Goldendoodle: Your New Pet
The Goldendoodle is a mixed-breed dog, resulting from the cross between the popular Golden Retriever and the adorable Poodle. They are affective, kind and have a lot of energy.
One of the principal characteristics that represent the Goldendoodle and for which it is very popular in different parts of the world is the facility that it has to be inside the house without losing lots of hair. This is a positive aspect, unlike other dog breeds that can cause allergic problems to their owners.
It is possible that the Goldendoodle started as a product of an accidental cross, but its fame arrived when it was bred to be a guide dog with a good relationship with humans.
Therefore, the Goldendoodle is the perfect dog to live with families and to serve humans as therapy guides and some other tasks. Besides, they are easy to train, loving, docile, social, smart and joyful. It has become a familiar dog that loves company and games. It is a curious combination of hair and temperament.
Since it is a hybrid of pure breeds, its size can vary. As for color and fur, there is a lot of diversity. Some dogs can have fur like wool, curly, wavy, straight or mixed. In general, the different versions of this breed can be cream, white or apricot; however, the most common ones are black and silver.
The breed sizes are standard, medium and miniature. The approximate weight is 20 kilograms, 15 kilograms, and 6 kilograms respectively. It is important to point out that each one of the weights corresponds to their adult age.
Its origin is in North America and Australia, where they are very famous. Currently, we can find specimens of this cross in many countries of America, Europe and Oceania.
The Goldendoodle is a very healthy breed since it is a hybrid dog. It can get to be stronger than its ascendants’ breeds, thus they can live longer. In this respect, they have a life expectancy of around 15 years. However, a few exceptions have lived even longer.
This breed does not usually have serious health problems besides some minor heart conditions. Therefore, we must always take our dogs to medical check-ups to detect any negative situation and prolong their lives. All of this must be combined with good alimentation and constant exercise.
The Goldendoodle dog can adapt to different climates. It can be in warm climates as long as the temperatures are not so high. The moments of exercise or walks out must be at hours of average heat, like the morning or the end of the afternoon. Thanks to their abundant fur, these dogs can also tolerate cold weather.
However, just like with high temperatures, the cold ones must not be extreme. The most recommendable thing is to keep the dog inside the house during long cold periods.
Even though the Goldendoodle is versatile in this subject and can adapt to different climates, the ideal thing for them is warm places with spaces to take shelter.
These dogs can live inside the house so you can always keep them close. Likewise, this characteristic is very attractive for many people since they can enjoy the company of the dog in almost all environments, during all seasons, all year long.
The principal thing you must have as a Goldendoodle owner is a patience. Although they are smart and trainable, it is fundamental to award them once they perform correctly any instruction. In general, some special food helps them associating an order with a well-done job.
You must always keep in mind that punishing your pet is not the most adequate way to teach it tricks or new abilities. This only brings consequently that its behavior is negatively affected, whether by fear or aggressiveness.
History and Origin
This pet is a hybrid recently created accidentally from the combination between the Golden Retriever and the Poodle. In Australia, it enjoys much acknowledgment among all dog lovers. To perform the cross, the breeders chose the physical qualities and the most outstanding skills of both specimens to create a familiar and companion pet.
Thanks to this cross and its result, the Goldendoodle has quickly earned popularity in different countries. However, it has not achieved an official acknowledgment of its status as a distinctive dog variety.
The breeding of the Goldendoodle started in North America and Australia in the 20th Century, approximately during the 90s in an attempt to duplicate and spread a breed related to the Cockapoo and the Labradoodle.
This new dog variety was attributed since its origin to the mix of Poodles also known as Doodles. For this reason, all possibilities to become one of the most popular family pets in a close future were open.
The breeders wanted to develop and create a bigger dog than the Doodles and with a coat of shortfall. The breed could inherit from each cross the disposition, kindness, and generosity that characterizes the Golden Retriever. It received its name shortly after the creation of the Labradoodle by the hand of Wally Conron.
Besides, they established a classification of generations according to the breeding methods. Some breeders took the concept of the first generation called F1 to those specimens created from the Golden Retriever and the Doodle since these were the first to exist. Later, they established a second-generation or F2 in which a new specimen was created from two F1 Goldendoodle dogs.
