Are Goldendoodles Good Family Pets?

A Great Family Addition

There are a lot of reasons why people opt to purchase or adopt a dog. Whether for companionship, service work, or testing out the waters of parenthood, selecting the right dog for the right reasons is important. Many people are eager to own a dog, but settling on the best breed for you takes research. We will help you determine if a Goldendoodle is the right dog for you.

Goldendoodles are known for their unwavering loyalty to their paw parents and this is considered to be one of their most charming and endearing traits. They are a gentle animal that typically loves children and they tend to have a sense of humor. They are often referred to as “velcro dogs” meaning they love to be touching their humans at all times.

Appearance of the dog you choose is not as important as selection for compatibility for the personality traits needed for your family. However, it never hurts to learn that the right breed for you is also aesthetically pleasing to the eye!

When choosing a canine addition for your family, whether first-time owners or veteran fur parents, it is imperative that you are aware of factors that would affect their care for the long haul. As you read on, you will be introduced to reasons why Goldendoodles may be the perfect addition to your family including their traits, temperaments, and hybrid vigor health benefits. I know I can’t imagine a more perfect breed of dog to share my life and my home.

Goldendoodles: The Positives

Typically one would start with all the good reasons to choose a Goldendoodle. They are a highly affectionate hybrid dog that loves children, adults, and other animals. This breed is highly intelligent which should come as no surprise based on their ancestry of two great breeds – the Golden Retriever and Poodle. They also display extreme loyalty to their humans and tolerate you even on your worst days. These are some of the reasons why Goldendoodles have gained such popularity as great family dogs.

To continue with their attributes, a Goldendoodle is very patient and gentle around children. If you have toddlers at home, you can be sure that your Goldendoodle will show no aggression and instead will treat your child like their own. You will find that Goldendoodles love to have their human siblings using them as a headrest to read a book or even take a nap. However, it’s extremely important to teach your child how to respect a dog as their patience and tolerance should not be pushed to the limit in all fairness to the dog.

Goldendoodles are great students and love to learn so they can please their humans. Whether teaching them manners like sit, stay, or place or working on new tricks, they tend to pick up the cues and commands and are natural born performers.

Goldendoodle: The Negatives

Goldendoodles have very few negative traits to consider when determining their suitability for your family. Likely the most important to consider is the amount of care their coats require. Most people are attracted to their long, fluffy, soft, flowing coats. It must be remembered that for a Goldendoodle to maintain this appearance, it will take daily brushing. If you don’t have time available every day to spend at least 15-30 minutes on coat care, you will need to keep the coat clipped to a more manageable length. While this may change the overall appearance, it will not change the other pluses regarding a Goldendoodle’s suitability for your family.

Goldendoodles are active dogs, so you can expect a lot of playfulness and excitement when meeting and greeting new people. It will take diligence in training to address their bounciness during the first few minutes of introduction to someone new. Because they emit a humorous personality, it can sometimes cause their humans to allow this type of activity to continue without address which will make it more difficult to curb later. It is always best to address this with appropriate training from puppyhood while you have the benefit of working with a clean slate.

Goldendoodles fail miserably at guarding and protecting property. They tend to see all humans as givers of attention or treats and will likely attract people instead of repel them.

Designer Breeds – What Are They?

Designer breeds are those created by crossing two or more purebred breeds to create a new breed to fill a need. Goldendoodles originated by crossing just two breeds, the Golden Retriever and Poodle. The purpose of this cross was to create a dog with the loving and gentle temperament of a Golden Retriever, but with a more allergy compatible coat of the Poodle. The Golden Retriever has always been one of the most popular breeds for families, but when a family member cannot coexist with a shedding dog, a Golden Retriever is removed as a possible candidate for the entire family.

As breeders continue to develop this hybrid, multigenerational Goldendoodles are produced by crossing two Goldendoodles together. Many of them are hypoallergenic, but if you’re concerned about your possible allergic reaction to a Goldendoodle, you will need to work with a breeder who does DNA testing on the parent dogs’ furnishing genes. This gene is responsible for determining if a dog will shed or not. Here at Fox Creek Farm Goldendoodles and Bernedoodles, we do extensive health testing on the parents to ensure each puppy has the lowest possible chance of health related issues. We also strive to produce non-shedding and allergy friendly dogs. In addition to the physical and DNA testing we perform on all parent dogs, we provide one of the best Goldendoodle genetic defect warranties of any breeder in the country.

Appearance

Goldendoodles are generally a fluffy, soft coated dog which most find to be irresistibly adorable. Goldendoodles’ coats are either wavy, curly, or straight and are super soft even in adulthood if appropriately maintained. Their appearances can vary greatly depending on the coat type they inherit. Overall, their appearance is unique and beautiful, contributing greatly to their popularity.

Sizes

Goldendoodles are available in varying sizes depending on the size of their parents. The four basic sizes are:

• Petite – Goldendoodles in this category stand below 14 inches at the withers and typically weigh 25 pounds or less.
• Miniature – Mini Goldendoodles grow to between 14 and 17 inches and usually weigh between 26 to 35 pounds.
• Medium – A Medium Goldendoodle will range from 17 and 21 inches and has a 36 to 50 pound range.
• Standard – Goldendoodles in this size category will measure over 21 inches in height and weigh more than 50 pounds.

