Anyone have a goldendoodle?

[100AcreWood]

I'm not looking to debate whether breeders are honest, or whether I should rescue vs. buy a puppy. I understand and respect those opinions.

But, I would love to hear opinions and experiences from people with goldendoodles. I had a golden and a poodle and I'd love to know if their temperament is like the golden or a poodle. Anything else you'd like to share would be great.

 

[roxysmum123]

I've been training dogs for about 10 years now professionally and have worked with almost every breed of dog and easily over 100 "doodles". Goldendoodles are one of the few breeds you couldn't pay me to get. Their temperament is INCREDIBLY unpredictable and of the major bite incidents I've had to deal with (8, and I consider a major bite incident to be one that involves medical professionals in the care of the wound), 3 of them have been by "Goldendoodles". I've even had to go to court as witness over one incident where the dog bit a child walking past it. Because of the crossing of the breeds, you can't make any sort of prediction of temperament and there is not enough of a history in the so called "breedlines" to know what you could get. They're a popular breed and people are churning them out like rabbits because they're making a fortune off of them. Often people breeding goldendoodles aren't paying as much attention as they would if they were breeding a purebred dog because there's no governing body over them. Eg where I live, you will be kicked out of the kennel club if you cross breed dogs purposely as people are doing with the golden and poodle crosses because of how dangerous and deceitful it is. And you can't make predictions on temperament when crossing breeds, or even looks, it's genetics that you just can't properly account for. You couldn't pay me to get one, the vets that I work with have said the same, and I talk anyone I know who's thinking about it out of getting one. They're not worth the risk.

Just my opinion.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I had a golden and a poodle and I'd love to know if their temperament is like the golden or a poodle.

That's the thing - you can't predict with any certainty what each dog will be like. It could be like a golden or it could be like a poodle, it could be a combination, or it could be unusual for either breed with unique personality traits. And that's if the two breeds used are actually purebred. Sometimes mixed breed dogs are used with purebreed dogs and then the genes are even more mixed. Many "breeders" would like you to believe otherwise, however. The cost of the puppies should be a hint at their motivation. Some of these dogs cost upward of $2000 while you can get a purebred dog for much less.

 

[roxysmum123]

The cost of the puppies should be a hint at their motivation. Some of these dogs cost upward of $2000 while you can get a purebred dog for much less.

Exactly. Not long ago they would give them away for free at the pound and call them mutts.

 

[100AcreWood]

I've been training dogs for about 10 years now professionally and have worked with almost every breed of dog and easily over 100 "doodles". Goldendoodles are one of the few breeds you couldn't pay me to get. Their temperament is INCREDIBLY unpredictable and of the major bite incidents I've had to deal with (8, and I consider a major bite incident to be one that involves medical professionals in the care of the wound), 3 of them have been by "Goldendoodles". I've even had to go to court as witness over one incident where the dog bit a child walking past it. Because of the crossing of the breeds, you can't make any sort of prediction of temperament and there is not enough of a history in the so called "breedlines" to know what you could get. They're a popular breed and people are churning them out like rabbits because they're making a fortune off of them. Often people breeding goldendoodles aren't paying as much attention as they would if they were breeding a purebred dog because there's no governing body over them. Eg where I live, you will be kicked out of the kennel club if you cross breed dogs purposely as people are doing with the golden and poodle crosses because of how dangerous and deceitful it is. And you can't make predictions on temperament when crossing breeds, or even looks, it's genetics that you just can't properly account for. You couldn't pay me to get one, the vets that I work with have said the same, and I talk anyone I know who's thinking about it out of getting one. They're not worth the risk.

Just my opinion.

Thank you. This answered my question. We had a dog that tried to attack our oldest child. It was a difficult situation and I won't risk experiencing that again. We'll stick with the golden retrievers . On the positive side our biting dog went to live with my parents and had a wonderful life. We were lucky they were able to take her in and she was much happier being the one and only.

Thanks for the replies!

 

[Kathi OD]

IMO, a goldendoodle, or any of the current designer mixes, are NOT breeds. They're mixed breed dogs, plain and simple. Why anyone would pay big bucks for them, not knowing what you're going to get temperament-wise, confounds the heck out of me.

No way I would buy one...however my sister, who is always crying poor-mouth, spent close to $1200 on a goldendoodle.

