Spencer the Goldendoodle

The Adventures of a Rescued Goldendoodle

8 Photos of Happiness

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I have been recently nominated by My GBGV Life, Confessions of a Rescue Mom, and Carma Poodale to participate in the 8 Photos of Happiness event. This event was started by Ariel’s Little Corner of the Internet. The rules are simple: Thank your nominator/s and link them in your post. Link the creator, Ariel’s little corner of the internet. Post your 8 photos of happiness - the photos can be anything that represents a moment, object, place or feeling that makes you happy. Pop in a brief description of the photo, why you chose it or let the photos do the talking! Spread the happiness and tag up to ten other bloggers! So lets get started!
I use this picture is to educate people about the Goldendoodle breed. The biggest misconception people have about Goldendoodles is they don’t shed. When I tell people that Goldendoodles can shed and some shed a lot people are taken back. I come from a liter of 9, half of us don’t shed (including myself) and the other half sheds a lot. I’m considered a First Generation (F1) Goldendoodle, meaning one of my parents are 100% Golden Retriever (my mom) and the other parent is a 100% Standard Poodle (dad). F1 doodles split the attributes of their parents 50:50. So F1 Goldendoodles can either shed a lot, lightly or not at all. 

To learn more about the Goldendoodle breed here is the link.

Being a rescue dog I love to give back to rescue organizations and humane societies. This photo is one of my hauls I’ve made to a shelter. Since starting blogging almost two years ago I’m happy to say I’ve been able to donate over $500 to my two favorite organizations.

Being from Minnesota I had to share one of my favorite winter photo. If you look closely you can see my breath in this picture. Boy, I sure love the snow!
Every time I go to the farm I’m happy. There is so much to do, like run around endlessly, smell the great smells, and roll in the grass.

I love to get all dressed up and make people smile!
My absolute favorite past time is to play fetch. Some may say I’m even obsessed!

Again, educating people on the importance to rescuing and supporting these organizations is so important to me.

Finally, this last picture, even though you can’t see out faces, you can tell we are one big, happy family! People may have a disability, either physical or mental, but dogs look past those differences and love you for the person you truly are.

Now time for the nominations. I’m not sure who hasn’t been nominated, please let me know if you haven’t. I would love to nominate you!

This was a so much fun going through my loads of photos to narrow it down to just 8 pictures. Hope you make happy moments throughout your day.

Getting to Know the Goldendoodle

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I first want to start off with the importance of rescuing dogs instead of purchasing them from a breeder. There are so many good dogs out there waiting for good homes. I feel - since the mixing Poodles with other breeds such as Golden Retrievers, Labs, Cooker Spaniels, etc has become so popular - more puppy mills are taking advantage and capitalizing on this demand. You can find amazing dogs (as well as other animals) from shelters and rescue organizations. How do I know? I’m one of them! I’m a rescue dog from an amazing organization called RAGOM (Retrieve a Golden of Minnesota).

So please Adopt don’t Shop.
First, lets start by looking at the two breeds individually:
Golden Retriever
  • Originated: England and Scotland
  • Best known for their hunting
  • Golden Retrievers come in three colors
    • Dark Gold, Gold, and Light Gold
  • Great Behavioral Skills and Personality for:
    • Children
    • Other Pets
    • Time Alone
    • Training
      • Field Trials, Hunting, Obedience, and Guide Dogs/Service Dogs
  • Large in Size
  • Medium Energy
    • Goldens are a very active breed. Goldens are a active and energetic and need daily exercise.
  • Care Required:
    • Grooming
      • Goldens have a water-repellent double-coat that sheds seasonally. They require regular brushing.
Poodle
  • Originated in Germany
  • Great Behavioral Skills and Personality for:
    • Children
    • Other Pets
    • Training
  • Poodles come in 10 colors
    • Apricot, Black, Blue, Brown, Cream, Cray, Red, Silver,Silver Beige, and White
  • Three Different Sizes
    • Standard, Miniature, and Toy
  • Medium Energy
    • Poodles are enthusiastic walkers, runners, and swimmers.
  • Care Required
    • Regular Professional Grooming
      • Poodles don’t shed which makes their coat hypoallergenic; it may reduce allergic reactions.

 

5 of my litter mates and me!

 

Now we are going to look at the two breeds combined or - as they are commonly called - Goldendoodles. Goldendoodles are not a breed of by itself but, rather, a hybrid (basically a mixture of two purebred dogs).
Please refer to this chart.
Parent
Parent
Result
F1 (first generation) 100% Golden Retriever 100% Poodle 50:50 split of attributes, some pups in the litter will shed while others won’t.
F1-B F1 Goldendoodle 100% Poodle 25:75 split of attributes
F2 F1 Goldendoodle F1 Goldendoodle 50:50 split of attributes
F3 F2 Goldendoodle F2 Goldendoodle 50:50 split of attributes
Multi-generation F3 + Goldendoodle F3+ Goldendoodle Etc. etc.

 

First Generation
First Generation (F1) Goldendoodles have one parent which is 100% Golden Retriever while the other parent is 100% Poodle. In my case, my mom was a Golden Retriever and my dad was a Standard Poodle. F1 doodles split the attributes of their parents 50:50. Most of the F1 Goldendoodles either don’t shed or shed lightly.
First Generation Backcross
First Generation Backcross (F1-B) is where you mix a F1 Goldendoodle with a 100% Poodle. These dogs have a higher success rate for non-shedding.
Second Generation
Second Generation (F2) is where you mix two F1 together.
Multi-generation
Here you mix together Third Generation (F3) or higher (F3+) with a F3 or F3+.
Myth: Goldendoodles don’t shed.
Fact: F1 Goldendoodles CAN shed. Half of my litter mates shed. It all depends if they get more of the “shedding” attribute from the Golden or the Poodle.
My eight liter mates and me. From the left Maggie, Spencer the Goldendoodle, Tanner, Charlie, Leia, Gideon, Sebastian, Abby (RIP), and Kraelyn.
Goldendoodles
  • Life Expectancy is about 10 - 15 years old
  • Size
    • Standard - 45 pounds or more (some have grown to more than 100 pounds)
    • Medium - 30-45 pounds
    • Miniature - 15-30 pounds
  • Characteristics
    • Adaptable to family, kids, pets, strangers, and weather changes
    • Trainable, Intelligent, Playful, and Loyal
  • Energy Level is high so daily exercise is recommended as well as mental stimulation
  • Most of them have hypoallergenic coat which may reduce allergic reactions
  • Grooming is a must
    • Whether you keep their coat at a manageable length or allow their coat to be longer and more natural looking they both will require lots of brushing. You are looking at brushing anywhere from once a week to once a day.
  • Expensive
    • Professional Groomer - If you decide to pay a professional groomer to manage your Goldendoodles coat, you are looking, on average, $50-$150 per trip. However, they can also clip the nails and clean the ears during that time as well.
    • Personal Grooming - If you choose to groom your Goldendoodle yourself, it can be cheaper. However, you have to take into consideration the cost of the supplies and your time because it is time consuming.
  • May suffer from separation anxiety if left for long periods at a time.
  • Goldendoodles also make great therapy dogs.

I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I had writing it. Remember, every dog is unique and different in their own way.
If you have any questions, please leave me a comment and I will try my best to answer them.
If you’re not already, please follow me on my social media sites:
Sources:
American Kennel Club the Poodle

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