Does anyone here own a doodle (or a poodle or a golden retriever? )

[LovelyMuffins]

I am going to see a Goldendoodle litter this week. They sound adorable and I am very excited. I have researched poodles and labradors and retrievers and the breed temperament fits our bill really well. but I don;t actually know anyone who owns one so am searching for information on here and doodle forums. I would love some 'first hand cyber advice!'

I have three Labradoodles. There are good breeders out there (but unfortunately plenty of rotten ones too) make sure both parents are hip scored (nice low, even scores, the breed mean for Labradoodles is 13 so ideally well under this), elbow scored, have current Clear BVA eye tests, DNA tests for PRA and VwD (2nd Gen and above, if I remember correctly, for VwD) would be advantageous.

I do my own grooming but this takes commitment.

If a bouncy, high energy, mud magnet of a dog is not for you then don't get a Doodle!

All the best!

I accidentally acquired a doodle.

He sheds. like fuck

He smells.

He's very very clever- will find his own jobs to do I don't! Fab to train.

Needs 2 decent, (45 mins bare minimum) walks a day. Usually gets 3 though.

No can tell he's a doodle.

He's very docile and friendly, waggiest arse ever.

He's basically a labrador, with a beard.

Another curly advocate here :) I own two curly mutts constantly get asked if they're doodles and doodle owners constantly want coats like my two (no really you don't!!)

I didn't get them for looks, I got them because I like the breed and I like the breeders. Our name was on the list for two years for our latest pup because the breeder wanted the right homes and the right sire.

Now we have the terrorist :)

multipoodles- thank you for your comments. I did come on here to get advice and information and I will take it all on board :-)

Elibean - what a mixture!!!! Your dog sounds delightful :-)

Daisydogandgertie - you are very knowledgeable. Thank you. I am assuming that, in a nutshell, you are saying there is no guarantee as to the temperament or looks of any particular puppy despite its parentage any more than I could specifically produce a child who had my personality and my husbands looks. They are going to be a mixture of both aspects of both of us. I would be very interested in more information on working and show line labradors or retrievers. I need to go back to the drawing board I think.

Mrs Spoon - I have not checked health scores. She did say the pups are vet checked but I will need to grill her about the various scores when we chat. Thankyou.

In the potty - a labrador.......with a beard! Funny :-D

horseylady - so do you have a pair of labradooles? How lovely

The unknown quantity is true. HullyGully puppy was from a litter of four. The rescuer picked her because she thought she had the right personality for us. And she was spot on. The other 3 in the litter were very different little souls.

You will get lots of advice on breeders here too if you do choose that route. Tbh a good breeder should be much more interested in you and your life, than telling you about the puppies.

I think the best thing you can do when considering getting a dog is to ask yourself what's in it for the dog? Rather than what's in for you.

If you can offer a breed of dog what it needs, like lots of excercised, mental stimulation and a willingness to wade through swathes of hair in a daily basis (did Hully mention the hair?) and you can get the dog from someone good and responsible go for it. If you have the slightest doubt than stop and reassess from the start.

It's a 15 year commitment so don't worry about taking your time now.

A vet check is not equivalent to health testing. A vet check will only tell you that the dog appears healthy or has any apparent problems on that day. It cannot diagnose or predict the likelihood to develop hereditary conditions such as hip dysplasia, progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) or any of the other conditions that are known in the parent breeds.

You cannot take the size of the parents to guage the eventual adult size of puppies either. Crossbreeds very often turn out to be bigger than either parent. I have a crossbreed here (accidental, rescue) who is a cross between a large working breed and a smaller spitz breed. He is substantially bigger than the biggest example of his father's (large working) breed. He is just a shade shorter and lighter than my other dog who is a giant breed. He has also had arthritis since he was 2 years old due to poor joint development as a result of his indiscriminate breeding which is obviously made all the harder to manage because he's huge.

If a Doodle is what you want, then just be sure that you're going in with your eyes open and that you pay your money and take your chance. Finding a breeder who does all the relevant health testing for both breeds and who isn't just in it for the money is your first challenge as doodles are ten a penny these days but responsibly bred ones are like hen's teeth. Then you just have to sit back and wait a year or so to see if you have your non-shedding, medium sized dream dog...or not.

