What is a Goldendoodle? Golden Retriever Poodle Mix

The history of the Golden Retriever began Mid 1800's  when Dudley Marjoribanks, a businessman and Baron from Scotland set on a mission to create the ultimate gundog.  He wanted a breed that could excel in the rainy climate and rugged terrain of the Scottish Highlands.  To accomplish this, he crossed his “Yellow Retriever” with the Tweed Water Spaniel, a breed which is now extinct.  Marjoribanks perfected the breed for over 50 years, keeping meticulous notes and records of his work.  Bloodhound and Irish Setter were eventually added to the mix to produce the Golden Retriever as we know it today.  In the 1900s, the breed made its way to the United States, but it didn’t take off in popularity until the 1970s, in part thanks to Libery, President Gerald Ford’s Golden Retriever.

The Poodle the national dog of France.  But did you know that, the Poodle actually originated as a duck hunter in Germany over 400 years ago.  In German, “pudelin” refers to the splashing in water that the dogs would do to retrieve waterfowl.  The Poodle’s curly, weatherproof coat as well as its natural swimming ability and high intelligence made it an excellent retriever.  Eventually, Poodles made their way from the lake to the life of luxury as they were the breed of choice by French nobles, and eventually royalty across all of Europe.  The entertainment industry then caught on to the Poodle’s showy looks, intelligence, and ease of trainability and gave them a prominent role in circus acts across the world.  While the Poodle started out as the “standard” variety, eventually the miniature and toy variations were bred.  The Toy Poodle started in the United States in the early 20th century to be a city-dwelling companion dog.  Due to the many positive personality traits and its hypoallergenic coat, Poodles are now commonly bred with a wide variety of other breeds to produce the “designer” hybrid dogs such as Goldendoodles.

 In 1969, the Goldendoodle breed was first developed by Monica Dickens, the great-granddaughter of the famous writer Charles Dickens.  Popularity rose the 1990s after Labradoodles started being bred to train as guide dogs for the visually impaired who needed a hypoallergenic dog.  Goldendoodles followed suit and quickly caught on as one of the most popular varieties of Doodle!

The size of the Goldendoodle is determined mostly by whether the Poodle parent was a standard, miniature, or toy.  On top of that, the gender of the puppy and the genetics of the parents play important factors as well.  There are three size catagories of Goldendoodles—toy, mini, and standard. Toy Goldendoodles are the smallest and usually weigh less than 20 pounds and stand under 15 inches tall. A Miniature Goldendoodle will weigh in at around 20-40 pounds and stand roughly 16-20 inches tall.  The Standard Goldendoodle, will weigh approximately 40-85 pounds and stand about 19-25 inches tall. In addition to those three sizes, there are two additional sizes used to be more specific. Teacup Goldendoodles describe dogs on the very small end of Toy Goldendoodles. Medium Goldendoodles describe dogs somewhere in the mid-range of Mini and Standard.

The coat of a Goldendoodle can be a solid color or a mix of two or more colors, with the most popular being cream, red, and black.  Their fur can range anywhere from shaggy, like the Golden Retriever to curly like the Poodle and usually is of medium to long length. The length and how curly your dog’s fur is the deciding factor for how often they need to be brushed.  Brushing once per week is required for the Goldendoodle breed, with the ideal frequency being every other day if not every day for more curly long haired dogs. 

How often you should take a trip to the groomer depends on the look you want. Goldendoodles kept with a longer hair length need professional grooming every 6-8 weeks. If you keep your goldendoodle with shorter cut, you can go for grooming every 8-10 weeks.

Due to the presence of the Poodle gene, the Goldendoodle  is sometimes promoted as being hypoallergenic and/or non-shedding.  While this CAN be true, due to the unpredictability of genetics, there is no guarantee that any particular dog, or litter of dogs will be hypoallergenic.  Some individuals’ allergies are more sensitive to certain breeds than other breeds, but there is no scientific evidence that shows that certain hybrid breeds are universally more or less hypoallergenic than others.  With that being said, as a rule of thumb, the larger the percentage of Poodle is in a dog’s heritage, the more likely they are to be hypoallergenic or non-shedding.  So an F1BB Goldendoodle (87.5% Poodle) is more likely to be hypoallergenic than an F1B Goldendoodle (75% Poodle) which is more likely than an F1 or F2 Goldendoodle (50% Poodle).

A healthy and well-cared-for Goldendoodle’s life expectancy is around 10-15 years.

Goldendoodles can be susceptible to the common health problems of both the Golden Retriever and the Poodle.  However, due to the genetic diversity from crossing these two breeds, the result may be a lower chance of developing these inherited health concerns.  Some of the more common genetic disorders to be on the lookout for in the Goldendoodle include Atopic Dermatitis, Cranial Cruciate Ligament Rupture, Epilepsy, Hip Dysplasia, Patellar Luxation, Progressive Retinal Atrophy, and Von Willebrand’s Disease.

Goldendoodles are energetic athletic dogs and need to be both physically and mentally stimulated to keep them from using that energy in a destructive manner.  An hour of exercise each day is recommended at minimum.  They love a game of fetch and having an outdoor space they can run freely in is a major plus.

Goldendoodes are super loving and affectionate animals who love being around people.  The velcro pet and can easily be a lapdog.  They are intelligent, active, and easy-going dogs who almost never display nervousness or aggression.  They’re great with pets and children alike.  Ease of training Goldendoodles is moderate, with their intelligence and desire to please making most training fun and quick.  However, when bored or upset, Goldendoodles have a tendency to be destructive often swallowing the evidence of what they chew which can lead to expensive and sometimes very serious vet trips.  Overall, the Goldendoodle tends to be super sensitive so all training must be done in a positive manner as they don’t respond well to raised voices or harsh tones.