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I am considering a 1 year old medium sized golden doodle. Anyone have one? Or have had any experience with them?

I am used to smaller dogs, so I’m hoping to ease my nerves about having a bigger dog. They tell me that she is one year old and weighs 39 pounds.

She is so cute… Looks like a doofus! Her name is "Iridessa". Yep, that’ll have to change. Although I guess it’s pretty bad to change the name on a puppy after she’s already a year old.

I’m getting her to run and play and chase and exercise in the backyard with my border collie/beagle mix.
I wish I knew how to post pictures, and I would show you a picture of her.

I have had three different doodle dog breeds and the golden was my best boy. He was supposed to weigh 50 pounds but topped out slightly overweight at 90 pounds. But by one year old you should have the bulk of the growth done and she shouldn’t get much bigger. They are goofy, funny, sweet, full of energy and so smart and easily trained. They are great guard dogs too.

Ours was only a people person, and only his people. He did not like strangers to approach him and would snarl and snap from fear, which is very hard with an adorable teddy bear pup everyone wants to pet. He did not like other dogs unless they were doodles, and then all they did was wrestle and run around in circles. Ours was also headstrong, incredibly food motivated and tough on a leash until we got a gentle leader that went over the nose. He was always ready to go anywhere we went and loved an adventure. We took him camping, flying, boating and hiking all over the place and he was a great travel dog. He had some issues with separation, a pretty common doodle trait. Boarding him broke my heart, and I rarely did it. They love their people.

We only had one dog at a time, until now, so hopefully yours will form a happy pack like my new fur babies are. We lost our boy over a year ago. I still miss him terribly. He lived a long, happy loving life and he probably saved my sanity and was my very best friend through tough times. If you get this dog, I’m sure you are going to love her like a child, and gain tons of snuggles and laughs. Best of luck with your decision.

[This message edited by whatisloveanyway at 10:11 PM, Thursday, March 7th]

My sister had a pair of goldiedoodles. One passed last year from a cancer at 10. The other has broken the bank she has blown out both knees on her back legs. She is currently recovering from second surgery.
They also are goofy. Sweet funny but not the brightest bulbs.
The problem with doodles right now they became extremely popular and were bred with abandon and many have health issues, which is unusual for a mutt.
My besties dtr is a vet tech and honestly is not a fan.

Yes to what tushnurse said, the breeder and stock make a big difference. None of our doodle mixes had any joint issues like our labs did. As to being smart, I forgot to mention my golden was 25% golden and 75% poodle, so maybe he was on the brighter side due to the poodle influence. My H is a big fan due to shedding issues, but the 50/50 breeds do shed a bit. I also neglected to mention that grooming and especially matting is an issue. If the fur gets too matted a full shave is the only option, so stay ahead of it if you take the plunge.

[This message edited by whatisloveanyway at 10:12 PM, Thursday, March 7th]

Thanks for this information. A little depressing, but good to know the good and not so good.

I'm a purebred snob, so maybe you won't like my opinion but I also have the experience of seeing many of these mutts in my club's obedience classes and they were all idiots. I mean, I hate to point the finger at the dogs because obviously it's the other end of the leash who should be the smart one and maybe they all just happened to be owned by people who didn't have a clue but they all seemed to just be out of control and barely learned anything in ten weeks of classes. Of course, maybe their owners didn't work them or were just poor, ineffective trainers.

I do not buy that mixed breeds are healthier just by being mixed breeds. That makes no sense. The puppies could possibly inherit any/all of each of the breed's common health problems. Overall, they are bred by people who want to make something "cute" (in their opinion) and make money. They do very little, if anything, by way of actual health testing for inherited disorders that can possibly be passed on.

I support breeders who are breeding for structure, conformation to the breed standard, health, temperament, longevity, working ability. I support breeders who prove these things before breeding, and who also support their puppy owners and take back any of their puppies who can't be kept for whatever reason. Mutts can be cute and I'm not against rescuing one from a legitimate rescue or pound. I would never pay their "breeder" for producing them, and I wouldn't pay an owner for one. Sorry, it's my soapbox.

Our local funeral home used to have a pair of brother and sister Goldendoodles - for comfort. They were WONDERFUL! During family visitation time prior to the funeral, they would slowly walk around and comfort people and everyone loved them. They belonged to one of the funeral employees and when she left, the doggies went with her and they are MISSED. It's a small town funeral home and became known for the Goldendoodles.

When my two small doggies cross over, I would consider getting one. I know they DO love their people - and yours will love you.

Thanks for all of this input. Y’all are so helpful.

