Golden Retriever vs Welsh Springer Spaniel

A Golden Retriever
Photo: Johan Spaedtke
A Welsh Springer Spaniel
Photo: Udo Tjalsma

Side by side

Golden Retriever
Welsh Springer Spaniel
Adult weight
Males 29–34 kg (65–75 lb); females 25–29 kg (55–65 lb)1
Males 18–25 kg (40–55 lb); females 16–23 kg (35–50 lb) (breed club figure)2
Height
Males 56–61 cm; females 51–56 cm3
No sourced figure
Lifespan
Median 13.2 years4
Median 14 years4
Fully grown
12 months, both sexes5
11 months, both sexes5
Group
Retrievers & water dogs3
Retrievers & water dogs6
Coat
Coat with feathering3
Coat with feathering6
Shedding
Moults most as the seasons change
Sheds through the year
Grooming
Brushing a few times a week
Exercise
Plenty
Health
Blood blister in the ear flap (much more likely); Underactive thyroid (much more likely)7,8
No sourced figure
Class
Family
Field

Which suits you

Size
The Golden Retriever is larger on average: about 29 kg (65 lb) as an adult, against 20 kg (45 lb) for the Welsh Springer Spaniel.
Shedding
Their coats shed differently: the Golden Retriever moults most as the seasons change, the Welsh Springer Spaniel sheds through the year.
Temperament
They differ most on loyalty (Golden Retriever: friendly with everyone; Welsh Springer Spaniel: sticks close to its people) and on affection (Golden Retriever: a lap or leaning dog; Welsh Springer Spaniel: affectionate on its own terms).
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

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.

Welsh Springer Spaniel
Retrievers & water dogs · Medium

In temperament it is loyal and affectionate, closely attached to its own people and sometimes reserved with strangers.

The Golden Retriever page →The Welsh Springer Spaniel page →

Breed traits

Day to day
Golden Retriever
Welsh Springer Spaniel
Activity
Needs lots of exercise
Needs lots of exercise
Intelligence
Differs
Needs daily brain work
Learns readily, likes games
Handler demand
Differs
Suits a first-time owner
Needs steady training
With people
Golden Retriever
Welsh Springer Spaniel
Affection
Differs
A lap or leaning dog
Affectionate on its own terms
Loyalty
Differs
Friendly with everyone
Sticks close to its people
Independence
Differs
Keen to work with you
Cooperative, with its own ideas
Around the home
Golden Retriever
Welsh Springer Spaniel
Sensitivity
Average
Average
Voice
Barks to alert, then settles
Barks to alert, then settles
Prey drive
Differs
Usually fine with small pets
Chases; needs managing
Breed explains only about 9% of how individual dogs differ in behaviour9. Meet the dog. A good breeder breeds for temperament as well as health, and matches each puppy's personality to the right home10,11.

Puppy growth

Reference curves · both sexes
The Golden Retriever grows to the heavier adult, about 29 kg against the Welsh Springer Spaniel's 20 kg.
Golden Retriever
Welsh Springer Spaniel
0102030402m4m6m9m12m18m
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More comparisons

Compare the Golden Retriever with
Golden Retriever vs Labrador RetrieverEnglish Cocker Spaniel vs Golden RetrieverFlat-Coated Retriever vs Golden RetrieverGolden Retriever vs HovawartGolden Retriever vs Nova Scotia Duck Tolling RetrieverGolden Retriever vs Great PyreneesAll breed comparisons →

Sources

Parts of this page were written by AI ·