Aussiedoodle or Goldendoodle?

[Lisa Greene]

HELP!! We are having a really hard time trying to decide between getting an aussiedoodle or goldendoodle. I know everyone loves their dog's breed, but can you offer any advice on choosing between the too? We have two kids who are old enough to share responsibilites (walk the dog, feed, clen up, etc), we want a medium sized dog ~40-50lbs who is active, but not hyper. Definitely needs to love to play fetch (a concern about GDs - seems like some are not "fetchers" who get bored of it after about 2 throws...), swim and has enough endurance to hike/run with us. Of course, it has to be GREAT with kids and friendly. Please help us! This decision is huge and we want it to be as informed as possible before we take the puppy plunge!!

[Adina P]

While on a mass scale someone could come up with stats on the traits of doodles, overall, because doodles are a mixed breed, individual doodles will vary greatly.  Just like your kids vary greatly despite the fact they all have you as a mom and your hubby as a dad.  They don't all look the same and if you and your hubby have different hair types, then I'd venture to say they don't all have the same kind of hair, let alone personality.  I bet one of your kids has far more energy than another.  The point being that doodles are not a set type and individual dogs can vary GREATLY! 

Many retrievers are great with kids.  But not all.  So there's no guarantee that yours will be GREAT with kids out of the box.  And doodle pups are often super nippy so you will have to train your kids too so they don't freak out every time puppy nips at their clothes, hands, etc.  Those puppy teeth are sharp!

As far as Aussiedoodle or Goldendoodle.  Would you rather have an australian shepherd or golden retriever (if neither shed)?  That's how I would choose.  Some australian shepherds are high energy and like to herd.  OThers are not so typey.  Choose a responsible breeder whose Aussie parent you can meet.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I agree completely with Adina. You need to see the temperaments of both parents. And with mixed breed dogs, there are no guarantees of anything, including size and coat. No dog in the world is born "great with kids". That depends on not only the temperament of the parents, but the puppy's early socialization and experiences around kids, and making sure that the kids know how to act with a dog. 

If the dog "definitely needs to love to play fetch", and swim, you have a problem, regardless of what breed you choose. You just cannot dictate those things with a puppy, especially a mixed breed puppy. If those things are very important to you, you should probably look at a purebred sporting dog from proven field lines. There is no way to select a doodle puppy from even the best parents who will be guaranteed to grow up to like certain activities.

Also, I don't know how old your children are,  but I wouldn't let any child walk a dog unsupervised, at least not until after the dog had many years of obedience training and was solid in his commands. My labradoodle is eight years old and has passed his CGC, and I wouldn't let my 13 year old grandson walk him without an adult present. Many adults here have trouble walking their doodles; the forum is full of discussions asking how to get the dog to stop pulling and dragging them down the street, how to prevent the dog from lunging and barking when he sees another dog, etc. 

It sounds like you may be considering getting a dog for your children, and not necessarily because you want one. I hope that's not true, because thousands of dogs lose their homes every year because of this. Please ask yourself, if I did not have children, would I still want to get a dog? If the answer is no, please don't get one. No matter what you believe, how great your kids are, how much they want a dog, how responsible, well-intentioned, etc., the adults in the household are the ones who are going to be responsible for the dog; for feeding, walking, cleaning up, grooming, going to training classes, etc. You can take that to the bank.

A child who is 10 years old when he gets a doodle puppy may have finished college, moved out of the house, and even gotten married while that dog is still alive...and living with you. They can live to be 15. Just last week, the Doodle Rescue Collective was contacted by a couple who want to relinquish their 8 year old goldendoodle because the kids have gone away to college, and they would like to travel. Please think this through carefully. 

All of that said, to get back to your original question, and keeping in mind that there are really no guarantees on most of the qualities you are seeking with any mix, between any random Golden Retriever, and any random Australian Shepherd, when it comes to living with children, I personally would choose the GR every time. 

[F, Calla & Luca]

Well said, Karen. I have 2 multigenerational Labradoodles. Luca loves fetching balls yuan til he decides he's done, which varies according to his mood. Calla will play like that on infrequent occasions. No rhyme or reason. It's just who the are.

[Adina P]

To add to that.  Rosco is a labradoodle who had a ball obsessed mom.  When I picked him up his mom attacked us with friendliness and immediately tried to get us to play fetch with her.  She would not let up and when she was playing fetch she barely even noticed her GIANT 8 week old puppy hanging on her neck skin.  It was hilarious.  Although it wasn't a requirement, I was sure Rosco would be a serious fetcher.  He's not.  It took him a while to learn to enjoy fetch, but even then he goes a few times and then prefers to lay down and chew on the ball.  He's really a mellow dog.  He has enough energy to do fun things out of the home, but mellow seems to have translated to not-too-keen-on-fetching-over-and-over. 

Just something to keep in mind.  Karen is right on...to get a dog that fits precise characteristics a pure breed is a far better choice.  Or keep an open mind and be willing to compromise on some 'must-haves'.  Besides choosing a pup for temperament, I wouldn't be too picky on the other characteristics.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Or you could always adopt a dog that is a year or two old and then you would know the traits and wouldn't have to HOPE you get what you want!

[Deanna & Desi & Cori]

I'll echo Adina's remarks about many traits being more specific to individual dogs rather than more generalized by "breed".  Our Sedona is a multigenerational Labradoodle.  She'd play fetch 24/7 if she could find someone willing to play with her.  In fact, we've been looking for a twelve-step program for her where she can introduce herself by saying, "Hello, I'm Sedona and I'm addicted to my squeaky ball."  Other Labradoodle owners may report that their dogs couldn't care less about playing fetch.  

