KENAI
Golden Retriever

The breeds · gun dog · retrieving

AKC Sporting · UKC Gun Dog · FCI standard 111

Golden Retriever.

Primarily a hunting dog (a non-slip retriever), to be shown in hard working condition.

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

13.2YRMedian lifespan13.1 to 13.2, measured on real dogs.
24 / 22INHeightdogs 23.5, bitches 22. An ideal from the standard, not a range.
55–75LBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 70 lb (65 to 75); breed bitches 60 lb (55 to 65).
2.5+ HRSExercise, every dayMore than 2 hours per day. The constraint most homes get wrong.

The lines

Within one breed the line can matter more than the breed. Where the lines differ, the page says which one a value belongs to.

field

Field-bred Goldens: bred for hunting and field trials; editorial sources agree they run leaner and lighter-boned with a shorter, denser, darker (gold to red) coat, less feathering and higher drive. No parent-club or peer-reviewed description of the line was found; see open_gaps.

show

Conformation-bred Goldens: bred to the AKC standard for the ring; editorial sources agree they carry a longer, heavier, more feathered coat in lighter shades, a broader head and a calmer demeanour. GRCA maintains a Dual Dog Hall of Fame for the few dogs that succeed in both arenas.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

dogs 23.5 in (23 to 24) · bitches 22 in (21.5 to 22.5)

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1981

Center is the midpoint of the standard's range.

Weight

dogs 70 lb (65 to 75) · bitches 60 lb (55 to 65)

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1981

Center is the midpoint of the standard's range.

Coat

Dense and water-repellent with good undercoat; outer coat firm and resilient, straight or wavy, lying close to the body; untrimmed natural ruff, moderate feathering on forelegs and underbody, heavier on neck, thighs and tail; rich lustrous golden of various shades

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1981

field lineShorter, thinner coat with less feathering, darker shades from gold to red; leaner, lighter-boned build

EditorialNeely S (DVM). Field Golden vs. Show Golden: What's the Difference? Adopt-a-Pet blog, 2026

Editorial only. Three editorial sources opened in this pass agree on the direction (Adopt-a-Pet 2026 by a DVM; Golden Hearts 2021; a field-golden breeder page); no parent-club or peer-reviewed description was found. Fewer than three non-editorial sources.

show lineLonger, heavier coat with more feathering, lighter shades from cream to rich gold; broader head and heavier build

EditorialNeely S (DVM). Field Golden vs. Show Golden: What's the Difference? Adopt-a-Pet blog, 2026

Editorial only; same caveat as the field-line coat.

Shedding

Shedding 4 of 5 (AKC breed page trait score)

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Heat tolerance

3 of 5 · Medium double coat: dense and water-repellent with good undercoat, firm resilient outer coat, moderate to heavy feathering

DerivedAKC breed standard, 1981

Derived from the standard's coat description (3 = medium double).

How long they live, and what they cost

Measured on real dogs, with the sample and the spread. Never a guess.

Median lifespan

13.2 years (13.1 to 13.2)

MeasuredMcMillan KM, 2024

The breed is not among the 18 breeds in Teng et al. 2022, so no life_expectancy_yr partner is recorded.

The dog at home

What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.

Exercise need

More than 2 hours per day

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band mapped: more than 2 hours = 150.

Exercise need

More than 2 hours per day

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

Energy

field lineHigher energy and drive than show-bred dogs; bred to hunt all day

EditorialGolden Hearts, 2021

Editorial only; Adopt-a-Pet 2026 agrees ('very high, intense work drive' vs 'moderate, calm and steady'). No study found.

Grooming load

3 of 5 · More than once a week (RKC grooming band); coat length medium; sheds

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band mapped: more than once a week = 3.

Grooming

More than once a week

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

Primarily a hunting dog (a non-slip retriever), to be shown in hard working condition

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1981

GRCA's field page repeats the standard: 'GRCA supports the Golden Retriever as primarily a hunting dog' (grca_field).

Primary game

Waterfowl and upland birds, retrieved to hand; AKC retriever tests are built around upland game or waterfowl hunting situations

Breed clubAKC, 2025

Neither the AKC standard nor GRCA names a single primary bird for the Golden; the retriever rulebook is the closest registry statement. Treat as retriever-generic.

