Mini Doodle - Questions about Size and Temperaments

[Julie K]

We're looking for our first family dog.  We are concentrating on finding a f1b mini-golden doodle, but some red flags have been raised, and I want to hear from actual owner's experiences.

A few breeders I have spoken with said that they no longer breed mini's because of temperament issues.  Mini-golden doodle owners, can you please provide me with info on your experience on temperament/behavior/personality?  Also, what size/weight is your dog at full maturity?  THANKS!!!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I have no experience with mini-doodles, but I have a LOT of experience with Poodles, and I can tell you that the bigger the Poodle, the better they are with kids, especially little kids. Standards generally have much calmer, more tolerant temperaments than Miniatures, and Toys are usually not suited for kids at all. 

[Amy and Annabelle]

I have a 15lb f1b mini goldendoodle. She is 1.5 years old. There was a couple of months in there between about 15-22 weeks where she was nippy and seemed to have an attitude. I had a private trainer come to the house for weekly lessons and then we put her in a puppy class and after that an intermediate training class. She had a lot of training that first year. She is pretty mellow now and perfect for 2 retired folks. She was also quite the chewer the first year and now has no interest in it. She does have energy and loves to run around the yard. We have 1 acre fenced and she runs around the whole thing wearing herself out. She is a snuggle bug. She will cuddle with us on the couch while we watch tv and she sleeps between us at night. While we don't have small kids that live with us, we do have 2 grandkids, 3 and 7 that we see several times a week. Annabelle loves to play with them on the slide. It is her favorite thing. They get along great now, but there was certainly a training period for both the kids and the dog. They were almost 2 and 6 when we got her. She was very easy to house break. I couldn't believe how easy she was. She loves people and kids. The breeder had kids, so her mini poodle was socialized with them.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I'm not sure you can generalize, so much depends on the breeder and the lineage.  I don't have a mini golden doodle but I do have a mini and a standard Australian Labradoodle.  My mini came from a breeder that focused on temperament....she was breeding for therapy work.  He has a wonderful temperament and was very easy to train.  He weighs 22 pounds.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The big difference between a mini ALD and a mini F1B goldendoodle is that in the ALD, the Poodles are at least a few generations back. In the F1B, you have one parent who is either a Miniature or a Toy Poodle, and one parent who is half Miniature or Toy Poodle.

I agree that you can't generalize with any mixed breed dog, and most doodle breeders really don't breed for temperament, either.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Oh I totally agree most breeders don't breed for temperament....that said, I would just keep looking until I found one that did.  It's that important to me.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

There are breeders producing multi-gen goldendoodles which are mini and medium sized, and that would be more similar to the ALDs, I'd think. 

[Ginny Nightingale]

Temperament is very important to lots of breeders--I do know some mini's who are just fabulous--but they are multigen American labradoodles with the poodle a few generations back. It is definitely possible to find a breeder who has selected his or her minis for breeding based on temperament.

One thing I would add is that many ALDs have cockapoo infusion--a cockapoo has been added to the lineage. I understand that if you are raising Labradoodles here in the US using poodles and Labs and you want to get an Australian Labradoodle identity, you have to infuse Cockapoo or Cocker spaniel parentage. This is because of the fact that the Labradoodles in Australia has cocker spaniel in the lineage. (My knowledge of this is limited, so this is just what i think...) In my experience, the labradoodles that have some cockapoo in them are often (but not always) more lively.....but I am sure that is not always true...I just know some that are quite active compared to the Labradoodles that do not have the cockapoo infusion. 

This is from the ALAA site (Australian Labradoodle Assoc. of America)

Currently the Australian Labradoodle is considered to be a cross between the Poodle, Cocker Spaniel and Labrador Retriever, while the Labradoodle is a cross between the Labrador Retriever and Poodle only. 

Organizations have been formed to protect the continued development of the Australian Labradoodle lines, and guidelines for the continued introduction of English and American Cocker Spaniel are followed carefully. Infusion committees also discuss the merits of other possible dog breeds being allowed careful introduction into select lines. It is an exciting time to be involved in the development of this breed.

[Lynda Kamrath]

My ALD is supposedly poodle, cocker spaniel, and puli.  He has very curly hair and is medium built and weight.  I would think a labradoodle would have some lab in him, but this dog does not seem to have lab.  I had heard they were now breeding Wheaten terrier into the ALDs.  I guess  they are an on-going experiment.

[Moe]

My brother has an f1 mini goldendoodle. They were told it would be about 25 lbs. It turned out to be 40lbs. It is on the short side and a bit stocky. More like a lab. It also sheds. It's a great dog.

[Wynnie & Jim]

Our mini goldendoodle is now 2-1/2 years old and has a very sweet temperament. That said, Wynnie was a typical puppy. She nipped at heals, guarded her sticks and tennis balls but with a lot of patience and training, she out grew all of these issues. She is wonderful with children of all ages and kids run from their houses to greet her when I walk down the street. I have seen grown men get down on their hands and knees to frolic and play with her. She brings happiness wherever she goes. In the final analysis, minis and all pets are what you invest in them.

[Wynnie & Jim]

I forgot to add to my note that Wynnie is an f1b mini and that she weighs 23 lbs. Her mother was an f1, all white and weighed 36 lbs and the dad was a poodle who weighed 9 lbs. As for training, I spent one day a week (one hour) for six weeks in each of the following classes: puppy socialization, Obedience Level 1, Polite Greeting, Impulse control, Loose leash walking and Reliable recall. Between the classes, I would practice the lessons each day with Wynnie. The homework sessions were brief and we had lots of fun playing at "obedience." The bonding between us was wonderful and we now continue with our lessons each day on our walks and in our play time. At the end of her training program Wynnie passed the AKC "Canine Good Citizen Test." Currently, Wynnie does Agility Training one day a week. Given how good she is around children,I have thought about training her to be a Therapy Dog but my grown children say that she is my therapy dog. I would love to get another mini, these dogs are the best.

[Lynda Kamrath]

Here in California, it seems that the smaller dogs are becoming quite popular, but I think the smaller dogs are more temperamental.  Smaller poodles seem to be that way too.   I like the large poodles and they are what are usually bred with the golden retrievers and labrador retrievers.  Miniature poodles are okay, but toys are way too temperamental and feisty.   I would stick with the larger dogs, especially if kids are involved.