Goldendoodle
Friendly, smart, social and eager. From United States (Golden Retriever x Poodle).
Designer Crosslarge breedUnited States (Golden Retriever x Poodle)Standards checked
Standards checked: this profile's facts are checked against the breed standards of the AKC, The Kennel Club and the FCI, as described on our methodology page.
Gallery
Real photos from licensed sources only, each credited to its creator.
.jpg){kind=link}
Photos show different individual dogs from licensed libraries, not one dog growing up. Stage labels are approximate, the way a careful editor would judge them.
About the Goldendoodle
The Goldendoodle pairs the Golden Retriever's friendliness with the Poodle's low shedding coat, and comes in miniature and medium sizes as well as the standard described here. Most are sociable, clever and energetic. Coat type and shedding still vary by generation, so ask the breeder what to expect.
History
The cross rose in the 1990s and 2000s as breeders tried to produce guide dogs and family companions with lighter shedding coats. It remains a cross, not a kennel club breed, with no single fixed standard.
Personality
Friendly, smart, social and eager is the record's Goldendoodle: the cross of Golden Retriever and Standard Poodle that rose in the 1990s and 2000s as breeders tried to produce guide dogs and family companions with lighter shedding coats. Goldendoodles are sociable, clever and energetic, with the Golden's famous goodwill and the Poodle's quick mind. Puppies are bright, golden charmers; adults are devoted, joyful companions. Owners describe the complete family doodle: a dog bred to be everyone's friend, smart enough for work and sunny enough for the sofa.
Temperament and traits
Energy (4/5)
Trainability (5/5)
Grooming needs (5/5)
Shedding (2/5)
Barking (3/5)
Good with children: Good with children
With other dogs: Good with dogs
With strangers: Friendly with strangers
Apartment life: With enough exercise
Coat and care
Coat: Wavy or curly coat, usually low shedding; needs regular clipping.
Colors: Cream, apricot, red, chocolate, black and parti-color.
This coat needs real work: brush several times a week right down to the skin and clip every six to eight weeks, or it mats into felt. Ears need regular checks after swimming.
Exercise and grooming
Exercise
Sixty to ninety minutes a day of energetic family exercise: the Goldendoodle pairs the Golden Retriever's friendliness with the Poodle's low shedding coat, per the overview, in standard, medium and miniature sizes, with this page describing the standard. Brisk walks, swimming, retrieving games, training and dog sports fill the programme. Most are sociable, clever and energetic, per the overview. Ears need regular checks after swimming, per the care notes. Puppies build up gradually on a large frame with large breed growth care. A worked Goldendoodle is the record's portrait: friendly, smart, social and eager, calm enough to be welcome anywhere.
Grooming
This coat needs real work: brush several times a week right down to the skin and clip every six to eight weeks, or it mats into felt, exactly as the care notes warn for the wavy or curly coat. The record's grooming score is the top of this site's scale; budget groomer appointments as a fixed cost. Ears need regular checks after swimming, per the notes. Nails need trims, teeth benefit from brushing. Puppies need grooming habituation from the first weeks; a 60 pound dog that fights the brush is a household project. Owners learn to brush in sections on a schedule, not in a crisis.
Training and daily life
Training
With the top train score in this index, the Goldendoodle is an outstanding pupil: exceptionally quick, eager and sociable, excelling at obedience, assistance work, therapy visits and dog sports. Reward based structure with variety is the method. Priorities are socialisation, lead manners before the strength arrives, a settle, recall, alone time skills, and cooperative grooming for a lifetime of coat work. Owners describe one of the most rewarding family training partnerships available.
Living with a Goldendoodle
The Goldendoodle suits active, sociable families with a serious grooming budget that want a big, friendly companion: friendly, smart, social and eager in the record's words, good with children, good with other dogs and friendly with strangers, it rates flats as possible with the full programme delivered (miniature and medium sizes suit flats better). It remains a cross, not a kennel club breed, with no single fixed standard, per the history. Owners describe the cross at its best: the Golden's sunshine with the Poodle's brains, in a coat that sheds lightly and demands heavily.
What a Goldendoodle costs
Food cost
About $38 per month for a typical 60 lb adult eating roughly 3.5 cups a day of a standard quality food ($1.60 per lb). Full breakdown in our food expense calculator.
Activity and exercise
Plan 60 to 90 minutes a day of walks, play and training. Under exercised dogs of most breeds invent their own projects, and they rarely pick good ones.
Insurance cost
Typical US range $35 to $60 per month for accident and illness cover. Estimate only, based on market ranges for this breed's risk profile; see the insurance estimator and the insurance guide.
