Breed library

Goldendoodle

Also known as Groodle.

Goldendoodle photograph.
Golden Doodle Standing (HD).jpg - Gullpavon. CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Golden_Doodle_Standing_(HD).jpg. License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0. License: CC BY-SA 4.0.

Breed overview

The Goldendoodle is a designer dog created by crossbreeding a Golden Retriever and a Poodle. First widely bred in the 1990s, they are bred in three different sizes, each corresponding to the size of Poodle used as a parent. Goldendoodles often demonstrate Golden Retrievers' intuitive and human-oriented nature in addition to the intelligent personality and the coat of a Poodle.

  • Breed type: dog crossbreedBreed reference breed kind.
  • Country of origin: EnglandBreed reference country of origin.

Breed facts

  • In the 1990s, designer dog breeders in Australia and the United States started to widely cross Golden Retrievers and Poodles, adopting the term goldendoodle to describe the cross.
  • The name goldendoodle is derived from "golden" (from Golden Retriever) and "Labradoodle" (itself a portmanteau of Labrador Retriever and a Poodle).
  • Deliberately breeding Poodles with Golden Retrievers actually preceded the 1990s.
  • An example of this was done by Monica Dickens, the great-granddaughter of Charles Dickens, who crossed the two breeds in 1969.
  • The cross can result in a healthier animal than either of the parent breeds.

Size and appearance

The appearance, size, and coat of goldendoodles can vary considerably according to their breeding generations and what type of Poodle parents they have. While some goldendoodles share common traits, each goldendoodle might have its own unique appearance and temperament. In general, goldendoodles have round skulls, broad muzzles, heavily feathered tail, drop ears, and oval-shaped eyes. Goldendoodles' retriever parentage makes their body long and muscular, and likely to have a deep chest and wide stance.

  • Body mass reference: 6.804 - 36.287 kgAdult breed reference quantity from the article infobox. Original value 15 - 80 lb. Unit conversion where applicable: 1 inch = 2.54 cm; 1 pound = 0.45359237 kg. Original field and references are retained in the revision-pinned article evidence.
  • Height reference: 43.18 - 60.96 cmAdult breed reference quantity from the article infobox. Original value 17 - 24 in. Unit conversion where applicable: 1 inch = 2.54 cm; 1 pound = 0.45359237 kg. Original field and references are retained in the revision-pinned article evidence.
  • Coat length: long
  • Coat texture: curly
  • Coat texture: wavy
  • Coat texture: straight
  • Coat texture: shaggy
  • Height category: medium
  • Height category: tall
  • Weight category: large
  • Weight category: medium
  • Weight category: small

Personality and behavior

In general, goldendoodles tend to take on a Golden Retriever’s friendly, affectionate, trustworthy, outgoing, and enthusiastic nature, whilst also demonstrating a Poodle’s reputable intelligence, sociability and trainability. Goldendoodles predominantly exhibit high levels of energy, loyalty and playfulness; they are often friendly with children and considered a good family pet. This friendliness and loyalty, however, means they are prone to separation anxiety, especially as puppies. The crossbreed often exhibits strong retriever instincts inherited from its gundog parent breeds, which make them have an active mouth and high tendency to retrieve objects. A 2019 behavioural study compared goldendoodles to their parent breeds and found that, on average, goldendoodles displayed significantly lower dog-rivalry than purebred Miniature Poodles, and significantly higher dog-directed aggression, dog-directed fear, and stranger-directed fear than purebred Golden Retrievers, Miniature Poodles, or Standard Poodles.

  • Attachment and attention seeking (C-BARQ mean): 2.17 / 4Owner-reported attachment and attention seeking factor mean for US reference population Golden doodle.
  • Chasing (C-BARQ mean): 1.94 / 4Owner-reported chasing factor mean for US reference population Golden doodle.
  • Dog-directed aggression (C-BARQ mean): 0.57 / 4Owner-reported dog-directed aggression factor mean for US reference population Golden doodle.
  • Dog-directed fear (C-BARQ mean): 0.73 / 4Owner-reported dog-directed fear factor mean for US reference population Golden doodle.
  • Energy (C-BARQ mean): 2.33 / 4Owner-reported energy factor mean for US reference population Golden doodle.
  • Excitability (C-BARQ mean): 2.10 / 4Owner-reported excitability factor mean for US reference population Golden doodle.
  • Familiar-dog aggression (C-BARQ mean): 0.26 / 4Owner-reported familiar-dog aggression factor mean for US reference population Golden doodle.
  • Non-social fear (C-BARQ mean): 0.70 / 4Owner-reported non-social fear factor mean for US reference population Golden doodle.
  • Owner-directed aggression (C-BARQ mean): 0.14 / 4Owner-reported owner-directed aggression factor mean for US reference population Golden doodle.
  • Separation-related problems (C-BARQ mean): 0.62 / 4Owner-reported separation-related problems factor mean for US reference population Golden doodle.
  • Stranger-directed aggression (C-BARQ mean): 0.40 / 4Owner-reported stranger-directed aggression factor mean for US reference population Golden doodle.
  • Stranger-directed fear (C-BARQ mean): 0.46 / 4Owner-reported stranger-directed fear factor mean for US reference population Golden doodle.
  • Touch sensitivity (C-BARQ mean): 0.58 / 4Owner-reported touch sensitivity factor mean for US reference population Golden doodle.
  • Trainability (C-BARQ mean): 2.78 / 4Owner-reported trainability factor mean for US reference population Golden doodle.

