Golden lab: the golden retriever lab mix (a.k.a golden labrador)

The Golden Retriever Lab Mix, also known as the Golden Lab, is a mixed-breed that results from cross-breeding one Golden Retriever parent with one Labrador Retriever parent.

Some of the authority organizations that recognize the Golden Labrador as a mixed breed, and not as a purebreed, are:

• American Canine Hybrid Club (ACHC)
• Designer Breed Registry (DBR)
• Designer Dogs Kennel Club (DDKC)
• Dog Registry of America (DRA)
• International Designer Canine Registry (IDCR)

Golden Retriever Lab Mix Appearance

Size, Height & Weight

Thanks to the fact that both the Golden Lab’s parents, the Golden Retriever and the Labrador Retriever are very close to one another when it comes to their size, most Golden Labs will come in greatly similar sizes and there won’t be much difference between the size of one Golden Lab and another.

Generally speaking, Golden Labs tend to weigh anywhere from 60-80 lbs and tend to stand anywhere from 22-24 inches in height.

Coat

Most of the times, the Golden Retriever Lab Mix dog is going to be getting its coat from its Labrador Retriever parent.

Just like the double coat of its Labrador Retriever parent, the Golden Retriever Lab Mix will also have one very similar to that

As for the color of the coat, the most common colors this dog will come in are black, yellow, gold and red-like gold.

Golden Retriever Lab Mix Temperament

Working Dogs

The Golden Retriever Lab Mix dog is very well known to be one of the best working dogs out there, excelling in tasks such as guide dogs, service dogs, search and rescue dogs, therapy dogs, and bomb detection dogs.

With that being said, this dog is at its happiest mental state when serving as a companion dog to an owner it so deeply loves and one that loves it back just as equally, and not being transferred from one person to another being used as a working dog for certain tasks.

Watchdog VS Guard Dog

As far as being a good watchdog goes, the Golden Lab dog is very capable of being just that, thanks to its fairly high alertness levels around the clock and its barking capabilities that will make you immediately aware of any situation you have to be on top of.

However, when it comes to being a good guard dog, this dog is one of the worst guard dogs you can ever come across.

Besides making you aware of the situation, don’t expect much else from this dog, because it doesn’t take the least bit for this dog to immediately make friends with any stranger it comes across (or potential intruder for that matter).

The Golden Lab just can’t help it, it’s part of its character to be so friendly!

Exercise & Physical Activity

Golden Labs, just like their Golden Retriever and Labrador Retriever parents, enjoy their fair share of exercise and physical activity on a daily basis.

In general, a Golden Lab will need around 30 minutes of physical activity a day at the very least (if you plan on having a mentally sane dog at home), with the ideal amount of time being anywhere from 60-90 minutes of physical activity.

One of the unique aspects about this dog when it comes to physical activity is its love for swimming that it gets from its parents, making it a whole lot of fun for people who already love to go swimming to get this dog involved with them as well.

You do nonetheless have to be careful about the intensity of physical activity and exercise you have this dog go through on a daily basis depending on what life stage they’re still in, because young Golden Labs won’t be able to sustain the same intensity and duration of physical activity that older, fully grown Golden Labs would.

Besides physical activity that’s very good for the body, this dog should also be subject to enough amounts of exercise for the mind, or mental stimulation, on a daily basis.

The smarter a dog is, the more mental stimulation they will need, so keep that in mind and remember that this dog is one very smart fella.

So, as far as mental stimulation is concerned, play interactive games with this dog such as fetch, tug-of-war, hide and go seek, teach them a new trick, that kind of stuff.

You should also offer them interactive dog toys to play with, such as a puzzle or an activity toy filled with treats that they have to find their way inside of.

Training

As far as training this dog is concerned, you’re in for some good news.

Golden Labs, given that they make excellent working dogs that are very efficient in performing tasks and working side by side with trained personnel, have an edge on other dogs when it comes to their ability to work with and learn from a competent trainer.

This dog is a fairly highly intelligent dog that’s always looking to make its owner happy during training by letting them know that it enjoys following their orders and being a good boy/girl, which means that training will be relatively easier than other dogs.

So for people who are always afraid of training a dog because they don’t have any necessary experience dealing with one, this is one of the best dogs you could go with, granted that you do educate yourself about this issue at least to a minimum degree, or get a qualified trainer to teach you the basics before you can take it from there.

Lab Golden Retriever Mix Living Conditions

First off, let it be known that this dog is one of the best dogs you could add to a family with young children in it, as Golden Labs are notorious for having a huge amount of affection to kids and gets along really well with them.

