12/03/2025
Apologies ahead of time... this is long but worth the read!
Thoughts from a breeder who used to be a pure breed snob, but changed her mind after being educated! Here is why we need to do better as humans for the sake of the animals we love!
Let me preface this with my background. I grew up with Golden Retrievers and understand the show world. If you told me 20 years ago that breeding cross-breeds was a good idea, I would have laughed in your face. I mean, after all, we were always told that it was horrible and unethical to do anything against breed club standards that were put in front of us. Then I went to university, got educated in genetics, saw the statistics on decreased longevity and higher cancer rates in Goldens (https://www.deepscandx.com/blog/golden-retrievers-are-living-40-shorter-lives-understanding-a-breed-in-crisis), even with potential of identifying genes that can help with this, the numbers are wildly heartbreaking.
Golden Retrievers are having a crisis of health, in my opinion due to many factors, but one being high genetic COI’s from too much line breeding. On top of that you have too many purebred breeders that are so set in their ways focusing on colour and certain specific traits that they are loosing so many health benefits. For example, how many Golden Retriever breeders do you know that would cross different colours of Golden’s? Most of the time you see field Golden breeders stick to their field Golden lines or English Cream Golden’s stick to their lines. Same goes for Poodles, you will have Poodles bred for their deep red colouring, neglecting the fact that they are too closely related in those lines. We also see breed clubs making rules based on colours, when they should be focusing on health, structure and temperament over colour. Did you know that only solid coloured Poodles are allowed in the show ring for conformation in both AKC and Canadian Kennel Club? Even though parti (and other multi coloured) Poodles have been around since the beginning of the breed. It is a human made rule that has no basis in science or what is best for the breed. By not allowing them to be shown in conformation and a push for not breeding any multi coloured Poodles, they are effectively removing a large portion of the gene pool based on someone’s arbitrary view on what colour they find acceptable. Poodles are one of the breeds with a better COI out there and these breed clubs are trying to take that away. Golden’s genetic COI’s can be in the 23 to 25% (This is equivalent to a father-daughter mating). Think about that for a second…
I believe other factors have affected longevity being lower in Golden’s, and some of those is environmental as well. There are things with their food and exposure to different things, that I am sure have had some effect, but another big factor for me is the fact that so many people like seeing their dog overweight in our current society. Which, with a Golden, that has a higher food drive, is easy to make happen. Poodles, you would have a harder time getting them to be overweight (Although many succeed in that as well, unfortunately).
So knowing all this information, what do you do when you love Golden Retrievers so much, but want a dog that is healthier and lives longer?
You research.
We know that health testing is of utmost importance in furthering the health and longevity of a breed, so we do all available testing, both orthopedic and genetic. More and more testing is coming out every day, so we add these tests.
But there are still things we can’t test for, but…
We know that genetic diversity minimizes disease presentation. So we help with more intentional breeding to lower the risk of disease. So we get lower inbreeding (COI’s) in our lines.
We believe, while you can achieve both of these things much better in the purebred Golden world, than what is being done today, it is not as effective as cross-breeding a Golden to a Poodle, creating a much more diverse gene pool and comes with many other benefits that made us choose Goldendoodles 14 years ago and we would never look back.
Here are our reasons for breeding Goldendoodles:
1. They are more genetically diverse and don’t have as much genetic overlap, creating a healthier dog when fully health tested and genetically tested, including COI’s.
2. They live longer due to being healthier overall.
3. They are better for allergies when bred properly. No, not all Goldendoodles are good for allergies, but there is testing available to us to choose which ones are better for allergies and to breed them appropriately, so that you get allergy-friendly dogs.
4. They shed less. Yes, you can do the same testing for allergies and get ones that shed less, and it is very predictable genetically.
5. They minimize certain undesirable traits for what we are looking for in our lines by selectively breeding the two breeds together. Things like Poodles overthinking things or being selective with people. Things like Golden’s food drive, causing them to eat anything and everything. Things like Poodles' tight curly hair, which requires more daily maintenance and is not as desirable to many. Plus, many other traits that we can breed away from by selectively picking puppies in litters for other traits.
6. They come in multiple different sizes, which can help families that are wanting that Golden temperament, but in a different size.
7. They make excellent service and therapy dogs.
8. They are excellent family pets, that love everyone and adore children.
Here are some common arguments we get that I wanted to address:
But crossbreeds are horrible and you can’t predict anything from them?
Did you realize that all purebreds are crossbreeds?
Australian Cattle Dogs – cross between Smooth Merle Collies, Dingoes, Dalmations and Black and Tan Kelpies. Recognized by AKC in 1980.