Exercise and activities

Primarily bred as companion dogs, goldendoodles have been successfully trained as therapy dogs, guide dogs, nut-detection dogs detecting nuts in food for people with nut allergies, and other forms of assistance dogs. In some regions of the United States it has become one of the most popular dog varieties. In Australia, it was named one of the top twenty most popular dog varieties in 2020 where, due to the increased demand for pets during the COVID-19 pandemic, prices for a puppy have risen from around $3,500 AUD before the pandemic, to as much as $15,000 AUD by September 2020.

Training and enrichment

Care planning: choose one everyday skill to practice and keep a record of each session. Note the cue, the reward your dog enjoys and what went well. Rotate familiar games and new activities, and use your notes to choose the next small step.

Coat and grooming

Care planning: use the coat details above to discuss a grooming routine with your groomer. Record brushing sessions, baths and appointments in the app. Add the tools you use and your preferred schedule so the whole household can follow the same routine.

  • Coat length: long
  • Coat texture: curly
  • Coat texture: wavy
  • Coat texture: straight
  • Coat texture: shaggy

Health and lifespan

Care planning: keep your dog's veterinary records, health-check dates and agreed care plan together. Add reminders for appointments and record changes you want to discuss at the next visit. Use the linked breed organizations and original references to explore their current health resources.

  • Lifespan reference: 10 yearsBreed reference lifespan years.

Living with this breed

Care planning: compare this profile's adult dimensions, coat care and available activity information with your household's routine. Make a shortlist, plan who will handle daily care and save the questions you want to ask a breed club, rescue or breeder.

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Breed history

In the 1990s, designer dog breeders in Australia and the United States started to widely cross Golden Retrievers and Poodles, adopting the term goldendoodle to describe the cross. The name doodle is also used to describe this crossbreed. The name goldendoodle is derived from "golden" (from Golden Retriever) and "Labradoodle" (itself a portmanteau of Labrador Retriever and a Poodle). The word "doodle" in this context is a product of rebracketing the word "Labrad‧oodle" into "Labra‧doodle". Deliberately breeding Poodles with Golden Retrievers actually preceded the 1990s. An example of this was done by Monica Dickens, the great-granddaughter of Charles Dickens, who crossed the two breeds in 1969. The cross can result in a healthier animal than either of the parent breeds.

Clubs and further reading

Sources

  1. Goldendoodle - WikipediaWikipedia contributors Retrieved 2026-10-14.License: CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted excerpts from Wikipedia contributors, Goldendoodle, revision 1378514600. CC BY-SA 4.0. Formatting, citations and selection changed. Source history: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Goldendoodle&action=history
  2. Wikidata structured breed dataWikimedia contributors Retrieved 2026-10-14.License: CC0 1.0. Wikidata contributors (CC0).
  3. National C-BARQ breed and all-breed means from USA.PLOS ONE / Figshare Retrieved 2026-10-14.License: CC BY 4.0. Bohland, Kyle R.; Lilly, Meghan Leanne; Herron, Meghan E.; Arruda, Andréia G.; O’Quin, Jeanette M. (2023). National C-BARQ breed and all-breed means from USA.. PLOS ONE. Dataset. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0289356.s003 CC BY 4.0. Selected rows and field names adapted; values unchanged.
  4. File:Golden Doodle Standing (HD).jpgWikimedia Commons Retrieved 2026-10-14.License: CC BY-SA 4.0. Golden Doodle Standing (HD).jpg - Gullpavon. CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Golden_Doodle_Standing_(HD).jpg. License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
  5. Palipaws everyday care planningPalipaws Retrieved 2026-10-14.License: Palipaws original factual summaries. Palipaws. Original care-planning text, separate from breed measurements and licensed article summaries.