On the monthly figures above, a typical adult year runs to about $451 for food and $420 to $720 for insurance, before routine vet care, grooming and gear. Year one costs more: vaccinations, spay or neuter surgery, a crate, bedding and training all land at once.
Growth: puppy to senior
How weight typically builds with age for a large breed, and when full size arrives.
| Stage | Age | Typical weight |
|---|---|---|
| Puppy | 8 weeks | about 6 to 8 lb |
| Puppy | 4 months | about 14 to 20 lb |
| Puppy | 6 months | about 24 to 34 lb |
| Young | 9 months | about 34 to 48 lb |
| Young | 12 months | about 41 to 57 lb |
| Adult | 18 months | about 48 to 66 lb |
| Adult | 24 months | about 50 to 70 lb |
| Adult | Full grown | 50 to 70 lb (standard range) |
| Senior | From about 7 years | Healthy weight stays in the adult range; watch for slow gain or loss |
Growth pattern follows the size class growth curves published by the Waltham Petcare Science Institute, applied to the adult weight range in the breed standard. Individual puppies vary; steady growth matters more than hitting any single number, and your vet's growth checks come first.
Life stages
Puppies need socialisation, grooming habituation from the first weeks, gradual exercise building and large breed growth care while the frame grows. Adolescents are big, bright and boisterous, and structured training and swimming carry the household through. Adults enjoy a vigorous prime: ten to fifteen years. Keep the coat brushed to the skin, clipping appointments kept and weight lean. Senior status arrives around eight to nine: twice yearly checks with joint, eye and heart awareness, ramps for vehicles and continued gentle swims. Old Goldendoodles stay friendly, smart and devoted.
Health
Choose breeders who test both breeds: hips, elbows, eyes and heart from the Golden side, plus von Willebrand disease and PRA from the Poodle side. Cancer risk from the Golden parent is part of the picture too.
Conditions to know about
- Conditions from either parent (governing rule): Choose breeders who test both breeds, in the record's direction: a Goldendoodle can inherit from the Golden side or the Poodle side, and both panels should be produced in writing.
- Hip and elbow dysplasia, eyes and heart (Golden side): Hips, elbows, eyes and heart from the Golden side, per the record. Ask to see both parents' certificates: hip and elbow scores, a current eye certificate and a cardiologist heart clearance.
- Cancer risk (Golden side): Cancer risk from the Golden parent is part of the picture too, in the record's honest words. Ask about longevity and causes of death in the Golden parent's family.
- von Willebrand disease and PRA (Poodle side): von Willebrand disease and PRA from the Poodle side, per the record. Ask for the Poodle parent's DNA panel and eye certificates.
This is a designer cross, not a kennel club breed, so there is no official standard. Figures follow the parent breeds and reputable breeder consensus. Health notes summarize the conditions breed clubs and veterinary bodies most often flag for this breed. They are general information for choosing and caring, not a diagnosis or a substitute for your vet.
Gear for Goldendoodle owners
Our team is hands on testing products for this guide right now. Recommendations will only appear here after real testing, and this module will always carry a plain affiliate disclosure at the top.
Goldendoodle questions
How long do Goldendoodles live?
A typical lifespan is 10 to 15 years. Weight control, dental care and screening for the breed's known conditions give a dog the best chance of reaching the top of that range.
How much does it cost to keep a Goldendoodle?
Food for a typical adult runs about $38 a month at a standard quality tier, and accident and illness insurance usually falls between $35 and $60 a month in the US. Try the full cost calculator for a complete year one and yearly picture.
Are Goldendoodles good with children?
Good with children. As with every breed, supervise dogs and children together and teach children to respect the dog's space.
How much exercise does a Goldendoodle need?
Plan on 60 to 90 minutes a day, split between walks, play and training games. Puppies and seniors need gentler, shorter sessions.
Goldendoodle or Labradoodle, what is the difference?
The two famous doodles: the Goldendoodle (Golden Retriever cross) is generally the softer, more eager to please dog. The Labradoodle (Labrador cross) is generally the bouncier, more exuberant dog. Both need the same serious coat work and health test diligence.
Do Goldendoodles shed?
Usually lightly, per the coat notes, but coat type and shedding vary by generation, so ask the breeder what to expect, in the overview's advice. No doodle is guaranteed non shedding or hypoallergenic.
Are Goldendoodles good family dogs?
Yes, famously: friendly, smart and social in the record's words, a leading family cross. The conditions are real exercise, a heavy grooming commitment and a breeder who tests hips, elbows, eyes and heart.