Dogs That Look Like Golden Retrievers

However, there are many other dog breeds that are often mistaken for Golden Retrievers. This might be because they’re similar in size and shape, dogs that look the part but are larger (or smaller) than Golden Retrievers, or are a cross breed.

Because it’s easy to mix up some of these breeds, we’ve included bolded areas in each section below that highlight the biggest differences between these similar breeds and Golden Retrievers.

I’ve also separated this list into three key sections:

• Other breeds that are similar in size and shape.
• Dogs that look the part, but are larger or smaller than Golden Retrievers.
• Cross breeds.

Dogs That Are Similar in Size & Shape to Golden Retrievers

These three breeds are the closest match to a Golden Retriever, with only a few minor differences.

They’re also all Retrievers – so they instinctively want to fetch and bring things to you.

Labrador Retriever

Perhaps the closest match you’ll see in this list is a yellow Labrador Retriever. Their size, body structure, and temperament are almost identical to that of a Golden Retriever.

They usually have similar personality traits too – both are friendly, loyal dogs who just want to spend time with their pack. Both breeds have a history as working dogs, love the water, and will shed all year round.

However, the most significant difference (and the main way you can tell them apart) is by their fur. Golden Retrievers have a long, fluffy, feathered coat while Labs have short, straight fur.

Golden Retrievers are golden, cream, or a mixture of gold and cream. On the other hand, Labs are usually yellow, chocolate brown, or black. You might notice that the Lab’s snout is also wider.

To learn more about the differences between Golden Retrievers and Labradors, check out this article.

Flat-Coated Retriever

Both Golden Retrievers and Flat-Coated Retrievers have feathering on their tails and legs, which makes their fur so swishy. This lovely long fur needs to be properly and regularly groomed to keep it nice. They’re also high-energy, intelligent dogs that need plenty of care and exercise.

The biggest difference between Golden Retrievers and Flat-Coated Retrievers is an obvious one – their fur colour. Flat-Coated Retrievers are only black or liver coloured while Golden Retrievers are somewhere between golden or cream colored.

Flat-Coated Retrievers are forever young at heart. They keep their puppy-like characteristics for life – they’re just as playful, curious, and silly when they’re seniors as when they were a pup.

Curly-Coated Retriever

Another Retriever that’s similar in personality to Golden Retrievers is Curly-Coated Retrievers. They’re both water babies and have coats that repel water, making them capable of swimming and retrieving in cold water.

However, these two Retrievers don’t look much alike. Though they have similar physiques – strong, athletic bodies, a Curly-Coated Retriever looks exactly how they’re named. They have short curls all over and are usually a dark colour.

They’re also an intelligent, sporty breed who’ll need plenty of exercise and mental stimulation to prevent boredom.

Large Breeds That Look Like Golden Retrievers

These breeds are all similar in size to (or larger than) a Golden Retriever.

They all share the lovely long fur that Golden Retrievers are known for – but unlike Goldens, some have darker fur colourings (including black and brown).

Great Pyrenees

These calm and collected fluffy dogs are very similar in appearance to Golden Retrievers – with light-coloured, feathered coats that are water-repellant and make them ideal to work in cold weather or water.

They’ll also need regular grooming to keep the fur clean and you’ll need a decent vacuum to pick up the shedded fur.

The Great Pyrenees originally guarded flocks of sheep in the mountains of Pyrenees while Golden Retrievers used to fetch game in Scotland. Both need plenty of exercise and mental stimulation.

One of the biggest differences between the breeds is that Great Pyrenees tend to be a lot bigger – up to 50 pounds more in some cases. Great Pyrenees also usually have white fur with gray, brown, tan, or black markings – unlike the coats of a Golden Retriever.

Irish Setter

Interestingly, Irish Setters have a place in the Golden Retriever family tree. They were originally bred in the 1800s in Scotland in the process of Golden Retrievers becoming the breed we know today.

Irish Setters have long, feathery coats like Golden Retrievers – as well as a similar build. In personality, they’re both easy-to-train, patient, friendly, good with children, and obedient dogs.

However, Irish Setters are usually bigger and heavier dogs than a Golden Retriever – and are chestnut or mahogany brown coloured rather than a light golden. Their coats are thinner and their ears are lower on their head too.

Leonberger

This large breed is a gentle giant. Like Golden Retrievers, they’re working dogs that need a lot of exercise and play. Their similarly long wavy fur is water-resistant and needs as much brushing and grooming as a Golden Retriever.

Both breeds thrive off training and like to keep busy. Whether it’s swimming, agility training, or chasing tennis balls – both Leonbergers and Golden Retrievers need to stay active to be as happy and healthy as possible.

