By now you have likely been looking at all kinds of Golden Retrievers and seen dramatic variation in coat color (from very pale to dark golden). You have likely also seen the really light ones referred to as “English Creme”, or “European Creme” and some even call them rare. This last bit is entirely untrue. Light colored “Creme” Golden Retrievers from Europe are very plentiful in both the US and Europe. So you ask yourself: “Are they they different?”. The short answer is No…. and yes… sorta.
American Golden Retrievers are typically Dark Golden to light golden in color with most in the medium range.
Are They Different Breeds?
First let’s first set the official record straight. “English Creme” Golden Retrievers and American Golden Retrievers are in fact the SAME breed. Both lines directly descended from Lord Tweedmouth’s original Golden Retrievers in Scotland back in the 1800’s. The American Kennel Club (AKC) , United Kennel Club (UKC) and every European kennel club we researched recognizes them both as Golden Retriever only. The US based Kennel Clubs breed standard is biased against creme color but does not exclude it. In fact: “English Creme” is a made up nickname. Some say the nickname helps distinguish where they came from and possible health benefits (more on the later) and some say it’s just marketing propaganda.
DNA tests evaluated by the highly respected embarkvet.com have verified that all of the European descent “English Creme” Golden Retrievers at Texas TLC Goldens are in fact, Golden Retrievers. This is true with every breeder we know, or have ever heard about; no matter the DNA testing firm.
“English” Golden Retrievers can come from anywhere in Europe and are essentially the same but most Americans identify with “English” since the breed originated in Scotland (which is part of the United Kingdom) and it just feels more impressive to say your dog came from the source. For the purposes of this blog, I’ll try to use “English” or “English Creme” to keep things standard and reduce typing but understand they may have come from Romania, or Norway, Ukraine, UK or anywhere else in Europe.
Also note that while the English “Creme” is the preferred color in Europe, there are in fact English Golden Retrievers that are not creme colored. Because the show standards in Europe prefer lighter Golden Retrievers they breed toward light colors but the coats for English Golden Retrievers can vary from medium to creme.
Side note: Golden Retrievers may be “Creme” colored but not “white”. Virtually every Golden Retriever will have some amount of golden hair; even those that are very light colored; thus the “cream”designation. In some few cases you may have to be close to see it, but it’s there.
But…. Are There Differences?
Well, yes.. but they are small differences for the most part. Overall the breed standard is the same but the English Golden Retrievers and the American Golden Retrievers have been breeding on separate sides of the Atlantic Ocean for ~200 years.
As always happens, when that many generations are produced with little or no intermixing, some physical divergence is almost certain. The table below outlines the subtle differences but the biggest one that is bragged about is the perception of lower cancer rates on average for Europeans Golden Retrievers (more on this later)
| Description | American Golden Retriever | Eurpoean/English Golden Retriever |
|---|---|---|
| Color | Generally darker | Generally lighter |
| Topline | Back slopes down a little | Level slope |
| Head | Narrower profile that blends into the skull | Broader head |
| Ears | Behind and just above the eyes | Level with the eyes |
| Eyes | Slanted | Round, level eyes |
| Neck | medium length, muscular and untrimmed | Long, protruding neck. Clean and often trimmed ruff |
| Tail | Slight curve upward | level with back |
| Build | Leaner, more lightweight appearance | Heavier, Stockier build |
| Height | Male: 23"-24", Female; 21.5"-22.5" | Male: 22"-24", Female: 20"-22" |
| Lifespan | 10-11 years (see * below) | 12 years (See ** below) |
| Cancer Rate | 60% (see * below) | 38.8% (See ** below) |
OMG – Cancer?
It is well documented that cancer of several varieties is unusually common in Golden Retrievers. This does not mean they live short lives, it just means that when they do pass, there is a good chance it will be from cancer. It can also mean that when the Golden Retriever dies of other natural causes, there may also be cancer present. Interestingly this is where the divergence from across the pond becomes a little more interesting.
* In well executed scientific study on American Goldens it has been found that American Golden Retrievers may average a ~60% rate of cancer and a 10-11 year average lifespan. The peer reviewed scientific study on American Golden Retrievers was based on 655 necropsies performed by the prestigious UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine spanning multiple years. It’s interesting to note that the percentage of cancer found does not mean all those dogs died from cancer. It simply means they had verifiable cancer of some form or degree in them WHEN they died. It’s also interesting to note that the lifespan figures include dogs that died of unnatural causes (injuries, etc) so the average lifespan is skewed shorter than it probably should be.
** There is an often quoted SURVEY conducted by the UK Kennel Club and the British Small Animal Veterinary Association Scientific committee on European Golden Retrievers that arrived at a ~39% cancer rate and a 12 year average lifespan. While these numbers may be exciting it’s also interesting to note that while they sent out 3282 survey questionnaires, only 538 were returned and all responses were voluntary. This means that they got responses from only those people that felt like responding so I consider the numbers suspect at best. No form of necropsy was required either so we really don’t know for sure what happened to each of these dogs. Surveys are useful just like political polls are useful but they are not scientific and only suggest conclusions that cannot be taken as scientifically accurate.
Interestingly the cancer rates on American Golden Retrievers was not always this high. The rate seems to have dramatically increased in the 1990’s and as of this writing there is no definitive proof as to why. The good news is the Morris Animal Foundation has launched a massive Golden Retriever lifetime study following the lifetimes of 3000 Golden Retrievers. The hope is they will be able to find causes and understand cancer for all mammals better. The study will take years to complete but it’s well funded, has quite a lot of owner participation and is making progress.
