Is the Goldendoodle Right for Me and My Family?

Is the Goldendoodle dog a good match for myself or my family? Many people seeking a family pet for the first time have many questions to ask themselves BEFORE considering a Goldendoodle. The first question is, can I afford to raise and own a Goldendoodle ? The second question would be, what is my lifestyle ? Many people do not take their lifestyle into consideration before adding a pet to their home.

Do you have time to spend with a Goldendoodle? Do you have time to devote to training your Goldendoodle? A Goldendoodle is a very family oriented, loving, affectionate and shaggy dog. They require YOUR time, patience, love, attention and your pocketbook. As a young puppy, the Goldendoodle does not require much coat maintenence, but as an adult, their coat will need to be groomed. One must take into consideration who is going to be the care taker of your new Goldendoodle, once it arrives at your home.

A young Goldendoodle puppy always seems to eating, sleeping, peeing and pooping. Will you have the time to dedicate to his or her well being ? Do you have the time to ensure he or she will have a routine so that he or she can become potty trained? Sure, the ideal dog is to purchase one that is already housebroken...already trained and knows commands...has an on and off switch....but that's not reality, that's a dream. A Goldendoodle can become lonely if left for long periods of time. One must take into consideration their demanding work schedule. Do you live close enough to home where you can drop by during lunch to check in on your Goldendoodle puppy ? Do you have time in the afternoons to take him or her for a walk?

Many people see a cute, cuddly dog and want one without taking into consideration many factors that will either make or break your ability to enjoy your new Goldendoodle. This lovely hybrid comes in a variety of sizes and their sizes are not dependent upon the sizes of their parents. This hybrid does not fall into size categories regardless of how many breeders will lie to you and tell you that they do. We've created the Goldendoodle since 1999 and are fully aware of the fact that regardless of the size of the Goldendoodle's parents, every sibling inside of a given litter will be a different size. When a Poodle is bred to a Golden Retriever, regardless of their size, a breeder has to take their entire lineage into consideration. Unfortunately for the breeder, unless they own the entire lineage, their dogs' pedigree is NOT going to tell you what size all of ancestors were as an adult. Thus, a breeder must rely on their own personal experience and feedback from their past customers.

Some parents want to purchase a Goldendoodle for their children but do not take into consideration that their child may not have been exposed to dogs, in general. The fact a young child has not been exposed to dogs will cause that very child to be timid around even a puppy, regardless of the breed. After all, everyone is fearful of something they may not have been exposed to. It's human nature to be wary of things we are not sure of. Perhaps you may want to expose your child to dogs for awhile before considering commiting to one. Do you have a fenced in yard ? If not, who will supervise your Goldendoodle's activities ? Perhaps your family is an active family who is always on the go. In this case, you will have to take into consideration of all the places you usally visit. Do they accept dogs ? Will this change or affect your routine ? A Goldendoodle should be a life long commitment. Not just a whim. If you have gone through all of the above considerations, perhaps the Goldendoodle dog is going to be right for you and your family. A Goldendoodle is a bright, intelligent, low shedding, happy canine who is demanding in attention, your affection and your love. A Goldendoodle is a dog who commands attention where ever they go, from those they meet along the way. They are their own celebrity in their own right. If you have considered a Goldendoodle for your next family pet, the next thing you'll have to consider is your budget. While it may be true that you can locate a Goldendoodle for under $500, one must be wary of breeders who have their prices set very low. The average price for a Goldendoodle is approx. $500. The reason you should be wary of breeders who charge less than $500 is because many Goldendoodle breeders who charge under $500 for a Goldendoodle, are the breeders pet stores obtain their Goldendoodle puppies from. A pet store scouts the United States for Goldendoodle breeders who will sell the entire litter for a mere $500 so that they do not incur any expenses in caring for the puppies, yet the pet store will then turn around and sell each puppy for as much as $2000 or more. A pet store is completely the inappropriate place to purchase your Goldendoodle. It is more than likely Goldendoodle breeders who charge under $500 for a puppy has never researched their breeding dogs' pedigree or spent much time or money on their created litters. Don't blame the pet store, blame the breeders who allow their puppies to be placed into the hands of pet store owners. This type of breeder is a commercial breeder who provides the entire litter to a pet store as soon as they are weaned from their mother. Many pet stores do not even know the history of the Goldendoodles they have in their stores, nor will they have the ability to share such information with the buyer.