Blue Tick Coonhound – cross between English Fox Hound and French Staghound. Recognized by AKC in 2009.
Boston Terrier – cross between Bulldogs and White English Terriers. Recongized by AKC in 1893.
Golden Retriever – cross between a Tweed Water Spaniel, Irish Setter and Bloodhound. Recognized by AKC in 1925.
Great Dane – cross between Mastiffs and Irish Wolfhounds. Recognized by AKC in 1887.
Labrador Retriever – cross between a variety of Setters, Spaniels, Retrievers and local dogs in Newfoundland. Recognized by AKC in 1917.
The list goes on. If you want to see a further list, go to the AKC Breed Book to read more. The reality is that all breeds are cross-breeds, and AKC is adding new breeds every year. The only difference between a crossbreed and a purebred is time. Could you imagine if an Irish Setter breeder lost it about the original Golden Retriever breeders being greedy and creating a breed that was unnecessary and not predictable, and we never had Golden Retrievers in any of our lives?
Predictability comes with intentional breeding in any breed. Multigen Doodles are very predictable when bred properly. But we need to always maintain a balance between predictability and diversity of genes, so we don't bottleneck a breed causing health issues.
But don’t doodle breeders not do any health testing?
This is one of the funniest arguments I've seen. I am a breeder and talk to many breeders all around the world. It is significantly easier to find a Goldendoodle breeder that does all the health testing available than it is to find a Golden Retriever or Poodle breeder that does all the health testing available. Goldendoodle breeders have a huge support network that does training and conferences to go over health testing, and they have a very high standard. I see papered Golden’s and Poodles all the time being sold without even the minimum of Hip testing done on them, which is an absolute travesty. Meanwhile, I can call up a dozen Doodle breeders anytime to refer a client to that I know does all their testing.
But don’t doodle have no standard?
Doodles very much have a standard; there are actually several breed clubs for doodles that have much higher standards than most purebred clubs do. Check out GANA (Goldendoodle Association of North America). They also base their standard on important things like healthy structure, temperament and health, unlike many purebred clubs that have changed their standards to incorporate unhealthy structural flaws that affect the health of the dog, as well as introducing other arbitrary rules that minimize diversity, such as limiting colours that cause absolutely no health issue. Colour should never be a primary focus of a breeder.
But don’t only unethical purebred breeders sell to crossbreed breeders?
Absolutely not, there are lots of purebred breeders that have moved their programs to crossbreed programs. I have also talked to a lot of show Golden and Poodle breeders who will happily sell to a doodle breeder. Do some of them worry about backlash from people in the community who they think are ridiculous? For sure, and will say that to me, but good breeders are more focused on knowing their breeding dog is going to an amazing home, that is going to do all the necessary testing, etc., over the breed they choose to breed.
But don’t doodles shed just as badly as purebreds?
No, but they can if they are not tested properly. Here is the thing: no matter what breed you are breeding, you should be choosing someone who knows what they are doing. A doodle breeder that understands genetics will do all the appropriate testing and keep back the dogs that make the most sense based on their testing. We can tell you based on testing which ones will be better for allergies and which ones will not be. Furnishing testing is a top importance for this.
But don’t most doodles end up in shelters?
Dogs in shelters come from unethical breeders. No matter what the breed. The reality is that while many Doodle breeders choose to raise them properly, there are always going to be people who see a dog become popular and think they are going to cash in on that dog’s popularity. They will cut corners, and their dogs will not be suitable for most families. Doodle breeders like myself will never have a dog in a shelter because we microchip all our dogs and will get a call if any of our dogs end up in a shelter. On top of that, we would always take one of our dogs back for any reason at all times in their life, so it would make no sense for them to bring one of our dogs to a shelter.
But don’t most doodles have more health issues?
Statistically, they should have fewer health issues when all the proper testing is done on both sides. Genetic diversity helps us avoid many diseases. This is due to most diseases being recessive in nature, so it needs to be present in both parents; the likelihood of that is significantly less when breeding unrelated parents. There are some diseases that are going to overlap between breeds, but in those, you would maybe not minimize risk, but you wouldn’t increase it either.
But don’t crossbreed breeders charge more for crossbreeds then purebred?
It doesn’t cost any less to breed Crossbreeds; in fact, more often than not, it costs more. Whoa… did you read that right? Yes, yes you did. Consider this… when you are breeding purebreds or crossbreds properly, you should be using excellent examples of both parent breeds, so your costs to buy the parents of your puppies should cost the same whether you are breeding purebreds or crossbreds. But when breeding two breeds together, you now need to pay for health testing on two breeds instead of one. Yes, the chances of those health issues lessen with the cross, but you still need to test both breeds' health issues anyway. Additionally, with poodle crosses, you also need to conduct a coat test. These tests can cost hundreds more for each parent dog. Additionally, if you are a good breeder, you will provide the same vaccinations, health checks, microchips, socialization, whelping supplies, toys, crates, beds, training, high-quality food, and other essentials. So why shouldn’t a crossbreed cost as much or more than a purebred, if they actually cost more to raise on average?