These are not the only generations that exist since many breeders performed other experiments known as backcrossing or F1b. It consisted of the cross of the first generation with a purebred Doodle dog.
Some investigations establish that the term Goldendoodle was used initially in a dog from a North American family, the Nedless, in the year 1992. In most cases, this breed can appear as the product of the breed from the first generations.
In the breed’s origins, the best specimens had an exceptional sturdiness and a lovely temperament. Its size has been adapted according to the crosses of the wishes of any family; therefore, you can find them in standard, medium and miniature size. The first Goldendoodle dogs were medium size.
The number of amateurs and fans of the breed around the world is considerable although there are no organizations or specialized foundations to their characteristics. Unlike other dogs, the Golden does not have a club that recognizes them officially.
This did not prevent effective crosses that resulted in an animal of easy, inquisitive, soft and vivacious nature. Children are usually enchanted by the vigor of these dogs and they spend many hours playing with them.
An inherited characteristic of each combination is the standard socialization, which makes their owners pay special attention to their quietness since they could be nervous or scared in daily situations.
In the last decade, the Goldendoodle has taken a lot of strength and popularity, thus discovering that to prevent many diseases it must be bred completely avoiding the first generation. This first generation can inherit health problems from other breeds.
The fact of not having much information about its origins and scientific proof about its development has not been an impediment to insert the dog in the society earning the affection of all the family.
Breed Characteristics
Although the Goldendoodle is not a purebred dog, but a hybrid dog, it has enough features to be described as a new dog breed. However, some exigent associations in this matter, as the American Kennel Club and the United Kennel Club, have not incorporated them in their registers since they only admit pure dog breeds. All this means that the Goldendoodle dogs have not been established universally as a breed.
Anyway, since this breed is a hybrid of two pure breeds, its size will vary depending on the generation of the crosses. Some specimens can be so big that can weigh between 20 kg and 30 kg, while the medium-sized dogs exceed 14 kg and reach as maximum 20 kg. The miniature dogs will weight around 6 kg. Generally, females are between 5 and 10 cm smaller than the male and their weight is lesser.
They tend to have thin contexture, although they can have obesity if they are eating in excess and have sedentary habits. The medium and large specimens have an elongated body, long paws, an equally elongated head, a prominent snout, dark nose and a dark separated couple of eyes.
The ears are big, separated to each side and fallen. The small specimens have a body more compact of short members and torso. Their head is more rounded and the snout is less prominent. The nose is also dark and the ears fall to each side of the cephalic region. The eyes are separated, rounded and dark. In both cases, the tail is short.
As many hybrid breeds, the characteristics of the Goldendoodle vary according to the generation of the cross. Not only the size can be different but also the color and the fur can vary in each specimen since there is a great variety.
There are pups with a coat of fur with similar characteristics to a coat of wool, others will have abundant curly or wavy hair, while other specimens can have straight or mixed hair. Similarly happens with the color, the most common are the cream tones, white, apricot, that is a pearled white, and besides they are also gray, silver and black dogs. Less usual colors are beige, brown and chocolate. There are also golden Goldendoodle dogs.
The fur is usually abundant. In the face it can cover part of the eyes, is thick and dense in the paws and the tail. Therefore, this hair requires regular brushing preventing entanglements and knots.
Since it is a hybrid dog, the Goldendoodle breeders have marked the crosses based on generations. Those who prefer the Goldendoodle breeding of the first generation (F1), which is the one that results directly from the cross of a Golden Retriever and a Poodle, state that this way they achieve greater genetic diversity and inherited health problems are prevented. On their behalf, other breeders state that a crossing between Goldendoodle dogs of the F1 and Poodles are more adequate for developing this breed.
Behavior with other dogs
These dogs do not only inherit the physical features of their parents but they also manifest qualities and personalities similar to their parents’. In the case of the Goldendoodle, this new breed tends to be friendly and sociable. They are dogs that enjoy a lot of the company of humans and other pets. If they spend much time alone, they can feel bored and develop behavior disorders since, for a Goldendoodle, human contact is fundamental.
Just like their parents, the pups of this breed have a great desire for being close to their owners and please them. They are loyal, affective, loving and they are very easy to train. This breed is ideal for any type of home since they are extremely nice dogs not only with humans but also with other dogs, whether they are of their same breed or not, or with other pets or animals.
