What is a Goldendoodle?

The Goldendoodle is a designer dog created by crossbreeding a Golden Retriever and a Poodle. First widely bred in the 1990s, they are bred in three different sizes—each corresponding to the size of Poodle used as a parent.

Goldendoodles often demonstrate Golden Retrievers' intuitive and human-oriented nature in addition to the intelligent personality and "allergy-friendly" coat of a Poodle.[1]

In the 1990s designer dog breeders in Australia and the United States (Ryan Harvey) started to widely cross Golden Retrievers and Poodles, adopting the term Goldendoodle to describe the cross.[2] The name Doodle is also used to describe this breed. The name Goldendoodle is derived from "Golden" (from Golden Retriever) and "Labradoodle" (itself a portmanteau of Labrador Retriever and a Poodle).[3][4] Deliberately breeding Poodles with Golden Retrievers actually preceded the 1990s. An example of this was done by Monica Dickens, the great-granddaughter of Charles Dickens, who crossed the two breeds in 1969.[5] The cross can result in a healthier animal than both parent breeds.[6][1][7]

The first litter of Mini Goldendoodles was created by Amy Lane of Fox Creek Farm in Berkeley Springs, WV. The litter arrived on 1/11/02 and consisted of 10 puppies.[citation needed] Two of these puppies were retained for future breeding and one of them produced the first litter of F1B Mini Goldendoodles. The term "Goldendoodle" was coined by Amy Lane.[citation needed] Amy Lane also created the first, and to this date, the only kennel club for Goldendoodles called the Goldendoodle Association of North America, Inc. This is a non-profit organization that guides the development of the Goldendoodle and also provides a registration service to document the lineage of Goldendoodles.[citation needed]

The original aim of the Goldendoodle's breeders was to produce an alternative to the popular Labradoodle.[3] Initially Goldendoodles were only bred from standard-sized Poodles, but designer breeders also started using small varieties of Poodles to create a smaller crossbreed.[2] As they are a hybrid cross, they are not recognized by the AKC or British Kennel Clubs. Goldendoodles have been developed beyond the F1 (Golden Retriever crossed with a Poodle) and are now available in deeper generations created by crossing two Goldendoodles. These are called multigenerational or multigen Goldendoodles.

A Goldendoodle is a crossbreed between a poodle and a golden retriever. Goldendoodles are so popular due to them being a hypoallergenic dog. Typically goldendooles have the personality of a Golden retriever and the hair and intelligent personality from a poodle.