Does anyone own a Labradoodle or Goldendoodle?

[samedaydifferent]

We have sadly lost our beloved cockapoo last year.
We feel that we are just about ready for a new dog to join our household and have been discussing breeds.

We are curious about labradoodles and goldendoodles. In part because of their hypoallergenic aspect as my lovely FIL (who will visit a lot more once this pandemic eases) is allergic to dogs but has been managing great with our cockapoo and we want to minimise any potential reactions. Also because we've met a Labradoodle on our walks and they seem lovely and our DCs were great with it.

We are moving to a larger house with a big garden and are semi rural so plenty of walking routes and it's our main activity. I also WFH PT and will do the majority of the time for the foreseeable future (unrelated to covid).

We are considering a F1b or a F2 standard Labradoodle puppy (higher chance of the hypoallergenic / non shedding gene) but want to do thorough research before we make a jump to a larger dog.
I grew up with large dogs but they were always farm dogs for "guarding" purposes and lived outside - which is not what we are planning to do.
Apart from that we've always had smaller indoor breeds.

Could anyone who owns or is knowledgable about these breeds and could maybe give us a bit of insight into owning one of these dogs?

We have an F1 labradoodle pup at the moment. He is straight haired so not hypoallergenic (but easier to groom!). He isn't full size yet but will probably be a bit smaller than an average lab.

I've had springers in the past and my labradoodle is a breeze in comparison. Might just be his personality. Very laid back, friendly with everyone, food motivated (like all labs) so easy to train, great recall, (bit lazy so we will need to make sure he gets his walks in).

Despite the puppy zoomies and biting, he is still way more chill than pups of a similar age and has been pretty bomb proof around children, cats, people in general.

I don't think size will make much difference in terms of being indoors, walking etc. Our neighbours have a great big Golden Retriever and he is so well behaved and majestic.

@samedaydifferent honestly get a standard poodle it definitely won't shed, they are working dogs ( German gundogs) and trainable.
I have one he is honestly the best dog.

We have a mini poodle/small lab cross. He is amazing! Definitely not non shedding though. He is very family orientated, mainly chilled but like two decent walks a day. Excellent with children, off lead and ready to train. He is actually the perfect dog. Fully grown his shoulder reaches just below my knee.

I don't have one personally but a relative does and we know quite a few more - they are nice friendly dogs but definitely BIG and a lot to handle - I know that sounds obvious but the combination of the 'chunk' of the lab, the height, intelligence and bounciness of the poodle and the general high energy levels of both breeds means that personally (and based only on the examples I know) I think I'd find one too much. We have spaniels so used to dogs that need plenty of exercise and mental stimulation but the labradoodles I've known seem to be on another level - relative takes his cycling and long distance running every day (not just long walks at the weekend) plus does 'brain' training, agility, obedience training etc and the dog is still quite hyper and OTT at times, and obviously with his size (he's a big dog) this needs really careful managing as what's cute in a small/medium breed, e.g. jumping up, can be really quite dangerous in a dog of his size, he's nearly bowled me over a few times and if he did it to an elderly or nervous person it could have bad consequences. And although he LOVES children he does need to be supervised around them because he can get over excited and again, too much, and start nipping or playing too rough quite quickly, not from any malice but he just doesn't seem to have an off switch the way other dogs do and again his size can make this a bit scary. He seems to be settling a bit but he's 3 now, his 'adolescence' between about 12 months and 2.5 years was the worst time and it seemed to go on for ages!

Maybe my relative's is a bad example or just badly trained (relative works hard at it now but I don't think he knew fully what to expect when he was a puppy) and I'm sure there are more chilled out ones out there but unless you specifically want a very large, very energetic dog would you not stick with what you know works for your family already? A young cocker spaniel or a purebred poodle or a medium size mix breed should keep up perfectly well with all normal energetic family activities including lots of walking, my middle aged spaniels will happily walk zoom around all day and still be up for more, but the crucial thing is they don't need that level of exercise every single day to stop them going mad.

I'm not clued up on the genetics of the non shedding thing (and isn't it the dander/saliva people tend to be allergic too, not the hair per se?) but I'm sure it's not guaranteed even in an F1 cross - plus while I'm not as vehemently 'anti-poo' as some on here it is difficult to find a reputable breeder of a mixed breed as they're so fashionable and prices are so high esp since lockdown, the temptation to make a quick buck is so high there's loads of poor breeding going on...

@Lonecatwithkitten He is beautiful! I want a mini poodle. Would get a standard but we have a greyhound already and don't have room for two big dogs!

If you need a dog that doesn't shed, why not just get a poodle?

I have a 4 year old GoldenDoodle.
I adopted her from a home where she was left alone all day with an un-neutered working cocker. She'd had 2 litters by the time I got her.
(she is now neutered and the spaniel has another home now too).
She has some bad habits (poor recall off lead, jumping up, stealing food) but is the loveliest dog. Gentle, affectionate, very cuddly, also great to take out as she is very high energy & adores her off lead time.

