The Truth About Black Golden Retrievers (According To Science)

Want to know the truth about black golden retrievers?

Yes, they may be adorable…

And yes, they may be sweet…

But they’re not actually golden retrievers.

It’s impossible for a purebred golden retriever to be black because their golden color is a result of two recessive alleles.

If you see a “black golden retriever” on the street or the internet, it’s most likely a different breed, like a flat-coated retriever, or some sort of lab or golden retriever mix.

In this post, we’re going to dive into:

  • Why black golden retrievers can’t exist
  • Which dogs look like black golden retrievers
  • How golden retrievers compare to flat-coated retrievers
  • What shades golden retrievers actually come in
  • A quick warning about black golden retrievers
  • And much more

Let’s do this!

The Science Behind Why Black Golden Retrievers Don’t Exist

Ready to get nerdy?

According to AnimalGenetics.us, the MC1R gene, or the E-Locus, controls the production of pigment in melanocytes, which controls the color of skin or fur.

The dominant allele, “E”, allows a dog to produce black pigment, eumelanin.

The recessive allele, “e”, turns all the eumelanin to phaeomelanin, which means that the coat will be yellow or red in color.

Since all goldens have the recessive “e/e” genotype, it’s impossible for a purebred golden to pass on the dominant “E” allele, so they will always be some shade of gold or red, and will never be black.

There are four other genes that dictate the color of the coat, but dogs that are e/e will always be yellow.

What About Genetic Mutations?

Yes, genetic mutations do happen occasionally, but a mutation in golden retrievers will manifest itself as a patch of black fur or “birthmark”, and not a pure black coat.

The picture above is of Peter Fox, a golden retriever with a pigment somatic mutation, and his mother, Babsy.

What Dogs Could Look Like Black Golden Retrievers

flat coated golden retriever

Yes, the picture above looks A LOT like a black golden retriever, but in fact, it’s a flat-coated retriever.

Golden retrievers were originally a mix of a wavy coated retriever and a Tweed water spaniel, so other retrievers and spaniels could also appear very similar.

Here are some dogs that may look like black golden retrievers:

  • Flat-coated retrievers
  • Black lab and golden retriever mix
  • Another combination of labrador or golden retriever mixes
  • Golden retriever and black German shepherd mix
  • Newfoundland
  • Hovawart

Golden Retriever vs. Flat-Coated Retriever

The purebred dog that probably looks the most like a golden retriever is a flat-coated retriever.

In addition to their looks, they share many behavioral qualities, as well.

Here are some similarities and differences between the two breeds (thanks to Dogtime and the AKC for info about the flat-coated retriever):

Similarities between golden retrievers and flat-coated retrievers:

  • Both have feathering in their legs and tails
  • Both were originally bred as hunting dogs
  • Both have puppy-ish attitudes for a long time (although flat-coated retrievers may act like puppies even longer than goldens)
  • Both are energetic breeds that require lots of exercise
  • Both are loving and happy dogs
  • Both have a tendency to chew and jump

Differences between golden retrievers flat-coated retrievers:

  • Golden retrievers are golden in color, compared to flat-coated retrievers that are black or liver in color
  • Goldens are usually wonderful with kids, but flat-coated retrievers may be a little too exuberant for them
  • Flat-coated retrievers may be slightly taller and leaner than goldens
  • Golden retrievers are usually slightly more calm than flat-coated retrievers

What Shades Do Golden Retrievers Come In?

Image source: The Golden Retriever Breed
Standard Illustrated, by Wendy Andrews

Now although golden retrievers don’t come in black, they do come in several shades of gold, including:

This color is dependent on the parents, although goldens of different shades can be born in the same litter.

The AKC breed standard for golden retrievers says this about their color: “Rich, lustrous golden of various shades.”

Note that they say nothing about black there.

A Quick Warning About “Black Golden Retrievers”

If a breeder claims to breed black golden retrievers, they may just trying to make extra money selling, “rare golden retrievers.”

A similar problem may exist with English Cream Golden Retrievers and mini golden retrievers but the difference is that English Cream Golden Retrievers are still golden retrievers just with a fancy name and light coloring.

Black golden retrievers don’t exist (like golden retrievers with blue eyes) so anybody telling or selling you otherwise may have ulterior (monetary) motives and you’d want to be careful about trusting them.

Whenever you’re evaluating any breeder who’s breeding pet dogs, their two main goals should always be temperament and health, with color or appearance secondary.

Conclusion

black and gold golden retrievers

When it comes to golden retrievers, they only exist in some shade of gold, so a “black golden retriever” is likely a flat-coated retriever or some mix of golden retriever with a black lab, or some other black breed.

Have any questions about black golden retrievers?

Let me know in the comments below!

And if you know someone who needs to hear the truth about “black golden retrievers,” or wants one, please share this with them!

