Goldendoodle
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 A male Goldendoodle. |
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| Breeds | Golden Retriever, Poodle |
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| Other names | Groodle Curly Golden Goldenoodle Goldenpoo Goldiedoodle |
A Goldendoodle is a mixed breed dog, a hybrid cross between a Golden Retriever and a Poodle. The name Goldendoodle was created in 2000 by combining “Golden”, from Golden Retriever, and “doodle” as in Labradoodle.[1] 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 at different times.
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[edit] History
The first Goldendoodles were likely due to accidental breeding between Golden Retrievers and Poodles.[2] Later, intentional crossing of Golden Retrievers and Standard Poodles was done in both North America and Australia.[3]
[edit] Purpose
The Goldendoodle is usually bred to be a family companion dog.[4] Some are bred and selected for careers in service to humans as Guide Dogs, Therapy Dogs and other types of assistance dogs.
Many people select a Goldendoodle because they love Golden Retrievers, but would prefer a dog that shed less hair. Some have lost their Golden Retrievers or Poodle to cancer or inherited disease, and hope that the hybrid cross will give their new pet a better chance of avoiding those risks. Others may desire a dog that doesn’t affect their allergies. However, not all Goldendoodles will exhibit the low shedding coat type of the Standard Poodle. They are a hybrid dog, and therefore while most Goldendoodles will shed less than a Golden Retriever, the degree of shedding can vary. Although Goldendoodles may have varying degrees of sheding, their coats tend to become extremely matted and tangled. You must brush them a least once a day and to avoid having to shave their coat completely (especially during the colder seasons). While some breeders claim that the Goldendoodle is a hypoallergenic dog, many allergists believe that there is no such thing as a hypoallergenic animal, and there have been no studies to date verifying whether any canine is completely hypoallergenic. Goldendoodles also make excellent bird dogs.
[edit] Appearance
The Goldendoodle, because it is a mix of purebreds, varies in size, coat type, and color.
A Goldendoodle's size is generally somewhere between that of the Poodle and the Golden Retriever parents, and the range includes Standard, Medium and Miniature. A general rule of thumb is to add both the parents weights together and divide by 2 to obtain the average adult weight of the puppies, although within any litter there may be puppies that fall above or below the projected adult weights. Some Standard sized Goldendoodle have weighed over 100 pounds. Sizes range as follows:-
Standard: 45 lbs or more at adulthood. Medium: 30-45 lbs at adulthood. Miniature: 15-30 lbs at adulthood.
Goldendoodles also have different coat types, and can be curly, wavy or straight. Common colours are White, Cream, Apricot, and Red, a few are Black and rarest are Brown, Phantom, and Parti-colored.
[edit] Temperament
Similar to the Golden Retriever and the Poodle. Intelligent, affable, trainable, very human oriented, yet friendly toward other dogs. Moderately high energy dogs, much like their ancestors. These dogs also love to swim.
[edit] Breed status
See also: Selective Breeding
The Goldendoodle is not a purebred; rather, it is a hybrid: 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.
There is no universal consensus as to whether breeders should aim to have Goldendoodles recognized as a breed. Some breeders prefer to restrict breeding to first generation (F1) dogs (i.e. bred from a purebred Golden Retriever and a purebred Poodle) in order to maximise genetic diversity, and thus avoid the inherited health problems that have plagued some dog breeds. Other breeders maintain that a Backcross (F1B) Goldendoodle (i.e. bred from a Goldendoodle backcrossed with a purebred Poodle) is less likely to shed, and may therefore be more suitable for people with allergies to fur and/or dander.
There are also currently several breeders attempting to develop the Goldendoodle as an actual breed. This requires formation of a sufficiently large breeding stock as identified by previous breeding history, number of animals, geographic dispersion, etc. and accepted by the registration entity. After breed formation, only offspring from pairings of animals within this locked set are considered to represent the breed. Some breeders maintain that risk of future genetic problems from such selective breeding can be reduced by the early establishment of a varied, original, gene pool. Even with these precautions by the registry, the subsequent, aggressive, breeding practices that are often pursued amongst the most popular breeds can produce problems that might only reveal themselves as the dogs mature. On the other hand, all modern breeds have been developed in exactly this way—by limiting the parental pool in order to isolate targeted characteristics of structure, color.
[edit] Health
Both the Poodle and Golden Retrievers breeds can suffer from hip dysplasia. Therefore an OFA or PennHIP exam is required to check for this problem before dogs are bred. Both breeds can also suffer from a number of inheritable eye disorders, so it is important that a CERF (Canine Eye Registration Foundation) exam is also performed before breeding.
[edit] Registration
Though the Goldendoolde is a hybrid they can be registered with a designer breed / hybrid specific registry.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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