Frequently Asked Questions

December 2008

About Goldendoodles:

What does a Goldendoodle look like?

• Please take a moment to look through our Doodle Gallery. Many of our owners have sent us photos, and we have included the names of the parents with each pup's page so that you might be able to see examples of pups from that family line.
• We currently have one adult Goldendoodle on premises, and we can make an appointment for you to meet her, as well as our other dogs.
• There are also quite a few pictures of adult Goldendoodles on the internet. You can find several custom home pages for owners at www.Goldendoodles.com. Please keep in mind that some of those puppies are F1, or first generation and some are F1B or multi generation. Most of our puppies are F1, and have moderately wavy coats.

Why would someone choose a Goldendoodle over a pure-bred?

• The most salient feature of the Goldendoodle is that they have the Golden Retriever’s desire to please, combined with the Standard Poodle’s intelligence. As a result, they quickly and happily learn what their owner desires of them.
• With any cross-breed (including the Goldendoodle), you have the benefits of a more diverse gene pool, greatly reducing the chances that your dog will suffer from a recessive illness. With a designer cross-breed, this principle (called "hybrid vigour") combined with the selection of healthy members of the parent breeds (Golden Retrievers and Standard Poodles) produces the best of both worlds.
• As a result, a mixed-breed such as the Goldendoodle is healthier than the average pure-bred dog. They are much less prone to the inherited weaknesses of either parent breed. Many of our customers have come to us for this reason, having experienced the heartbreak of losing a beloved purebred pet to cancer, hip dysplasia, or other inherited illness.

Isn’t a Goldendoodle just a mutt?

• Of course not. A "mutt" is a term (whether used affectionately or pejoratively) referring to a dogs of mixed-breed heritage where the contributing breeds are unknown (or guessed at based on certain physical traits). Until the dog is grown, it remains unknown what size, look, or personality traits it has inherited. There is nothing wrong with a mutt, in fact we have had several rescue mutts in our home over the years. .
• You will hear others denounce various intentional cross-breeds as mutts, usually making the emotional and uninformed statement that intentionally producing mixed-breed puppies is “renegade”, claiming that the results are "unpredictable" or or "irresponsible" because there are many mutts available at the pound. These statements are obviously made by those who are uninformed about the goals of cross-breeding.
• Some families (including us) adore their adopted mutts and enjoy the surprises that come with getting to know them. We fully support all families that are able to make a decision to adopt an orphan dog from the shelter. To do so is clearly a blessing to the dog, and in most cases a blessing for the family. We also understand that not all families are in a circumstance to adopt without a known background, as they cannot or choose not to take the risks associated with the unknown because they have small children, allergies, or a lifestyle that doesn’t allow for the time necessary to rehabilitate an animal with an unknown history.

How large will a Goldendoodle get?

• In general, Our Goldendoodles range in size from 65 to 75 pounds. Our Golden Retrievers are athletic and compact, ranging from 55-75 pounds, and the poodles we breed to are tall.
• Keep in mind that females are on average 5-8 pounds lighter than the males, but there are certainly individual females the are on the larger side and individual males that are smaller.

Is a larger dog harder to handle?

• We don’t believe so. Our dogs are incredibly calm and easily trained. Most people have seen the dog that jumps and takes his owner for a walk. While larger breeds are generally stronger, this behavior has everything to do with training from as early as 5 weeks of age. We begin to shape our dogs at this age, reinforcing good behavior (attention, calmness, affection, etc.) and ignoring bad behavior (jumping, biting, excessive barking) so that they know what humans expect from them. Our experience has shown us that a consistently trained 100 pound dog will be easier to handle than an unruly 40 pound dog.

What is F1 and F1B mean? What does Standard mean?

• F1 refers to Goldendoodles that result from the breeding of a full-bred Golden Retriever and a full-bred Standard Poodle. F1B refers to the puppy born of a Standard Poodle and a F1 Goldendoodle. We breed both F1 and F1b Standard Goldendoodles.
• Standard refers to Goldendoodles bred with Standard Poodles.
• We breed both F1 and F1b Standard Goldendoodles.

About our puppies and dogs:

What sort of dogs do you use to breed your Goldendoodles?

• All of our Goldendoodles are bred using high quality AKC purebred Golden Retrievers and Standard Poodles. Most of our dams are Golden Retrievers, but we do have a one female Standard Poodle and a couple of female Standard Goldendoodles. For specific pedigrees, please go to the dog's individual page and click the blue link with their formal name and AKC number.

What health testing do you put your dogs through?

• All of our breeding dogs are screened for Hip and Elbow dysplasia via OFA or Penn-Hip style xrays. We also screen for hereditary eye problems through CERF examinations. Additionally, they are certified through OFA for cardiac and thyroid health. For more details on OFA certifications, please visit www.OFFA.org.
• All of our hired studs have also received their OFA hip and CERF eye exams. Some of the studs we've hired have additional examinations, depending on the breeder we've contracted with.
• In addition, we stay in contact with the breeders and owners of the parents (and sometimes grandparents) of our dogs to follow up on their continued health and potential breeding considerations. For the specifics on a particular dog, please go to their individual page and click the blue link with their formal name and AKC number.

What nutrition and veterinary care will the puppies receive before they are sent home?

• Our dams are fed high quality whole foods and supplemental herbs for the puppies in utero. Once the puppies are about four weeks, we begin supplemental feeding with soft foods.
• Many breeders de-worm their puppies several times before going home. Although puppies can contract worms from a the environment, in most cases worms are contracted via the mother's milk. Because deworming is very hard on their young intestines, the best defense for parasites is prevention.Our dams are cleared for parasites (worms) before conception, and dewormed again after the puppies are born. This helps to minimize the possibility of parasites in the puppies and the need for harsh treatments before 5 weeks of age. If puppies are symptomatic for worms, we will of course treat them immediately, but we have found prevention to be the most useful. They are wormed after they are weaned, minimizing the possibility of re-infection and maximizing the deworming process. This prepares them to make the best use of the following vaccinations.
• Our puppies receive their first vaccinations before they are released to go home. We time this to be soon after they are weaned so that the injected antibodies are not competing with the maternal antibodies.