Range

Close: a non-slip retriever works from the handler's side and goes out on command; test retrieves should not normally exceed 100 yards (Junior, Senior) or 150 yards (Master)

Breed clubAKC, 2025

Range here means retrieve distance, not a quartering search range.

Field trial standard

AKC retriever hunting tests score four abilities 0-10: marking (memory), style, perseverance/courage/hunting, and trainability (steadiness, control, response, delivery); dogs must perform equally well on land and in water; Senior and Master dogs run blind retrieves and honor another dog's retrieve

Breed clubAKC, 2025

Retriever rules are shared by every eligible retriever breed. GRCA also runs its own Working Certificate (WC/WCX) program and a Goldens-only AKC field trial at the National (grca_field).

Water work

Retrievers shall perform equally well on the land and in the water and are tested on both at every level

Breed clubAKC, 2025

Cold water

4 of 5 · Dense, water-repellent coat with good undercoat on a breed the standard calls primarily a hunting dog

DerivedAKC breed standard, 1981

Derived from coat plus the breed's retriever work; 5 is reserved for breeds whose standard names ice work.

How common the problems are

Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.

Hip dysplasia

19.3% · 19.3% dysplastic of 193,301 OFA hip evaluations on record (all data through Oct 2026; OFA hip registry dates from 1974); 78.3% normal (5.9% excellent, 50.2% good, 22.2% fair); breed rank 55

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

Voluntary registry: Hou et al. 2013 (hou_2013) document that OFA submissions under-report affected dogs, so true prevalence is higher. Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock.

Elbow dysplasia

11.8% · 11.8% abnormal of 84,443 OFA elbow evaluations on record (grade 1 9.2%, grade 2 2.1%, grade 3 0.5%); breed rank 44

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

Same voluntary-registry caveat as hips. In UK primary care, Golden Retrievers had 3.11 times the odds of elbow joint disease of crossbreds (oneill_2020, 95% CI 1.93-5.00).

Most common disorders

GRCA 1998-99 National Health Survey (owner-reported, Purdue-analysed): neoplasia accounted for 61.4% of veterinarian-confirmed deaths (264 of 430); lifetime risk of hot spots about 1 in 3, hypothyroidism 1 in 4, hemangiosarcoma 1 in 5, lymphosarcoma 1 in 8. Elbow/hip dysplasia and cardiovascular disease ranked second and third in owners' concerns.

Breed clubGlickman L, 2000

Owner survey of club-connected dogs, a quarter-century old; the parent club still cites it. No VetCompass Golden Retriever breed paper was found in this pass.

What the studies found

Population-level findings, shown as a spread. Breed sets the odds; the parents set the dog.

Toward strangers

0.2 of 4 · C-BARQ stranger-directed aggression breed mean 0.23 (online sample, n = 181); breed-club sample 0.36 (n = 179); ranked 7th of the 8 breeds common to both surveys in both samples, where rank 1 is the most aggressive (only the Siberian Husky scored lower)

StudiedDuffy DL, 2008

This is the aggression subscale, not fear. No SD published in Table 5. Owner questionnaire data; never a prediction for one dog.

Toward other dogs

0.6 of 4 · C-BARQ dog-directed aggression breed mean 0.63 (online sample, n = 181); breed-club sample 0.49 (n = 179)

StudiedDuffy DL, 2008

No SD published in Table 5.

More

akc bands

AKC breed page trait scores (1-5): Energy Level 3; Mental Stimulation Needs 4; Trainability Level 5; Barking Level 1; Watchdog/Protective Nature 3; Good With Young Children 5; Openness To Strangers 5; Good With Other Dogs 5; Shedding Level 4; Coat Grooming Frequency 2; Drooling Level 2; Affectionate With Family 5; Playfulness Level 4; Adaptability Level 5.

Breed clubAKC

Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.

What to ask a breeder for

The health clearances the breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.

No KENAI kennel lists the Golden Retriever yet. If you breed them, list your kennel free: it shows on this page and in the hunting dog breed finder, under every handler whose answers land on the breed.

Side by side

Or let the selector rank the Golden Retriever against your own answers.

How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 12 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called
Golden

Every breed, read the same way.

The breed index grows as entries clear the standard. Gun dogs first.

All published breeds

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