Designer dogs are all the rage, and the “Doodle” is one of the most popular. The “Labradoodle” is a cross between a Labrador Retriever and a Standard Poodle, While the Goldendoodle is a cross between a Golden Retriever and a Standard Poodle. The Doodle makes a great family dog, they usually don’t shed (but not always!), and are usually easy to train.
So, what the heck is a Miniature Goldendoodle? Have some breeders actually crossed a Golden Retriever (large dog) with a small or Toy Poodle (little dog) ?
Why yes they did!!
Read on…
Why Choose A Designer Dog?
A designer dog is a cross between two “purebred” dogs, or between a purebred dog and a designer dog, say a Golden Retriever and a Goldendoodle.While many people will say these designer dogs are not breeds at all, and according to AKC they’re not, they make great dogs without many of the genetic problems of their purebred parents.
Here’s the thing…breeders of purebred dogs are held to strict standards of what can be bred and what can’t, and the end result is quite a few purebreeds with “thin” lines. There is also a problem with many breeders breeding too close, ie. a male with a daughter, neice,grand-daughter, etc. There’s a reason this is discouraged in the human species, and it holds true in the dog world too. When the available pool of breeding pairs is thin, then all kinds of genetic problems creep up, and these are passed down from generation to generation.
And so, the designer dog was born!
Miniature Goldendoodle- A Doodle In A Small Package
As we mentioned above, a Miniature Goldendoodle is usually the result of breeding a Golden Retriever with a Small Poodle. If you are not familiar with these two breeds, you can click the links below to learn more about them:
What Will My Miniature Goldendoodle Look Like?
Determining the eventual size, weight, and hair type of a Miniature Goldendoodle when they are puppies can be tough, as they can vary wildly from litter to litter, and even litter mates can turn out quite differently. AKC (American Kennel Club) defines a “Miniature” as a dog weighing 25 pounds or less, and 15 inches or less in height at the withers (the highest point of the shoulder).
While you can be pretty sure that a miniature wont be the size of a regular doodle, the retriever genes seem to dominate sometimes and you could end up with a dog in the 30 pound range, and/or with long legs and therefore much taller than 15 inches. Then again, some miniature goldendoodles will end up in the 15 to 20 pound range and not even close to 15 inches in height.
About the only thing you can be sure of is that the Miniature Doodle will more than likely be smaller than the average Standard Doodle.
As far as Miniature Goldendoodle hair goes, well that can vary wildly too. A Goldendoodle’s coat can range from fine and barely wavey, to thick and curly. On the latter, the curls are usually “loose”, and we have yet to see a Goldendoodle with tight, poodle-like curls.