I do want to clarify my situation. I have the upmost respect for people who are pure breed aficionados. Who spend the time and the energy like some of you with your fine purebred dogs…

I myself have had purebred miniature dachshunds most of my life. But in my case, my interest in a purebred is specifically for personality, appearance. And for my purpose, I want their personality and their appearance to be warm and friendly and funny and social. Added to those attributes, those of you with work/show babies are also concerned with sharp obedience, focus, intelligence, work ethic, etc. It has never been for their work ethic for me. Not because I don’t fully respect it, but because that’s just not my thing. We don’t hunt, we don’t work a farm. Etc. My interest in a dog is purely for the emotional connection and the joy of companionship.

As much as you folks who work so diligently with your purebred dogs respect/require obedience and intelligence, the "doofus" factor of some dogs and some breeds is an attraction for me. 🤪 I love it when my dogs act goofy and silly. I don’t mind that they don’t get obedience commands like they should. More importantly to me is that they are well behaved around people and other dogs. That they are impishly happy. So I guess I’m saying that the input about them not being the brightest bulb in an obedience class is not a deterrent for me.

I am wanting another family member who interacts well with my other fur babies, and who does a fairly good job of being willing to obey, and behave respectfully in the home. I also want a baby that will come to me and love on me… Being attuned to my needs. My niece runs a hospice facility, and she has told me that they have several therapy dogs that come and walk the halls and visit those who would welcome them. She says they are also a lifesaver some days for the staff struggling with hard situations. To be a therapy dog is a goal for whatever dog I get. It was what my Maggie and I were about to get started with. I guess that’s the outer limit of when obedience would be crucial for me.

The people I have spoken to and what I’ve read online… Which is not always accurate, I know… Have said that the poodle part of a golden doodle adds intelligence to the mix, and the golden adds the Love and compassion and camaraderie. And supposedly they love other dogs and children. I guess these are the reasons I’ve been drawn to the mix.

But I totally appreciate you all letting me know everything you know about goldendoodles. I want to be well informed before I choose whether or not to step into it.

Can you get a wisdom and have it run on the possible new one. They check for a bunch of genetic issues and proneness to them.
Just an idea. My dtr has a heinz 57 and she is an awesome dog and her wisdom was clear of all possible diseases that they check for.
It does take a couple weeks to get results but just a thought.
The no shedding is a great aspect of this breed. As someone with 2 labs the shedding is a lot. Esp when spring arrives.

My brother has a golden doodle and Skippy is the best boy. But the grooming costs them a fortune, and it has to be done very regularly. They went to a breeder, who apparently was well vetted, but I can’t confirm that. I am biased because of Skippy, and that I grew up with poodles, but I would suggest fostering that dog and seeing how it goes. (My other brother has a cavalier spaniel/poodle mix, so you can see that we are a poodle family)

WhatsRight, I feel like what I most want from my dog is the exact same as what you want! My problem is that I want those qualities in one of the popular working dog breeds known to be very intelligent but strong-minded - if not stubborn (the higher drive ones especially)!

So we're pretty much forced to do the training we are doing now, or have our lives turned upside down by an 80 pound tyrant! A sweet and loveable one, but one who wants HIS way, when HE wants it, and gets jealous of the 10 year old dog for her freedom in the house that we cannot yet trust him with! She was 5 years old before we could leave her loose in the house without destruction. Think sofa cushions ripped to shreds, eating the legs off your coffee table, etc., scratching your antiques with teeth or toenails, damaging the hardwood flooring with rampaging toenails as they would like to gallop through the house...my friend with an older pitbull cannot believe we need to keep him in a crate.

(Mink's going to be 1 year old on Monday, y'all!! But they say we aren't out of the woods with his teenage stage for another 6 months....groan). Currently he is using his barks to order us about. It's hard to know when to ignore his explosive barking and jumping around in his crate like a manic monkey, versus when he's screaming to get outside to potty. Shepherds refuse to mess in their house and he gets very vocal about that bladder high water alarm! Or he barks to say it's play time, and I take him out to the fenced yard and play ball for a while because he doesn't want to play alone....so cute. But time consuming. Or he barks because he thinks Missy is still in the kitchen with us so she must be having dessert (she isn't). He thinks too much!

I believe our boy could go far in his Schutzhund sport like his parents did but I'm not really interested in doing that. I also can see him becoming a certified therapy dog since he is such a people magnet. To do that, the first step is to earn the AKC Canine Good Citizen, which is what our trainer is working on right now with us.

A good book you might like to read is Purely Positive Training by Sheila Booth. She does start by saying we need to know why we want a dog. I'm hoping it will help me do a better job figuring out how to have what I want and not frustrate my Superboy.

I have enjoyed re-reading yawls responses on this thread. It occurs to me that I might not have made a couple of things clear.

I’m not getting, or CONSIDERING getting Miss Iridessa from an owner/breeder. And I wouldn’t be able to foster her, because I am getting her from a rescue, and she is currently with a foster family.

