Not sure of breed

[Lk Bookman]

Hi fellow Doodle lovers, we recently purchased a puppy and was told she is a Maltipoo. But now that she'd 5 months old, she's much larger than our 14 year old Maltipoo. I've contact the breeder (from Taylor, TX) who insists she is Maltipoo, but others have told me she looks like a Goldendoodle. If anyone has a Goldendoodle and would check out her photos, perhaps you share your thoughts on this. We love her dearly, but want to know what mix of breeds she could be. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The size of any Poodle mix is going to depend on what size Poodle was used in the breeding. A maltipoo with a Miniature Poodle parent is going to be larger than a maltipoo with a Toy Poodle parent. I daresay there is some misguided soul somewhere who is even breeding Maltese with Standard Poodles, lol. There is no regulation of size when you are breeding mixes. Goldendoodles can range in size from about 12 lbs for the toys to over 100 lbs for the standards. There's a huge range with maltipoos and every other kind of "poo", too. You can't tell the breed mix by looking at the dog. The only way to be sure of what you have is to do a DNA test, which is fairly easy and cheap. 

Enjoy your puppy, she is very cute, whatever she is.

[Lk Bookman]

Thank you for the info!  The breeder told me her parents are an 8 lb. Poodle and a 5 lb. Maltese, and she is currently 15 lbs. I will certainly have the DNA test done just to make sure. She's a great dog and very smart!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The "breeder" was not honest with you. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'd add that this kind of issue can be avoided by only purchasing puppies from reputable breeders where you can meet the parents, and staying away from ad sites like Puppyfinder. 

[Lk Bookman]

Good to know since I did find her on puppyfinder.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I had that feeling. :) The "breeders" on Puppyfinder (and Next Day Pets, all those types of ad sites) are BYBs at best and puppy mills at worst. 
For future reference, here's our excellent guideline on What to Look for in a Breeder. 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Since you were looking for a smaller dog, it is very likely that she is almost full grown, which I am sure is one of your concerns.  Smaller dogs mature sooner, really slow down at about 6 months and are pretty much done by 8.  She is adorable. What Karen said about the site you used to find her.  It's a learning curve to find reputable breeders.

If you DNA test her I'd love to know the results.  I just love that stuff.

[Amy and Annabelle]

I have a mini Goldendoodle. Her dad was an 11lb miniature poodle. She averages about 15-16lbs. She is almost 3 years old. She stopped growing height wise at about 7-8 months. She continued to slowly put on weight until well after her first birthday. I know with mixed breeds its a crap shoot, but with the size of her parents you would think your pup would be under 10lbs full grown. It will be interesting to see where she ends up. She is adorable. 

[JACKS MOM LORIE ANN]

Super cute. Looks like a doodle to me :)

I have actually completed and am waiting for the results from my Jacks DNA testing-I don't have concerns about his breed but I am interested in all I can learn about him.

My friend here at worked looked at the pics and she thinks it is a maltipoo-

 

[Ginny Nightingale]

Very cute! But I agree that breeders found on petfinder or the internet can be very unscrupulous----I will add however, that even with good breeders of doodles, the weight can vary. A 35 pound momma that I have bred had 5 pups last year--dad was also 35 pounds--one pup is well on his way to 50-60 pounds (Like his Labrador retriever ancestors) and another pup from that litter is not going to hit 30 (like her mini-poodle ancestor) so you really never know. I did tell the buyers to expect that size based on their growth the first 9 weeks and they were fine with it, so there were no surprises. The family that wanted a big dog got the bruiser and the person taking the little dog was an older single lady--so it all worked out well--That is what a good breeder does.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Ginny, I'm sure it was a mistake, but Petfinder and PuppyFind are two very different things.

Petfinder is a rescue listing site, you don't find breeders there. It's an excellent place to find a dog, lol.

PuppyFind is an ad site for BYBs and puppy mills, and that's where the poster found this puppy.  

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Also, the sizes of doodles vary so much because the parent breeds do. But a Maltese and a Toy Poodle are both toy breeds of similar sizes, and the there should not be much size variation within a maltipoo litter resulting from such a breeding.