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The Goldador is a fairly common crossbreed of the Labrador Retriever and the Golden Retriever. Usually already successful working dogs will be mixed to produce puppies who will be further suited to work as guide dogs, assistance dogs, search and rescue dogs or working gundogs.
The Goldador can be a first cross (with one Labrador Retriever and one Golden Retriever parent), can be bred back to one of the original breeds, or be two Goldadors bred together.
| Height: | 33 – 61cm |
| Colours: | The Goldador can be any of the colours common to the Labrador or Golden Retriever including: black; yellow; liver; cream or chocolate |
| Size: | Large |
| Family-friendly: | 5/5 |
| Exercise needs: | 5/5 |
| Easy to train: | 4/5 |
| Tolerates being alone: | 4/5 |
| Likes other pets: | 5/5 |
| Energy level: | 5/5 |
| Grooming needs: | 3/5 |
| Shedding: | 3/5 |
Both breeds are active, friendly, loving dogs who thrive on human companionship, wanting nothing more than to please their owners (except perhaps eat and jump in any water they can find!). They are ideal pets where there are children about and they get on well with other household animals. Both are very happy breeds, extremely affectionate, constantly wagging their tails and always on the go. They are easily trained, being eager to learn and to please and can turn their paw to just about anything. They are total foodies however (possibly more so the Labrador Retriever) which helps with their training but not their waistlines!
It’s clear from looking at the two breeds that make up the Goldador that this is an extremely active gundog who needs a lot of exercise and input and being highly social, needs to be a part of the family.
The Goldador was first created over a decade ago in a bid to create a sensitive and tolerant working dog. The mixing of the Golden Retriever and Labrador Retriever was so successful that organisations that train guide and assistance dogs frequently use these crosses today.
As the Goldador is a relatively recent breed, it requires more of an understanding of the two breeds that go into the formation of the Goldador.
The Labrador Retriever breed originated not in Labrador, but on the coast of Newfoundland in the 17th century. They were trained to bring in the fishing nets through the icy waters and, in the early 19th century, were brought to Poole Harbour in Great Britain. They were so attractive and with such appealing personalities that the fishermen had umpteen offers from Englishmen to buy them. The breed with their working abilities was instantly successful as a gundog. The Earl of Malmesbury became fascinated by these dogs, known at that time as Saint John's Dogs, and he started breeding them, calling them Labrador Dogs. Today Labradors are still used as working gundogs as well as being beloved family pets.
The Golden Retriever’s full history is slightly unclear in parts but it seems that once again, it was a member of the British aristocracy that can claim the foundations of this breed. Sir Dudley Marjoribanks (Lord Tweedmouth) took a liking to the yellow colour that was sometimes found in retrievers and so in 1865 he acquired a dog called Nous from Brighton. Nous was the only yellow puppy in a litter of black Curly-Coated Retrievers. He bred this dog to a liver-coloured Tweed Water Spaniel bitch called Belle who was an excellent retrieving dog. This produced four yellow puppies and in the following 20 years of further breeding, he continued trying to breed his idea of the perfect dog by bringing in Red Setters, other Tweed Water Spaniels, other retrievers and possibly even a Bloodhound or two. In 1908 the breed was registered and shown as Golden Flat Coats until 1913 when the listing was changed to Golden or Yellow Retrievers. Today Golden Retrievers are one of the most popular of all breeds, and some are still used as working gundogs.