How long before the puppies can go home?

• We typically keep our puppies until eight weeks of age. Goldendoodles mature faster than Golden Retrievers. Much like Standard Poodles, they are ready to bond and learn about new environments by 6-7 weeks. However, we cannot release them until they have been weaned enough to receive their first set of shots. This makes it possible for their immune system to make the best use of the injected antibodies. Our litters are also quarantined away from other dogs until then.

How much do your puppies cost? What does that include?

• Our first generation (F1) puppies are $1800 each. Our second generation (F1B) puppies are $1950.
• All of our puppies go home with a health guarantee that covers immediate life threatening illness for the three days and hip dysplasia for two years. Please feel free to contact us for a copy of our puppy contract and health guarantee.
• Our puppies also go home with microchip already implanted and the first of their puppy vaccinations already completed.
• We take a $350 deposit for a priority wait-list reservation, with the balance due at delivery. Please note that final payments need to be in cash or cashier's check.
• Please take a moment to read our Waitlist and Selection Policy for more details.

Do I have to spay/neuter my puppy?

• Yes, we do require a commitment to spay/neuter your pet.
• (a) It will make your life easier by eliminating the behavior patterns that accompany a sexually mature dog;
• (b) it will reduce the chances of your dog being attacked by a same-sex competitor;
• (c) it will protect against the possibility of you dog developing a reproductive cancer, which is not uncommon;
• (d) it will eliminate the possibility of an unwanted pregnancy that could result in puppies that suffer from an inherited condition from an uninformed pairing. (Again, wouldn’t it just break your heart if your dog had puppies all developed a painful condition?);
• (e) it ensures that your dog does not run away to seek a mate, possibly resulting is his or her injury or death; and
• (f) last, but equally important, fixing your dog is a conscientious good deed that reduces the number of unwanted puppies, therefore honoring and valuing the heroic efforts of the volunteers that donate countless hours and dollars to rescue and rehabilitate ill and neglected animals from local shelters.

Will my puppy need grooming?

• Yes, because Goldendoodles don’t shed, they need “haircuts”. This can be done by your local groomer or can be done at home with some practice. Goldendoodles also need to have the hair in the their ears trimmed and the ears themselves cleaned regularly to prevent ear infection. We also recommend regular toenail clipping.
• There are many different styles of grooming for Goldendoodles. It is often difficult to describe exactly what you want from your groomer, so we recommend that you bring your groomer a photo of a Goldendoodle with the haircut you prefer.

Are your puppies hypo-allergenic?

• Almost all of our F1 puppies are non-shedding and hypo-allergenic. There are a handful of pups that may experience temporary shedding in the following conditions: sudden weather changes, frequent swims in a chlorinated pool, or transition from puppy to adult coat. Additional factors that could affect the coat negatively are low-quality nutrition, or advanced age.
• Even so, this temporary shedding is short-lived and significantly less than that of other shedding breeds. Keep in mind that while many first generation Goldendoodles are hypo-allergenic, there is no such thing as allergen free. Some people with severe allergies will still react to a full Poodle.

Miscellaneous:

I'm looking for an adult Goldendoodle. Do you ever have any available?

• It's highly unusual for us to have a an older puppy left over, or to have a puppy need a new home once it's gone home with a family, so it is highly unusual for us to have older puppies or adults available. We do get many requests for adults, and we're happy to receive requests, but please understand that we are not likely to be able to fill these requests. You may want to check with The International Doodle Owners Group (www.IDOG.biz) for doodle rescue opportunities or your local rescue for an adult dog that might meet your needs.

Does it make a difference which parent is the Golden Retriever and which is the Poodle?

• Over the last few years we've had a variety sires and dams from the same Poodle lineage, as well as sires and dams from the same Golden Retreiver lineage. We've noticed the the look of the puppies follows the lineage (not the gender) of the parent.
• Concerning personality, we find that our Goldendoodles are very consistently calm and good natured. We credit this to the calm nature of our parent dogs, the hours of hands-on care the puppies receive, and the home environment in which each litter is raised.

Do you breed mini-Goldendoodles?

• No, we do not. Mini-Goldendoodles are created using miniature or toy poodles. We are limiting our expertise to one variety of Goldendoodle and the two pure breeds involved. Unfortunately, we are not personally familiar with a mini-Goldendoodles. We recommend that you contact www.Goldendoodles.com for referrals in your area.

Do you sell puppies for breeding?

• Breeding Goldendoodles is a complicated and expensive process to do correctly. Breeding requires elaborate tests and research back several generations. Without an informed pairing, there is some risk that undesirable traits (such as his dysplasia or a vulnerability to cancer) could reappear. So no, we will not consider releasing our dogs for breeding stock without an establishing a relationship with your breeding program, reviewing your breeding practices and your past breeding results.

Will you ship puppies?

• We do not have the facilities and man-power available to transport puppies to you by air. If flight is necessary, we prefer that the puppy travels home with you aboard the passenger compartment where he/she can be attended to if needed. We understand that this is an added expense, but it will keep your beloved puppy from potentially having a physically or emotionally traumatic experience that could result in a lifetime of problematic behavior.
• Besides, we prefer to match puppies with their families in person. This gives you a chance to experience the "chemistry" between you and each of the puppies you are considering (including your future puppy!).