Golden Retrievers are an extremely adorable dog breed worldwide. There are lots of benefits to having one of them around your house, as they are very friendly and loyal. Golden Retrievers can easily get along with everyone, even those whom they have met for the first time.

The perfect temperament Golden Retrievers have makes them great with families as well as kids. Also, they are very energetic. With all of these advantages, it is a good idea to have a Golden Retriever for your children to play with. However, you may see some breeders offer black Golden Retrievers. Does a black Golden Retriever exist at all?

In this article, we are going to know several things about Golden Retrievers that are black.

Can Golden Retrievers Be Black?

Purebred Golden Retrievers cannot be black. The truth is that Golden Retrievers are mainly red and yellow, and that is because of their genes. Therefore, if you breed an original, purebred Golden Retriever, you will probably never get a black Golden Retriever.

Golden Retrievers always have a shade of gold colour in their fur. The only way to breed a black Golden Retriever is to have another dog breed in the mix. However, this can take away the purebred status of your dog.

Now, let us dig further into the fact that purebred Golden Retrievers can never be black. The truth is that the genes of a Golden Retriever are what determines what color it can have. Golden Retrievers mainly have two different recessive genes, either yellow or red.

Even if Golden Retrievers had some black ancestors somewhere numerous years ago, still a purebred Golden Retriever could never be completely black. In any situation, the presence of another breed is required in the mix to result in a black Retriever that is not purebred.

Some dog breeds are similar to Golden Retrievers but have black fur. Although they can be very healthy dogs you can enjoy playing with, they are not purebred. Indeed, there are other mixtures in their genes that make them have black fur. The fur of a black Golden Retriever may gradually get white as the dog gets older, but this is irrelevant to their genes.

How to Get A Black Golden Retriever

Under normal circumstances, you cannot get a Golden Retriever that is black and purebred at the same time. However, you can crossbreed several dog types to ultimately get a dog that not only has almost all the characteristics of a real Golden Retriever but also has a dark black coat. This is a mixed breed pet.

If you are planning to showcase your dog and do AKC registration (American Kennel Club), keep in mind that you will not be able to mix the breeds and get a black tint beforehand. Otherwise, if you just like to have a friendly companion around your house that can get along with almost everyone and own fairly all characteristics of a real Golden Retriever, then you can mix some breeds to get the best results.

To do so, one of the parents must be a Golden Retriever. Crossbreeding will then give you a loyal dog that is highly energetic, smart, and easy to train. You should keep in mind that your other parent will need to have a darker color if you want your pet to have black fur.

One crossbreed dog mixed with Golden Retrievers that is more popular among dog lovers is the Flat-Coated Retriever. These dogs are highly analogous to purebred Golden Retrievers, and you can enjoy playing with them as they are full of energy and funny. In other words, Flat-Coated Retrievers have similar temperaments to Golden Retrievers and it is a good idea to have them around your family. They are just black.

If you are going to pick the Flat-Coated Retriever as one of the parents, ensure that it has a dark colour if you want your final Retriever to be black. If you pick a Golden Retriever as one parent and a light cream or red Flat-Coated Retriever as the other one, you are not going to have a Golden Retriever with a black coat.

In addition to Flat-Coated Retrievers, there is another breed you can consider crossing with Golden Retrievers and get a darker color. They are called Labrador Retrievers. Labradors have a lot in common with Golden Retrievers and are great matches with Golden Retrievers to get a dark, funny dog.

Characteristics of Flat-Coated Retrievers

Now we understand that a black Golden Retriever does not exist at all. You may ask, “what are the characteristics of a Flat-Coated Golden Retriever? Is it similar to purebred Golden Retrievers?” Let us have a brief look at their characteristics here:

Appearance

Except for their colours, Flat-Coated and purebred Golden Retrievers are alike. It is not easy to distinguish one from another. However, there are some slight differences you may detect if you compare them closely.