No I own curly coated retrievers. They are pedigrees. Doodles are not!

Do you know I have never figured why Labradoodles and their ilk became so popular when the Curly has always been around?

We only found out about them when we were kids because our retriever developed a bit of an arse and chest afro, and another breeder years later speculated she must have had a bit of curly in her

horseylady, I have just googled curly coated retrievers. I have NEVER seen one of those before! If I have I probably assumed it was a Standard Poodle. What a stunning breed.

I have three dogs (one sort of foisted on us). Oldest is three years old and is a lab/golden retriever mix. Girl dog is a Basque sheepdog, but I strongly suspect her dad is a poodle. Baby boy is mix of the above two.

They all are beautiful, friendly dogs. Mum is a stubborn but hard working girl. Dad and little boy are lazy, happy go lucky fellas.

Mum doesn't shed at all, while big boy does. A furminator is great for him. Baby boy is just a cuddle teddy bear and at the moment doesn't shed.

While some people like predictability, the best part for me about our dogs is that they look unique and are unique in their personality. And we have no set expectations for how they should look or behave, because they are not bred to any standard, iyswim.

Since all three of our dogs were not planned births, we got the eldest two through a neighbour and a rescue, there were no prior health scores. Have taken the dogs to the vet and touchwood, they are very healthy.

I would say the main thing in getting a dog would be temperament. You can tell that fairly early on. The rest is worth being vigilant about, but you can never know as a lot is due to recessive genes. Focus on the stuff that you can choose on, i.e. temperament. IMO, that is the most important thing in a canine family member.

I can truly say that when I have to do this again 15 years down the road, I will get another crossbreed or mutt from a rescue. Not because I am into dog welfare, but because I think I am more likely to get a good natured healthy dog that way

No I dont either :( yes I met a lab who had an Afro chest and back and they said it was from way back in the breeding, there must have been a curly. Was very sweet!!

Yes they are gorgeous dogs, just not many about. I don't know why, I guess they've just been more careful about breeding than some other breeds? And popularity I guess.

My two are lovely, selectively deaf, aloof when it suits, dirt magnets. But also highly intelligent, easy and willing to train, athletic dogs who just go where we go. They're also kind and gentle, apart from the pouncing on bones and anything else that lay on the floor (including each other!)

Our working bred lab was curly. She was a failed gun dog, bless her. The breeder i.e our neighbour, had kept her to train her for working but everytime she heard the gun she shot off in the opposite direction

Eventually he agreed to give her to the three little girls next door, who didn't beg at all. Ever. Honest. Apart from most days

She also shed like there was no tomorrow and ate an entire breakfast bar and all three matching stools (not in one sitting of course) and was a bugger for raiding bins, rolling in dead things and attemting to bring dead or unidentifiable smelly things home from her walks.

She was worth it, though. She was the sweetest, most gentle dog you could ever meet (so long as you didn't have feathers or fur) Unlike most lab she came last in the brains department.

With Labs I don't think you get predictability or boring. Just as I refuse to believe that cross breeds mean a good temperament. Dogs is dogs innit, different breeds have needs for different types of stimulation to keep them happy and healthy. A happy healthy cared for dog who is understood by it's owner will have a good temperament.

Dogs are natures free loaders, they do what ever they can get away with to guarantee a cushy lifestyle

I think people get temperament and personality confused. As people have said two dogs from the same litter can be totally different.

Choose a breed whose life style you can meet foremost and let a rescuer or damn good breeder choose you a personality that will suit your family.

Honey you are wrong. Lab predictably have three stomachs. T'is fact. So there

The rest of it is spot on though.

Yes I forgot the three stomachs

Stomach 1: "Hello Brain Stomach calling, I am starving"
Stomach 2: "Mmmmmmmmn food is in the vicinity hey brain I'm hungry"
Stomch 3: "I am fairly certain the hound slave forgot to feed me! Hey brain, make mouth whine for food! Now, do it now!"