 

[alex9179]

I don't want to debate the "doodle" crosses. If anyone mentioned getting one I'd urge them to research the poodle side extensively. They are super smart and require an experienced owner. It has seemed to me that the people I knew who were interested focused on the behavior of the lab or golden and the coat of the poodle. This is what gets them into trouble, I don't think they're prepared for the personality that can come from this type of cross.

Personally, I'm not a fan of the designer dog fad and one of my dogs is a mutt. Where'd they get that name anyway? There isn't that much thought going into it.

 

[robinb]

My friend has a Goldendoodle. He is a sweet dog to people, but has a really big prey drive. Small dogs and cats are a problem with him. He also has the severe allergies that Goldens can have and has major "hot spots". My friend had to cook for him for years.

 

[#1hoosierfan]

My sister has a Goldendoodle. She has had since since she was a puppy, and she is a total sweetheart. FANTASTIC with children.

Funny thing though.... she is NOT very smart.....

 

[jiminyC_fan]

Our DD has a goldendoodle for a seizure response dog for her son. Penny is one of the sweetest dogs I know. She wouldn't pass for a response dog if she was anything other than that. In fact we are going for a 4 hour plane ride tomorrow with Penny. She will be in the cabin with us. My friend has one, also, and Bogey is amazing. If you ask me, true temperment from any breed mixed or not really comes from how they are/were raised. Our DD's response dog trainer actually prefers them.

 

[goofy!]

I'm not looking to debate whether breeders are honest, or whether I should rescue vs. buy a puppy. I understand and respect those opinions.

But, I would love to hear opinions and experiences from people with goldendoodles. I had a golden and a poodle and I'd love to know if their temperament is like the golden or a poodle. Anything else you'd like to share would be great.

OP, since the Goldendoodle is not a breed in any sense of the word, you cannot predict what kind of temperament they will have.

A breed is created with a strict breed standard in mind and strict breeding to achieve that breed standard. Careful records are kept of each and every breeding and culling (in old days the killing of puppies, now you would spay or neuter and sell to a pet home) of any dog that did not come close to breed standard.

The doodle dogs are not doing that at all. It is just every breeder for themselves, breeding their goldens to their poodles. Even breeders who say they have h1, h2, etc are not following the proper protocol to establish a breed of dog that breeds true each and every time.

The other drawback to the mixed breeds that are being sold as "designer breeds" is that the breeding stock is usually of puppy mill quality.

All reputable golden and poodle breeders are not going to allow their puppies be sold for creating mixed breed dogs. They are always sold on a spay/neuter contract.

That leaves the doodle breeder having to obtain their breeding stock from puppy mills and backyard breeders. And puppy mill breeders do not put any time or thought into temperament or genetic diseases.

So, you not only cannot predict the temperament because it could be either a poodle or a golden or something in between temperament, you are also dealing with the very possibility of bad temperaments being passed down from the puppy mill parents.

There is no such thing as hybrid vigor when you are dealing with parents already displaying non-typical of the breed temperaments and poor genetic health.

99.999% of the doodle breeders do not do genetic testing nor do they do pre-natal care. Genetic testing is very expensive, so would cut into the profits.

So, you are dealing with a mixed breed dog that you cannot predict what you are going to get, parents of questionable health and temperament backgrounds and insanely expensive and unreasonable fees for the puppies.

I would never get one.

My champion dog, sired by multi-winning parents including best in shows and best in specialties, bred by breeders who have been in the breed for over 40 years and can sit down and tell me, in detail, about every single dog in the pedigree for at least 5 generations only cost me $600.00. The breeder could tell me the health clearances for every dog in the pedigree, could tell me the temperaments of every dog for 5+ generations back. They did all the health clearances for their dogs, did all the prenatal care.

They temperament tested the puppies and since they were so knowledgeable, I was 99% sure of exactly what I was getting.

Why would I pay $2,000 for a poorly bred crapshoot, when I can get a dog whose background has been extensively researched and I know exactly what I am getting for under $1,000.

well bred Golden vs crapshoot? Seems an easy choice.

 

[Savannahlynn]

I have a 2 year old golden-doodle that we have had since she was 3 months old. She is a total sweetheart, very kind and gentle. She has honestly been the best dog I have ever had. I have only ever had pure bred dogs in the past, so she is our first mixed breed dog. The only "bad" part is that she needs regular grooming ( every two months), as I keep her coat short so it doesn't mat so be prepared for that.

 

[kacaju]

Being a 4-H dog club leader I have seen a fair share of goldendoodles over the years. I have seen a few nice ones...but I also have seen a fair amount who I cannot trust.

