The original Goldendoodle was a hybrid cross of a Golden Retriever and a Poodle. The exact date of conception is unknown as a handful of breeders emerged in the late 1990’s marketing this new breed. The idea was no doubt inspired by the creation of the Labradoodle and its success as a compatible dog for many people who experience mild allergies to dogs. The gorgeous low to no shedding coats were attracting those who loved the temperament of the Golden Retriever, but detested the amount of hair left behind and/or the allergy issues it presented. Thus, the Goldendoodle became a universal hit!

As the breed continued to develop, requests for different sizes became common and breeders answered. The public’s immediate adoration of the standard Goldendoodle (a standard Poodle crossed with a Golden Retriever) led the breed originators to look at size variations to accommodate different lifestyles.

There are now four categories for sizes – petite, mini, medium, and standard. They also come in a variety of colors and coat patterns. (See the breakdown on the Colors, Coats and Sizes page within this site).

Goldendoodles are extremely social, outgoing, non-aggressive dogs that thrive on human companionship. They have a great desire to please and to learn. Each individual breed (the Poodle and the Golden Retriever) score in the top 4 of the 150 smartest dog breeds. They are incredibly intelligent and eager to please. Coupled with the low to non-shedding coats, this temperament has proven to make Goldendoodles perfect candidates for service work as well as family pets.

Did we mention “Hybrid Vigor”? Hybrid vigor, the increased health benefits of crossing two completely unrelated breeds, gives the Goldendoodle the health and vitality that makes them, on average, outlive either one of their parent breeds. It should be stressed, however, that the general health and vitality is enhanced dramatically when parents have been genetically tested for the inherited diseases that both parent breeds share in common.

Given their wonderful disposition, intelligence, health and low to no shed coats, it’s no wonder why Goldendoodles are ever increasing in popularity. While this is a wonderful thing for the breed in general, it’s GANA’s mission to make sure we only allow dogs who have passed all of the health testing to be a part of the next generation. GANA’s primary objective is to promote and guide the development of the Goldendoodle and to achieve breed standards while maintaining optimum health. GANA guides breeders to the common goal of establishing reliability in coat type, health, and temperament.

COLORS

Goldendoodles come in a rainbow of colors. The Golden Retriever ancestry brings only shades of cream, apricot and red to the breed. These colors are all controlled by the same gene, with the shade of color determined by the intensity of the inherited gene. While the Poodle heritage also includes creams, apricots, and reds; Poodles alone lend the black, chocolate (dark brown), silver and gray coloring (and the color patterns) to the Goldendoodle coat.

For even more variety, there are patterns of these colors found in the Goldendoodle, including parti, merle, phantom, and brindle. A parti colored Goldendoodle is at least 50% white, with solid patches of any other color. A solid color Goldendoodle with white markings that cover less than 50% of the body are known by several names: abstract, mismarks, or chrome. Merle is a varied coat pattern. While a beautiful color, the merle gene can cause blindness and deafness if two parents carrying the merle gene are bred together, so merles should be bred only by very knowledgeable breeders who test for the merle gene and understand the genetics involved. Phantom’s have a specific pattern of markings on a solid background above each eye, on the sides of the muzzle, chest, inside the legs, and under the tail. Brindle patterns appear as stripes, the color and the width vary with each dog.

These are “Parti” Goldendoodles – to qualify as parti they must have at least 50% white coloring in their coat:

The Goldendoodles shown below have Abstract coats (also known as “Chrome” markings or mismarks):

Merle Goldendoodles have a varied coat pattern caused by a gene that randomly suppresses just some of the solid color:

Phantom Goldendoodles have a specific pattern of markings like the ones below, and they can come in a variety of colors:

COAT TEXTURE AND APPEARANCE

The primary concerns for any dog breeder must be health, temperament and conformation; but who can deny that the outward appearance of a Goldendoodle pulls at our heartstrings! With careful breeding, breeders can now produce litters with predictable coat types and shedding propensities.