(Tush, either your Siri didn’t translate properly, or I am just ignorant with this topic…but I don’t know what the "wisdom" your post referred to. Maybe some kind of genetic testing? Also, some day I would LOVE to know what "dtr" means.)

I don’t want to freak any of you all out, but I noticed that there is a lot of talk regarding "crates". I have to admit that I have no memory of ever living without a dog…maybe when I was in college at the turn of the century! But, I have never owned a create…much less put a dog in one. I know people feel it is prudent and recommended, if not a necessary thing to do, and I’m not implying that those who use crates are any less loving, etc…but I am not that disciplined. I want them to be with me, sleep with me, etc. But then again, I have always - With the exception of my mini dachshunds – had "mutts" and got them from rescues or friends.

Oh, and I meant to respond to someone who was referring to costs surrounding grooming a golden doodle. I read that online as well, and I did a little bit of digging into it. Turns out, that obviously, the tighter the curls, are the bigger deal with grooming. I have seen pictures of Mrs. Iridessa, and she has straighter, more wiry looking textured hair than the super curly that is true of purebred poodles. That article I was reading said that in the event of straighter more wiry hair than the tight curls, grooming might be every 2 to 3 months… But that is if and only if I brush her every day.

I had a Bichon Frese once and I had the groomer give her a close "puppy" cut… same length all over. She looked cute, and it most definitely saved me a lot of time and money from all the brushing/grooming.

I sent in an inquiry regarding Miss Iridessa, and they got back in touch and told me to fill out the application on their website. So I’m going to take the plunge and do that this weekend. But before I send it to them, I must make sure that every “T” is crossed and every “I” is dotted with the vet, because I know that this particular rescue, most of them really, check with the vets in order to feel confident that I take good care of my dogs. So I guess Monday I make sure every little thing is complete with all of them - I think I may have missed a notification in the middle of all of the surgery stuff - and then I will send off the application… And then we wait…fingers crossed. 🤞🏼

[This message edited by WhatsRight at 4:57 AM, Saturday, March 9th]

My goldendoodle is almost 11 with no health issues. He has done all levels of obedience, as well as passed the therapy dog test. He is the best boy in the world. With that being said, they are a lot of work. The grooming can be expensive. Some of them do shed, but if they don't shed, they for sure will matt if you don't keep up with their hair. I have two doodles. I spend more on grooming and hair products than I ever have on myself in my life lol. They do need lots of exercise and stimulation typically although I have heard some are lazy (not mine haha)

Reading your last post, my goldendoodle is not super curly, but he still needs to be groomed every six to eight weeks, even with constant brushing. Their hair grows a lot.

I also don't crate my dogs. Crating is actually a fairly new thing, and it's really up to the individual and the dog itself. Some dogs will do fine left alone and others will destroy things, it is good if they at least get some crate training (I learned this the hard way)

My goldendoodle loses his mind if he has to go in a crate and that can be difficult when they go to the vet.

As long as you know all the downsides, doodles are the sweetest goofiest dogs and will keep you laughing all day long :)

If my baby hadn't been okay in his crate at 10 weeks of age when I imported him, he would have perished on the 11 hour flight to Washington D.C. from Istanbul, Turkey. I was worried sick about that beforehand, and emailed his breeder to find out if and when she'd introduce him to a crate, so that his first time in it would be at his home place. She didn't reply, but her shipping agent did. I was told the pup was doing fine and spent a night with the shipper, both in and out of his crate. The shipper emailed me photos of him playing with a tug toy on a rug and assured me he would not have to stay in his shipping crate while being held overnight at the Istanbul cargo facility. I almost backed out of the whole process worrying about that, if any of you recall.

I guess crates can be looked at as a necessary evil, but many dogs love to have their own bed. With our older girl, we leave the door open and she comes and goes all day. We use the largest wire crates sold, 30 inches wide by 4 feet long. When we travel in the truck, the pup is in his crate. She graduated to a floor mat behind the driver in our crew cab truck.

Oh please don’t misunderstand me… I’m not criticizing "creating" at all. I have just never done it.

Superesse, I remember you struggling with what to do about your new puppy and I specifically remember your worries about his overnight stay on the way to you. I have a family member who has a crate for their dog. The dog absolutely loves it. When our family goes to their home en mass to celebrate an occasion, that pup goes to his crate happily! That might be more of a commentary on my family than on crates.

