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 the saliva of an animal or to 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 thier intended size.

Temperament

The Goldendoodle is a loving, loyal dog and has a keen sense of smell. They can be taught to enjoy swimming, as the retriever part of their ancestry normally enjoys 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.

In some breeders' opinions, the only true Goldendoodle is an F1 (first generation) pairing. An F1 Goldendoodle is the result of a Golden Retriever and a Poodle (as opposed to an F1 backcross Goldendoodle, which is the result of a Goldendoodle+Poodle pairing or Goldendoodle+Golden Retriever pairing). In their view, breeders who are breeding multigenerational doodles are too drastically narrowing the gene pool from which to pull parents. This can create a genetic bottleneck, producing litters with uncertain genetic problems that might reveal themselves as serious inherited disorders as the dogs get older. Many modern breeds have been developed in exactly this way, by limiting the parental pool, sometimes resulting in genetic disorders.

External Links

• More information on Goldendoodles
• The Goldendoodle Website