 

[100AcreWood]

Thank you all again for your replies. The answers are fairly consistent - it's a gamble. I'm not willing to take a gamble since I've experienced a dog I can't trust. Another purebred Golden is definitely the answer.

A lot of things really set in my mind but the comment about where they get their breeding dogs from is a very good point. Any great breeder would never let their dog be sold and bred to make a doodle. That is a very good point.

 

[airhead]

I've been training dogs for about 10 years now professionally and have worked with almost every breed of dog and easily over 100 "doodles". Goldendoodles are one of the few breeds you couldn't pay me to get. Their temperament is INCREDIBLY unpredictable and of the major bite incidents I've had to deal with (8, and I consider a major bite incident to be one that involves medical professionals in the care of the wound), 3 of them have been by "Goldendoodles". I've even had to go to court as witness over one incident where the dog bit a child walking past it. Because of the crossing of the breeds, you can't make any sort of prediction of temperament and there is not enough of a history in the so called "breedlines" to know what you could get. They're a popular breed and people are churning them out like rabbits because they're making a fortune off of them. Often people breeding goldendoodles aren't paying as much attention as they would if they were breeding a purebred dog because there's no governing body over them. Eg where I live, you will be kicked out of the kennel club if you cross breed dogs purposely as people are doing with the golden and poodle crosses because of how dangerous and deceitful it is. And you can't make predictions on temperament when crossing breeds, or even looks, it's genetics that you just can't properly account for. You couldn't pay me to get one, the vets that I work with have said the same, and I talk anyone I know who's thinking about it out of getting one. They're not worth the risk.

Just my opinion.

I agree 100% with your opinion. I train pet and competition dogs. I also own/run a dog daycare. This "mix"(not a breed or there would be standards) is a crap shoot. Temperment has been such an issue at the daycare,I'm ready to say no more Goldendoodles.The aggression I see is so unpredictable. If people would just understand that the dogs used to produce this mix,are not the best of the Poodle or Golden breed,because good breeders of these 2 breeds would NEVER sell their dogs to be used this way. There was actually an article put out there recently by the man who started this designer dog fiasco. He writes how sorry he is to have started this and deeply regrets it.

 

[airhead]

Our DD has a goldendoodle for a seizure response dog for her son. Penny is one of the sweetest dogs I know. She wouldn't pass for a response dog if she was anything other than that. In fact we are going for a 4 hour plane ride tomorrow with Penny. She will be in the cabin with us. My friend has one, also, and Bogey is amazing. If you ask me, true temperment from any breed mixed or not really comes from how they are/were raised. Our DD's response dog trainer actually prefers them.

Temperment comes from the mother,not how they're raised.

 

[goofy4tink]

OP, since the Goldendoodle is not a breed in any sense of the word, you cannot predict what kind of temperament they will have.

A breed is created with a strict breed standard in mind and strict breeding to achieve that breed standard. Careful records are kept of each and every breeding and culling (in old days the killing of puppies, now you would spay or neuter and sell to a pet home) of any dog that did not come close to breed standard.

The doodle dogs are not doing that at all. It is just every breeder for themselves, breeding their goldens to their poodles. Even breeders who say they have h1, h2, etc are not following the proper protocol to establish a breed of dog that breeds true each and every time.

The other drawback to the mixed breeds that are being sold as "designer breeds" is that the breeding stock is usually of puppy mill quality.

All reputable golden and poodle breeders are not going to allow their puppies be sold for creating mixed breed dogs. They are always sold on a spay/neuter contract.

That leaves the doodle breeder having to obtain their breeding stock from puppy mills and backyard breeders. And puppy mill breeders do not put any time or thought into temperament or genetic diseases.

So, you not only cannot predict the temperament because it could be either a poodle or a golden or something in between temperament, you are also dealing with the very possibility of bad temperaments being passed down from the puppy mill parents.

There is no such thing as hybrid vigor when you are dealing with parents already displaying non-typical of the breed temperaments and poor genetic health.

99.999% of the doodle breeders do not do genetic testing nor do they do pre-natal care. Genetic testing is very expensive, so would cut into the profits.

So, you are dealing with a mixed breed dog that you cannot predict what you are going to get, parents of questionable health and temperament backgrounds and insanely expensive and unreasonable fees for the puppies.

I would never get one.