The Goldendoodle dogs are sociable, affective, loving and peaceful. They like making new friends, whether they are humans, other dogs, cars or other pets. The Goldendoodle is sociable and friendly dogs.
In the Goldendoodle, we find an interesting combination. They have the affective and peaceful character of the Golden Retriever and the wavy style of the Poodle. It is an ideal partner, especially for those homes filled with energy and joy.
Any of the specimens of this breed will present as an ideal dog to be the pet of many homes. It usually has a good relationship with other dogs since this breed is not aggressive. On the contrary, the enjoy making friends and having someone to play and have fun with. They tend to be sociable and receptive to new dog partners, whether they are of the same breed or not, the ideal thing is that they are peaceful, affective and friendly as the Goldendoodle.
This dog has a simple and effective socialization process. It is on its nature being friendly. They also have a good coexistence with other animals like cats, birds, and turtles, for example. They can be farm or city dogs and recently they incorporated as therapy dogs.
The Goldendoodle dogs are very smart, tolerant and receptive. They do not have the typical character of a dominant territorial dog, which allows their relationships with other dogs being more open and effective. The Goldendoodle breed is very good to a big house with many pets, with children, old people, adults, and all situations.
The adequate partner for a Goldendoodle would be a hairy pal with a similar personality to its’. If it is a dog of its same breed is much better. Although the Goldendoodle dogs get along with all types of dogs, large, aggressive or breed with a tendency to have behavior disorders are not recommendable as partners to prevent accidents and injuries.
When you have a dog of this hybrid breed, you realize that it is an easy task. It is a receptive dog, tolerant, friendly, sociable, noble, and attached to its family. It is not aggressive and it does not look for conflicts with other dogs, on the contrary, it looks for establishing friendships. No doubt, the Goldendoodle is the pet that most easily adapts to any home.
Diet and Alimentation
Alimentation is a crucial and indispensable matter in the life of any pet to achieve optimal development and growth in the animal.
In the case of the Goldendoodle dogs, they require nutrition preferably based on dry products. These are the commercial preparing available in pet shops and supermarkets, such as purines and dry food. These products must be of the best quality, prepared based on an animal protein that has more nutritional value for the formation of necessary tissue to the growth and development of the dog.
The Goldendoodle needs of a specific alimentation in each period of its life. Therefore, when it is a puppy, you must get special products for puppies: dry food for puppies under 1 year of age, which is rich in proteins and essential nutrients for healthy growth and development of this dog.
After the Goldendoodle passes the first year of life, it is considered an adult and we can start giving it dry food or purines for adult dogs. These contain the proportion of nutrients necessary to maintain the organic functioning of this little dog, to keep its hair shiny and silky and its beautiful appearance. Equally, to strengthen its health.
In its senior age, when the dog is nearly 10 years old, there are commercial products for this period when the Goldendoodle is getting old to strengthen their bones and articulations, and to maintain their health and energy state.
The best brands of commercial products are not always the most expensive ones but the ones that truly offer in each portion the number of nutrients that the Goldendoodle needs for its alimentation.
Regarding the portions, this must be two meals during the day and another one a bit more light in the afternoon, thus providing the Goldendoodle all the nutrients it needs. Nevertheless, you have to take care of the grade of exercise and physical activity of the dog. The Goldendoodle is generally an active dog but if it adopts sedentary habits combined with excessive alimentation, the dog could develop metabolic disorders, obesity, overweight, among others.
Water is the vital liquid to the digestive process, not only for dogs but also for every living being, besides, it is necessary to all biochemical reactions of the organism. Equally, we must take care that the Goldendoodle has an adequate hydration state. You can achieve it by placing a bowl of fresh and clean water to its disposition, changing it with regularity. The ingest of water must increase during hot summer days since, because of their thick fur, the Goldendoodle dogs have much hair loss without noticing.
Other options of food are the dry food and the canned food although is not recommended for regular consume since it has a high content of fats and carbohydrates. The homemade menus such as dog diets are adequate but hard to control respecting the adequate quantity of nutrients that you must provide to the dog.
In this sense, whenever you have doubts about the nutrition of the Goldendoodle, the wisest decision is consulting the veterinarian.
