Goldendoodle

Goldendoodle
Common nicknames	Groodle Doodle
Origin	Canada/US
Breed status	Not recognized as a breed by any major kennel club.
Traits Height Males 24-26 inches Females 22-23 inches Weight Males 45-100 lbs Females 45-100 lbs Coat Wavy, straight, curly Color Cream, Gold, Red, Black, Brown, White, grey Litter size 3-8 puppies Life span 10-15 years
Dog (domestic dog)

Goldendoodle from Golden Beauties Driven to Doodles

The Goldendoodle (Groodle in Australian English) is a cross-breed dog, which is obtained by breeding a Golden Retriever with a Poodle. The name, which alters "poodle" to "doodle" by analogy to "Labradoodle", was coined in 1992.

History

The Goldendoodle was first bred by Monica Dickens in 1969. Popularity for the goldendoodle grew in the 1990s when breeders in North America and Australia began crossing Golden Retrievers with Standard Poodles. The original purpose of the cross was to develop guide dogs suitable for visually impaired individuals with allergies. Poodles are considered to be hypoallergenic. Their coats do not shed, which reduces dander. Dander is a protein that sheds from the skin and causes allergies in humans.

The goldendoodle is referred to as a designer dog. The Encyclopædia Britannica traces the term "designer dog" to the late 20th century when breeders began to cross purebred Poodles with other purebred breeds in hopes of obtaining a dog with the poodle's non-shedding coat, (but there is no guarantee they will inherit the coat of the poodle), along with various desirable characteristics from other breeds. In regards to goldendoodles, golden retrievers are considered a great family dog, which is why they have been used to cross breed with poodles. Over time people made different kinds of Goldendoodles. A male Poodle bred with a female Golden Retriever produces an F1 Goldendoodle. A male Poodle bred with an F1 Goldendoodle is called an F1B (F1-back cross).

Appearance

Goldendoodle puppy at 6 weeks old--the coat starts out quite flat and becomes more curly as the puppy grows older

Shedding

Although not all goldendoodles exhibit the hypoallergenic coat type of the Standard Poodle, most goldendoodles do have a low to non-shedding coat. While the degree of shedding varies from dog to dog, overall, the goldendoodle exhibits less shedding than other dogs. Grooming requirements include regular brushing, occasional bathing and some fur trimming. Due to minimal shedding, Goldendoodles tend to have less dander, reducing allergic responses.

1 Year-old Goldendoodle with medium length hair

Coat

There are three main coat types. There is the straight coat, which is flat and resembles more of a golden retriever coat. The wavy coat type is a mixture of a poodle's curls, and a golden retriever's straighter coat. The last coat type is curly, which tends to look more like the poodle coat. A goldendoodle's size is generally somewhere between that of its poodle parent and golden retriever parent. The ranges of size include standard, medium, and miniature (if the poodle parent was miniature). Upon reaching adulthood, a standard goldendoodle will often weigh 60 to 100 pounds. A medium goldendoodle will weigh between 30 and 45 pounds and a miniature goldendoodle will weigh approximately 15 to 30 pounds. The standard in height at the shoulder for a male goldendoodle is about 24-26 inches. For females, it is 22-23 inches. Often, taller goldendoodles inherit more from the golden retriever and will weigh substantially more. It is very common for the goldendoodle to inherit the "golden retriever bump" on top of his/her head.

Common coat colors include white, cream, apricot, gold, red, and sometimes gray and black (also called phantom). Goldendoodles may also be black or a light sandy brown.

Breed status

See also: Selective breeding

Established breed associations such as the AKC, the UKC, and the CKC, do not recognize this hybrid, nor any other designer cross, as a breed. However, some major kennel clubs do accept registration of crossbreed and mixed-breed dogs for performance events such as agility and obedience such as the Continental Kennel Club. The Continental Kennel Club will accept and grant a pedigree on a goldendoodle as long as the parents have registration.

Golden retriever with her litter of 13 goldendoodle puppies

The F generational designation provides understanding of a dogs linage and how much golden retriever or poodle is in the mix. An F1 (first generation) is the direct offspring of a golden retriever and a poodle giving 50% golden retriever and 50% poodle mix. An F2 (second generation) is the offspring of two F1 goldendoodles which also gives a 50% golden retriever and 50% poodle.

Breeders can produce a higher percentage of curly and soft coats found in the poodle by breeding an F1 goldendoodle back with a poodle which is known as backcrossing. This is a F1B goldendoodle which is 25% golden retriever and 75% poodle. Likewise an F2 goldendoodle can be breed back with a poodle giving F2B offspring that are 37.5% golden retriever and 67.5% poodle. Breeders can also produce small goldendoodles by breeding a miniature poodle with a miniature goldendoodle (a mix of a full sized golden retriever and a miniature poodle). These F1B goldendoodles weigh between 15-25 pounds.

F1B Miniature Golden Doodle

F3 generation usually is a catch-all for anything beyond the F2 with or without the "B" backcross indicator.

Generation Designations

Offspring	Parent 1	Parent 2	% Golden	% Poodle
F1	Golden Retriever	Poodle	50	50
F2	F1 Goldendoodle	F1 Goldendoodle	50	50
F1B	F1 Goldendoodle	Poodle	25	75
F2B	F2 Goldendoodle	Poodle	37.5	67.5

Twelve-week-old Goldendoodle puppy

Some breeders prefer to restrict breeding to the first generation (F1) and first generation cross-back (F1B). This is done in an attempt to maximize genetic diversity and avoid the inherited health problems that have plagued many dog breeds.

Health

With knowledgeable breeding, the goldendoodle tends to be a rather healthy dog, but Poodles and Golden Retrievers are both susceptible to hip dysplasia. Therefore, an OFA or PennHIP exam is highly recommended to check for this problem before dogs are bred.

Both breeds are susceptible to a number of inheritable eye disorders, so it is important that annual CERF (Canine Eye Registration Foundation) exams are performed before breeding. The goldendoodle inherits the ears of Golden Retrievers; because their ears hang and do not allow water to drain, they are prone to ear infections and yeast infections in the ears from swimming. Von Willebrands disease (vWD), a bleeding disorder, can also be found in the Poodle and should be screened through DNA tests before breeding.

Usage

Since 2005, Goldendoodles have been used as pets, agility dogs, guide dogs, therapy dogs, diabetic dogs, search dogs and rescue dogs, as they have inherited the poodle's intelligence and the golden retriever's ease of training. Goldendoodles have also become increasingly used as domestic pets due to their affection towards families, as well as their friendliness and patience with children and strangers.

References

Bibliography

• Wheeler, Jill (2008), Goldendoodles, Checkerboard Books, ISBN 978-1-59928-963-2
• Vonnegut, Kurt (2012), Kurt Vonnegut: Letters, Random House, ISBN 978-0-345-53539-9