The most distinguishable difference here is that Leonbergers have brown fur with black around their face, which is the polar opposite to the golden or cream coat of Golden Retrievers. They’re also larger than a Golden Retriever.

Bernese Mountain Dog

Bernese Mountain dogs are a large breed that come from Switzerland. They’re good-natured and hard-working dogs who were (and still are in some places) used for pulling carts. Like Golden Retrievers, they’re athletic, loyal, and intelligent dogs.

Their double-coat is also made up of long, silky fur that needs time and attention to keep in top condition. This is similar to a Golden Retriever’s coat in everything but color.

Usually, Bernese Mountain Dogs are a mixture of three colors – brown, black, and rust. This is a sharp contrast to golden or cream-colored coats of fur you’ll recognise on a Golden Retriever.

Newfoundland

One breed that looks a lot like Golden Retrievers (and Labrador Retrievers) is Newfoundlands. They are alike in their lack of aggression, how easy they are to train, and how cheerful they are.

In terms of their appearance, both have thick, waterproof, fluffy fur and are heavy shedders. Their faces are somewhat similar too, with expressive eyes and a broad head and long snout.

Golden Retrievers are the more intelligent of the two, but Newfoundlands will grow to be a lot bigger. They can reach up to 150 pounds whereas Golden Retrievers usually weigh between 55 and 75 pounds.

Small Breeds That Look Like Golden Retrievers

The following breeds are smaller than a typical Golden Retriever, but share a similar gun-shaped head and are long-haired.

All of these dogs are ‘gundog breeds’, which means they’re hunting dogs that were trained and bred to assist during hunts. They’d all chase game after it’d been shot and bring it back to their owner.

The smaller breeds also tend to have longer life expectancies than their bigger golden friends.

Cocker Spaniel

Cocker Spaniels and Golden Retrievers share many traits – they’re both intelligent, have good natures, and like to be active (amongst other things).

Appearance-wise, they both have similarly shaped heads and need plenty of grooming to maintain their long, thick coats. Some Cocker Spaniels are a red-golden color, but they can also be black, white, brown, or a mixture of multiple colors.

Golden Retrievers are usually quite a bit bigger than Cocker Spaniels. An average weight for a Cocker Spaniel is around 30 pounds, while Golden Retrievers are usually more than double that.

Springer Spaniel

A few words that describe both Golden Retrievers and Springer Spaniels are energetic, family-orientated, and playful. One of their biggest shared attributes is their big brown eyes – which are expressive and show just how much they love their family.

They both have thick double-coats that require a significant amount of time and energy to keep in good condition and are highly-trainable, well-behaved dogs. They can fit in as easily in a family setting as they could working either hunting or showing at competitions.

Where they differ, is both their size and coloring. Springer Spaniels weigh around 30 pounds and can come in a variety of colors like cream, black, white, and more.

Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever

Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers are like the smaller twins of Golden Retrievers. The structure of their face, their personality, and their coat are pretty much identical to that of a Golden Retriever.

When comparing coloring, Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers can be copper, red, or golden-red on their coats – which can further liken them to Golden Retrievers.

The only differences here are that Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers are smaller, weighing between 35 and 50 pounds. Their coats aren’t as feathered as a Golden Retriever, and they’re also a little redder. They sometimes have white markings on their body too.

Dog Breeds That Are Short-Haired But Look Like Golden Retrievers

These dog breeds all share the traditional gun dog-shaped head like a Golden Retriever but have swapped luscious long fur with very short fur. They also come in a variety of different colors.

Brittany Spaniels

These medium-sized gun dogs originally come from France. They’re strong, easy to train for hunting, and affectionate dogs. They have similarly shaped heads to Golden Retrievers, but the rest of their appearance is totally different.

They’re designed for hunting – with a keen sense of smell and unwavering obedience to their owners. They make brilliant partners when hunting birds and will work hard for as long as they’re needed.

Their coats are short and flat on their both, and usually orange and white colored. This means they don’t require as much grooming as a Golden Retriever and can be distinguished by their coloring.

German Short-Haired Pointer

Some of the traits shared between Golden Retrievers and German Short-Haired Pointers are that they’re intelligent, social dogs that adore the outdoors. They shed constantly and need vigorous exercise.

Like Golden Retrievers, they were bred to retrieve game – both on the land and in the water. But unlike Goldies, they’re slow to mature and get extreme separation anxiety.

Their coat is short and coarse and their coat can be a number of colors. For example, black and white, black and white spotted, liver and white ticked, and more.

