Labradoodle or Goldendoodle?

[Kaitee and Orwell]

I want well thought-out responses. 

Go.

[Joyce (Casey & Cody's mom)]

I have 2 Goldendoodles (litter mate brothers). My next door neighbor has a labradoodle. They are all best buds. Of the 3, I would say that the labradoodle has the best coat. The sweetest, most lovable is one of my boys, and the smartest is my other boy. They are all WONDERFUL and any of the 3 are exceptional does, but my comments are strictly for comparison among the 3. My "cuddler" looks and acts more like the personality of a golden retriever, while my "smarter" guy looks like and has the personality of a standard poodle. The labradoodle next door, has the personality of the Labrador. Since all 3 of them are ¾ poodle and ¼ either golden or lab, this echos what others have said ---- when you have a dog with different breeds, it may be a grab-bag of personality traits. But then again, I also have 4 wire-hair dachshunds. All pure breed and their personalities are totally different ----as were the personalities, hair color and eye color of all 4 of my children! I'm sure that you will love which ever one you get. They are all GREAT.

[Kaitee and Orwell]

My guy is more poodley too... he is 5/8 poodle and certainly shows it in his brain. However, when I first met him he was a cuddle bug. Now that he is in the toddler stage he is more rambunctious but still shows affection sometimes. Once he's out of the woods with teething and other things I think he will return to being more cuddly. 

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

Hmmm, I think all doodles are really special dogs. Maybe it's the poodle:) I researched GD's, ALD's, and FIrst Generation Labradoodles when looking for a pup and visited different breeders. It was confusing to say the least. I was leaning towards a GD when a breeder sent me FInn's picture and I took one look and said, "that's my doodle" and wound up with an ALD -- that everyone thinks is a small GD ha!  My anecdotal experience is:

My ALD is scary smart, intuitive, strongly bonded, loves people, but can be insanely stubborn at times.  He seems to stress easier than his adult GD friends who are more inclined to go with the flow. He's really tuned in to everything around him.  

When it comes to ALDs, I love the standards and the mediums best.  Some of the minis are too high strung for me -- but wait, I'd take a pup like Jilly or Charlotte in a heartbeat :)  I haven't found much of a difference between standard and mini GD's.

It's easier to predict what an ALD or multi-gen will look like but I think the GDs- shaggy, curly or flat- are gorgeous.

The GD's I've known have been stronger and more rambunctious as pups than my ALD but calmer, sweet and "less complicated" as adults.  GO figure :) Most that I know are therapy dogs so that may influence my POV.

Our office dog is a first generation LD.  He's huge, strong, with a wiry shedding coat and I'd say he's been the toughest challenge to train - not settling until he was over 4 years old--but he is amazingly smart and has turned out to be an awesome doodle and friend.

Bottom line, I've met a lot of uninteresting dogs but never an uninteresting doodle. So far, I've never met a "dumb" doodle --GD, ALD, or LD -- or one that I did not think had a special heart. Just saying'. 

[Kaitee and Orwell]

I too am partial to the standard size. I like having more dog in my dog. (:

[Abigail *George & Juno*]

A friend of ours likes to describe their energy levels by saying something along the lines of

"Every dog is different, and you're dealing with a mixed breed so there are definitely exceptions. But GENERALLY, labradoodles=caffeinated and goldendoodles=uncaffeinated."

The first time I heard that I laughed so hard. I know some pretty energized goldendoodles, but generally the labradoodles just take it to a new level!

We have an F1 goldendoodle and she's on the curlier side of the F1 dogs I've seen, her coat is very full and so soft. I honestly think that's partially due to her diet and her grooming care. I say this because none of her siblings feel like she does. Our second dog, a bernerdoodle wasn't as soft as our Goldendoodle when we got her, but she is now. So what you feed and keeping them clean and combed does a lot. I have met some labradoodles with a fleece coat that are soft, and I've met some labradoodles from the exact same litter that are wirey course curls. I felt like our breeders Goldendoodle litters were more consistent as far as coats and colors than her labradoodle litters and we have had goldens before. So that helped us decide.

So basically, it's like the show "who's line is it anyway", everything is made up, and the points don't matter.

[Kaitee and Orwell]

Goldendoodles colors in general are going to be more stable that a labradoodles colors based on genetics. For golden retrievers, you basically have the deep gold and the english cream color. Labs come in yellow, black or brown and can have all three colors in one litter. Ultimately, the goldendoodle's color can only change based on the poodle lines in the pedigree. Labradoodles have variation on both sides. 

[Abigail *George & Juno*]

I understand that.. Our breeder specifically was breeding F1 and F1B goldendoodles, but F2 labradoodles. So that's why I say they weren't as consistent. The labradoodles were multigen, some had hair or fleece or curly coats and most would start out one color and end up completely different. Which I understand can happen with Goldendoodles as well...but (probably due to the generations she breeds) all the adult dogs were very close to the coat and color they displayed as a puppy. :)

[Lynda Kamrath]

Another thing to consider is the size and length of the dog.  That may sound funny, but we have noticed that the goldendoodles are longer than the labradoodles.  And they do have wonderful coats.  My goldendoodle never had a mat and his hair would get rather long.  We have another goldendoodle staying with us right now and he is very long bodied.  The first generation goldendoodles seem to be longer and thinner, and the labradoodles tend to be heavier and shorter.  But when you get into the F1b's there is even more variation.  Best advice is to find a breeder that you really trust and go from there.  You can't go wrong with a LD, GD, or ALD.  My next doodle is a Sheepadoodle and I have already made a deposit with a breeder  I trust.

[Kaitee and Orwell]

I'd be interested to see comparisons with the Sheepadoodle versus the retriever doodles most of us have. When is he/she arriving in your home? 

[Lynda Kamrath]

Sometime next year.  (S)he hasn't even been bred yet.  My breeder says they are not the smartest dogs, but I really don't need smart.  But I love their looks.  Here is one from the Carmel Poodle Days last month.

[Kaitee and Orwell]

Nice looking dog. Can't wait to see your puppy.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Either  and it doesn't really matter.  Australian multigenerational labradoodles are more consistent in looks and have less tendency to shed, but cost the most.