :-( VERY biased I know but i'd always choose a gr over a lab

Personally I would just toss a coin if you really cant choose. You sound like a responsible person and you are doing all the groundwork right. So good luck with your new pup I am sure it will fit right in with your family.