Interesting Side Note:
A 10 or 11 year old Golden Retriever is roughly the same age as a 70 year old human. The following is an interesting quote from Dr. Becker at healthypets.mercola.com about human cancer deaths and dogs (all breeds). While the death totals in humans is a little lower; we as humans are willing to spend MUCH more money, research and effort on prolonging life for our own species. In the end, Golden Retrievers are really no more broken than we are.
About half of humans over the age of 70 and dogs over age 10 are diagnosed with cancer. In terms of mortality, cancer accounts for about 23 percent of human deaths, and from 10 to 60 percent of dog deaths, depending on breed.
Do English Golden Retrievers Shed Less?
So an English Golden Retriever’s feathers and outer coat (especially on the neck/chest) tend to be a little bit shorter than American Golden Retrievers. That said, the shedding of the outer coat may generate a little less in the way of hair piles from the Europeans. On the other hand, spring shedding is almost all from the undercoat and all Golden Retrievers, not matter which side of the pond they are from, shed hair at the exact same rate of speed; they are all the same breed after all. In the end it is doubtful that you will actually see the difference.
OK I’ll Run Out and Buy an English Creme!
WHAT? wait… No..
Maybe but not necessarily. The differences between these two variations of the breed really are minor and temperamentally they are identical. American Golden Retrievers are typically more….. golden. They generally have slightly longer beautiful hair are slimmer/sleeker and in my opinion, are absolutely gorgeous. This does not mean English Golden Retrievers are not beautiful dogs as well but it becomes a matter of preference really as the differences are not dramatic and frankly, while compelling, the cancer rates and life spans for English Golden Retrievers are not completely proven yet (see ** above). The average lifespan estimates in the UC Davis study are somewhat flawed themselves (the study admits this) as the lifespan ranges ranged from less than a year old to over 16 years old (remember, not all deaths were caused by cancer).
Half of our dogs at Texas TLC Goldens are American Golden Retrievers and we are thrilled with the decision. They are absolutely wonderful dogs.
We now have an English Golden Retriever in our lineup (Emma – Direct from Europe) and
Ryder (both parents direct from Europe) to get the slightly different body style and color but they are certainly not our only line and we firmly believe ALL Golden Retriever types are excellent choices.
American Golden Retrievers are generally less expensive to buy and easier to find as well. Because it’s expensive to import a true English Golden Retriever they tend to cost more money to buy. The light colored coat means they get dingy with dirt faster and seem to need more baths.
Of bigger concern is actually knowing you are getting a English golden. BUYER BEWARE: There are many breeders out there that either don’t know what an English Golden Retriever is or just lie to you to get a higher price. This is not meant to cast aspersions on breeders in general as there are certainly many good breeders out there (shameless plug for a good one: texastlcgoldens.com) but there are certainly a large number of unscrupulous breeders as well. You cannot trust a breeder at their word. The fact that the parents are very light colored (some incorrectly say white) means absolutely nothing and the breeder themselves may not even realize they have a mix. I admit it sounds funny to say that since it’s not technically a mix – it’s still a golden Retriever but if a true English Golden Retriever is your desire, the distinction is important.
The ONLY way you can be sure you are actually receiving a English Golden Retriever is to check it’s pedigree. No matter what type Golden Retriever you wish to buy, if the breeder will not show you the pedigree up front, run away. While the AKC pedigrees lack much of the detail of European pedigrees since it makes no distinction between the different sides of the pond for this breed, it does in fact list the place of birth when it is outside of the United States. If every member of the tree on BOTH sides is from Europe, The Golden Retriever is considered “English”. If the entire pedigree of BOTH parents is not all European, you MAY be buying an English Golden Retriever but you may not (and in some cases; probably not). You may in fact just be buying an American/European mix that is very very light in color. It is entirely possible it IS all European but you cannot be sure. Honestly the BEST way to be absolutely sure is to ask for the parent’s European pedigree if in fact the parents themselves were imported.
This is not to say that mixing American and English Golden Retriever lines will not have some form of beneficial effect on cancer if that is your main concern and if you believe the European SURVEY; it might but I have no empirical evidence to prove that.
Summary
While English Golden Retrievers are slightly different in some ways from Americans, they are still the same exact breed. It is believed by many based on some disconnected studies that the English Golden Retrievers have a lower incidence of cancer on average and live slightly longer on average but there are just not enough verifiable scientific studies on both sides of the pond using the same methods to be certain. In the end we at Texas TLC Goldens recommend that you find the Golden Retriever that you like best and move on. If you really prefer the very light color and slightly different body shape of the English Golden Retriever then you should certainly look that direction and feel good that the studies and surveys seem to mean good things (maybe) but be very careful that the dog you are buying actually IS an English Golden Retriever if that is what you truly want by carefully studying the entire pedigree of BOTH parents..
Sources
Peer reviewed study of American Golden Retriever mortality
UK based survey that popular cancer estimates for English Golden Retrievers is based on
Amearican Kennel Club – Golden Retrievers
About the author.
Bryan Curry loves all dogs in general, especially Golden Retrievers. He has had dogs for all but 6 months of his long life and all have lived happy and much longer than average lives. Bryan and his wife Terri are co-owners of Texas TLC Goldens; a small responsible breeder producing high quality Golden Retriever puppies.