Golden Retrievers vs. German Shepherds

By: Lily Mendes

Golden Retrievers and German Shepherds are two of the most popular dogs in the world, but what characteristics make one breed better than the other? What makes these two dogs so desirable?

It has been proven that German Shepherds have been ranked second for the smartest dog breed, while Golden Retrievers are a close third. So obviously both breeds have intelligence, but German Shepherds have a different personality compared to Golden Retrievers. They have been known to be protective and cautious when it comes to their owners, however having those characteristics makes them extremely loyal and perfect for the job of guard dogs.

Their ability to guard makes them have a stereotype as aggressive, and some people feel unsafe when around a German Shepherd, however that is completely wrong. Some of these dogs take a while to warm up to strangers but are really friendly.

German Shepherds would be considered medium to large dogs that range from 66-88 pounds depending on the gender, so they need to be exercised everyday in order to satisfy their energy levels. With the amount of energy that German Shepherds have, it allows them to be amazing work dogs, which is why they are mostly used as police dogs.

Now onto Golden Retrievers, who are also very well liked by the public. The differences are that Golden Retrievers are known for being family dogs and most of all being really good with young children.

Similar to German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers are medium to large dogs that range from 65-75 pounds, and need exercise everyday as well. However, Golden Retrievers are terrible guard dogs because of their upbeat attitude that allows them to trust and befriend every stranger.

Golden Retrievers fit in more, of the category of helping people. They appear to be the most used dog breed when it comes to service dogs in the mental or physical health department. This task also requires a lot of obedience and intelligence from these dogs.

So really, both dog breeds are desirable to all sorts of owners because of their like ability and intelligence, but which one do you consider to be better?

lily Mendes

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Lily Mendes '21 is a senior at Redwood High School and is a second year member of the Redwood Gigantea. Outside of the Redwood Gigantea, Lily is apart of CSF, Spanish Honors Society, Key Club, and Interact. Lily also has taken 5 COS classes, including three her senior year.
You can reach her by email at Lily.me2993@vusd.us