Looking for a goldendoodle!

[Jolie Genender]

Hi!  My husband and 9-year-old son are trying to find a non-shedding goldendoodle (at least an F1b) due to my son's moderate dander allergies. We live in the Chicago area and would like to find a breeder in the midwest that we can trust, so we can hopefully get a new puppy this summer. Most important to us is disposition of the dog (friendly and sweet), and gender, size and color is less important (although we love the cremes, golden and apricot colors!)  Any suggestions on breeders or preferred genders?  Any and all thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

[Kim]

I'm not really sure if they were severe. I guess the severity depended on the dog. My Brother had an English Bulldog and he couldn't go anywhere near him without getting hives all over and respiratory problems. We visited with a Silky Terrier and he was fine with her. He grew up with a Cairn Terrier, and was fine with her, but then went away (to the Navy) for awhile and when he came back, he was allergic to her???? Weird. The research that I did do (not very much) on Goldendoodles almost promised me that there would be NO allergies, when we got Allie as a puppy he didn't have allergy problems. The allergies showed up after about a month.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Jolie - I have seen quite a few poodles recently that look like multi-generational doodles. They have longer non-poodlish cuts and look just gorgeous. I would absolutely consider a poodle if allergies were an issue in my family.

[Jolie Genender]

We could do a standard poodle, but I was thinking the personality of a golden mixed with a poodle is more friendly, goofy and laid back than a purebred poodle - no?

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I guess that can be true - but some of the doodles do take on more "poodle" or "retriever" personalities - you just don't know. I guess my girl is more retrieverish personality wise.
I just wouldn't want you to bring a doodle puppy home and end up with your son having allergic reactions to the pup. That would be hard to deal with emotionally.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

No; a dog's personality is based on many factors, and mixing two breeds doesn't guarantee that the dog will inherit equally from each side. You could have a GD who takes after his poodle side, or his retriever side. each dog is an individual.
I have the feeling that you have never spent time around a well-bred standard poodle; they are among the friendliest, most affectionate, even-tempered dogs around, and much easier to train than almost breed out there.

[Jolie Genender]

I agree - poodles look great when they don't have the poodle cut. My in-laws have an apricot toy poodle whose hair they keep a bit longer and she is fluffy and adorable!

[Adina P]

Karen is right, we don't permit recommendations in the main forum. The reason is that we strongly believe in responsible breeding on DK. Since there are a TON of breeders out there and you can find praise for almost any breeder (because no matter what people love their own dogs)...even the irresponsible breeders might have happy customers. But we don't want to promote irresponsible breeding and we can't check out all breeders ourselves. So, that's why we have the article Karen mentioned above. Please read through it carefully...in the article you'll also find a list of breeder lists. One of those websites, GANA, (you'll see what it is in the article) has breeder members who do breed higher generation goldendoodles (since you said "at least" an F1b). While I can't vouch for any breeder I have not gotten a dog from, the article and lists are a place to start.

Good luck in your search.

As to gender..it is totally preference. Neutered/spayed they all make great companions. In fact, we have had a ton of discussions on this topic and if you search for one of the following terms in our forum: gender, male, female -- you'll probably find lots to think about.

[Camilla and Darwin]

Jolie, we have been researching what breed of dog to get for our second dog, for a while now. I didn't want to get a Standard Poodle because I was put off by the fact that-

a: They require a lot of grooming
b: They aren't as "easy going" or "laid back" as a Goldendoodle/Labradoodle.

Well, I have since done A LOT of research, and looked at and met Poodles that are well bred and well trained. This is what I have realized.

The grooming issue. Yes, they do require a lot of grooming. You need to brush them and they need to be clipped. But guess what? I have to brush my goldendoodle for an hour EVERY DAY. If that isn't a lot of grooming I don't know what is.

Standard Poodles are one of the highest rated family dogs. They are easy to train, superb with kids, intelligent, and very loving. They may not be as goofy or bumbling as a Golden Retriever. But I feel that the best traits of a Golden Retriever, Standard Poodles also have, and then some.

So, long story short, we are going to get a Standard Poodle when we get our next dog. Both breeds are absolutely wonderful, but if you have allergies, it's a no brainer!

Good luck!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Just to add one more thought. If you are set on getting a doodle, you could opt for an adult dog who will have its adult coat. You could see if your son had any reaction to that particular dog. Once you decided on appropriate breeders for your requirements, you could contact them to see if they have any adult dogs. Breeders retire their breeding dogs, sometimes have dogs they intended to keep for breeding but for various reasons decide not to use them, or might have a doodle that needs re-homing.

[Jolie Genender]

Pure poodles don't shed their coats at all? I have talked to a lot of breeders and they all say that its highly unlikely for someone to be fine with a puppy but not ok with that same dog as an adult...all this info is confusing!

I have also heard its better to mix the breeds for health purposes.,.?

Plus, there seem to be so many more doodle breeders out there right now than poodle breeders. Ahhh, decisions decisions!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Keep us posted on your search and decisions.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Poodles "shed "like we do. Eventually each hair follicle reaches the end of a current growth cycle and that follicle's hair falls out. Follicles go through this at different times so only small number of hairs are shed at any one time so the "shedding'' is not apparent.The hairs, in the case of poodles often get caught up in the coat. If you brush a poodle you get some hairs coming out in a similar fashion to people. But you don't find hair all over the house.