Mini doodles personality-good with kids? more yappy?

[Kari Galassi]

I am looking for a golden doodle and am not set on size, but would prefer a med dog (35-45 lbs), but am running into problems finding a breeder who breeds smaller "standards'. I have gotten mixed reviews on the minis-some breeders I have talked to have suggested not to have them with kids...they are not as solid as the standard....etc. But I love the size-thoughts?

[Tammy & Gracie]

My Gracie is a mini GD, 29 lbs. She is very stocky and sturdy. We don't have kids but she can stand up to Shepherds at the dogpark so I don't think a child could injure her. She is definately not a fragile type of dog in fact she is a real tomboy. She barks alot but I think my other two 10 lb yappers taught her to be that way! I think the size is perfect. She does not take up too much room but at the same time she is not a fragile toy!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I have a dog that grew to 1 inch over mini - so he is a small medium. He is great with people of all ages, but if constantly exposed to kids he would be even better. He sees kids on an occasional basis and is fine but a little intimidated by their quick movements. He does bark more than my other two dogs but I can't chalk that up to his size. He is NOT yappy.

[Adina P]

Sounds like you want a MEDIUM rather than a mini or a standard. One thing to think about with "size" is HEIGHT. I have a friend with a poodle mix dog that we thought would be a medium sized dog as an adult (she was a rescued pup) and lo and behold she's only 40-45 pounds as an adult but TALLER than my 85 lb doodle! So weight sometimes sounds small but if those legs grow long...your pup may end up seeming much bigger.

In any case it is TOUGH to predict adult size with any certainty. Rosco weighs more than either of his parents (he's an F1 Standard though), but is 1/2 inch shorter than his dad (and he's not stocky, but leggy).

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Guinness is a large mini or very small medium. He's seven months and weighs 14.5 pounds. We have five grandkids (ages 2 through 11), and he's very good with them. He loves it when they're here, which is actually pretty often. He's extremely playful, but also gentle. Because he's small, even if he does jump he can't hurt them or knock them over. He's not yappy at all.

[LuvMyAbby&Kaela]

Jane did you type this correctly? If he is only 14.5lbs at 7 months I would consider that a very small mini. Abby is technically an "f1b mini" goldendoodle,I call her a midi (medium though) She is 9 months old and 33 lbs . 21 inches tall. (the other day I swear she was 23 - lol) She is amazing with kids....LOVES them and is tough as a full sized lab.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

When we got him, the breeder said he was a medium. His parents were both mediums. I agree that based on his current weight, he's falling in the mini category. Not sure how that happens, but we aren't disappointed. He has the "mind and heart" of a bigger dog. Loves to play with any dog...doesn't matter how big they are.

[LuvMyAbby&Kaela]

Absolutely. I totally agree! Size is irrelevant and I think a lot of the reputaion of small dogs being higher strung and yappy is unfounded old wives tales! My bichon cross has never ever even hardly barked in his life, and if he were anymore mellow he would be furniture, he just went through life with a ho-hum dum,dee-dum attitiude. His mother (RIP) was a shitzu/min schnauzer cross and she buy all definition of the term was a "mighty dog" she should have been in commercials, She lept several feet in the air and caught frisbees and balls mid air (talk about a keen eye and a hunter instinct!) She dove and swam underwater to retrieve. She was tougher than nails! She only barked to chase away big strays or bears. Both the described dogs were well under 20lbs full grown.

I have known people with big dogs that were totally spazzy, yappy and insane that I would think Thank God I didnt end up with that crazy animal.

[Charles Rocheville]

If Guinness is 14.5 at seven months old he is a mini. I thought the range for a mini is like 20-25. At this point I am calling Riley a mini at 21.9 pounds at 6 months? He stands around 14-15 inches.

[Charles Rocheville]

I have a mini Labradoodle. 6 months old, and 21.9 lbs. From day one, he holds his own and more so with the grandkids. In fact they are shy of him, as he can bowl over the younger ones. Not saying that is a good thing, but being fragile is not the case. He is a pup with so much energy, he just gets so ramped up when they run, He wants to be a part of the process, and doesn't know the havic he causes at times.

[HANNAH 8/2/07 & HONEY 7/2/08]

I think a Medium sized doodle can withstand anything a Standard sized Doodle could, and with proper training of any dog they learn to be good around kids just the same.

[Jennifer Tramell]

As Adina said, you are probably wanting a medium. I was on a mini goldendoodle search a couple months ago so the topic is fresh in my mind. If you don't have a gender preference, I'd suggest finding a breeder who has a smaller golden (45-50 lbs)bred to a smaller standard poodle (45 lbs) and get a small female from the litter. Females are usually smaller then males and I've been told by a couple breeders that the females stay closer to the mom's size while the males can be in between, or even bigger then the dad.
My parents just got their mini, she is 9 wks old and only 5 lbs. Penny is a doll but she is SO tiny that I worry about her with all the grandkids, she could easily be hurt from falling, being stepped on, etc. Penny is supposed to be 25-30 lbs when she is grown. If you do get a mini, make sure that the poodle parent has a good calm personality, not yappy. Good luck!

[Roxanne Ochs]

I have a labradoodle that's about 26 lbs...I guess you'd classify her between a mini and mid size. She's stocky and not in the least bit delicate. We have 2 grand kids ages 6 and 12 and a great grandson that's 6 also. Since the day we brought CeeGee home the kids have been around her and they love each other to death. We taught the kids, before we brought her home, how to play like a tree when she started to mouth and bite as all puppies do and to play with her gently, not flail their arms around and get her all excited. Being gentle with her and following our instruction, they now have a great companion to rough and tumble with and play ball and walk and CeeGee is never aggressive. I think the responsibility to behave and remain calm should be with the kids in the beginning until the pup starts to learn dos and donts and it sure has worked well in our house. I think that no matter what you get ~ goldendoodle or a labradoodle, you have the best of both worlds with the intelligence of the poodle and lab/golden tempered with the calm of the golden and the lab. I think in this case size really doesn't matter! :)