ALL ABOUT DOODLES

What is a Goldendoodle? 

A mix between a Golden Retriever and a Poodle.

Why choose a Goldendoodle

Goldendoodles attract those who love the mild temperaments of the Golden Retriever, but not so much the shedding and/or allergies that may accompany the breed. Add to that, the sharp mind and non-shedding qualities of the Poodle, making the Goldendoodle a universal hit! They also have what’s known as “Hybrid vigor”—the increased health benefits that come with crossing two unrelated breeds—which gives the Goldendoodle the health and vitality that makes them, on average, outlive either one of their parent breeds.

What is their temperament like? 

Goldendoodles are extremely social, outgoing, and non-aggressive dogs that thrive on human companionship. They have a great desire to please and to learn. Each individual breed, the Poodle and the Golden Retriever,  score in the top 4 of the 150 smartest dog breeds. They are both incredibly intelligent and eager to please. Coupled with the low- to non-shedding coats, this temperament has proven to make Goldendoodles perfect candidates for service work, as well as family pets. 

We are Gold Level certified breederswith the Goldendoodle Association of North America (GANA), whose primary objective is to promote and guide the development of the Goldendoodle and to achieve breed standards while maintaining optimal health. GANA guides breeders to the common goal of establishing reliability and predictability of coat type, size, health and temperament.   To learn more about GANA please click the link on the right.

COAT TYPES AND COLORS 

Coat Types: 

The coat length gene determines whether a dog has a a long (L) or short (S) coat. L is a recessive gene but all Goldendoodles carry two genes for long coat (L/L), they are Fixed for this trait.  Short coat is dominant, if a dog carries a gene for the short gene (S/L) their coat would be short, this is why some labradoodles have short straggly coats especially F1s or some F1bs, whereas Goldendoodles do not. 

Curl (KRT71 gene): Goldendoodles can be curly, wavy, or straight. Typically, a Goldendoodle that is curly is +/+ for curl, a flat or straight dog is -/- for curl, a dog with wavy or loose curl is gene is (+/-) , two wavy Goldendoodles bred together can produce all three coat types: curly, wavy, and straight. 

Furnishings: The RSPO2 gene is responsible for the facial hair characteristics, aka mustache, beard and eyebrows.

The Shedding Gene (MC5R & RSPO2): A rather new discovery (2016) in the canine genetics field is the location of shedding genes. By choosing two dogs to breed together who have a lower number of shedding genes (when health and temperate are compatible), a breeder can steer their breeding program to produce puppies with lower shedding over time. Here’s how it works:  

The “shedding index” is a combination of two DNA tests: one for the shedding gene, combined with the second test for furnishings. The shedding index is ranked on a score of 0-4. “0” is no shedding and “4” is the highest shedding. By testing for furnishings and shedding, a breeder can combine the results to reliably predict shedding in a dog. Selecting dogs with a low-shedding index in a breeding program (after consideration for health and temperament) can produce puppies with reliably lower-shedding coats. Since shedding is related to allergies, using DNA testing tools on any generation Goldendoodle can help a breeder more accurately match puppies with families who have allergy concerns. No longer do you need an F1b or a very curly Goldendoodle if you know the shedding index is low!

— Note: Even a Goldendoodle with a shedding index of zero does not guarantee that you will not be allergic to a particular dog. Allergies are very complex and shedding is just one of the components that factor into the equation. Consider that dander, saliva, proteins and allergens carried on the dogs coat all contribute to each individual’s allergic reactions.

Color Variations: 

Goldendoodle colors range from white, shades on the red spectrum varying from cream to apricot to dark red, brown spectrum (from cafe au lait to a dark chocolate color), black, and blue (also called silver). Coats can also display patterns such as parti, merle, phantom, and brindle.  A parti colored Goldendoodle is at least 50% white, with solid patches of any other color. A solid color Goldendoodle with white markings that cover less than 50% of the body are known by several names: abstract, mismarks, or chrome.  Merle is a varied coat pattern. While a beautiful color, the merle gene can cause blindness and deafness if two parents carrying the merle gene are bred together, so merles should be bred only by very knowledgeable breeders who test for the merle gene and understand the genetics involved.  Phantom’s have a specific pattern of markings on a solid background above each eye, on the sides of the muzzle, chest, inside the legs, and under the tail. Brindle patterns appear as stripes, the color and the width vary with each dog. 

GENERATIONS 

F1 = Golden Retriever x Poodle

F1b = F1 Goldendoodle x Poodle

F2 = F1 Goldendoodle x F1 Goldendoodle

MULTIGEN = Two Goldendoodle parents — one parent has to be a F1b, F2, or Multigen. A poodle bred to a Multigen Goldendoodle also constitutes as a multigen.