About Goldendoodles

What is a Goldendoodle?

A Goldendoodle is a golden retriever and poodle cross. Goldendoodles go by several nicknames, including: golden poos, goldie poos, or groodles. They gained popularity in North America and Australia in the mid-1990s.

Goldendoodles combine the intuitive, people-oriented nature of retrievers and the highly-intelligent mind of poodles. They often have an allergy-friendly coat.

Hybrid Vigor and Goldendoodles

The most predictable cross for a Goldendoodle is a purebred poodle and a purebred retriever. All of our Doodles are F1 (first generation) crosses. The first cross between two unrelated purebred lines tend healthier and grows better than either parent line. This is called Hybrid Vigor.

Goldendoodles are terrific family dogs, friendly, intelligent, affectionate and easy to train.

Generations

A first-generation (F1) Goldendoodle is a cross between a purebred poodle and a purebred golden retriever. Most first-generation doodles either don’t shed or shed lightly, and are compatible for most families with mild allergies.

In other breedings, the b refers to a backcross. For an F1b, this would look like a Goldendoodle being bred to a purebred Poodle or Retriever, resulting in a puppy that is 75% the purebred parent. These dogs will have a higher success rate for non-shedding, and are recommended for families with moderate-to-severe allergies.

An F2 cross involves two Goldendoodles being bred. While an F1b bred back to a poodle may have tighter curls, an F2 puppy is difficult to predict because either parent can contribute more of either breed.

Every additional number (3, 4, 5) would refer to how many generations removed from the original crossing of two purebred parents the puppy is. With further crosses, you lose hybrid vigor and predictability.

If allergies are a concern for your family an F1 or an F1b (a Goldendoodle and a Poodle) are the best options. For predictability or highest hybrid vigor, F1 Goldendoodles are the best choice.

Description

Goldendoodles are active dogs. Retrievers and poodles are athletic working dogs with an interest in water.

The physical appearance of the Goldendoodle runs anywhere from a shaggy-looking retriever to a curl-relaxed poodle, but usually, it falls somewhere in between. When left unclipped, the coat length grows to between 4 and 8 inches. The color of the coat can be cream, gold, apricot, chocolate, gray, black, parti or phantom. Most Goldendoodles have a standard poodle as a parent and are standard-sized. Like many poodle crosses, most Goldendoodles are light to non-shedding, and most live easily with families with MILD allergies. Seasonal shedding is common with retrievers and can be found in crosses. Families with moderate-to-severe allergies often find that F1b (a Golden Retriever and a Poodle) backcrosses can work well.

Size

The size of the Doodle depends on its parentage. A general rule of thumb is to add both the parents’ weights together and divide by 2 to get an average adult weight on the puppies. Puppies within a litter may fall above or below the projected weight.

Standard: A doodle that is predicted to be 45 lbs or more at adulthood.

Medium: A doodle that is predicted to be 30-45 lbs at adulthood.

Miniature: A doodle that is predicted to be 15-30 lbs at adulthood.

We breed standard Goldendoodles.

Temperament

Doodles are an intelligent and obedient family companion. They are everybody’s friend and devoted to their family. Most are friendly towards children, other dogs and pets, and easy with strangers. They are social dogs, happiest when with people. Goldendoodles are likely to get into mischief and develop behavior problems if they spend most of their lives alone. Their intelligence, eagerness to please, and love of learning make them very easy to train. They are medium-to-large sized family dogs with easy dispositions.

Living Conditions & Exercise

Goldendoodles require a moderate amount of exercise. Their coats tend to be low maintenance. They can live in the city or on a farm. They are social dogs and they are happiest when they are with people.

Health Concerns

As a hybrid cross, they grow healthier and live longer than either parent line. The only genetic diseases they can be prone to would be conditions shared by both the golden retriever and the standard poodle. The F1 cross reduces the probability of health conditions of one breed becoming an issue for the cross.

Major Concerns: None

Minor Concerns: CHD, PRA, VonWillebrand’s, Elbow and patella disorders.

Suggested tests: hip, eye and vWD.

Life Expectancy

10-15 years. Mixed-breed dogs tend to live longer than purebred dogs.

Grooming

As a hybrid cross, Goldendoodles will inherit fur that looks retriever-like, or poodle-like, but usually something in-between. Unclipped Goldendoodles will have hair about 4-8 inches long, shorter on the face and longer on the body, tail and legs. They require combing every few weeks. A clipped Goldendoodle requires clipping several times a year, similar to a human (every 6-8 weeks).

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The information used on here was primarily sourced, and used with permission, from Blue Sterling.

Blue Sterling put the word ‘Goldendoodle’ on the net and created the first online Goldendoodle and Labradoodle community. Blue started Goldendoodles.com in January 2001 to popularize the marvelous Golden Retriever-Poodle hybrid, and to create a shared Doodle community – a place where both Goldendoodle and Labradoodle owners would be welcome.