Goldendoodles are a wonderful new hybrid that began in
the United States approx. 1997. Some will argue that the Goldendoodle began
in Canada and some will argue that they began in Australia. Regardless of
how this hybrid came about, I won't disagree with anyone who says the
Goldendoodle is not only popular, but it is the most fantastic dog available
today!
Because this hybrid is considered new,
when taking into consideration that a variety of dogs has been among humans
for eons, there is a misconception where color and markings are concerned
for the Goldendoodle hybrid. The Goldendoodle is what it is; a Poodle hybrid
who has an array of colors and markings and there are no rare markings or
colors where the Goldendoodle is concerned.
Many people assume that a Goldendoodle
is only "Gold" and that is why they were called "Golden-Doodle". That is not
the case. They are called "Goldendoodle" because of the Golden Retriever and
Poodle cross. If we were to become very technical about this hybrid's name,
everyone would be incorrect as to call them a "Doodle". In reality, they
would be considered a "Golden-Poo". But doodle does sound cute and CUTE
these dogs are without a doubt!
A Goldendoodle can actually be many
colors with all sorts of markings. Why? Because the Poodle has such a wide
variety of color genes in its genetic make-up. Goldendoodles can range from
white, light apricot, dark apricot, cream, red, chocolate, chocolate
phantom, silver phantom, silver frost, silver and black. Goldendoodles can
also be any of the above colors and have white or tan markings.
Goldendoodles can be tri-color (silver/tan/white, silver/white/tan,
black/white/tan, black/tan/white, etc. ) and Goldendoodles can be of parti-color
with any combination of colors and markings that would make them of parti-coloration.
Pup with green eyes
The most popular color in a
Goldendoodle is cream or light apricot and without a doubt black seems to be
the least favorite color and we still have not figured out why. Black or any
colored Goldendoodle is absolutely gorgeous! My personal favorite is
chocolate phantom with green or amber eyes! Yes! That's right! Goldendoodles
can have not only green or amber eyes, but they can also have piercing blue
eyes! Amber or green Colored eyes are always consistent with chocolate or
chocolate phantom Goldendoodles while blue is extremely difficult to
achieve, but we did create one in 2005! A light apricot with piercing blue
eyes! Goldendoodles who are cream or light apricot with amber or green eyes
is also extremely difficult, but we created ten in 2004. They don't come
often and it is not something that can be bred for, but when it comes out,
it's stunning!
Many people miss out on owning a
gorgeous Goldendoodle when they only seek out the common colors! It reminds
me of going to an AKC dog show where every dog looks exactly like the other.
Variety is terrific! But many prefer to stick with the most popular which is
a solid cream or apricot. Those who only walk the mainstream miss out on the
beauty of owning a very gentle, loving, family-oriented dog who would do
just about anything you ever asked of it, just to please their owner. Many
fantastic dogs are over-looked based on color, markings or gender and to us
as a breeder who appreciates all dogs of all colors and breeds, it's
shameful.
As a professional breeder of ten years
and who use to breed Siberian Huskies back in the late nineties; we always
saw terrific dogs being passed over just because they did NOT have blue
eyes! This is why we had our two Siberian Huskies spayed and neutered quite
awhile back because I refused to breed those dogs just to suit someone's
fancy of eye color. The temperament and other important parts of the dog was
over-looked for eye color. The Dog world is truly a strange world, indeed.
In the Labrador, chocolate Labs is
considered to be of the lowest color as far as popularity. Black is the most
popular in Labs, yet in Goldendoodles, many people pass up the black doodle
for the apricot doodle. Since we do not create Labradoodles, I am not sure
how popular black Labradoodles are. We do know that their look and the coat
type is much different than that of the Goldendoodle. A Goldendoodle's coat
is much softer and fluffier than that of a Labradoodle. We have noticed
since breeding short haired dogs to Poodles and long haired dogs to Poodles
that there is a difference in how the coat will look on the offspring. Dogs
with short, stiff little hairs when crossed with a Poodle will have
offspring that will have a soft coat, but a wiry appearance. The coat most
likely will not be one with shag or wave. When a long haired, soft coated
dog is bred to a Poodle, all of them will have a very similar coat type like
that of the Goldendoodle. Soft, shaggy and wavy. As we explain in the
article Goldendoodle Coat Types
& Allergies, the more "ripples" in the coat of a puppy within hours of
birth, the thicker and shaggier the coat will be. Even length can be longer
than those who do not have many or any ripples in the coat right after
birth.
Goldendoodles can have short ears that
flip at the top or they can have very long ears. Those who have the very
long ears could possibly have more ear issues than those with short ears.
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We have noticed that owners who allow
their Goldendoodles to swim in the pool, beach or lake have the most
ear issues with their doodles. Goldendoodles whose ears are short
and flip at the top are very cute and they do have shaggy hairs
hanging over their flipped ears, which makes them adorable! |
Because of the Poodle lines, many
colors can immerge when breeding the Goldendoodle. Since 1999, we've seen
just about every color and every marking possible. We have never bred
a flat coat Goldendoodle, but if one were to occur it is either going
through a particular coat change at a particular young age or it is possible
it is a doodle who was backbred to a Golden Retriever. Goldendoodles
backbred or inbred or doodles bred back to a Golden Retriever can have flat
coats. Doodles backbred or inbred to Poodles can have a curly Goldendoodle
or rather a Goldendoodle with very tight curls in their coat like that of a
purebred Poodle. Doodles backbred or inbred to the Poodle can have a curly
coat or rather a coat with very tight curls like that of a purebred Poodle.
We do not back breed or inbreed so by one year of age, our Goldendoodles
have always sported a shaggy, wavy coat. Some of our Goldendoodles will
sport more curls in the coat, but their curls are not tight. They are very
loose curls and can be viewed mostly about the face, legs, ears and hind
quarters.
Note: This information is from
Goldendoodle World's personal experience and from their years of hybrid
research. It is based on the theory, a hybrid dog is better off not backbred,
inbred or line-bred. Read Designer Dogs for
more info.