Thanks for the info about your golden, nomudnolotus. It’s always good to know that kind of stuff up front. I am old and on a fixed income, so I’m going to be sure and speak with Miss Iridessa’s foster mom and find out the grooming situation with her. (The dog, not the foster mom!) 😂

As I get closer to making a formal application, I start to wonder about all kinds of things. I have never adopted/purchased a dog that was not a puppy. She is just now turning one year old. So when I meet her the first time - before deciding whether or not sure to bring her into our family - I need to remember that much about her will already be "set". I won’t worry at all about whether or not we will love her like crazy, because that is the way we have felt about every dog we have ever adopted. But I will wonder about how much she likes us. And how she will fit into our big menagerie. And mostly, I will be very concerned about how sad she will be to leave her foster family. I can’t imagine what she will be thinking if and when that happens.

One thing that I know that she will love about us is April… Our beagle/border collie mix. Every morning when we wake up, April comes to my side and stands on her back legs and just stares into my face. That’s her signal that she wants to "go outside". And when I ask her, "Do you wanna go outside?" she gets so hyped up and she runs to the other two dogs that sleep with us and kisses them and tries to get them fired up about going out. Sometimes Freckles (the jack Russell pug mix) will go out with her nonchalantly. But our geriatric angel, Jackie Chan, isn’t having it. April gives up and just goes out by herself. She runs (and sometimes catches ☹️ rabbits and squirrels for a little bit, but never gets the level of fast and furious play that she wants…Maggie May provided that for her.

Hey, y’all tell me what you think about this. Do you know whether it is a "thing" that my current dogs can come with me to meet Miss Iridessa at her foster home? Whenever we add a puppy to our home, it has never really been a question whether or not the new puppy would merge into our family nicely. But for a one year old dog, I wonder if seeing her with my pups from home could give me some input into how she would enjoy living with us?

Hey WR, thanks for that. I thought you'd remember. I know you are still not over Maggie Mae, and to tell it like it is, I'm really not over Mr. K, either.

So to your last question, I think it's true that we can never tell how a group of dogs may get along...or predict when things between them might change. It's easier with a puppy but even then, they have their own temperaments.

You have to give up the fantasy of what your old dog would have been like in any situation, or else you will frequently find yourself wistfully thinking - like I find myself so often doing with Mink - "Oh (sniff) why can't this dog be a little more like my dear old doggo?"

Of course, we were so blessed to have owned a really legendary dog, so I realize very few other canines could obtain his status in my heart. He was like the wisest old wolf dog, with an incredible understanding of humans and how to get whatever he wanted while charming everybody into granting his sweet requests. Requests like: allowing him to perch his chest on the console of the front seats so he could lean his head against his Daddy to see how to drive the truck, even offering to help steer the truck as we'd get closer to some place over 100 miles from home that he had only been to once, years ago...so much stuff a dog shouldn't care about...but he did. Because we were his pack!

So my puppy has a long way to go, but I have to love the dog in front of me. Even when he is a brat! And I have to be open to the love he shows me...

Be prepared to do things differently to make it work. There is a concept called a "2 week shutdown" used with rescue dogs, but others can say more about that. It is wise to run the scenarios in your mind. Maybe have the foster woman agree to meet you at a parking lot somewhere neutral and have a meet and greet? I don't know! Are you committed to this?

Wisdom is a DNA swab test. Rinse about $80-$100 depending on where you purchase it from.
Crating is essential for a dog that likes to chew and eat. So I have crate trained every dog I have had except my first Golden,and my Dane as she lost her freaking mind. My dtrs rescue is not cratable she loses her mind.
For my dogs the crates are their safe quiet places. They nap in them get away from the grandbaby, and go in them when we leave the house.
If you are never gone long and have a neat home or a room for the doodle to go in where she can't chew up anything or get to food on counters then a crate may not be necessary however I do believe it is a good thing for any dog to be trained in you never know what's going to happen tornados house fires unexpected travel etc. Having a dog comfortable with Crating can save their lives and make things easier for you in those situations.

I taught my sister how to groom her doodles and she does it on her own. Paws and ears are important to keep the fur put to prevent sores and infections. A good set of clippers and you are good. It's not difficult just time consuming

Yes, and I thank you responsible owners for doing the training on your robust strong dogs that could possibly cause an unintentional harm otherwise.

I too am wanting to do the good citizen training, and when I look into the eyes of Miss Iridessa, I think what a good Companion, compassionate therapy dog she could be at my nieces hospice unit.

WhatsRight, I groom both my doodles and my daughter's mini poodle. I took a one day learn to groom your own dog course. I've gotten pretty good at it I must say, but if you don't care that they look professionally groomed all you really need is a pair of clippers, a good brush and a table. So the grooming only has to be as expensive as you decide.

Further to that, you can take her in once every three months for a complete short shave down and it will be less costly.

It's all in what you want for the dog.

I keep all mine fairly short in the body, because we are very active, hiking and out in the mud and snow a lot and the two doodles play hard, so it's just not practical to have long flowing dood hair.

I do keep their faces more doodley because I like the beards and the puffy round heads :)