Note: There are many breeders that do not use the same quality when breeding crosses, but we see this in both purebreds and crossbreds. It is very unfortunate, and everyone should do their due diligence to avoid those breeders regardless of what they breed.
But can’t you get the same ‘mutt’ at the local shelter for way cheaper.
First of all, getting a dog from a shelter is great if you are able to do this, but for many, this is not an option for many reasons. A shelter dog can come with a huge variety of issues, many families are simply not able to deal with or risk with their family.
You really have no idea what you are getting as far a health issues and temperament, as often you don’t know what the parent breeds are. It can be dangerous to cross certain breeds when you don’t know what you are doing. To cross a high prey drive breed with a guardian breed can meet with dangerous consequences, at no fault to the dog, as these are traits that are bred into them that are not always compatible. Also, responsible breeders rarely ever have a puppy in a shelter, as they either microchip their dogs to ensure they get returned to them or they have a contract stating they would take their puppies back for any reason. So, it is safe to assume that the dogs in the shelter, in most cases, were carelessly bred, which can amplify health issues, costing families thousands of dollars in vet bills and (more importantly) huge heartache losing a loved one. Many are not willing to take this risk. On top of that, you have no idea if that dog will have a natural tendency to be good with children or other dogs or visitors. If you have children especially, most want to make sure they have picked breeds that are compatible with children. On top of all that, most of the time, you don’t know why the dog that is at the shelter is even there. There could be a multitude of issues you are dealing with as a result of that, including aggression, previous abuse, training issues, etc.
On top of that the dogs in the shelter are not purposely bred for specific purposes, with careful consideration to their specific traits. They are not tested, they are not raised in a home with proper socialization, training and care (especially during such important developmental time in their lives).
But isn’t there no need for a new breed. We already have breeds that meet every needs.
I am often told this. But, this simply is not true. If there wasn’t a need for a breed people wouldn’t buy it, no matter what marketing you put out about the breed. A great example of this is with Goldendoodles. We see over and over that Golden Retrievers make excellent therapy and service dogs. The problem is that we have had a drastic increase in allergies among those needing these dogs. On top of that, service dogs in some cases are with people who simply can’t handle the extra work of a dog that sheds excessively, like the Golden Retriever. So, most would say, ‘Then why not a Poodle?’ Well, it is very simple. Poodles do not pass their certifications at the same rate as Golden Retrievers. But Goldendoodles are passing at a rapid rate. There is no other breed out there that is suitable for this kind of work, that also has the non-shedding and allergy friendliness of the Goldendoodle (when bred properly). There are also many other reasons people buy the cross, including the quieter, loves everyone, laid back temperament of the Golden Retriever, with the non-shedding, allergy friendliness of the Poodle. Poodles also provide multiple sizes and colours. But people don’t want a Poodle, or they would buy a Poodle. Also, other breeds, such as the Portuguese Water Dog, are excellent and have the non-shedding and allergy-friendly coats, but their high activity level and working drive can be too much for some families.
But don’t crosses lack consistent conformation.
There is a common misconception that when breeding two dogs together without the exact same build that you will get weird-looking dogs with bad conformation. Plainly put, genetics do not work that way. For instance, with regards to Goldendoodles, you will not get the long legs of the poodle with the stalky body of the Golden Retriever when breeding them together. You will get a combination of the two dogs. When breeding multiple generations, you can selectively breed for certain traits, but if you are breeding conformationally sound dogs of both breeds, you will generally get conformationally sound offspring. With all this considered, though, it is important when breeding two dogs together that their conformation allows for consistency in what they are bred to do. You wouldn’t want to breed two dogs that are not compatible temperament-wise, conformation-wise or health-wise.
But didn’t the original creator of the Doodle regret it?
So, this is a common misconception. Wally Conron was the creator of the Labradoodle back in 1989. He originally created the Labradoodle because he had a client who could not use a Lab as her guide dog, due to her husband’s allergies. Wally then tried with 33 different Standard Poodles, and none of them passed their testing to be a guide dog, so he realized that a Poodle would not work. He then came up with the idea of breeding a Lab to a Poodle. They produced three puppies, and one of them became the guide dog for that family. The Labradoodle was extremely successful in being a guide dog, and when it came for that dog, named Sultan, to retire, he was highly sought after. He paved the way for many successful Labradoodles and then Goldendoodles to be guide dogs. Here is where Wally regretted it, though. He found that there were a lot of people who just jumped on the popularity and started breeding them with no care for the health of the dogs. So while his experiment was a success, he was discouraged by the way that people used that and bred dogs improperly. I think we can all be discouraged by that, no matter what the breed is.
