Picking a F1 mini that will stay mini ( under 20" and 25 lbs)

[Raghu]

Hello All !!

I posted the same question on the main forum and I was asked to check on this group to get more support.

I have wanted a puppy since I was a kid. First it was my mom then school and then small apartments stopped me from getting a puppy. I get married, find a bigger place and now its the wife. She is scared of dogs but doesn't mind a small dog around. After showing her countless pictures of cute lil doodles and promising her that he/she will not get bigger than 15"- 20" and 25 lbs. She has agreed to get a mini doodle.

 

I have made a deposit on a F1 mini that is due in Dec. The sire is a mini poodle (14" and 15 lbs) and the dam in an all American retriever ( 22" and 42lbs). I understand its hard to determine the coat and size of a F1 mini until it grows up.

 

How do I pick a puppy that has the "best chance" of staying mini.

[Lauria Orr]

I have 2 F1B minis.  I think their size was more predictable as the Dam is a small F1 Goldendoodle and the Sire a very small poodle.  This makes them 75% poodle and 25% Golden Retriever.  They are 12 pounds and 15.5 pounds, respectively. That is not the F1 that you prefer, I know.  My friend had an F1 that was the smallest poodle really, bred with a small retriever.  It was done by artificial insemination .  The dog weighs about 25-30 pounds, even though the Dam was on the small size. It is hard to predict, but usually they can give you a range.  We searched a long time for the minis!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Here is my advice.  Whatever size dog you end up with, pick the calmest, calmest, laid back pup.  For someone who is afraid of dogs, a calm easy-going dog would be the least 'threatening.'  I would also get an older puppy - perhaps 3 or 4 months old.  An older puppy might be past some of the biting, nipping stage and with a more mature bladder, perhaps easier to housebreak.

I think the way to have a bit more control over size would be to get a pup from an experienced breeder using proven breeding dogs where the off-spring seem to always stay small.  I would get a dog that was at least 4th or greater generation doodle. Now for the disclaimer  - Ned is a 7th generation Australian Labradoodle.  He is slightly bigger than either of his parents, although he resembles them totally.  Ned is officially a medium because he is 17" tall rather than the mini cut-off of 16".  Ned weighs 27 pounds.

I know we have all advised you differently, from our own perspectives, but I hope we have provided you with some help.

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

You might also want to start looking for a trainer that can help you train the puppy and help your wife to overcome her fear of dogs at the same time.  A good trainer is actually training the humans to work with the dog and if your wife learns to understand why dogs behave the way they behave she might be more comfortable around them.

[DeeDee and Sheila]

I got the smallest in Sheila's litter and she has stayed the smallest.  She is 10 lbs and the others are around 18 lbs.  I would NOT choose the smallest again.  She had Perthes disease, which cost us thousands.  The breeder paid for most of it, but it was months of traveling to our state's vet school (where my daughter graduated from=she is a vet).  To miniature size something the breeders choose the smallest, which can mean the weakest.  I think you should choose the healthiest.  I am also on the list for an F1 mini goldendoodle.  I will not accept the smallest in the litter this time!!  And no new dams or sires.  You want "proven" mates.  Ask if this breeding has produced any pups with health problems.  If you truly want a smaller dog, then pick a smaller breed.

[Debra & Bailey]

Ours is a mini F1 and she is 8 months and 25lbs which the breeder had predicted. Bailey is the perfect size for our family...we've had Shepard X (80lbs) and then Bichon X (18lbs). She is big enough that we don't worry about her at dog park but small enough to still be a lapdog and easy to travel with.

Best of luck with your puppy!

[Stefan]

Do you remember the birth weight of your puppy?  I am hoping for mine to be in the 25-30 lb range.

[Gwyndolyn Morasko]

I never did know Kona's birth weight, but he was 3.5 pounds at 8 weeks (runt of the litter of 10 pups), and he is now 24 pounds at 18 months old.  He maxed out at 8 months old. His parents were a 40 pound F1B Goldendoodle and a 20 pound multi-gen Australian Labradoodle, so he is a double doodle.  And his sire is known for being a strong genetic contributor, so it's good to know the history of your doodle's parents when trying to predict, but it's still just a prediction.  My breeder predicted 30 to 35 pounds.  I'm extremely happy with my goofy 24 pounder! Perfect size.  

[Hua]

You might want to go for the smallest of the litter.  Mine was the smallest out of his 9 siblings and I was always worried that he wasn't eating enough because I expect him to be bigger.  He's a F1 mini goldendoodle, and he's 18 lbs at 10 months right now. His mom was regular size golden retriever (~45 - 50 lbs) and his dad is a miniature poodle (~15 lbs).