Border Collie vs Golden Retriever

Photo: Horacio Cambeiro

Photo: Johan Spaedtke

Side by side

Border Collie

Golden Retriever

Adult weight

Males 14–25 kg (31–55 lb); females 12–19 kg (26–42 lb) (breed club figure)1

Males 29–34 kg (65–75 lb); females 25–29 kg (55–65 lb)2

Height

No sourced figure

Males 56–61 cm; females 51–56 cm3

Lifespan

Median 13.1 years4

Median 13.2 years4

Fully grown

11 months, both sexes5

12 months, both sexes5

Group

Sheepdogs & cattledogs6

Retrievers & water dogs3

Coat

Long coat or short coat6

Coat with feathering3

Shedding

Moults most as the seasons change

Grooming

No sourced figure

Brushing a few times a week

Exercise

Plenty

Health

Balance disorder (more likely); Joint wear-and-tear arthritis in the limbs (slightly more likely)7,8

Blood blister in the ear flap (much more likely); Underactive thyroid (much more likely)9,10

Class

Working

Family

Which suits you

Size

The Golden Retriever is larger on average: about 29 kg (65 lb) as an adult, against 18 kg (39 lb) for the Border Collie.

Temperament

They differ most on affection (Border Collie: likes its own space; Golden Retriever: a lap or leaning dog) and on loyalty (Border Collie: sticks close to its people; Golden Retriever: friendly with everyone).

Alike

Both are rated the same on independence: keen to work with you.

Neither is the better dog in general. Which suits you depends on your home, your days and the care you can give.

Take the breed matcher

What they're like

Border Collie

Sheepdogs & cattledogs · Medium

In temperament it learns quickly, concentrates hard and pays close attention to its handler.

Golden Retriever

Retrievers & water dogs · Large

The Golden Retriever's temperament is friendly, intelligent and devoted. It is eager to please, gentle, keen to work alongside people and seldom a good guard dog.

The Border Collie page →The Golden Retriever page →

Breed traits

Day to day

Border Collie

Golden Retriever

Activity

Needs lots of exercise

Intelligence

Needs daily brain work

Handler demand

Differs

Needs an experienced owner

Suits a first-time owner

With people

Border Collie

Golden Retriever

Affection

Differs

Likes its own space

A lap or leaning dog

Loyalty

Differs

Sticks close to its people

Friendly with everyone

Independence

Keen to work with you

Around the home

Border Collie

Golden Retriever

Sensitivity

Differs

Needs a calm, predictable home

Average

Voice

Barks to alert, then settles

Prey drive

Differs

Chases; needs managing

Usually fine with small pets

Breed explains only about 9% of how individual dogs differ in behaviour11. Meet the dog. A good breeder breeds for temperament as well as health, and matches each puppy's personality to the right home12,13.

Puppy growth

Reference curves · both sexes

Summary

Detail

The Golden Retriever grows to the heavier adult, about 29 kg against the Border Collie's 19 kg.

Border Collie

Golden Retriever

More comparisons

Compare the Border Collie with

Golden Retriever vs Labrador Retriever Australian Shepherd vs Border Collie Border Collie vs Rough Collie (Collie)English Cocker Spaniel vs Golden Retriever Flat-Coated Retriever vs Golden Retriever Golden Retriever vs Hovawart All breed comparisons →

Sources

1
American Kennel Club. Border Collie breed page. ↑
2
American Kennel Club. Golden Retriever breed standard. ↑
images.akc.org/pdf/breeds/standards/GoldenRetriever.pdf
3
FCI. Breed standard no. 111. Fédération Cynologique Internationale. © FCI. ↑
www.fci.be/Nomenclature/Standards/111g08-en.pdf
4
McMillan et al., 2024. Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death. Scientific Reports 14, 531 (VetCompass). CC BY 4.0. ↑
doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-50458-w
5
Hawthorne et al., 2004. Body-weight changes during growth in puppies of different breeds. Journal of Nutrition 134(8 Suppl): 2027S–2030S (WALTHAM). ↑
doi.org/10.1093/jn/134.8.2027S
6
FCI. Breed standard no. 297. Fédération Cynologique Internationale. © FCI. ↑
www.fci.be/Nomenclature/Standards/297g01-en.pdf
7
Radulescu et al., 2020. Vestibular disease in dogs under UK primary veterinary care: Epidemiology and clinical management. CC BY 4.0. ↑
doi.org/10.1111/jvim.15869
8
Anderson et al., 2018. Prevalence, duration and risk factors for appendicular osteoarthritis in a UK dog population under primary veterinary care. CC BY 4.0. ↑
doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-23940-z
9
O'Neill et al., 2021. Reporting the epidemiology of aural haematoma in dogs and proposing a novel aetiopathogenetic pathway. CC BY 4.0. ↑
doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-00352-0
10
O'Neill et al., 2022. Frequency, breed predispositions and other demographic risk factors for diagnosis of hypothyroidism in dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK. CC BY 4.0. ↑
doi.org/10.1186/s40575-022-00123-8
11
Morrill et al., 2022. Ancestry-inclusive dog genomics challenges popular breed stereotypes. Science 376: eabk0639 (Darwin's Ark). ↑
doi.org/10.1126/science.abk0639
12
Dogs Trust. Finding a good, responsible breeder. ↑
www.dogstrust.org.uk/dog-advice/getting-dog/choosing-dog/finding-a-breeder
13
American Kennel Club. Screening puppy buyers: how top breeders find the best homes. ↑
www.akc.org/expert-advice/dog-breeding/screening-puppy-buyers-how-top-breeders-find-the-best-homes/
14
Salt et al., 2017. Growth standard charts for monitoring bodyweight in dogs of different sizes. PLoS ONE 12(9): e0182064 (WALTHAM). CC BY 4.0. ↑
doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0182064

Parts of this page were written by AI ·