Size/weight of Doodle ....

[Joann Valerio]

Wondering if a Mini Goldendoodle (25 to 28 pounds) would be calmer and need less
exercise. I know temperament directs calm, but... Are the larger Doodles more energetic and
need much more exercise than the smaller one?

[Amy and Annabelle]

I have a 15lb, 2 year old mini. She was an energetic puppy. There was hardly any wearing her out. Now that she is 2, she is like a completely different dog. While she still likes to go out play, she does have her limits. Her temperament is even different, she is very mellow now, where as a puppy she was anything but mellow. She was shy and tried to hide the day we picked her up at 10 weeks. Then at about 14 weeks, she really came out of her shell and was a stinker of puppy. Then at about a year, she finally started slowing down and becoming more the dog we envisioned. Now she is perfect. She seems to be very adaptable to whatever we want from her. There was a time in the early days when I wondered if she would ever be good around my small grand kids. She is very good with them now. Neither her babyhood or teenager years really determined the dog she was to become. Of course she did have a lot of training that first year.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

In general, Standard Poodles have calmer temperaments than Miniature or Toy Poodles, but of course that may vary from one dog to the next. And there is no such thing as a "calm" doodle puppy, unless they're sleeping, lol. Any young puppy who is calm and unexcitable is sick. 

I would say there is not much difference between the large ones and the small ones in terms of needing to burn off energy. They all need that. 

Regarding exercise, all doodles need a lot of it on a daily basis. They are a mix of two Sporting Breeds, and Sporting Breeds have the highest exercise requirements of any of the breed groups. And by exercise, I mean running. Leash walks alone are just not enough. They really need to run off-leash at least a few times a week, if not every day. 

The difference there between a 25 lb dog and a 70 lb dog is space. My 20 lb Miniature Poodle could run inside my house. Figure eights around the dining room table, bank off the back of the couch, zoom up and down the stairs. My 80 lb Labradoodle obviously can't; he'd hit a wall before he even got up to full speed. Even in my small fenced yard, he couldn't really run full-out when he was young and healthy; he had to throw on the brakes or he'd crash into the fence. We had to go to a nearby soccer field for him to really be able to run. Winters here in Chicago were hard in that respect. 

[Jarka, Monty & Auggie]

Just like Karen wrote, there are no calm puppies, LOL.

I've got two standard size boys: 6 and 4 years old. They both were exhausting as puppies. I think they both slowed down around year and half or so. Also, I do believe that temperament testing done by the breeder is important as the breeder should be able to help people pick the right puppy. I asked to see a mellow pup and I really got one. He was a crazy puppy at first, but as he matured, I can clearly tell he has a very mellow temperament. But that does not mean he is a couch potato. He still needs regular exercise.

We have local doodle romps each month here in Denver and I've seen a lot of different doodles. There are both small and large doodles that just won't tire out. And then there are small and large doodles who know when they are done playing or exercising. I'm sure glad my two belong to this second group. We are a perfect match.