Health and General Care
In general, the care for this dog is the same for any other breed with abundant hair. However, taking care of a Goldendoodle is very easy, you only have to pay attention to certain aspects of its grooming and hygiene, and the proper care you must take to guard its health and maintain its energy and happy spirit.
On average, the life expectancy of a Goldendoodle exceeds its progenitor’s, reaching 15 years of life, although they rarely exceed that age. It is an advanced age for a dog. Commonly, through this long lifetime in dog-terms, the Goldendoodle enjoys good health and it is not associated with specific inherit or congenital diseases, except for some minor pathologies that affect its heart, infections in ocular and ear areas related to hygiene and musculoskeletal problems related to the age.
The good health of the Goldendoodle dog breed is maintained with a good alimentation that provides the necessary nutrients for the dog. Besides, it also needs the proper attention of its owner to improve its health such as regular exercise, grooming and periodic visits to the veterinarian.
It is prudent to go to the veterinarian at least twice a year or every time we feel the Goldendoodle could be sick. Equally, the check-ups with the specialist will allow you to keep up with its vaccination and external and internal deworming calendar.
The Goldendoodle dog is a strong and vigorous specimen, and some even say that this breed is stronger than its parents are. Nevertheless, in generations of crosses after the F1, more congenital pathologies were identified so the breeding process is delicate. Grave hematologic diseases like the Von Willebrand disease can affect this breed. It is recommendable to perform routine tests to identify with time these pathologies that the Goldendoodle could have.
When it arrives at its old age, this little dog could suffer from hip dysplasia, so you must take it to check-ups and exercise with it frequently to identify this and other musculoskeletal diseases.
As for hygiene, Goldendoodle dogs need to be brushed daily. Their hair is dense, thick and many times, wavy or curly. Therefore, they need to be constantly brushed to prevent entanglements and knots on their fur. Equally, you must clean its eyes daily since the accumulation of lizards and their secretions stain the infraorbital region of the face improving infections, similarly happens with the ears. A bath each month or once every two months is appropriate, depending on the state of the dog and its habits.
When you feed it, you must prevent that it does big efforts immediately since this could prone the stomach torsion.
How to train and educate a Goldendoodle
The key for a Goldendoodle dog training is patience, followed perseverance and constancy on its education. It is not a challenge or hard to educate it, on the contrary, the Goldendoodle dog is very smart and easy to train. It is obedient to its master’s orders and what this dog loves the most is being rewarded.
The Goldendoodle is a smart and clever dog that quickly understands that once it is obedient, it receives an award by its owner, and this is what this breed loves the most. Therefore, it is a great method using positive reinforcement when training these dogs.
Stimulating the Goldendoodle with an award is a very effective method that results much better than any punishment when it disobeys. If it does not perform the expected action you just have to ignore it and repeat the order that it must perform showing it to the dog. If it fulfills the order, then you will give it a reward that could be some snack or croquette, or even using the clicker. You must completely avoid physical punishments and screams, this could make the Goldendoodle present stress, anxiety and fear episodes that would at the same time trigger behavior disorders in the dog and even aggressive behaviors.
When it comes to the hour of education, being constant is the key to any kind of training and with any dog breed. You must not give up if it is hard on the first days, the important thing is to keep perseverating and insist until you start seeing the results you hope for.
You can start training the Goldendoodle after the 3 months of age, this period is ideal since it is still a puppy and is avid to learn. The basic orders like sitting, lying down, bringing or looking for something, are the first ones to start and you have to repeat them as much as possible until your dog obeys.
The walks out should be at a specific hour if possible and must be daily. You can seize these moments to develop the socialization in the dog, make it coexist with other dogs and pets in the parks and also with other people. Generally, the socialization is easy, effective and simple.
When you take it out for walks, some advice you can apply are: making your dog walk next to you and not ahead of you, so it understands that you are the leader, that you are the one taking it out and not the other way around. Similarly, you must observe the habits and behaviors of your Goldendoodle. Take, for example, the hour in which it defecates and schedules the daily walk at that hour, in a way that your dog associates the hike with the time to evacuate.
As the training advances, you can incorporate more complex orders like bringing your shoes, paper, etc. The training will be as effective as it is the disposition of the Goldendoodle’s owner.