Golden Retrievers have thick wavy fur, a boxy head with wide muzzles, and powerful jaws. On the other hand, Flat-Coated Retrievers have shiny, flat coats. Also, their heads are narrower and more elegant, in addition to having longer muzzles and muscular jaws.

In the case of weight and size, both breeds are very similar. Thus, it is all about their fur texture and head shapes that help you distinguish them from each other.

Energy

Just like purebred Golden Retrievers, Flat-Coated Retrievers are also very energetic. They need at least 90 minutes of exercise every day to maintain their physical and mental well-being. Even better, they keep their energy constant throughout almost their entire life.

Flat-Coated Retrievers love to exercise with their owners, especially outdoors. They enjoy performing high-energy activities like jogging and fetching. Also, they like to enjoy playing with other dogs. They usually get along with other dogs very well.

Family Pets

Dealing well with Flat-Coated Retrievers will make them great family companions. They are extremely loyal and lovely to their owners, especially children. However, since they are highly energetic they might be too excited around children. Therefore, you should watch your dog and children at the same time to prevent them from causing trouble.

Sweetness

Flat-Coated Retrievers are incredibly sweet. Not only do they love their owners, but they are also affectionate towards everyone they meet in general. Therefore, if you are looking for some guard dogs to protect your house from intruders, these dogs are not for you as they are so friendly.

Easy to Train

Since Flat-Coated Retrievers have a strong bond with humans, they can be effortlessly trained. They pick on new skills quickly, as they are highly obedient and intelligent. They love to be praised for doing any task correctly. On the other hand, they are so sensitive and do not like to be punished for their mistakes. Depriving them of rewards and ignoring them is the best approach in such cases.

Separation Anxiety

Since Flat-Coated Retrievers are very close and loyal to humans, they are more likely to develop separation anxiety when they are apart from their owners. Separation anxiety is a situation in which the dog fears being left alone. As a result, the dog becomes nervous and conducts misbehaviours.

To prevent this issue, Flat-Coated Retrievers should not be left alone for too long. Therefore, if you and your family usually tend to leave the house for extended periods, Flat-Coated Retrievers are not a good pet for you.

Standard Shades of A Golden Retriever

As we discussed already, Golden Retrievers cannot be black unless you cross them with some other breeds. Then, you may wonder what shades are exactly standard to original Golden Retrievers. Shortly, Golden Retrievers are living in different shades of gold. Therefore, it is normal to see a Golden Retriever that is in cream, light gold, dark gold, or even occasionally red.

The exact colour that a standard Golden Retriever has depends primarily on its parent. However, in general, you can find them in various shades of gold, even if they are from the same litter. To be more exact, they have a rich, lustrous golden of different shades.

The golden shade is somehow a sign of purebred Retrievers. If you can see some gold shades in the fur, chances are high that your Retriever is purebred and you can take it home. On the contrary, if the dog is black, it is not a purebred Golden Retriever, even if it is extremely analogous to Golden Retrievers.

Dealing With Breeders Offering Black Golden Retriever

Some breeders may try to convince you that their black Retriever is a purebred Golden Retriever. However, the reality is that their dog is just a crossbreed of some kind of dog they are trying to sell for more than how much it is worth.

Sometimes, they may try to pretend that their dog is a kind of scarce Golden Retriever, to get more money selling it. In addition to that, they may have a similar approach when selling a mini Golden Retriever or an English Cream Golden Retriever. In fact, an English Cream Golden Retriever is a breed of Golden Retrievers, they just have a light gold colour and a fancier name.

In general, there is no real black Golden Retriever. It does not exist. If you see someone claiming that their black Retriever-like dog is a purebred Golden Retriever, be careful not to spend too much money to buy it as it is not a real Golden Retriever at all. Do not trust the breeder in such a case. If the dog has black fur, the best case is that it has been crossed with a purebred Golden Retriever, and the dog is not purebred now as opposed to its purebred parent.