Everything You Need to Know About the Goldendoodle!

Dogs today are very much a part of a family setting. They keep us entertained, put smiles on our faces, they are our children’s best friends, they are there for us to talk to when we are lonely and have no one else! They love us unconditionally and bring an abundance of joy and love into a family. There is no question in my mind that since the beginning of time dogs have been know as mans best friend!

Goldendoodles are no exception. A golden doodle is a mix between a golden retriever and a poodle. Breeders is Australia started breeding this cross in the mid 1980’s and breeders in north America have been breeding them since the mid 1990’s. They where first bred in Australia as guide dogs for people needing a larger, allergy friendly dog!

Goldendoodles are amazing, healthy, family dogs for so many reasons!

First of all the mix between a poodle and retriever gives the doodle a quality known as “hybrid vigor” (the offspring of genetically dissimilar parents) which means mix breed dogs are usually healthier and live longer then purebreds. This is because most genetic traits are recessive. Golden’s and poodles don’t have a lot of diseases in common so if both parents don’t carry a particular trait for a certain disease the pups can’t get it. This is the reason many mix breed dogs including the goldendoodle are healthier then purebreds. You still have to choose your breeder carefully and make sure they are performing all the required health testing, temperament testing and researching the lines thoroughly before they are breeding their dogs but in general mix breeds are genetically more sound!

Goldendoodles also possess many qualities of both the poodle and golden. Most goldendoodles are friendly, highly intelligent, goofy dogs who love to be part of the family. They love to swim, play fetch and interact with people. They are very social dogs and love to be active and have fun. I have donated dogs as therapy and service dogs and the doodle excels at this type of work! As a breeder I hear 100’s of stories about how smart these dogs are and how they are at the top of their puppy class and how they are the best dogs my clients have every owned

Most doodles have a very low to non-shedding coat. This depends on the dog and what type of coat they have. There are 3 different coat types, wool (which is a tight curl and the most hypoallergenic), fleece (which is a wavy and usually still very low shedding and hypoallergenic) and hair (which is straighter and usually sheds the most). An experienced breeder can usually tell when the pups is 6-7 weeks old what type of coat it will have as an adult and the breeder will help you find the right puppy for your needs . Goldendoodles coat will continue to grow and can be between 3-8 inches if not clipped. A doodle requires regular brushing or they will mat and should go to the groomer for a clip every 4 months or so!

Goldendoodles also come in many colors and sizes depending on the poodle used. At our kennel we breed blonde, golden, apricot, red, black, silver and phantom doodles. We also have 3 different sizes, standards (any thing above 21″ and 50lbs and up), mini’s (13″ to 20″ and 25-49lbs) and tiny’s (12″ or less 10-24lbs).

Their life expectancy is usually about 12-15 years for the standards and 14-17 years for mini’s.
Doodles also come in many different generations and depending on what you are looking for one generation may be better then another. F1’s are a purebred golden mixed with a purebred poodle. This generation is usually the healthiest and posses the greatest amount of the “hybrid vigor” traits. F1b is a backcross and is a goldendoodle bred back to a poodle. These types of goldendoodles are usually best for people with severe allergies since the f1b usually has a curlier coat then an f1 (please note this isn’t always the case and your breeder will be able to help you with this). F2 is a goldendoodle bred back to a goldendoodle. Pups in a litter of f2’s tend to not sway as much in one direction or another. They seem to be a good mix between both the golden and the poodle (sometimes but not always in a f1 litter some pups will sway more towards a golden, some more towards a poodle and some will be between), f3 (f3 and higher is also known as multi generation) is and f2 golden doodle bred back to an f2 golden doodle and f4 is a f3 golden doodle bred back to an f3 golden doodle. The more you breed them back to one another the more you miss out on the hybrid vigor trait. A 7th generations (f7) goldendoodle is eligible for registration as a purebred (this hasn’t been done as far as I know).

As I mentioned before goldendoodles are healthier then most purebred dogs but breeders should still be performing all the testing on the parents. It’s better to wait for a good quality pup from a great breeder then to support careless breeders who are just out to breed as many pups as possible without caring about the breed as a whole.

If you buy your golden doodle puppy from an unrepeatable breeder you may end up with many health problems and expensive vet bills.

Tests required for Breeding of Golden Retrievers

1. Hips (HD) OFA or Pennhip or OVC
2. eyes (CERF) Required Yearly
3. Hearts……tested and certified by OFA
4. Elbows (OFA)

Tests required for the Breeding of Standard Poodles

1. Hips (HD) OFA or Pennhip or OVC
2. elbows OFA
3. Eyes (CERF) Required Yearly
4. Von Willebrands (vWd) (bleeding disorder) DNA or Blood screen
5. Sebaceous Adenitis (SA) Skin Disorder
* Thyroid malfunctions – Not Required but a highly recommended test for all breeding dogs.

Tests required for breeding of Miniature and Toy Poodles.

1. Hips for HD and Legg-Perves Disease OFA, Penn hip or OVC
2. Stifles for Luxating Patella’s
3. Eyes (CERF) Required Yearly
4. Von Willebrands Disease (vWd) DNA or Blood screen
* Thyroid malfunctions – Not Required but a highly recommended test for all breeding dogs

I have given you a brief description of the doodle. If you have more questions about this breed you are more then welcome to visit my website. These dogs are becoming very popular and there is no question in my mind why this is. They are amazing with kids and can live in almost any type of environment. The best way to describe these amazing dogs are “Little people in fur coats”