My champion dog, sired by multi-winning parents including best in shows and best in specialties, bred by breeders who have been in the breed for over 40 years and can sit down and tell me, in detail, about every single dog in the pedigree for at least 5 generations only cost me $600.00. The breeder could tell me the health clearances for every dog in the pedigree, could tell me the temperaments of every dog for 5+ generations back. They did all the health clearances for their dogs, did all the prenatal care.

They temperament tested the puppies and since they were so knowledgeable, I was 99% sure of exactly what I was getting.

Why would I pay $2,000 for a poorly bred crapshoot, when I can get a dog whose background has been extensively researched and I know exactly what I am getting for under $1,000.

well bred Golden vs crapshoot? Seems an easy choice.

Have to agree, 100%. Besides, the doodles that I know all have major health issues...some worse than others.

Temperment comes from the mother,not how they're raised.

Hey, haven't seen you around for a loooong time!!!!
You can have a dog that starts off with a wonderful temperment, but that can change due to environment..sad to say. Put a fairly strong-willed dog, with a good temperment, in a home with no discipliine, and there are going to be issues. A good breeder will be able to place each dog in the correct family setting. I know we got a very strong willed golden....the breeder wanted to keep him for show/breeding but he had an undescended testicle...no breeding/showing then. But, it did drop (just prior to his 'chopping'). THe breeder placed him with us simply because she felt we could deal with his 'pig headedness'...and man, is he pigheaded!!! Too bad I'm the only one who disciplines him...he can get away with murder with the rest of the family!!!

Goldens are terrific creatures...loving and smart. And while I understand the desire to have a dog with these qualities in addition to a poodles hypoallergenic tendencies, it just isn't worth it to me. Reputable breeders just aren't doing this...at least not to my knowledge. Then again, just because I haven't seen it doesn't mean it doesn't happen.

 

[Green Tea]

Interesting replies because a person I know who runs a large boarding and grooming operation told me the one sort of dog she would recommend for me WAS a Goldendoodle. She said she hasn't always seen great things from the lab mixes but loves golden doodles and that has been my plan for a future dog. Interesting discussion.

 

[Princess Row]

We have a golden....she is by far the sweetest dog we have ever had.
She is extremely smart.....however she is three and is just now starting to stop the excessive chewing/taking things. She literally ate half of our house as a puppy. Shoes,clothes, pillows, chargers, glasses, you name it she ate it. Now the only thing she willt ake is food from our pantry and runs outside. she stashes her food on our trampoline for safe keeping. However as she is growing out of the puppy stage she has gotten alot better. She is super sweet but agressive around other dogs. To people sweetest dog ever....not so much with other dogs.
She is also very smart. She can open our back door by herself, she pushes pillows off the couch with her paws to sit down and many other things. I know 3 other people with golden doodles and the opening doors happens through all of them....dog aggression is a key sign too. Other than that they are GREAT dogs!!! We love ours!

 

[alexyhan]

I've been training dogs for about 10 years now professionally and have worked with almost every breed of dog and easily over 100 "doodles". Goldendoodles are one of the few breeds you couldn't pay me to get. Their temperament is INCREDIBLY unpredictable and of the major bite incidents I've had to deal with (8, and I consider a major bite incident to be one that involves medical professionals in the care of the wound), 3 of them have been by "Goldendoodles". I've even had to go to court as witness over one incident where the dog bit a child walking past it. Because of the crossing of the breeds, you can't make any sort of prediction of temperament and there is not enough of a history in the so called "breedlines" to know what you could get. They're a popular breed and people are churning them out like rabbits because they're making a fortune off of them. Often people breeding goldendoodles aren't paying as much attention as they would if they were breeding a purebred dog because there's no governing body over them. Eg where I live, you will be kicked out of the kennel club if you cross breed dogs purposely as people are doing with the golden and poodle crosses because of how dangerous and deceitful it is. And you can't make predictions on temperament when crossing breeds, or even looks, it's genetics that you just can't properly account for. You couldn't pay me to get one, the vets that I work with have said the same, and I talk anyone I know who's thinking about it out of getting one. They're not worth the risk.

Just my opinion.

This is false. I've had dogs since i was a kid just because you crossbred does not mess up their temperament. Pure bred poodles can be rather aggressive although proper training can make a huge difference. Where on the other hand a golden retriever is normally sweet tempered. So basically what the above statement indicates is if you cross a black person with a white person we will eventually have some very messed up aggressive humans.It just don't make since. Humans are humans & dogs are dogs.