Finding a quality breeder who knows how to "predict" temperament is your best bet.  Good luck in your search. 

[Lisa Greene]

Thanks for the input. This decision has been years in the making and certainly well thought out. We raised a yellow lab and she was a beloved family pet until she died ~5 years ago. We certainly recognize that all dogs are different and nothing is a guarantee! Comments which address the "general" behavior/temperment differences between aussie and goldendoodles are really what I'm searching for. Any input regarding that would be very appreciated. I've heard such wonderful things about both breeds. Perhaps their temperments are just too close to compare. Thanks!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The Aussiedoodles seem to be more difficult to train and to handle as puppies, and even as adults. There are several members here who have had a particularly difficult time training their Aussiedoodles. Australian Shepherds are herding dogs, and they do have an instinctive tendency to "herd", which involves nipping.

A search of the forum discussions on "Aussiedoodles" might be helpful.

[Adina P]

That was why I made the comment/question: Would you rather have an australian shepherd or a golden retriever?  Both aussiedoodles have poodle, but the difference is in the 'other' breed in their mix: Australian Shepherd vs. Golden retriever.  So I think if you like the temperament of the Australian shepherd and the retriever equally, then it's a coin toss.  If you aren't fond of the Australian shepherd and are fond of the retriever then go with the retriever, or vice versa....to increase your chances of getting a dog with the best temperament for your family.  The thing is there are thousands of goldendoodles out there.  But far far fewer aussiedoodles so it's hard to compare as we just don't have the numbers to make a good comparison. Plus I personally don't really know any aussiedoodles.  And we don't have a huge number of them on the site compared to retriever-poodle mixes.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Yep, I agree with Adina.  If you would prefer an Australian S over a Golden, go with aussiedoodle.  I personally would go with goldendoodle - you will have a much better opportunity to find a better reputable breeder......And if you loved your lab, this temperament is more similar in my opinion.

Just food for thought: my Peri is a mix of a golden and mini poodle.  The mini poodle sometimes comes out strongly - a little neurotic and yappy sometimes.  But most of the time, she is more goldenlike - like her mama.  Just remember that they are a MIX!!!  You never know what you are gonna get! :)  Rely on a GOOD breeder to help pick a puppy that will work for your family. I remember Peri's breeder telling me she was not really laid back and was going to be a handful.  I didn't care...and she was right :)

[Adina P]

I second Allyson's point about reputable breeders.  No offense intended toward any reputable aussiedoodle breeders, but there are probably 20 goldendoodle breeders for every aussiedoodle breeder.  And thus your choices (reputable or not) are far far slimmer.

Not sure anyone posted our article on what to look for in a breeder but here it is just in case you haven't seen it:   http://www.doodlekisses.com/notes/What_To_Look_for_In_a_Breeder

If you find a handful of breeders you are considering, post in the main forum and ask for private responses evaluating the breeders for you. 

I know it feels like we are not answering your question.  Again that's partly because we are a mostly labradoodle & goldendoodle site so the majority of us have one or the other or both.  Very few active members have aussiedoodles. So that's one reason.  The other is really that these dogs vary.  So 'general' description of aussiedoodles is hard to come by when you only have a handful of people on the site that will chime in because they have one.  Let's say that the all doodle mixes can come out in one of 3 ways (HYPER, medium, mellow).  And let's say that most of the time the Labradoodle.  You'd have to meet a lot of them to figure that out.  Only meeting a handful of them might give you false results.  You might accidentally only meet 1 hyper one, 2 mellow ones and 2 medium ones.  You'd tend to believe they were NOT hyper.  But that's just because of the small sample size.  I'm rambling now.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Blue is blue, right?  You just can't pigeon hole dogs into certain personalities.

I have a Goldendoodle that will play fetch until my arm falls off.  It actually drives me insane sometimes. I've had several Labrador Retrievers and one Labradoodle who would not fetch a ham bone if I threw one.  Retrievers who do not fetch!!  I have recently been in the company of a stunning Aussiedoodle.  He does not herd, is polite and calm, extremely well trained, even though he is only a year old.  He fetches even though he has traits from the herding breed.

Not all dogs are good with kids and that certainly applies to doodles as we ALL have seen around here.  Some shed, some play, some bite.  Certainly, do not go with generalizations.  Kettles come in more colors than black.

Re-start your research into " How to pick out a puppy"   Do choose temperament, as others have said here.  Do not go by generalizations.  Ask your breeder to do temperament testing.

This link is a good place to start where you can learn about Temperament testing.

http://www.volhard.com/pages/pat.php

After you have picked out the correct puppy, go to training.  Kids don't clean and take care of puppies.  Sorry, but they are busy and it just does not happen.  Get a dog only if YOU want one.  Kids want an iPad one week, and a tatoo the next.  They are fad hoarders.  Make the dog family, not an item. Too many dogs leave homes with broken hearts because of this reason. Expect nothing of the children.

So, do include the children in all training classes and exercises. It will greatly enhance their relationship with the dog. It is a must!!   Dogs and children really do need to learn how to exist in the household.   You have at least the first year, when rigorous training with the dog, the children, and your household. Make sure you take this important step.  None of these doodles come perfect or fit into generalizations.  We who have spent years in training do understand, these generalizations are  not traits, they are made with hard work.

My Goldendoodle and his friend, an Aussiedoodle, both playing fetch