But aren’t Doodles just a phase that people get because it is popular, but then they regret it and won’t buy again?
I mean, if this is a phase, I would guess that people should have figured out sometime in the last 36 years that this cross was not worth it. Instead, we see them only growing in popularity. The majority of my puppy families are all coming to me based on referrals from other families that have gotten a puppy from me. So, they have met my dogs and loved them so much that they came to get one themselves. On top of that, we have many families with two of our dogs now, and some with three in their home. We even have other families that have multiple of our dogs in their extended family. One family that comes to mind has two of our dogs, and their adult children also have four of our dogs between them. I would argue that if these dogs were such a problem, people wouldn’t keep coming back to get more of them.
Let’s recap:
1. Doodles are more genetically diverse, therefore healthier on average.
2. Doodles live longer on average.
3. Doodles can be better for allergies with the right testing.
4. Doodles can shed less with the right testing.
5. Doodles can minimize undesirable traits with careful breeding.
6. Doodles come in multiple sizes for all families' needs.
7. All purebred dogs are cross-breeds. It is just a matter of time as to when a breed will be considered purebred.
8. Doodles are more commonly health tested than purebreds.
9. Doodles have a more thorough breed standard than most purebred dogs do.
10. Many ethical purebred breeders will sell to doodle breeders; in fact, many become doodle breeders.
11. Any dog can end up in a shelter. It is the responsibility of the breeder, regardless of breed, to microchip and offer to take any of their dogs back, no matter the reason
12. Doodles don’t cost more than purebreds if the breeder is an ethical breeder that does all the testing, proper socializing and training required. Well-bred dogs should cost more regardless of breed and are worth every penny.
13. There is a vast difference between a ‘mutt’ from a shelter and a well-bred Doodle. How a dog is raised and bred is essential to the temperament and well-being of that dog, no matter the breed.
14. Doodles meet needs that are not met with current purebred breeds.
15. Doodles, when bred properly, will have consistent conformation, and many doodle breed clubs have conformation outlines just like any purebred. Often, they are also more health-focused and less on ‘cute’ traits that cause health issues.
16. The original Doodle breeder was highly successful with using the Labradoodle as a guide dog, but regretted seeing what the public did with the breed, not focusing on health and temperament, even though so many dogs were produced that were amazing and served a role that was not being fulfilled by any other breed.
17. Doodles are not a phase; they have been around for 36 years now and have been highly successful in being service and therapy dogs, as well as amazing companions. When families are getting multiple of them because they love them so much, they are serving a purpose and doing an excellent job at what they were bred to do.
I will never understand the hate and bitterness that some people still have for Doodle breeders. I often think back to all the Golden Retriever breeders and Labrador Retriever breeders, or even in more recent years, the Australian Cattle dog breeders and wonder whether they were attacked like this for using purebreds to create their own breeds? These breeds that those breeders created back then have gone on to fulfill needs that were not met with purebreds at the time. Did they get death threats and have people go around and try to ruin their name and question their ethics? Can you imagine if those breeders had given up back then? Can you imagine a world without Golden’s, Lab’s and Australian Cattle Dogs?
Instead of breeders fighting with each other about what breed we breed, wouldn’t it be great if we focused on improving the health, temperament and conformation of all our breeds by working together, educating others and promoting good breeding practices. Just think of what we could accomplish!
We have a major issue with social media and people thinking they can say whatever they want behind a keyboard. Above all, we need to be kind humans. There are situations where we should be outraged. I vehemently disagree with how many people do their breeding programs. Don't even get me started on breeders that don't health test, or raise their dogs in barns or don't socialize them or perpetuate selective breeding practices that contribute to dogs not being able to breath properly or live a normal healthy life and so many other things. But, you know what, I will educate both breeders and the public to create change. If one of those people comes to me and wants to learn, I will help them to do better. I will never attack them on social media. I will never make death threats. I will never send people to attack them. People don't change when you go after them like that, but if you approach people with kindness, while also be adamant about your purpose and protecting innocent animals, we will truly see more change in this world.
We need to do better and be better humans and not attack someone purely because they have a different preference than you. Instead we should focus on changing breeding situations that are harmful to the dogs, not because of the breed they choose.
Here is a picture of my sweet little Goldendoodle puppies to bring a bit of joy to your day ❤