My previous dog was (also a rescue) Basset. It's some change of pace, that's for sure!

I'm in the get a poodle camp.

If it is the shedding that's an issue then I'd repeat what others say and just get a poodle. They don't have to have silly cuts and the very few actual poodles I've seen (standard) are lovely and move beautifully.

I have a 9 month old standard labradoodle and she is the perfect dog. She's very chilled at home, lots of energetic fun on walks. Loves everyone and everything, VERY food motivated but that works well for training. She is an absolute dream with children although the early months were tough on my kids ankles 😂 we're through that now and they are all the best of friends.
If you want to have a better chance of non shedding you would need to choose one of the wavier coated pups and probably F1b as that would be 75% poodle. Mine sheds but not to labrador levels. IME the girls are a bit less boisterous than the boys, but that probably also goes for most pups. Poodles are also lovely and probably worth looking at although can be a bit bigger but the size can really vary. Mine will probably end up lab size not poodle height but some do get very big and as a pp said above, those poodle legs with the bulk of a lab can make for a BIG adult dog! Good luck with your search, hope you find the perfect dog for your family.

No dog is hypoallergenic.

There is also no guarantee that any poodle mix will not shed.

I'm with almost everyone else on here. Get a poodle. Will definitely not shed.

I have a mini poodle and he's a fantastic dog. Not a hair is to be found, even if he sits on my knee when I'm wearing black (he's apricot and very light).

He doesn't need to look fancy. Mine just has a short clip all over. That way even his grooming needs are tiny. He's brushed a couple of times a fortnight. Never matted.

My relative has a goldendoodle - sadly whilst I think it's a nice enough nature it's become a complete nightmare dog - they got it because it's the designer dog of the moment and I don't think they thought it through for their circumstances eg amount of exercising / training it would need to be manageable. It's also very licky and jumps up constantly pulls on lead (this is their fault not the dogs!!) - they can't take it anywhere that's busy as it barks so much and it chases everything including vehicles. I'm sure this is just a bad example and probably a lot due to lack of proper training - just letting you know as this dog def was not easy for them to train and they have had smaller more manageable dogs in the past!!!

There are so many breeds out there that don't shed hair - so would just do your research on other breeds too

Pure standard or miniature poodle would work best for you, IMO.

There are other breeds which are non shedding. We have a SWD which doesn't shed. Don't think the PWD sheds either. They are quite full on dogs tho IMO which require quite a lot of input but very rewarding family pets.
Ours is bigger than a spaniel but smaller than a lab. Enjoy physical and mental stimulation but not hyper ime.
Might be worthwhile looking into?

WoW @MissShapesMissStakes
your lovely boy looks almost exactly like my goldendoodle rescue.
She must have a lot of poodle in her I think
she also doesnt shed until she really needs an all over clip (about once every 3 months she grows a fleece 3" deep so I pay £30 to have it shorn)

Another vote for a standard poodle here , if you want a big dog. Guaranteed no shedding, really smart so pick things up very quickly, energetic, funny, great if you fancied trying agility or similar, will walk for as long as you do. They do need regular grooming but they tend to be very healthy, long-lived dogs, as there is far less demand for pure poodles than all the poodle crosses, and therefore no incentive for backyard breeders and puppy farms to churn them out.

If you do go for doodle, go for a f1b, not an f2. As you correctly identified f1bs are less likely to shed, but f2s are more likely to, unless it’s an f2b.

2 x goldendoodle and 1 x Standard poodle

All huge. Massive gangly giraffe dogs
None shed
Highly allergic sister has no issues
Grooming can be expensive, I have them shaved closed all over.
Seem calmer than any labradoodles I’ve come across
Lovely temperaments.
Love their walks and agility but also love a cuddle

My standard constantly has ear infections, but I might just have been unlucky with her.

I much prefer the look of my goldendoodles, I love my standard but she is quite an ugly looking dog actually.

I'm in the just get a poodle camp ⛺️

I'm not anti cross breeds like you sometimes see on here but in your circumstances I don't see why you wouldn't just get a poodle. Met two gorgeous standard poodles in the woods yesterday, really lovely dogs, they don't need crossing!

There's one over the road from us and he's a right handful (might just be down to their poor training though!) he's big, strong and runs round the house jumping up the windows barking at everything that moves.

Aww they're gorgeous @Lonecatwithkitten and @MissShapesMissStakes .

What are poodle temperaments like?
Our cockapoo was completely child proof but obviously I'm aware that might not be the case this time round.

Any advice?

Labradoodle usually means the appetite of a lab with the brains of a poodle to satisfy it - not necessarily a good combination when there is a whole sirloin on the kitchen table.... (BF was not happy with her naughty boy that day).

Guy down the road has a standard poodle and it is incredibly chilled with all the local children going up to say hello.

Poodles are sensitive and intelligent. Mine is very loving and friendly with people and loves to play.

Sorry crap photo here are some others