As for where the Golden Lab thrives most, you should ideally have a property with a large fenced backyard in it where the Golden Lab can spend the majority of its time in and move freely around on.

However, one unique thing about this dog is that even though they LOVE to spend the majority of its time outdoors in a large backyard, it’s not much like other dogs in the sense that it doesn’t do as well if left to entertain and play by itself.

Even if this dog is given all it needs from objects, toys or whatever comes to mind, that won’t be enough as this dog thrives on the company of others and will only be happy if joined by people it loves in the backyard.

This is why the best candidate to get one of these dogs home is someone able to spend a significant amount of time every day with this dog, as well as someone with a family that’s able to pitch in and help by interacting, socializing and entertaining this dog as well.

On the other hand, and if you do instead live in an apartment and have always dreamed about adding one of these dogs to your family/household, then that’s not the end of the world for you as there is a workaround for this.

These dogs aren’t nearly as large in size as other dogs that can no way live in an apartment, so as long as you provide the Golden Lab with the adequate amounts of exercise it needs in the outdoors (think long walks in the park, swimming, hiking, etc ..) that will keep it both physically and mentally stimulated for the day, then having this dog live in an apartment is completely fine.

This dog will only start to become a trouble maker when it’s forced to live in an apartment and is not given nearly the amount of exercise it needs on a daily basis.

Golden Lab Mix Health

Golden Labs are more prone than other dogs to suffer from specific health problems during their lifetimes, which we will be stating in the list below.

These health problems are usually ones that either or both this dog’s parents, the Golden Retriever and the Labrador Retriever, have the potential to suffer from as well, which they pass down to their Golden Retriever Lab Mix offspring as well.

Keep in mind though that this list is not at all definitive, and does not at all mean that YOUR Golden Lab will indeed suffer from any/all of the mentioned health problems.

This list is just to let you know about the POSSIBLE health problems that Golden Labs are known to have a higher chance of suffering from than other dog breeds.

– Obesity – Golden Labs have the potential to overeat like there’s no tomorrow, which is surefire recipe for an obese dog.

This is why it’s extremely important you always ensure your Golden Lab is getting all the exercise it needs throughout the day and is following a well balanced and properly designed diet that will ensure they only eat what they need to be eating, nothing more and nothing less.

Just like you don’t want your Golden Lab to become overweight, you don’t want it to become underweight either.

– Hip & Elbow Dysplasia

– Diabetes

– Eye problems, namely Progressive Retinal Atrophy

– Ear infections

Just like we always say whenever we talk about adopting or buying any dog from any breeder, it’s your responsibility to do your due diligence to make sure that your dog is as healthy and illness-free as possible.

How do you exactly go about doing that? You never EVER buy any dog from a dog breeder that can’t show you the health clearances of the dog itself and both its parents.

Any half decent dog breeder will be more than happy to show you these health clearances as well as other medical reports and guarantees.

Why would you ever want to buy a dog from someone that can’t show you all these stuff, and is basically telling you “well, you’re just going to have to take my word for it!”?

In general, this dog is expected to live for a lifespan of around 10-15 years.

Golden Labrador Living Care

First off, the Golden Lab dog isn’t known to be much of a shedder, so that’s a relief for many right off the bat.

Know that you’re going to be fine brushing this dog’s coat around once a week.

This way, you’ll minimize your dog’s chances of having their dead hair fall off all around the house, on places like your furniture, your floor and your clothes, which is more than a hassle to clean off after they’re there.

The only time you’ll have to increase the frequency of brushing this dog’s coat is during shedding seasons, where you’ll likely have to brush this dog’s coat around once every DAY instead of once every week, and sometimes even multiple times a day depending on how much of a heavy shedder your Golden Retriever Lab Mix becomes during these special seasons.

As for bathing this dog, they should only be given a bath when the need for this arises, such as when their coat becomes a little bit too dirty or when you think they’re going to enjoy one during a hot summer day.

Keep in mind that this dog absolutely loves to go for a swim, in which they will be (at least to some degree) getting a bath during this activity.

A very important thing to always keep in mind is that the Golden Retriever Lab Mix is much more prone than other dogs to suffer from ear infections, which is one of the reasons why their ears should be more frequently cleaned and taken care of by a professional groomer than the case would be with other dogs that aren’t as prone to suffer from ear infections.

Other grooming practices this dog has to be subject to are brushing their teeth (around 3-4 times a week) and trimming their nails when they become too long and before start to become a problem during day to day activities both for you and for them.