You will want to purchase your Goldendoodle from a breeder who registers their litters with a kennel club, who is affiliated with a kennel club and who is an experienced Goldendoodle breeder. We began creating our Goldendoodles in 1999 and we began as a purebred Golden Retriever breeder in 1996. We have owned dogs all of our lives. My personal mentors, when I began as a breeder, was a show breeder with over 25 years of canine experience as well as my personal vet who had been a vet for 40 years or more and who unfortunately, passed away in April of 2006. I may as well have worked with him as a Vet Tech, because he taught me just as much as I would have learned had I gone to school to become one. We are now with another vet, but we definitely miss our original one, dearly. My knowledge and experience goes far beyond all the years of being taught by the very best, prior to becoming a professional, private breeder. So I bring to the table, as a Goldendoodle breeder, much more than the average breeder.

You will want to purchase your puppy from a very experienced Goldendoodle breeder so that they can tell you everything you need to know about the new hybrid you are taking home with you. Before becoming a breeder, I was not aware that so many people have never owned a dog before. An experienced breeder will not mind sharing with you, what they know, to help you become a successful Goldendoodle owner. Many Goldendoodle breeders are new to this hybrid and place erroneous information upon their websites or in their advertisements and unfortunately for those on a doodle quest, many doodle breeders who are inexperienced, piggy back on the other breeders who post inaccurate information about this terrific hybrid. This makes it very difficult for those who are new to the Goldendoodle, at trying to figure out what is accurate and what is not.

Many use canine testing as their reasons for commanding very high prices, yet won't provide their buyers a lifetime guarantee even though they will tell you that they sell "healthy, genetically defective free" Goldendoodle puppies. Many Goldendoodle breeders have average prices...don't test...yet, are very experienced, good breeders. Because there are quite a few Goldendoodle breeders who are backbreeding, inbreeding and linebreeding their Goldendoodles, it is very important that you purchase only a first generation Goldendoodle. A first generation Goldendoodle means that they do not have closely related parents or they have parents who are not related at all. Any breeder that tells you a multi-generation Goldendoodle is a non-shedding, hypoallergenic dog and is a much healthier, better doodle than a first generation Goldendoodle is telling you a lie. A Goldendoodle will shed very little and have a coat that will still require some coat maintenence, regardless of whether they are first generation or multi generation. Every Goldendoodle, regardless of generation, will have a very soft shaggy coat (unless it has been backbred to a Golden Retriever); every Goldendoodle will work out for those with mild allergies (unless it has been backbred to a Golden Retriever); every Goldendoodle will go through various coat phases and changes and every Goldendoodle will at some point in time, require coat maintenence...as all dogs do. Many Goldendoodle breeders will lie to you and tell you that a "Miniature Goldendoodle" is a dog that will range from 35-50 pounds. By kennel size standards, a Miniature sized dog does NOT exceed 25 pounds in genetic body weight. There is nothing "Miniature" about a dog of any breed, that exceeds 25 pounds in genetic body weight. Goldendoodles can weigh from 9 pounds to 150 pounds! Experienced Goldendoodle breeders can determine the sizes of their Goldendoodles much easier than an inexperienced Goldendoodle breeder, by using their past experience as well as past customer feedback. If you have to have a Goldendoodle that will be a particular size as an adult and are a stickler for size, the Goldendoodle may not be right for you. Unless you are willing to purchase a Goldendoodle puppy who is 6 months or older, you will have to rely on the Goldendoodle breeder's experience if you must have a Goldendoodle who is one size or another. Even then, it is only a "guesstimate" and not something a breeder can guarantee. Goldendoodles are hybrid dogs and can sometimes even fool the most experienced breeder, when it comes to size. So, if you are on a doodle quest, you have your work cut out for you. As far as the Goldendoodle dog is concerned, if you don't own one, you haven't ever owned the ultimate family dog! They are over all, fantastic dogs who are eager to please and always ready to be your friend.

2007-all rights reserved. Author/breeder- Dee Gerrish of Goldendoodle World