All of the above can happen within roughly a 20 minute time frame

I think most gun dogs have three stomachs!!!

Yes my bug curly is a wimp. Little curly is the opposite and bold as brass!!!

Honey,

I don't think any dog is boring. But I think the predictability thing is overrated The most predictable thing about a prepared dog is their physical characteristics. Temperament is much more variable.

If OP is willing to be adventurous and somewhat open to what kind of dog she gets, what is wrong with a golden doodle? The parameters are set, and if she is comfortable getting either a golden retriever or a poodle, then well, predictability may not be so important, as she is getting something between the two.

I do think there is some disdain for these new designer dogs. But tbh, many of our current purebreeds were also once designer dogs, and these are just a modern version of our continuing selective breeding experiment with dogs. And you are just as likely to get unscrupulous breeders with purebreds as mixed breeds, so I personally don't see the point in condemning one over the other.

I have a gorgeous, happy, quite nutty doodle. She will be three in August and is the most lovely tempered, bundle of happiness you would ever wish to meet. She is medium sized, curly coat, looks like a scruff, we wouldnt be without her.

She does however have health problems, diagnosed with hip dysplacia when she was nine months and more recently with Addisons disease. As yet the hip dysplacia is causing no problems and as long as we give her medication for Addisons she has a normal life expectation (thank heavens for pet insurance)

I know many doodle owners and I think our dog has just been unlucky, I researched breeders, spoke to owners and tried to ensure I had done my homework.

We walk her about 2 hours in total everyday, sometimes more, sometimes less, mainly off lead but not always. She is also very happy to have long long lie ins on saturday and has been known not to wake up until mid morning :)

Good luck with whatever breed you choose, if it has the temperament of my doodle you will be very very happy

hierarchy of morality in dog breeding...from worst to best

1)puppy farmer
2)commercial breeder
3)back yard breeder
4)breeder for show/ competition
5)breeder for show/competition who mostly does rescue and hardly breeds at all...

with varying shades in each band depending on animal welfare, how often bitches bred, health testing etc.

the majority of all puppies come from the first three bands. cross-breeders are unlikely to be in bands 4 and 5....members of breed clubs and all the other things that make someone really stand out as dog lovers rather than profiteers.

i would always direct prospective purchasers to breed-club rescue rep as first port of call for a puppy or adult dog anyway. or generic rescue if breed isn't an issue.

I think it sounds like miscengenation arguments - mixing the pure breeds causes much sucking of teeth.

I agree, most breeds were originally designer eg the Leonburger.

I don't care about pedigree etc, only health.

it causes sucking of teeth because the result has been a goldmine for puppy farmers with no interest in health.

in fact as rearing is such an important element of health, quite the opposite!

and, hully careful use of pedigrees is essential to breeding for health..you need proper records to get a 3 gen pedigree free from Addisons!

But if you have two healthy dogs from different breeds, thoroughly assessed etc and they mate, no health issues.

Puppy farming = Bad full stop.

I don't see how the two are automatically connected, especially as lots of puppy farmers breed pure breeds.

It's all getting v Harry Potter.

My dog is a Mudblood.

Flatbread that was my point. Bad breeding is bad breeding. Whether its pedigree or mutt.

I refuse to believe one is fundamentally better than the other.

Dogs began selectively breeding long before humans were involved and were probably much better than we were at providing temperaments that were adaptable to coexisting with humans. With the rare exception of a misadventure all dog breeding in the UK has come about of human intervention.

The boring comment really referred to people wanting an "interesting" or "different" dog. The op is being damn sensible by asking opinions of the owners before she commits. Too many people make bad decisions I have a huge amount of respect for people like the op who aren't prepared to rush headlong into a decision, even with the temptation of a gorgeous puppy so tantilisingly close.

I have no snobbery or preference over pedigree vs cross breed, but I can't abide people who think its easy to breed a decent dog just like that and there are still too many out there.

Whatever decision the op makes I hope it results in years of happiness.

I'm going to stick my neck on the line and say that IMO breeding to work is one very justifiable reason to breed but breed