Goldendoodle vs. Labradoodle?

[Kate]

What are the differences between Goldendoodles and Labradoodles? Preference? Size? Shedding? Coat colors?

 

So far I have only been searching for Goldendoodle puppies, but perhaps I should be looking at both?

 

Any info that Doodle parents can share would be great!

[Kate]

Thanks Bonnie!

[Kristy Mantz]

You could get a North American Retriever (double doodle - one parent goldendoodle, one parent labradoodle) then you wouldn't have to decide :)  That's what we have, and we LOVE Tigerstar.  She has a great personality and like all doodles is incredibly smart.  Her hair isn't as curly as I would have liked, but she doesn't shed.  And is hypoallergenic, which is good, because before her, we couldn't have any pets in our house due to allergies.

 

[Kate]

That might be an idea! The first breeder I spoke with was doing an upcoming litter of those, but I didn't really know what it meant, I thought it was a different type of Golden Retriever (shows how much I know!!!)... How big is your dog and how big will she get?

[Kristy Mantz]

We got her from AR.  Both her parents are around 22 inches tall and 50 or so pounds.  She is 7 1/2 months old and is around that same size.  You can check out their website.  I don't know if they have any double doodle puppies available now, but I am pretty sure she is going to have a couple of litters in the fall.   If they don't have any puppies available now, she will have pictures that families have sent her of the dogs they have gotten.  We had a great time working with them.  They were very good about returning emails, and were very open about letting us come see their facility.  We had to wait to get Tigerstar until she was 3 months old because of a visit we had planned to see my husband's grandmother.  When we got her, they had already trained her to sit when she came to you.  And, since she was older, she was pretty much housetrained already....only a couple of accidents, and they were our fault.

 

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[Kate]

Already knew how to sit and was pretty much housetrained!? Sounds like you got a fabulous dog!!! Congrats! I will check it out...thank you for sharing the info!!!

[Kate]

Dana, that is so great and thank you so much! I would LOVE to meet your doods! I will send you an email. _______________ is the first breeder I spoke with and she was great! She sounds very reputable, and is high up on my list. The only thing is that I am looking more for a standard size doodle, and I think she mainly does minis now. My Haus was 120 pounds, so I am used to bigger dogs, but maybe I just need to see some smaller dogs to get an idea of what they are like. I am sending you an email. Thanks again!

 

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[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I can't read through all of these posts so forgive me if I am repeating...BUT....I LOVE F1 GOLDENDOODLES!!!!  Peri's breeder still breeds a FEW F1 litters, but mainly does next generation ones.  I like F1 because I did get VERY LUCKY in that Peri doesn't shed, but she also doesn't mat as much as higher generation doodles (not as curly).  She is more of that 50/50 mix of retriever and poodle, which I prefer to the more poodly look (do not mean to offend ANYONE HERE, my friends :) :)

I do think the consensus is that F1 labradoodles shed most of the time but F1 goldendoodles might shed less. Peri's entire litter doesn't shed much, if at all. 

That being said, all doodles rock and if you find a good breeder, you cannot go wrong with any size, color, golden vs. lab, etc... :) 

[Kate]

Thanks Allyson for the feedback! Are your dogs standard size?

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Sorry - meant to tell you that Peri is a mini/medium. She is 25 pounds (smallest of her litter).  My other dog is a chihuahua.  He is pretty cool too :)

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Kate, You will get tons of great advice here and also in many of the past discussions on DK. It is a daunting task to read it all that's for sure.

I personally have two goldendoodles from the same breeder, different parents, 18 months apart in age. My decision was based on the research I did on the breeds, as you are, the cost factors of each, the breeder and the timing of delivery of the puppies.  If money were not a factor would I have chosen an ALD or Labradoodle? Possibly, but again, only  if I found the right breeder and the timing was right. So I really never did think one was that superior over the other with all the research I did.

My two are as different as they can be, one is an American Golden Retriever mom/standard poodle mix and the other is an English Golden Retriever mom / standard poodle mix. So even within the goldendoodles I guess you can get a different look and personality. One doesn't shed AT ALL!  He is as soft as velvet and many many people comment on how they have never felt a dog so soft. The other sheds some, I see maybe one or two furry tumbleweeds every day or every other day. That's about the extent of it. So nothing that noticeable.

