Labradoodle or Goldendoodle?

[Kaitee and Orwell]

I want well thought-out responses. 

Go.

[Lynda Kamrath]

Hmmm.  I have had both and have to say that my preference is a goldendoodle.  The labradoodle was so smart, he was almost too smart.  And his hair was not as beautiful as the goldendoodle.  I also have an ALD and his size is much better.  Take a look at the photos on my page.  The brown dog is the labradoodle, and black/white is the goldendoodle and the small light brown is the ALD.  Your photo of the little guy with the white face looks like my ALD.

[Kaitee and Orwell]

See, I'm kind of drawn to my guy's intelligence. Even though it's scary, it's also amazing. He knows how to open doors with lever handles. My mother didn't believe me at first until she put him in the backyard while doing something in the garage and let himself in 15 seconds later. 

I love your ALD... I hope my Orwell retains his main black color with his silver markings and not lighten up too much. So far, so good-- his coat hasn't changed.  

[Lynda Kamrath]

Well, we had to change the levers on the doors into the laundry room, garage, workroom, and out of the workroom to the outdoors when our ALD got so accustomed to opening the doors that it was just stand up and push the handle down.  We changed them to knobs, more of an inconvenience for us when we have a basket of laundry or wood pieces, but at least it keeps the dogs in.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Happy, Healthy, Dogs!  Dont really care which one

Is this just a question or was there pic here I cant see?  I cant see a lot of the photos recently.

I dont ... really know what's going on in this discussion.

[Kaitee and Orwell]

Nope... no photos to see here. Just curious to see the thoughts and pull out the differences between the two in a fun way.

I just wanted to see a pancakes or waffles debate. :P

[Adina P]

Everyone likes what they've got :-)  Since they are a mixed breed it's hard to say one is 'better' because there is no standard way that they are.  Since the only difference between them is a golden retriever vs. labrador--I say go with which retriever you like better or what the best breeder you find has available...? 

I'm a labradoodle girl because I prefer the Disney dog, first generation looks.  But they are a rare thing among reputable breeders.  Most breeders no longer breed first generation labradoodles.

[Kaitee and Orwell]

I too like the earlier generations. I always wanted a scruffier dog... kind of rough around the edges. I definitely got scruffy looks, but so soft and fluffy which I love. I kind of fell into the decision to get a labradoodle (I was researching a lot of breeds for months after my dog died), but I would have gotten a labradoodle over a goldendoodle anyway. What you said is correct in my opinion-- pick the retriever you like best. I was given my yellow lab, Bonny, when I was seven and loved her to bits.

It was so easy to make the decision on Orwell... he came from my old English teacher who I've remained friends with. I just had to pick the right puppy. It was overwhelming at first because I had never done that before... Bonny was given to me as a gift (my parents picked her). It took me an hour to pick him out. When you have 9 puppies bombarding you, it is hard. But I found I took mental note of who came to me first. Orwell came to me first, licked my face, and proceeded in trying to cuddle himself into my legs which were in a criss-cross position. His brothers and sisters disturbed him, though. He tried another time and was unsuccessful so he settled in the grass in front of me and my fiancee. I made my decision then and got up to leave... when I closed the slider door I saw that he was the only one to follow me to the door and he looked at me with that stare he's got. That's when I knew for sure I made the right decision.

Wow... I rambled. Whoops.    

[Stephanie and Ragley]

I personally prefer goldendoodles, but I might be biased :) . I have (I say this with a HUGE *in general*) found goldendoodles to be a bit calmer, less mouthy, and with nicer coats. There is a specific coat, however, that you pretty much only see in the labradoodles (as I believe Adina is referring to). I don't think that labradoodles are necessarily smarter than golden doodles, though. My Ragley is incredibly intelligent and I know of more than a few labradoodle owners who claim that their doodles got the short end of the stick in the "smarts" department and vice versa. I think they are all mixed breed dogs and each is an individual, thus making it difficult to lump them all into a single category. Of the labradoodles I have seen, I do tend to prefer the look of the ALD better, but I'm definitely a goldendoodle girl :)

We have seen this debate many times here on DK and although subtle general differences may be able to be noted, I think it boils down to personal preference and which dogs of each category you have come in contact with that determines what your view of the breeds is. 

[Adina P]

I agree that there is a distinct difference in coats between early generation Labradoodles and goldendoodles.  Though there are some that could be hard to tell between, generally goldendoodles have thicker, longer fluffier coats if they are doodley.  Which makes sense since golden retrievers have very different coats from labradors.

First generation labradoodles are also more likely to shed.  Which doesn't bother me tremendously because it means they are easier to care for on the whole.  In general you either have to put up with shedding or lots of grooming.

[Kaitee and Orwell]

They would definitely be less mouthy. Labradors are some of the most mouthy puppies on the planet. They mellow out eventually, though. 

[jenn D]

Well I have 3 Labradoodles and 1 goldendoodle. I wish I could tell you which I prefer but for my guys they all are so similar. I guess by my tally I would say labradoodle but I honestly just never researched goldendoodles. As far as coat, my two ALD have very luxurious thick soft coats. I think by looks I prefer multi-gen regardless of GD or LD. My GD and my first ALD look an awful lot alike, they could be twins except the ALD coat feels a lot softer. I'd like to compare temperament but my GD has a sordid past so that isn't a good comparison. Sorry, not a lot of help. Lol! Can I just vote "doodle"?

[Kaitee and Orwell]

Yes, you may. (: