Compare breeds side-by-side
Two dog breeds, or two cat breeds — compared across lifespan, adult size, breed-typical health concerns, grooming hours, and ballpark feeding cost. Data-driven, source-linked, no "which breed is right for you?" sales pitch.
| Dimension | Labrador Retriever | Golden Retriever |
|---|---|---|
| Adult weight range | 55–80 lb | 55–75 lb |
| Typical lifespan | 11–13 years | 10–12 years |
| Size bucket | Large (50–90 lb) | Large (50–90 lb) |
| Breed-typical health concerns |
|
|
| Designer / pedigreed | Pedigreed (kennel-club recognized) | Pedigreed (kennel-club recognized) |
| Temperament / role | A Newfoundland-derived water-retrieving breed standardized in 19th-century Britain. | A Scottish gundog developed in the late 19th century by Lord Tweedmouth for retrieving waterfowl. |
| Est. annual food cost | $800/yr | $800/yr |
| Est. 12-yr food spend | $9,600 | $9,600 |
| Est. grooming hours / year | 38 hrs | 38 hrs |
Labrador Retriever carries that Golden Retriever typically doesn't:
- POMC gene deletion — Labrador-specific 14-bp deletion (Raffan et al., Cambridge) drives hyperphagia in roughly 1 in 4 Labs; weighed meals and strict calorie discipline matter more for this breed than most
- Exercise-induced collapse (EIC) — Lab-specific autosomal recessive DNA test available; affected dogs collapse 5–25 minutes into intense exercise
- Bloat (GDV) — deep-chested; discuss prophylactic gastropexy at spay/neuter, especially in larger lines
Golden Retriever carries that Labrador Retriever typically doesn't:
- Cancer — the breed has unusually high rates of hemangiosarcoma, lymphoma, mast-cell tumors, and osteosarcoma; baseline lump checks from age 4
- Subaortic stenosis (SAS) — inherited heart condition; cardiac auscultation in young dogs by a board-certified cardiologist
- Hypothyroidism — coat thinning, weight gain, and lethargy from middle age; thyroid panel at annual visits
Which is right for you?
A side-by-side table can tell you that one breed lives two years longer on average, or that the other carries a higher cardiac risk — but it cannot tell you which is right for your household. That answer depends on variables this calculator deliberately leaves out: how many hours a day someone is home, whether there are small children or other pets, whether allergies factor in, whether the household has the time and budget for twice-weekly brushing or weekly bathing. We don't model those because we'd be guessing.
What the table does surface is the data that's easy to gloss over when you're falling for a face. A breed-typical lifespan five years shorter than the alternative is a meaningful trade-off; a list of four breed-typical health concerns is a starting checklist for the vet conversations you'll have over a decade-plus. Use the comparison as a structured way to slow down — not as a verdict. If the data flags a concern that matters to you (a cardiac-prone breed when you can't afford echos, a high-grooming breed when you travel constantly), that's the conversation worth having before the adoption fee clears.
For a single-pet projection in human-equivalent years and life stages, use the dedicated dog age or cat age calculator. For a fully-modelled spending estimate that includes vet, grooming professional, and insurance, the lifetime cost calculator picks up where this page stops.
Frequently asked questions
How are these numbers sourced?
Adult weight, lifespan, and temperament are pulled from American Kennel Club breed standards and equivalent national kennel clubs (UKC, Kennel Club UK, FCI). Breed-typical health concerns are drawn from peer-reviewed breed-prevalence studies (UK VetCompass, AAFP/AAHA position papers, ACVIM consensus statements) and individual breed-club health surveys. Cost and grooming hour estimates are computed from size/coat — see the methodology page for the formulas. No number on this page is invented; every row maps to a sourced field on the underlying breed pages.
What if my dog or cat is mixed-breed?
Use the closest match by adult weight band and coat type — most mixes inherit health risks from both parent breeds in roughly equal measure. For lifespan and temperament, mixed-breed animals tend to outlive single-pedigree purebreds slightly (a phenomenon called heterosis or hybrid vigour), and they avoid the single-line genetic concentrations that drive most breed-typical disease. Use the size-based dog age calculator or the all-cats cat age calculator for individual-pet projections.
What about breed rescues versus going through a breeder?
The comparison surfaces breed-typical traits — temperament, size, lifespan, common health concerns. Those traits travel with the animal whether it came from a rescue or a breeder. What changes is the screening: a reputable breeder of a high-risk breed (Cavaliers with cardiac auscultation, Bulldogs with BOAS grading, Maine Coons with MYBPC3 testing) is buying you down the curve on specific conditions. A rescue is the right ethical choice if temperament and breed-fit are met; the health-concern column tells you what to ask about regardless of source.
How accurate are the cost estimates?
They are ballpark, not budget-precision. Annual food cost is computed from size band using mid-tier US kibble pricing (or wet/dry mix for cats); the 12-year figure is annual × 12 and does not include vet, grooming-by-professional, supplies, or insurance. For a fully-modelled lifetime budget that includes those categories, use the lifetime cost calculator. The grooming hours row is similarly a size + coat heuristic — actual hours depend heavily on whether you DIY or outsource.