Anonymous wrote:We have a multigenerational Australian Labradoodle. He has a fleece coat, not wiry and curly like poodles. Fleece coats are easier to maintain. Multigenerational doodles give you more consistency in coat, appearance, and other characteristics than other earlier generations of dogs that are bred. Usually doodle breeders specialize in a specific generation of doodles and that's why many doodle owners's dog does not match the expectations they had. We needed a non-shedding dog because of allergies and asthma. Had we not had these issues, we would have gotten a lab or a golden. Our doodle was easy to train and a good family dog. We got him through Good Day Doodles in North Carolina. I received far more information on my dog's development before he came to us and instructions on what to do when we brought him home than I did my child, plus genetic testing and a copy of his family tree. I also received a call 2 days after he came home to see how we were doing. He is groomed every 2 months. His bath, brush, and blowdry and trim is $75, haircut is $140. He only gets 1-2 haircuts per year. I tip on top of that. He was a pandemic puppy and so we used an online training company, Bella and Baxter, which I highly recommend. Online classes, structured curriculum, blog, live one-on-one and group sessions with a trainer available as well. The head of the company is a former teacher and so I appreciated the checklists, structured curriculum, and support. He is a good boy and I attribute our breeder with helping to put us on a positive path to success. Doodles are designer dogs and are in high demand, so buyer beware, and good luck!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have a multigenerational Australian Labradoodle. He has a fleece coat, not wiry and curly like poodles. Fleece coats are easier to maintain. Multigenerational doodles give you more consistency in coat, appearance, and other characteristics than other earlier generations of dogs that are bred. Usually doodle breeders specialize in a specific generation of doodles and that's why many doodle owners's dog does not match the expectations they had. We needed a non-shedding dog because of allergies and asthma. Had we not had these issues, we would have gotten a lab or a golden. Our doodle was easy to train and a good family dog. We got him through Good Day Doodles in North Carolina. I received far more information on my dog's development before he came to us and instructions on what to do when we brought him home than I did my child, plus genetic testing and a copy of his family tree. I also received a call 2 days after he came home to see how we were doing. He is groomed every 2 months. His bath, brush, and blowdry and trim is $75, haircut is $140. He only gets 1-2 haircuts per year. I tip on top of that. He was a pandemic puppy and so we used an online training company, Bella and Baxter, which I highly recommend. Online classes, structured curriculum, blog, live one-on-one and group sessions with a trainer available as well. The head of the company is a former teacher and so I appreciated the checklists, structured curriculum, and support. He is a good boy and I attribute our breeder with helping to put us on a positive path to success. Doodles are designer dogs and are in high demand, so buyer beware, and good luck!

I have a standard poodle and his coat is soft like butter. Maybe the miniature and toy ones are different?

Anonymous wrote:We have a mini golden doodle and she's perfect. Calm but up for playing. Chill, never barks. Super friendly and loving. Doesn't shed. We love her!

Anonymous wrote:Doodles are the worst dogs ever. The ones I've seen in our neighbourhood are the ugliest, dumbest dogs that have no training. They bark, jump, and pull on walks.

Anonymous wrote:We have a multigenerational Australian Labradoodle. He has a fleece coat, not wiry and curly like poodles. Fleece coats are easier to maintain. Multigenerational doodles give you more consistency in coat, appearance, and other characteristics than other earlier generations of dogs that are bred. Usually doodle breeders specialize in a specific generation of doodles and that's why many doodle owners's dog does not match the expectations they had. We needed a non-shedding dog because of allergies and asthma. Had we not had these issues, we would have gotten a lab or a golden. Our doodle was easy to train and a good family dog. We got him through Good Day Doodles in North Carolina. I received far more information on my dog's development before he came to us and instructions on what to do when we brought him home than I did my child, plus genetic testing and a copy of his family tree. I also received a call 2 days after he came home to see how we were doing. He is groomed every 2 months. His bath, brush, and blowdry and trim is $75, haircut is $140. He only gets 1-2 haircuts per year. I tip on top of that. He was a pandemic puppy and so we used an online training company, Bella and Baxter, which I highly recommend. Online classes, structured curriculum, blog, live one-on-one and group sessions with a trainer available as well. The head of the company is a former teacher and so I appreciated the checklists, structured curriculum, and support. He is a good boy and I attribute our breeder with helping to put us on a positive path to success. Doodles are designer dogs and are in high demand, so buyer beware, and good luck!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have two goldendoodles. They have perfect temperaments. They are smart, easy to train/eager to please, happy, playful, snuggly. They do require lots of exercise and mental stimulation - the neurotic doodles are the ones who don't get enough of this. They go to the groomer every 8 weeks - it could be less often if I brushed them more at home - they will let me do it so it's not them, it's me!

Where did you buy them? Our family is in the market.

Anonymous wrote:My neighbor has one and he is obnoxious. Terrible dog. Chews her furniture, pulls and can't calm down. It's mainly her fault but you can hear him barking all day.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The grooming is pretty intense to do properly (full brushing to the skin every day to prevent mats) which is why so many are shaved.

The issue with doodles is that no high quality breeder is going to sell their poodle (or the other half of the mix) to a person who wants to create doodles. That means you are starting with lower quality breeding stock to begin with. Likely no health testing was done on the prior generation, almost certainly no health testing was done on the current generation. I would not buy one for that reason (and I'm not anti-purchasing a healthy dog! I own 1 rescue and 2 purchased dogs)

But if you're going to rescue anyway, the health reality is the same for nearly any dog in a shelter or rescue, so that doesn't really differentiate.

I tell all my clients who want to rescue that they should choose a specific dog, not a specific breed or mix. The standardization isn't there in non-responsibly bred dogs, so just because you're adopting a ______ doesn't mean it will behave like ______.

+1 To all of this. Every time I see a video of an owner complaining that their dog got shaved I know it was because they brought in a matted dog because they didn't take the time to brush it.

Because they are a mixed breed there are no breed standards to they can vary greatly.

Another thing that concerns me is that people are so obsessed with them tight now that may are being overbred by backyard breeders. I volunteer at a rescue that often takes in dogs from backyard breeders. These poor dogs are treated horribly before being dumped.

Anonymous wrote:The grooming is pretty intense to do properly (full brushing to the skin every day to prevent mats) which is why so many are shaved.

The issue with doodles is that no high quality breeder is going to sell their poodle (or the other half of the mix) to a person who wants to create doodles. That means you are starting with lower quality breeding stock to begin with. Likely no health testing was done on the prior generation, almost certainly no health testing was done on the current generation. I would not buy one for that reason (and I'm not anti-purchasing a healthy dog! I own 1 rescue and 2 purchased dogs)

But if you're going to rescue anyway, the health reality is the same for nearly any dog in a shelter or rescue, so that doesn't really differentiate.

I tell all my clients who want to rescue that they should choose a specific dog, not a specific breed or mix. The standardization isn't there in non-responsibly bred dogs, so just because you're adopting a ______ doesn't mean it will behave like ______.

Anonymous wrote:For everyone saying grooming is a pain I don't understand. I do it every day, and it takes maybe five minutes. I give training treats throughout - maybe six total - and because it's every single day she's used to it AND it never gets difficult.

Anonymous wrote:Most of the dogs at our local dog park are doodles of one kind or another, and they generally are very nice dogs. That said, every single owner complains about the grooming. It's very expensive, and they seem to bounce from groomer to groomer trying to find someone they like that isn't $150 or more per groom. And in general the professional grooming isn't enough by itself, you also have to brush them several times a week or they mat terribly.

As a PP said, I would also be concerned about the breeding situation, since most of these are puppy mill dogs.