One of the things that many people find attractive about the Goldendoodle is the low shedding and hypo-allergenic qualities of the coat, and the adorable ragamuffin look of the Goldendoodle. DNA research now gives us information about how coat genes affect the “look” of a Goldendoodle. No longer do you need to rely on the generation of a Goldendoodle to determine appearance or shedding intensity!

Length (FGF5 gene)

The coat length gene determines whether a dog has a long (L) or short (S) coat. Although long coats are recessive, because both Goldendoodle parent breeds are long-coated, all Goldendoodles carry two genes for long coat (L/L). Since short coat is dominant, if a dog carries a gene for the short gene (S/L) their coat would be short. This is why some Labradoodles have short coats in the early generations, whereas Goldendoodles do not.

Curl (KRT71 gene)

Goldendoodles can be curly, wavy, or straight.

As you can see above, a Goldendoodle’s coat can have different amounts of curl. They inherit their number of curl genes from their parents. Typically a Goldendoodle that is curly is +/+ for curl, a flat or straight dog is -/- for curl, a dog with a wavy or loose curl coat is +/-. Since a wavy coated Goldendoodle can carry a curl gene (+/-), two wavy Goldendoodles bred together can produce all three coat types – curly, wavy, and straight. If a breeder tests the parent dogs for the curl gene, they can better predict the appearance of their puppies.

SHEDDING AND FURNISHINGS

What are Furnishings and Improper coat (gene RSP02)?

Furnishings are arguably one of the first things you’ll notice about a dog that helps you identify it as a characteristic “Doodle.” Furnishings are the longer facial hair, including eyebrows, mustache and beard, found on most Goldendoodles.

Golden Retrievers have an “open face,” that is, short facial hair, sometimes also known as incorrect coat.

Even more interestingly, genetic technology has taught us that furnishings are what confer the low- to non-shedding coats on our Goldendoodles that help make them such optimal family dogs.1,2 Earlier thinking was that curl and a gene aptly named the “shedding” gene were also important, but more recent findings tell us that neither is relevant to the likelihood of furnished dogs to shed. 3

Back in the “old days,” breeders had to use generations (F1, F1b, etc) to help make an educated guess as to whether two dogs would produce puppies with or without furnishings. Based on Mendelian genetics, this educated guess was often just that—a guess about the odds. This is when the use of notations like F1 and F1b came about and what has caused many people to think they need to know the generation to guess about furnishings.

In the recent past, new commercially available tests have been developed that allow us to genetically test our parent dogs for furnishing genes (and other coat genes as well, such as curl) so we can better predict coat type in puppies. This is much, much more accurate and dependable than the old Mendelian filial F1, F1b, etc. type labeling. We strongly recommend that if shedding or the furnished “look” is important to you that you find a breeder who performs genetic testing and doesn’t leave the presence of this gene to the vagaries of guessing.

The common abbreviation for the furnishing gene is an “F” and for an improper coat (no furnishings gene) the abbreviation is often either “IC” (incorrect coat) or “f.” So there are three possibilities for this gene: FF, Ff (or F IC), or ff (or IC IC).

The gene responsible for furnishings is dominant; so by testing the parent dogs DNA, it can be determined if a breed pair will produce puppies that all have furnishings, or if there will be some puppies with an incorrect (or Golden Retriever like) coat. Dogs with one copy of the furnishings gene (Ff or F IC) are lower shedding than dogs without furnishings. Dogs with two copies of furnishing genes (FF) are typically non-shedding.

Although most prefer the Goldendoodles with furnishings, aka a “Doodley” coat, there is a market for Goldendoodles who look more like Golden Retrievers, but sometimes lower shedding than a Golden Retriever. If you have a family with allergies, a Goldendoodle with an incorrect coat is not the best match for you.4

By testing the parent dogs of Multigenerational (“multigen”) Goldendoodles, your breeder can be sure not to breed parents that will produce puppies with incorrect coats (without furnishings) unintentionally.

