Goldador
Friendly, gentle and eager.
- Height
- 21.5–24.5 in55–62 cm
- Weight
- 55–80 lb25–36 kg
- Lifespan
- 10–14 yrslarge breed
- Origin
- USA
- AKC group
- Designer mix
- Coat
- Double
At a glance
History
A deliberate cross of the Golden and Labrador Retriever. It isn't recognized by the major kennel clubs.
The Retrievers family. Developed in Britain and Canada from St. John's water dogs to bring back shot game, especially from water. Soft mouths, steady temperaments and a famous love of fetch.
This mix combines the Golden Retriever and the Labrador Retriever. Mixed litters vary, so a puppy can take after either parent in size, coat and temperament.
Personality & habits
Friendly, gentle and eager.
- Voice
- Barks to alert you, then settles.
- With kids
- A family favorite that thrives around children.
- Other dogs
- Loves canine company.
- Home
- Best in a house with a yard.
Size
Exercise & training
Exercise. Very high energy: needs a lot of daily exercise plus a job for its brain, such as herding, agility or scent work. Puppies do better with several short sessions than one long walk, and older dogs need gentler outings.
Training. Learns fast and loves a job. Keep its brain busy with obedience, tricks or dog sports, or it will invent its own work.
Grooming
Double coat: brush at least once a week with a slicker brush and then a comb, and more often when the undercoat sheds, often in spring and fall. Don't shave a double coat: the undercoat insulates against both heat and cold. Sheds regularly. A good vacuum helps.
For every dog: trim nails when you can hear them click on the floor, brush teeth daily if you can (a few times a week still helps), and clean ears about once a month, drying them well after baths and swims.
Diet & feeding
- Daily calories
- About 1,410–1,860 kcal for a healthy adult
- Dry food
- Roughly 3.5–4.75 cups a day at ~400 kcal per cup
Puppies eat four small meals a day at 6 to 12 weeks, drop to three somewhere between 3 and 6 months, and move to two meals a day from about 6 months.
Large-breed puppies can take 15 to 24 months to finish growing. Ask your vet about a large-breed puppy food, and check before adding any supplements.
Deep-chested dogs are at higher risk of bloat (GDV). Feed two meals a day rather than one, use a slow feeder if your dog gulps, and keep mealtimes calm.
Keep treats, including training treats and table scraps, under 10% of daily calories.
Calories use the resting-energy formula from the Merck Veterinary Manual (70 × body weight in kg0.75) times a maintenance factor of 1.4 to 1.8, so very active or working dogs may need more. Cups assume about 400 kcal per cup; check your food's label. Treat any feeding chart as a starting point and adjust to body condition.
Health
Typical lifespan is 10–14 years. Conditions reported in the breed:
Ask breeders for health-test results from the parents (hips, eyes, and DNA tests where relevant), and schedule yearly vet checkups.
Videos
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Fun fact
It became popular as a calm, trainable guide dog with Guide Dogs for the Blind.
Parent breeds
Closest relatives
Photo credits
Photos come from Wikimedia Commons and are used under the licenses shown. Only freely licensed photos appear on this site; where none is available, you'll see an illustration.
Sources
- Hill's: Goldador (opens in a new tab)
- AKC: Puppy feeding fundamentals (opens in a new tab), bloat (opens in a new tab), treats (opens in a new tab) and grooming (opens in a new tab)
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Nutritional requirements of small animals (opens in a new tab)
Ratings for energy, shedding and the like are our own summaries, informed by these sources. Breed facts were checked in October 2026.