The non shedding one, Murphy, has fleece like hair I guess, and it is mostly wavy, with some curlier and straighter areas, not thick at all.I keep him short because he tends to get frizzy and a big puff ball if left too long.  Bella has gorgeous thick evenly beautiful soft curls that seperate and fall so pretty that I can't bring myself to cut her shorter.  She is always at least 3 inches long and I think her hair would be even more gorgeous longer. But we live in Arizona, so that hasn;'t happened yet. Maybe this winter.  I do my own grooming as I love spending the time with them and Murphy gets too stressed to go to a groomer. Did it once and I can't do it again to him. You get exactly the look you want that way.

I can tell you that my breeder picked out both of ours, she is in Michigan, I got exactly what I asked for with Murphy, and a little more than I asked for with Bella !!  (read some of my posts) They were both flown to me, non-stop, 4 hour flights. They were fine, clean, fed, watered and Murphy traveled in the same crate with a sibling. Bella was just too big to go under a seat by the time I could take delivery of her, so that was my best option. Would I do it again, probably. I don't have a problem with it. I trusted my breeder on this as well. 

Murphy the oldest (2.9 yrs)  is a little more fearful and careful about new things than Bella, but she is still a puppy ( 1 yr old) So that could still change. He is very graceful, playful, ball obsessed, water loving, patient, people pleasing, easily intimidated and love love loves his people!.

Bella is a clumsy, step all over you, goofball, who plops,flops and otherwise falls down wherever she chooses, she will not chase a ball unless it had peanut butter all over it, she hops in and out of the pool like a bunny if she gets wet above her knees, she is so impatient and you can tell how really hard she has to work to wait for anything, she doesn;t share easily and I have to turn red in the face and yell to intimidate her. She loves us, but I still think she allows us to take care of her and therefore gives us all the loving she thinks we deserve.

You will absolutely love whichever one you get and keep in mind that they find us, we don't find them. So when it is right you will know.

[Kate]

Sue! Thank you for all that fantastic information and sharing! I laughed so hard at this: "she will not chase a ball unless it had peanut butter all over it" Also, I LOVE this: "keep in mind that they find us, we don't find them" So true. My Haus for sure found me.

 

So let's talk more Murphy...(which is actually one of my possible names, as I want another male dog!). Which mix was he from? The AGR or the EGR? Also, how much does he weigh?

 

I would also like to know who your breeder was. I am in WI, so MI is not that far from me. I would also like to know who Murphy's parents are. :-) If you want to private message me that, cool. I'm still so new at this and am not familiar with the site rules yet, so I am unclear as to if people are supposed to say who their breeders are or if that has to be said privately?

 

Bella sounds like an absolute riot and you sound like a fantastic DoodleMom, as does everyone else on this site who I have encountered so far.

 

Thanks again!

[Frances Pendrous (Horan)]

Hi Kate. You have received such a huge response from this amazing website that you truly don't have to reply to my email. I know it can be overwhelming at times as so many of us want to offer our words of wisdom ha ha. Well...as so many have said, I really don't truly think there is much difference at all. My Frankie Girl is a labradoodle F1b. We wanted large and she was 10 weeks and 20lbs which really indicated that she was going to be a big girl. She weighs in now at over 100lbs...I have friends who have Goldern doodles and they look exactly like my Frankie, even their darling eye expressions...so who the heck knows. She does not shed however and that was one of my main reasons for getting her.  Now my Johnny Boy...he is a rescue and I have just DNA's tested him yesterday (it takes two weeks) as he was rescued as a doodle but my vet thinks he is a PWD...either way..he is adorable and we love him to bits. If you want a puppy...go for it. It was like having a baby again and filled every maternal need I had. My husband and I loved it although it was a lot of work. They really are the cutest puppies ever and extremely smart and good. Whatever you choose, you will love and adore. Our dogs are now our lives and we arrange our entire days around them. Sorry for the loss of your other dog. That is the yin and yan of owning and loving an animal...they are gone too soon. Good luck and keep on this website. You will find the people warm, loving and best of all you will be addicted to it :)