As you can see, there is a lot of science that goes into the selection of breeding mates to produce the ideal Goldendoodle. The Goldendoodle Association supports its Member breeders by providing access to the latest research and guidance from experts in fields such as breed development, canine reproduction, and puppy development. GANA’s goal is to guide the development of the Goldendoodle breed in the best possible way using current science and technology available to enhance health, raise puppies with the best possible temperaments, and avoid the mistakes of many of the AKC breeds regarding genetic diversity.

GANA does not wish to limit the diversity of our gene pool, so we are keeping our stud book open. Therefore, as long as the breeding pair consists of the following breeds, the offspring will be accepted as Goldendoodles registerable by GANA:

Poodle

Golden Retriever

Goldendoodle

Grading Scheme

F1 = Golden Retriever x Poodle

F1B = F1 Goldendoodle x Poodle or F1 Goldendoodle x Golden Retriever

F2 = F1 Goldendoodle x F1 Goldendoodle

Multigen = Two Goldendoodle parents – One parent has to be an F1B or multigen. A Poodle or a Golden Retriever bred to a multigen Goldendoodle also constitutes a multigen.

Petite range: Height: below 14 inches, typically 25 lbs. or less

Miniature range: Height: over 14 but under 17 inches (35cm to 42cm) at wither, typically 26-35 lbs.

Medium range: Height: over 17 but under 21 inches (43cm to 52cm) at wither, typically 36-50 lbs.

Standard range: Height: over 21 inches (53cm to 63cm) at wither, typically 51 or more lbs.

*Final size category of a dog will be determined at adulthood and is measured at the withers. Please be aware that the estimated size of a puppy by a breeder is an educated guess; therefore, a puppy’s final size may vary somewhat from a breeder’s initial calculation.

GENERAL APPEARANCE

The Goldendoodle is a friendly, intelligent, and confident breed with a happy expression that is engaging and welcoming to strangers. His loyalty and eagerness to please make him the perfect companion dog, the function for which he is purposely bred. Since this is not a conformation show breed, his health and calm temperament are equally top priorities; however, proper structure is also essential to overall health, well-being, and breed type. His temperament must be stable and sound under all possible situations while he continues to prove his suitability for service/therapy work. The breed was developed by crossing Poodles and the Golden Retriever, and therefore the physical appearance of this breed is a balanced mix of the traits common to those two founding breeds, which are the only two breeds that comprise the Goldendoodle. To ensure as much genetic diversity as possible, the stud book will remain open and the dogs may be bred from the founding breeds or from multigenerational stock. These founding breeds, when combined through multiple generations, present a well put together, agile, durable and athletic dog, whose light footedness results in a smooth, fluid gait. Goldendoodles possess a distinct diversity in coat types, colors, and sizes, which is inherited from the parent breeds.

SIZE, PROPORTION, SUBSTANCE

Size

Petite Mini – Height: below 14 inches from the withers to the ground, typically 25 pounds or less.

Mini – Height: over 14 inches but under 17 inches from the withers to the ground, typically 26-35 pounds

Medium – Height: over 17 inches but under 21 inches from the withers to the ground, typically 36-50 pounds

Standard – Height: over 21 inches from the withers to the ground, typically 51 pounds or more.

Height will be the determining factor for accurate size since weights can fluctuate.

Proportion

The build of the Goldendoodle is consistent with that of the endurance trotter: slightly longer in back from the forechest to the point of rump than the height from the ground to the withers. His length of leg is to be equal to his depth of body. The brisket is to extend down to the center of the back of the elbow.

Substance

Adequate bone and muscle are necessary for his active play style, energy level, and exercise endurance. His bone substance is moderate, neither too heavily nor too slightly boned. His weight is proportionate to his size, neither overweight nor underweight.

HEAD

Skull –Top skull is slightly broader at the back than at the front (above the eyes) and slightly arched. The stop is moderate. Length from the center of the stop to the occiput is slightly longer in length than that of the muzzle from the center of the stop to the tip of the nose. A slightly square muzzle is preferred over a narrow muzzle. The skull and muzzle are on parallel planes. Looking face-on, the head is clean cut with no prominence in cheeks. There is adequate fill/chiseling under the eyes.

