German Shepherd vs Golden Retriever

Photo: Erick Drumss Hernández

Photo: Johan Spaedtke

Side by side

German Shepherd

Golden Retriever

Adult weight

Males 36–45.5 kg (79–100 lb); females 30.6–39.5 kg (67–87 lb) (measured in UK vet records, n = 12,146, middle 50%)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 11.3 years4

Median 13.2 years4

Fully grown

13 months, both sexes5

12 months, both sexes5

Group

Sheepdogs & cattledogs6

Retrievers & water dogs3

Coat

Double coat or long coat6

Coat with feathering3

Shedding

Moults most as the seasons change

Grooming

No sourced figure

Brushing a few times a week

Exercise

Plenty

Health

Blood-vessel cancer (much more likely); Elbow joint disease (much more likely)7,8

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

Class

Watchdog

Family

Which suits you

Size

The German Shepherd is a little larger on average: about 38 kg (84 lb) as an adult, against 29 kg (65 lb) for the Golden Retriever.

Lifespan

In UK vet records the Golden Retriever lives longer: a median of 13.2 years, against 11.3 for the German Shepherd.

Temperament

They differ most on loyalty (German Shepherd: sticks close to its people; Golden Retriever: friendly with everyone) and on handler demand (German Shepherd: needs an experienced owner; Golden Retriever: suits a first-time owner).

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

German Shepherd

Sheepdogs & cattledogs · Large

The breed is alert, watchful and self-assured, devoted to its own people and reserved with strangers.

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 German Shepherd page →The Golden Retriever page →

Breed traits

Day to day

German Shepherd

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

German Shepherd

Golden Retriever

Affection

Differs

Affectionate on its own terms

A lap or leaning dog

Loyalty

Differs

Sticks close to its people

Friendly with everyone

Independence

Keen to work with you

Around the home

German Shepherd

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 German Shepherd grows to the heavier adult, about 38 kg against the Golden Retriever's 29 kg.

German Shepherd

Golden Retriever

More comparisons

Compare the German Shepherd with

Belgian Malinois vs German Shepherd Golden Retriever vs Labrador Retriever Doberman Pinscher vs German Shepherd German Shepherd vs Rottweiler American Pit Bull Terrier vs German Shepherd English Cocker Spaniel vs Golden Retriever All breed comparisons →

Sources

1
VetCompass UK. Primary-care veterinary records. ↑
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. 166. Fédération Cynologique Internationale. © FCI. ↑
www.fci.be/Nomenclature/Standards/166g01-en.pdf
7
Barry et al., 2025. Epidemiology of haemangiosarcoma diagnosed in dogs under primary veterinary care in the United Kingdom: Frequency and risk factors. CC BY 4.0. ↑
doi.org/10.1186/s44356-025-00041-4
8
O'Neill et al., 2020. Epidemiology and clinical management of elbow joint disease in dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK. CC BY 4.0. ↑
doi.org/10.1186/s40575-020-0080-5
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 ·