Size standards vs reality - what's your opinion?

[Jennifer Tramell]

Just curious, do the GANA (Goldendoodle Association) standards accurately reflect what you consider your doodle?

Petite range: Height: below 14 inches, typically 25 lbs. or less

Miniature range: Height: over 14 but under 17 inches (35cm to 42cm) at wither, typically 26-35 lbs.
Medium range: Height: over 17 but under 21 inches (43cm to 52cm) at wither, typically 36-50 lbs.
Standard range: Height: over 21 inches (53cm to 63cm) at wither, typically 51 or more lbs.

The reason I ask is that I've seen several people with "mini's" who are actually "mediums".  I am just wondering if people consider the difference between medium/mini/petite or if anything smaller than an average golden retriever or lab is considered a mini.  In my mind, I expect the offspring of 2 large dogs (std poodle X retriever) to be a big dog and anything smaller would be a "miniature" version. 

 

According to the GANA standard, I have a standard (giant sized at 83lbs) and a medium, but to me they are just both regular sized goldendoodles.  So, do you think in terms of standard and minis or do you consider standard vs medium vs miniature vs petite?

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

One mistake I see is that people call their dog the size  the dog was predicted to be rather than what it actually grew to be.

I  also noticed that labradoodle size standards were not the same as goldendoodle standards. When I looked at goldendoodle standards a year and a half ago, I thought I saw only mini and standard sizes so have they changed?

Ned (ALD) is technically a medium but so close to mini that to the general public I say he is a miniature labradoodle because people understand mini and standard but not the specifics of each or the extra designations.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

The think that the rule of thumb for doodles is "What you see is what you get/got".  I think my girls are a prime example of this.  Liter Mates, and they could not be more different in color, size, build and personality!

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

I agree!

[Leslie and Halas]

By those numbers, Halas' height would put him in the medium category, but his weight would be in the mini category. Since his daddy was a mini poodle, I always call Halas a mini goldendoodle. I've never really judged it by his height or weight. Sometimes I just refer to him as big enough to really hug, but small enough to carry.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

That is Ned's size also, Leslie.  What a nice way to describe it.

[AndySharon BoomerShaynaMariner]

 

Shayna clearly fits into the medium category - 20 inches 42 lbs

Boomer is a standard 27 inches 70+- lbs.

 

Mariner - well 18 inches and high end of 80 lbs.- so what does that make him (BTW he is a biological brother of Boomer)

 

 

 

 

 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Boomer and Clancy must be secret littermates!  Clancy is 19" and 64 pounds - very similar build.

[Robyn, Greg and Snickers]

I guess Snickers is a Medium Standard? He is over 21 in but weighs 50lbs. I can see where this came from though as his dad was a HUGE standard poodle buy his Irish Retriever mom was on the normal side for the setter but small for a retriever. There is a person at the dog park that clearly has a mini but insists it is just a small standard LOL Guess our doods just come in all shapes and sizes!

[RoseAnn and Roger Fitch]

Max was supposed to be a mini, but is about 40 lbs, so I refer to him as a midi-Goldendoodle.

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

As far as I can tell, any pup that is a result of some sort of smaller parent (either a mini poodle or a standard/mini cross) is usually labeled a "mini".

 

There's just really no way to tell what size category your dog will fall under if they're a cross between 2 different sizes, so breeders just pick whatever name they want.  Luna was advertised as a mini because she is an F1 cross where the father is a mini poodle, but she is technically a "medium" now that she is fully grown.  She's about 18" at the withers and 36 pounds.

 

In my opinion, the sizing really only applies to multi-gen crossings of animals of a similar size, so doesn't really apply to doodles unless they are multi-gen as well.  Unless of course you're just trying to give people an idea of how big the dog is, but then again saying something like "she's about knee height" works just as well.

 

It's really hard to tell how big a dog will grow, because height isn't just a single gene, it's really a combination of many (length of each individual part of every bone that makes up their height, among other things).