Muzzle– In profile, the Goldendoodle’s muzzle is straight, not roman, dished, or downfaced. The width is more consistent with that of the Golden Retriever – i.e., not as narrow as that of the Poodle. It is slightly wider at the stop than at the tip of the muzzle where the nose begins. The upper lip should cover the lower jawline, but lips are never pendulous nor fluttering. The upper lip falls away in a curve toward the throat. The underjaw is never too short in length, as to create a snipey appearance.

Eyes– Oval shaped, moderately wide set, and do not protrude. Eyelids are tight with no haws.

Ears– Front edges of the ears are attached well behind and roughly even with the eye, hanging close to the cheek. Ear leather is moderately thick, and the length of ear extends down to just below the lower jawline. Low set or low hanging ears, as in that of the Hound set, are not desirable.

Bite –A scissor bite is required. A dog with a malocclusion should not be bred.

Teeth– Teeth are strong and clean, with full dentition preferred.

Nose – All colors and combinations are acceptable. Split noses should not be bred.

NECK, TOPLINE, BODY

Neck –Of moderate length, never short, fat, or offset, such as a ewe neck. The throat latch is tight with no excess skin hanging. The neck is well muscled, slightly arched, and gradually flowing into the shoulders.

Topline– Relatively level with a slight dip behind the withers and a slight rise above the loin. The back never slopes off or roaches up.

Body– Well-balanced and short coupled. The chest and ribs are elliptical shaped. The brisket is as deep as the elbow when viewed from the side. There is an adequate tuck up at the loin but never too extreme as to appear waspy.

FOREQUARTERS

Legs are straight when viewed from the front with elbows tucked in close to the ribcage. Toes are pointing forward. Pasterns are short and strong with a slightly sloping forward angle. Shoulder blades are well laid back at an angle that matches that of the rear angulation to create a sense of balance. The upper arms and shoulder blades are about the same length, setting the elbows back beneath the upper tip of the blades when standing foursquare. All four legs are near vertical to the ground.

HINDQUARTERS

The rear is strongly muscled with a croup slightly sloped at an approximate 20 to 30 degree angle. The femur joins the pelvis at an angle that matches that of the shoulder angle, resulting in a balanced dog. Stifles are well bent, hocks are well let down, and rear pasterns are strong and perpendicular to the ground when standing foursquare. Legs are straight when viewed from the rear, never cow-hocked, sickled, or bowed.

FEET

Small to medium sized in relation to the size of the dog. The shape is oval, and the foot is compact, well-knuckled, and cushion toed; pads are thick. Nails are kept trimmed so as to prevent them from touching the ground. Dewclaws are optional. Feet are never splayed, nor are they turned in or out. Toes are never too high or too short.

TAIL

Set moderately high on the croup, but not so high as to create a flat backline. The tail is to show off feathering.

COAT

There are 3 approved coat types: the curly, the wavy, and the straight. Coat is of a soft texture with facial furnishings; ideally, the Goldendoodle coat possesses hypoallergenic and low to no shed qualities.“Incorrect Coats” are those that have no furnishings, that are not hypoallergenic, and that shed; they are ideally only bred when it’s prudent to bring in other desirable traits from an IC coated dog or to keep diversity by continuing a line.

COLORS

All colors are acceptable with the exception of those associated with health problems; these include, but may not be limited to, double merles, extreme whites to the extent that it would affect hearing, and double dilutes.

GAIT

A lively yet fluid gait that requires minimal energy. They have strong reach and drive consistent with that of the endurance trotter.

TEMPERAMENT

Goldendoodles must be friendly, reliable, trustworthy, and well-rounded. His stability in most situations and environments, particularly with children, elderly, and the disabled, is consistent with that which is required to perform as a trained service and therapy dog.Unwarranted hostility, timidity, nervousness and/or hyperactivity should never be seen in a Goldendoodle. Dogs that exhibit any of these temperament faults should not be bred, as temperament is paramount for this breed.