Most Goldendoodles will reach their mature height by 9-12 months of age, although miniature and petite Goldendoodles may reach their full height by 7-9 months. Most dogs though will not reach their full weight until after a year of age and the standards and mediums may continue to increase their weight up through 18 months of age.

The adult size will be dependent on the size of the parents and grandparents. If size is of great importance to you, it is critical you work with an experienced breeder who has kept in contact with previous buyers and documented the adult size of previous litters. If it is a pairing of parent dogs not previously paired, the experienced breeder will still have a good idea of what dogs in that line may produce as far as size.

Good breeders rely on information gathered in surveys from their puppy families. However, it is impossible for a breeder to be perfectly accurate as genetics are not an exact science. Also, many times an owner reports a dog’s weight to the breeder inaccurately (meaning they estimated it) or a dog has not been maintained at a proper weight. As a prospective furbaby parent, you must be open to some variation in predicted size and be able to love your Goldendoodle regardless of his mature size being a little more or less than expected.

Colors

This aesthetic aspect many times is given too much thought and discernment. Choosing a dog based on color is not a good way to find the right Goldendoodle. Most Goldendoodles will lighten in color with age which adds to the notion that the color of a puppy should be disregarded as an important issue. It is much more prudent to focus on temperament and personality as these are the traits that will determine compatibility and harmony within the home. With further development of the Goldendoodle as a breed, just about any color is achievable including black, brown, silver, apricot, cream, merle, parti, mismarked, phantom, and tri.

Goldendoodles as Service Dogs

Service dogs are trained to assist their owners in accomplishing tasks in consideration of their disabilities, whether mental or physical. These dogs are trained to mitigate what their owner cannot perform alone, such as assisting in activities or providing mobility support.

Service dogs are trained to have a specialty. Some dogs focus on providing physical support to disabled people like fetching needed objects. Others become the eyes or ears of their blind or deaf person. Detection dogs alert to a drop in blood sugar, an imminent seizure, or drop in blood pressure. Other categories are police dogs, bomb detection dogs, and search and rescue. Trained therapy dogs target the emotional needs of people by providing emotional stability and companionship. Goldendoodles have excelled in each of these categories and continue to prove they have many talents beyond just being a family pet.

The Many Attributes of Goldendoodles

Goldendoodles are fast becoming a “jack of all trades” proving their ability to fill the needs of a wide variety of needs. The following traits and talents of Goldendoodles make them an appropriate breed choice for family pets as well as a working dog.

• Intelligence – Goldendoodles love to learn and excel when given proper training.
• Compassion – Goldendoodles are a very loving breed, a trait that is appreciated regardless of a dog’s purpose in life.
• Eager to please – Goldendoodles love to keep doing what they determine as actions that bring you joy and comfort.
• Attentive and loyal – Goldendoodles love to be around their humans, so they will always be by your side.
• Patient and gentle – Goldendoodles are not aggressive and are very tolerant.
• Hypoallergenic – Properly bred Goldendoodles are typically compatible with those who experience allergic reactions around dogs as they produce little to no shedding.

General Health of the Goldendoodle

Designer breeds are believed to possess a phenomenon known as hybrid vigor. This is created when crossing lines of completely unrelated dogs. This benefit is maintained in deeper generations of Goldendoodles as long as unrelated lines are used, proper health testing is completed, and best practices are continued. Even though Golden Retrievers and Poodles are unrelated dogs, both breeds share some genetic diseases that need to be considered. You will want to make sure extensive testing has been completed on the parent dogs prior to selecting a Goldendoodle breeder who has available Goldendoodle puppies. With the DNA technology available these days, a breeder can effectively avoid crossing two parent dogs that carry the same disease genes thereby eliminating the production of entire litters of puppies affected by those diseases. Breeders that are not performing DNA testing on their parent dogs prior to breeding are either too inexperienced to be in that field or just irresponsible. It is not overly expensive to do a complete set of genetic tests on a prospective breeding dog and should be common practice for any reputable Goldendoodle breeder offering Goldendoodle puppies for sale.

Just like other breeds, Goldendoodles can be affected by inherited physical health conditions such as hip or elbow dysplasia, heart and eye conditions, and luxating patellas. Both parents of any available Goldendoodle puppies should be tested and possess OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals) certifications for each of these issues. Parent dogs that are free and clear of these health issues are less likely to produce puppies that experience these issues.

In Summary:

Choosing a breed suited for your lifestyle and compatible with all family members is a task not to be taken lightly. Researching a breed’s characteristics, learning about their temperaments, understanding any health concerns, and reviewing their size are important factors to consider. Too many people choose a breed or a particular dog based solely on color or aesthetics without regard to how the innate characteristics will fit into the family’s dynamics. As long as you work with a responsible Goldendoodle breeder, they can assist in matching you with the right puppy that possesses the traits you deem important for your family. You are making a decision that will affect your family for the next 15 years, so getting it right is important. Dog shelters are filled with dogs that were chosen by families for all the wrong reasons and we are sure you don’t want your chosen dog to become a statistic. Fox Creek Farm Goldendoodles and Bernedoodles have the experience necessary to ensure you are paired with the perfect Goldendoodle puppy to love!