Weimaraner

This intelligent, loyal breed is most at home when they’re outdoors. They need plenty of exercise and mental stimulation to prevent them from getting bored – and will quickly become anxious if left alone for any extended length of time (much like Golden Retrievers).

While their heads are a similar shape to a Golden Retrievers, their coloring identifies them. Weimaraners are a silvery color, with short, sleek fur – with notably light eyes. This is very different from the brown-eyed Golden Retriever.

Hungarian Vizsla

Hungarian Vizslas have wide heads and straight muzzles like Golden Retrievers. They’re both athletic, well-built dogs with bodies that lend themselves to the high exercise requirement they have. This breed is intelligent, loyal, and are happiest by their owner’s side.

One huge difference between Hungarian Vizslas and Golden Retrievers is that Hungarian Vizslas don’t need much grooming and don’t shed much. They also usually have distinct honey-golden coats and eyes.

Beagle

These are fun, patient, and even-tempered dogs which makes them fantastic family pets. Despite their small size, Beagles need at least 2 hours of exercise a day which is the same as Golden Retrievers – if not more.

They have short, water-resistant coats that are usually mottled. It’s common for a Beagle’s coat to be of a mixture of white, black, and brown. Though they still need regular brushing, it’s nowhere near to the level needed for a coat like a Golden Retriever has.

Beagles are much smaller than Golden Retrievers – usually weighing somewhere around 20 pounds, which is just one-third of what an average Golden Retriever weighs.

Dalmatian

Dalmations are immediately recognisable by their white coat with black (or liver) spots. Aside from the shape of their heads, they hold no resemblance to Golden Retrievers. But personality-wise, they’re both intelligent and social breeds.

A couple of other shared traits between these two breeds are that they’re both prone to getting some of the same health conditions, and also need a high level of exercise and mental stimulation every day. Neither of them does well when left alone for a long time.

One massive difference between Dalmatians and Golden Retrievers is that Dalmatians require little grooming. They have short fur that sheds naturally, so the main thing you’ll need to do here is brush them regularly.

Cross Breeds

The other option here is when Golden Retrievers have mated with different breeds, and the result is a puppy who is part Golden Retriever, and part another breed. This can become further mixed if their parents were cross breeds.

The appearance and personalities of a cross breed are usually a random mix from their parents and are almost impossible to predict.

Examples of Golden Retriever cross breeds are:

• Goldendoodles (Golden Retriever and Poodle).
• Goldmation (Golden Retriever and Dalmatian).
• Golden Shepherd (Golden Retriever and German Shepherd).
• Golden Pyrenees (Golden Retriever and Great Pyrenees).
• Golden Hounds (Golden Retriever and Whippets).
• Golden Mountain Dogs (Golden Retriever and Bernese Mountain Dog).

Any healthy dog can be bred with a Golden Retriever, and their name and appearance will be a mixture of the two parent dogs.

How to Identify a Golden Retriever

If you’re wondering if you’re looking at a Golden Retriever, there are a few ways you can quickly check. Certain characteristics are known for belonging to Goldens, and short of asking directly, it’s the easiest way of determining what dog you’re looking at.

Look for these to check if the dog is a Golden Retriever:

• Long, thick double-coat in a golden shade.
• Feathering on their ears, neck, legs, and belly.
• Plumed, swishy tail.
• Silky triangle ears that hang down.
• Broad head with a straight muzzle.
• Big, round brown eyes.
• Males weigh around 70 pounds and are between 23 and 24 inches tall.
• Females weigh around 60 pounds and are between 21.5 and 22.5 inches tall.
• Friendly, gentle, with an eager-to-please personality.
• Intelligent, easy to train, and obedient.

If a dog has all of these traits, it’s probably a Golden Retriever! If they have some, the dog could be a cross-breed with another dog – meaning they’re half Golden Retriever.

Which Dogs Look The Most Like Golden Retrievers?

As you can see from this post, there are plenty of dogs that you can mix up with Golden Retrievers. But the ones that look the most like Golden Retrievers are Labrador Retrievers, Great Pyrenees, Irish Setters, and Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers.

This is due to the close similarities that these breeds have in the length and type of their coat, as well as with similar builds.

Closing Thoughts

It goes without saying that not all of the dogs featured in this post will behave like Golden Retrievers or have similar traits and activity levels. Every Golden Retriever is unique, and even more so between different breeds.

Make sure you do your research into the other breeds to find out a bit more about them as individuals if you’re considering one as an addition to your family. Golden Retrievers will usually get along with any other breed, as long as they’ve been socialized and trained.