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42 thoughts on “The Truth About Black Golden Retrievers (According To Science)”

  1. We have a black golden retriever and love him to pieces. The black came from his dads line and goes back to a flat coat in the distant past, so really he is an expensive mutt. Doesn’t matter a fig, he’s still lovely. Just FYI there were 7 in the litter, 4 golden and three black. In passing all of the breeds are essentially mongrels, just depends how far back you go

    Reply
  2. Umm no no no sorry but my dog that passed away from nasal cancer was 20%black poodle and 70% golden retriever and no he was not a doodle. His mom was 20% black poodle and 50% golden retriever and his dad was a golden retriever. So shut up you liar 🤥 you are just saying what you think with out evening being sure. So just stop lying to everyone.🐕‍🦺

    Reply
  3. Surely you could eventually breed black golden retrievers by starting with a golden retriever and a dog of a similar breed that’s black, and then keep breeding black offspring to golden retrievers until pretty much the only thing remaining from your original black dog is it’s colouration that you were selecting for and you essentially have a black golden retriever?

    Reply
  4. We had a dog thatt we kndw was a mix, and tge best way to describe her was a black golden with a fluffy neck. Had hef tested and it turns out she was 50 percent golden, 25 percent chow and 25 percent malamute. She was a great dog. Very smart, empathic ( could read and react to human feelings), a devoted companion, would always protect any child, and if you were feeling down, would come up so you could pet her soft fluffy mane around her neck, which always made us feel better. If I had the money, I would have cloned her.

    Reply
    • We had the same combo only 25% husky instead of malamute but she was fluffy like a chow. Anyway, exact temperament you described. And we thought the same thoughts about cloning her. We even entered her into a contest to get cloned. Anyway, wanted to let you know yours was not alone. It’s a great mix of breeds.

      Reply
  5. I have a flat coated retriever. but how know that its mix with black lab and golden retriever or its flat coated retriever.

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  6. I’m sorry, I disagree. I have a purebred golden retriever and she was bred with a purebred male. All puppies came out golden except one she is ALL black . So yes it is possible to have a black golden retriever.

    Reply
  7. Hi there Jake. I adopted a male dog that looks like a flat coated retriever but foster agency said lab mix. He is a little over 50 lbs. He has short collie-ears, four white feet and patch of white on his chest with a very broad chest and skull looks like a black lab. Do you have any idea what he could be?

    Reply
  8. Hi I have a dog that when we got her as a puppy her breed said golden lab mix. Her mom was short haired lab for sure and pit mix. Out of the liter of pups there was 2 golden in color, 3 short haired puppy’s and 2 long haired that were black. I got one of the long haired ones that looks much like a golden retriever only obviously has black fur. So I’m assuming their father had to have been a golden retriever for them to have a long coat some of the dogs and to have golden puppies in the litter? I may be wrong though. But if I’m reading correctly this would explain it.

    Reply
  9. Our dog Buster is half Border Collie and half Golden Retriever. He weighs 130 pounds. The vet put him on prednisone for allergies as a pup which I attribute to his weight gain.

    Reply
  10. A first generation mix of a Golden and a Lab will not produce a dog that looks like a black Golden since the long coat is a recessive trait like the yellow/red coat. All first generation mixes will have a Lab like coat.

    Reply
  11. Hi. I have a question. Have you ever heard of a golden retriever getting mystinia Travis. I may have misspelled the word. Also do you know of any vet school that might be doing research on this particular disease. Thanks.

    Reply
  12. Hi jake and Oliver. I would like to thank you for creating this information friendly article on black golden retrievers. I have read many articles on black golden retriever before yours and there were many articles misguiding people in believing that pure breed black golden retriever does exist. This is a great article buddy.

    Reply
  13. Hi there,

    Thank you for this breakdown. I have a Great Pyrenees/Golden Retriever that came out, well, mostly black with stark white tufts of hair.

    The issue I’m having, is that this sometimes really upsets Purebred owners on either side who claim my dog is not a Pyr (or a Golden Retriever). He was sold as a Golden Pyrenees, but is also described as a Black and White Pyrenees which some claim do not exist while others insist they do.

    Any insight you have on how genetics would work in this case, I’d love to hear it.

    Reply
    • I have a golden retriever x Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever which looks like exactly like a roller just black and white, where do you think this could have came into it? The litter he came from had 8 black pups and 2 red/golden pups.
      Thanks

      Reply
    • I have a male and female grt Pyr. Both badger colored. Their puppies were various colors until 6 months. Then all had faded to the goldish cream badger. I just bought a grt Pyr/golden mix. Both parents purebred and on premesis. He was 8 wks and solid black with one spot white on chest and on feet. He’s 4 mo now and beginning to go salt and pepper. He’s a good looking boy. This will be interesting.

      Reply
  14. Hi Jake, i am Marie from France, don’t ask me how i arrived on your website, i am just fond of genetics in animals and love to discover new species/breeds. anyway, this being said (i should stop because i start speaking about animals…)
    I thni you should check the Hovawart breed and add it to your list of dogs looking like black Golden Retriever.
    Hovawart are quite rare which is awesome because they are not massively bred like the famous top 5. And sorry i’ll spoil your discovery: they are gorgeous.
    Enjoy 🙂

    Reply
  15. “I love big mutts and I can not lie, Sir Mix A Lot.” I have a 50% Golden Retriever , 30% Shep and 20% Border Collie. He looks just like a purebred black golden, I know not possible. I have seen him next to a flat-coated retriever, and the flat coated looks more like a ” black setter” than a Golden. I would love to send you a picture of my dog. 100lbs and loves to swim, loves kids and balls. Yes, I am pushing the mutts!

    Reply

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