What Breed Of Dog Looks Like The Black Golden Retriever?

A co-worker recently adopted a dog that looks like a black golden Retriever, and I curious to know what type of dog they are.  I love dogs with a black coat of fur, and I want to know what other dogs might look like this breed.

Hunting around today after work on the internet, I found some pretty informative information.

Still, another breed of dog that looks like the Black Golden Retriever is the Newfoundland dog, and the dog is a mix of the Black German Shepherd and the Golden Retriever.  Dogs that are a mix of Setter, Spaniel, and Retriever also can produce this coloring and appearance. 

While this proves there are quite a few possibilities for a dog that looks like a Black colored Golden Retriever, this is in all actuality just a color scheme for a particular breed of dog or mix breed. 

Characteristics related to temperament, personality, and nature will be directly related to the dog breed and not the color.  Therefore, a Golden Retriever, whether Light Golden coloring, or something else, will share the same general characteristics.  If there are variances, it will be related to who the dog is as an individual dog.  

While there are a number of possibilities for dogs to look like a Black Colored Golden Retriever, they always have some portion of the Retriever in their breed background, whether a mixture of a Retriever with another dog or being the purebred Retriever of another sort, they are always a Retriever.

Golden Retrievers are almost always thought of as being Golden in some way, whether Light, Medium, or Dark Golden colored.  Many people don’t even realize that this is what is known as the breed standard. Therefore, there are other colors that a dog breed can have.

While not the norm, Golden Retrievers can come in other colors. Although this is not as common, they may even come in Black, but it is debatable whether they are a pure-bred Golden Retriever.  Aside from this, there are different dog breeds that can appear very similar to the Golden Retriever.

One such breed is another Retriever, known as the Flat Coated Retriever.  While this breed is often characteristically Black, and they have a slight difference in appearance from the Golden Retriever that may go unnoticed.

Flat Coated Retrievers in the same breed category as the Golden Retrievers have a more streamlined and smooth appearance.  Unlike the Golden Retrievers, they have a smoother appearance but boast similar qualities of floppy ears and a fun-loving, forever puppy attitude.

This breed is often the dog that is mistaken for a Black Golden Retriever as they are so similar.  This, however, is not always the case as this dog breed is much rarer than the Golden Retriever but may one day gain more popularity.

When a breeder mixes a Labrador with a Golden Retriever, there is the possibility of a Black-colored dog due to the Labrador being added to the mix.  These two breeds of dog look similar, so a mix of this sort may have one thinking they are looking at a Black Golden Retriever.

Next in line would be the Newfoundland dogs.  These dogs can share a similar appearance to the Golden Retriever, but their size is much bigger.  While this breed can be mistaken or thought of as a Black Golden Retriever, the chances of that happening are less, unless the person viewing them is far away.

A Black German Shepherd mixed with a Golden Retriever can potentially be thought of or mistaken for a Black Golden retriever.  When mixed, these two dog breeds create a dog that looks very similar except for their ears, which can be a combination of these two breeds.

While it is possible to mistake this mixed breed for a Black Golden Retriever, this would only be if the person regarding the dog didn’t take note of their ears.

Dogs similar in size and physical characteristics mixed with a Golden Retriever could produce a dog with Black fur that could easily be mistaken for a Black Golden Retriever.  These include dogs that are Setters and Spaniels.

Some breeders can provide a purebred Black Golden Retriever, but whether they are purely a Golden Retriever remains to be seen.  Some believe these dogs are a mix of the Flat Coated Retriever and the Golden Retriever that happened somewhere in the ancestral dog line.

Whether these dogs are Flat Coated Retrievers who happen to look very similar or a mix with something else and the Golden Retriever, they will have similar qualities to the Golden Retriever that relate to their personality, temperament, and nature.  These two Retriever dog breeds are very similar in many characteristics.

Coloring aside, these dogs are devoted, gentle, loveable, and dedicated, hardworking dogs that love the outdoors and being active.  They make excellent companion animals and boast a high level of intelligence, even in the mixes.  As well as their temperament, they all can make great hunting and sporting companions for those who wish to pursue these activities.

Regardless of which dog it is, mix or pure breed, each dog has unique qualities that make them special, including their similar physical appearance to that of a Golden Retriever.

The only slight variance in appearance between a Flat Coated Retriever and a Golden Retriever is how one is more streamlined than the other.  The Flat Coated Retriever is more streamlined while the Golden Retriever is not.

According to the American Kennel Club, Black Golden Retrievers are not the standard for the Golden Retriever breed.  Therefore, breeders who happen to market these dogs as purebred and a Golden Retriever may not always be breeding ethically or responsibly.

When selecting a breeder, regardless of dog breed, the pet parent needs to research thoroughly and ensure that the dog they are getting is as their pure breeding dictates unless they don’t mind differences and the potential for a mixed breed.

Quality breeding usually follows the breed standard format, which relates to the dog’s coloring and physical attributes, emotional characteristics, mental attributes, and character and personality.

Nothing can ever replace good breeding for a dog as it shows time, energy, care, and dedication to the breed and the dogs of that breed.

Such physical activities like digging and rolling around in filth and being active are part of sporting or working dogs’ character.  They like to be outdoors and working or playing hard.  They like to work, investigate, smell, wander around and be a dog.

Some dogs do this better than others, and while the Golden Retriever gained popularity and continues to reach high success in popularity, this is not related necessarily to their background of hunting and retrieving and more related to their temperament and personality.

The Flat-Coated Retriever boasts the same personality traits but slightly less as they are less refined.  One could say that one Retriever breed got the luck of the Irish, while the other did not, in popularity.  Lack of popularity is what makes a dog rarer than another as popularity dictates how many dogs are bred and exist.

It is also possible that when compared with the Golden Retriever, this breed tends to live a little bit of a shorter life span which can be a hard thought for those wanting to adopt a dog.  Everyone wants a dog that is relatively healthy and will live a long time.

Closing Points

Dogs, like humans, come and many sizes, shapes, and colors.  When one sees what they believe is a Black Golden Retriever, it is usually a Flat Coated Retriever.

While some breeders claim the Black Golden Retriever is a purebred dog, this is debatable and should be questioned, regarding responsible breeding.

Either way, whichever color, or dog one gets, they are all beautiful and make our lives better every day we call them family!