Behavior with Humans
The Goldendoodle dogs love the company and being surrounded by many people and hairy pals like other dog breeds, even cats and other species. Maybe they are not ideal as guardian dogs since they are too trusting and do not react with the protective instinct other breeds have toward strangers. However, they are an excellent company at home.
Their needs of affection and attention are high so they may present behavior disorders if they spend much time alone at home. They need constant affective stimulation from a loving and caring owner that worries about them. The Goldendoodle is loyal, obedient, loving and affective dogs, and for all these qualities, training them is very easy. Besides, the training is easy because they are very smart and understand quickly that following orders will make their master happy and can also earn them rewards.
The Goldendoodle has a high grade of activity, it is restless, playful, and very active, its energy stands out over other breeds’ since it is very curious and explorer. They have the bad habit of nibbling whatever they can find, so be careful with your shoes. Nevertheless, you can correct this conduct with effective training. The same way, these dogs have the great advantage of possessing an extraordinary smell ideal for searching and finding objects games, besides having a good memory.
The Goldendoodle is one of the most preferred breeds as pets since it possesses the sweet, loving and familiar character of the Golden Retriever but at the same time, it does not cause so much disorder. Its coat of thick hair helps it not to lose so much hair like other breeds, thus some say that it is hypoallergenic.
Currently, due to the great qualities of this companion, loyal, loving, friendly and intelligent breed, the Goldendoodle has been trained to be a companion dog in many families. It is the pet everyone wants to play with. Besides, it has been trained to perform certain specialized services as a guide dog for disabled people, a therapy dog for rehab, and an assistance dog to humans in general.
For its great sense of smell, it has also been trained as a search dog in some police missions although is not so common. It is ideal for families with children since the Goldendoodle enjoys a lot of games and has the necessary energy to keep on with the rhythm of the small ones. Equally, this dog is a good company for lonely and senior people. It will be a loyal and fun partner who will make its owner smile a lot.
The Goldendoodle dogs put a lot of effort to please their adopting families, they love spending time with them, going to play and do many activities together. Maybe they surged as an accidental breed but there is no doubt the Goldendoodle has become an ideal breed to live with families, being a helpful, docile and joyful dog.
Ideal Environment
The Goldendoodle as any hybrid dog, that is, of a mixed breed, presents a diversity of physical features and characteristics of its personality, which has expressed mostly favorably. All this makes this new breed a great pet that every day earns more popularity among homes of all kinds of families.
This little dog needs an affective environment that provides it the same benefits that it offers since it is a loving, kind and affective dog, filled with energy and joy to share and play with its owners. The Goldendoodle needs a family that provides it the necessary attention and basic care so it can feel like a part of the family. It is very attached, loving and joyful with its owners. Besides, is loyal and it wants to be with its family all the time. If you leave it alone for too many hours, it can present stress or anxiety.
The Goldendoodle is very famous in many parts of the world since it lives comfortably and it is capable of adapting practically to any kind of environment. This dog has the advantage that it does not lose big amounts of its thick hair, which makes its grooming very comfortable. It is perfectly feasible that it spends a lot of time inside the house without the fear of making it dirty. Besides, they less frequently cause allergies so they are adequate pets for people with allergies to dog hair.
Regarding the weather and the environments, the Goldendoodle dogs adapt without any problem to different weathers, from warm temperatures to cold ones, although these shouldn’t be extreme. Their hair is thick and dense, protecting them from the cold. In the case of hot days, they only need more water to be hydrated. Besides, the hours of exercise of walks out of the Goldendoodle must be during not so hot hours, such as the start of the morning or at the end of the afternoon.
During cold winter days, preferably is recommendable to keep them inside the house with a nice temperature to prevent colds and so the dog can feel comfortable and sheltered.
The Goldendoodle dog can live inside the house with no problem. Besides, this dog prefers being next to its human family. It adapts perfectly to houses and particularly enjoys if these have large yards or gardens to run, jump and play.
Similarly, this dog can live comfortably in an apartment. It does not need too much space and only requires a daily walk and that you take it to the park to play, run and exercise frequently.
The Goldendoodle is a great pet, adaptable to any family. It is a playful, loyal and affective partner. A completely wonderful dog that everyone in the family will want to enjoy. Thanks to the great advantage of being apt for almost all environments and during any season of the year, is like an all-terrain dog, an ideal partner.