Goldendoodle

The term Goldendoodle (Golden Doodle) describes a hybrid dog, crossbred between a Golden Retriever and a Poodle. This hybrid is often said to have begun in Australia, along with the Labradoodle; US fanciers challenge this assertion. Poodle hybrids have become increasingly popular and it is likely that the combination of Golden Retriever and Poodle has been duplicated by breeders in various countries.

Purpose of the Goldendoodle

The Goldendoodle and the Labradoodle were bred to produce a very low shedding assistance dog for challenged individuals who need such a dog, but who suffer from allergies to shedding hair or have other problems with excessive shedding. While the Goldendoodle is typically a low-shedding hybrid, it does shed to some degree. The Goldendoodle hybrid works well for many allergy sufferers; however, one can be allergic to an animal's saliva or its dander. While some breeders claim that the Goldendoodle is a hypoallergenic canine, allergists believe that there is no such thing as a hypoallergenic animal. There have been no studies to date verifying whether any canine is hypoallergenic.

Appearance

There are currently no size classifications for the Goldendoodle. It is difficult for a hybrid litter to "breed true"; that is, it is difficult to know exactly what size a Goldendoodle or Labradoodle will grow to as an adult, regardless of parental size. However, Goldendoodles are usually described as either Standard or Mini. A standard Goldendoodle is the result of crossbreeding with a standard-sized Poodle. A mini Goldendoodle is the result of crossbreeding with a miniature Poodle, although some mini Goldendoodles grow beyond their intended size. The Goldendoodle can come in many different colors, depending on the poodle genes passed onto the pup. Truly golden Goldendoodles are more popular than other colors, and are more expensive. However, Goldendoodles can be tan, black, or a mix. Black Goldendoodles are fairly common and less expensive than golden offspring. A mix of colors can come from the same litter.

Temperament

The Goldendoodle is a loving, loyal dog and has a keen sense of smell. They can be taught to enjoy swimming, as both the retriever and Poodle parts of their ancestry normally enjoy water. Goldendoodles are intelligent, friendly, and great with kids, just like their Golden Retriever and Standard Poodle parents. They are easily trained, highly social, and by nature are easy with strangers and other dogs. They love to play, and retain the strong retrieving instincts of the Golden Retriever, and love fetching sticks, balls, Frisbees, etc.

Breed or mixed breed debate

The Goldendoodle is not a recognized purebred; rather, it is a specific type of mixed-breed dog or "crossbreed". As such, it is not accepted for registration by mainstream registries of purebred dogs such as the American Kennel Club or United Kennel Club. Some Goldendoodles are registered with controversial kennel clubs such as the CKC (Continental Kennel Club) or UKCI (Universal Kennel Club International). Such alternative clubs register dogs regardless of their parentage and will register dogs without pedigrees recording their ancestry.

Some breeders allege that the Goldendoodle standard is an F1 (first generation) pairing between purebred Poodle and Golden Retriever parents. Other breeders maintain a looser definition and include under the classification what's known as an F1 backcross Goldendoodle, or F1-B. This dog results from a union of Goldendoodle plus Poodle or Goldendoodle plus Golden Retriever parents. Those marketing F1-B puppies resulting from an F1 paired with a Poodle typically maintain that such animals achieve the same hypoallergenic qualities as the purebred Poodle.

There are yet other breeders attempting to stabilize the Goldendoodle as an actual breed. To do so they must attempt to lock the breeding pool according to the definition of one of the registration entities. Then, according to this classification only those offspring from parings of animals within this set will be considered representatives of the breed. This carries the risk that the gene pool might be narrowed too drastically, increasing the probability of genetic problems that might only reveal themselves as the dogs mature. On the other hand, all modern breeds have been developed in exactly this way, by limiting the parental pool in order to isolate targeted characteristics of structure, color, and aptitude.

Books about Goldendoodle Dogs