What's The Best Breed of Dog? Goldendoodle!

Breeding something with a poodle seems to be all the rage today. I mean you have Labradoodles (Labs + Poodle), Yorkie Poos (Yorkshire Terrier + Poodle), Airedoodles (Airdale+Poodle), Bich-poos (Bichon Frise + Poodle), Chi-poos (Chihuahua + Poodle), Poogles (Beagles + Poodles) and the list goes on and on. I wouldn't be surprised if I saw a Cowdles (cow + Poodle) and Goatapoos (you don't wanna know.)

Originally, these "designer dogs" were bred to help people. Wally Conron, a dog breeder in Australia was the first to breed the Labradoodle 22 years ago. A blind lady came to him and wanted a guide dog that didn't shed. No-brainer, thought he, and he gave her a Standard Poodle. But unfortunately, it was soon discovered that Standard Poodles don't have the temperament to be good guide dogs. So Wally went back to the drawing board and decided, what the hey, I'll take a Labrador and a Standard Poodle and breed them! Voila. Apparently, the offspring was very trainable, the dogs shed less, and the lady was happy.

The rest is puppy-mill history. :(

(That's a sad by-product of a popular breed, and you have to be careful who you buy from.)

It's a Golden Retriever + Standard Poodle. Golden Retrievers are known for their sweet, loyal temperament, a great family pet. They are smart, relatively calm (after they get out of the puppy stage), and easily trained.

The Standard Poodle breed is also a very intelligent dog; in fact Wikipedia says, "The Standard Poodle is regarded as the second most intelligent breed of dog after the Border Collie, and before the German Shepherd Dog". The biggest plus with this breed is the lack of shedding and dander.

My Goldendoodle is a "F1B "generation; this means one of her parents was a full Standard Poodle and the other was a Goldendoodle. As a result, she NEVER sheds. An "F1" generation is one parent is a full Golden and the other is a full Poodle. I've heard that there is still some shedding in the offspring of that generation. For the least amount of shedding, you probably want the "F1B" generation or "F2B" generation (two Goldendoodles).

She's the best, most loving dog I've ever had. I had a Border Collie who was a wonderfully smart dog, but shed a pound of black hair every day. He also needed interaction constantly or got destructive. I also had Chow Chow dogs. Mine were good dogs, but not the sharpest tools in the shed. They also have the notorous reputation of being mean dogs.

The positive qualities of Goldendoodles:

• No shedding or very little shedding
• Sweet temperament, affectionate-my dog wants pets and love 24/7. I've never seen a dog that loves attention and people so much!
• Good watchdog- my dog has put the fear into the eyes of several grown men with her very malicious, deep bark. Truly, she's a sweetheart that wouldn't hurt a fly, but I'm keeping that my little secret. ;)
• Easily trained,but start early- A Golden Retriver needs a good leader to show them who's boss and so does a Goldendoodle. Start training them early, because otherwise they can turn into a royal pain in the butt.
• Exercise level-moderate to high- Compared to a Border Collie, it's moderate. I can walk her once a day, less than a mile, and she's done for the day. Her energy level starts out high, but her stamia is low, so I'm putting this in the positive column.
• Plays nice with others- She loves to interact with people and other dogs, although her extreme playfulness tends to wear out older dogs quickly.
• Prestige- I've had at least 10 people pull over their cars to ask me, "What kind of dog is that?"It's love at first sight when people see my puppy; they're gorgeous dogs. Trust me, you'll be more famous than the President when you're walking a Goldendoodle.

Unfortunately there are some negative things you need to know:

• Lots of grooming- you have to brush them daily and bathe them frequently. Just like Standard Poodles, their hair will get matted if it isn't constantly maintained. You will probably have to shave them in the summer so they won't overheat!
• Needs guidance-like I said, they are easily trained but you need to be consistent, firm, and start early, or they will walk all over you!. I still have trouble walking her...
• Large size-I have trouble walking her because she's 60 pounds! I've ended up on the ground a few times because she got excited and pulled me down. Again, good training is ESSENTAL! My husband has a very dominating personality, therefore, she listens to him. I'm still working on it.
• Expensive- If you buy from a reputable breeder (stay away from puppy mills!) a new puppy will cost you anywhere from $500 to $1000 plus. Try a Goldendoodle rescue or the Humane Society.

Other recommendations for this breed:

• I kennel trained my puppy, and she was housebroken in less than a month. This also helped to curb some of her destrutive puppy behaviors. She's so well-behaved she doesn't need a kennel anymore.
• They love to do tricks and will catch on quickly. Try to incorparate some training everyday, but remember to be patient and have some treats handy!

Author's note: I've been informed that calling a Goldendoodle a "Breed" is a misnomer. The dictionary definition of "breed" is as follows:

• A group of organisms having common ancestors and certain distinguishable characteristics, especially a group within a species developed by artificial selection and maintained by controlled propagation.

So why can't this be called a "breed"? Please enlighten me. Ok, it's not a "registered" breed, but it's still a breed, under the definition I cited.