English Cream or American Golden Retrievers

Although English Cream and American Goldens are considered the same breed, but they meet different standards defined by The Kennel Club (of Europe), and The American Kennel Club. The English Goldens’ family lines come from Europe, and they conform to the Kennel Club standards for the breed.

The differences appear in the shape of the muzzle, the slope of the back, the slant of the eyes, the height of the ears, the curve of the tail, and the shape of the neck.
The physical differences are very small, but put all together it does bring about a slightly different look.

The English Golden Retriever can range in color from cream to golden, and the American Golden Retriever ranges from light golden to red mahogany. Some people are mixing the two together to get white American Goldens but they are not true English Cream Golden Retrievers and may carry the health problems of the American Golden.

The English Male’s height (from floor to his back) ranges from 22” to 24”, while the American Male’s ranges from 23” to 24” .
The English Female is 20” to 22”, and the American Female is 21.5” to 22.5”.
So the English Cream tends to be slightly smaller in height and weight, but not always.

The average American Golden Retrievers’ life span is 10 to 11 years,
while the average English Cream Golden Retrievers’ is over 12 years.

The cancer rates for the English Cream Goldens are over 21% LOWER than the very high 60% of the American Golden Retriever!

I have heard that there are less hip dysplasia problems in the English Cream as well, but I have not found a study that proves that.