[NAGDU] Any experience with Golden Doodles?

Mon Dec 18 17:14:31 UTC 2023

Also, both breeds have hair that grows. Right now my golden has feet that need trimmed so he doesn't track in sticks and dirt in my home. His tail feathering is a foot long. Now, you can let the tail hair grow like I did, but the dog after a while can't lift his tail up. There is nothing more joyous than seeing their tails high up and so happy. So if you have a groomer near to where you live or work and you can afford the cost, go for it as I love my golden boys. 

I trim my dog's feet about once every two months. The tail trim is once in the dog's lifetime. I trim the feathering on the back of the front legs once a year. But trim once a year, maybe twice in some dogs. Trim knots behind the ears, whenever they pop up, like every two weeks.     

Poodles need their hair cut around every six weeks. Goldens have very tender skin and can burn easily in the sun. Do not cut the guard hairs. Leave the hair longer all over.

Some poodles have gunk in their eyes that must be cleaned out daily. Some have hair growing in their ears, that some professionals say to pluck out and others say don't. This is a subject for greater minds then mine. Do what your vet feels will keep your dog healthy and working. 

"A tired dog is a good dog." So plan on working your dog daily doing something. We run our dog up and down the steps. He has an area outside he can run in that is safe.

 Me, I like a relaxed dog, not suspicious  of others. I like a focused dog with its mind on its job keeping me safe. I go to a lot of meetings. My dogs lay quiet under the table for all that time, three four hours long.  

At first this dog drooled all the time. Once he relaxed in our home and routines, it is much less. So do you like wet mouthed dogs that drool? That was the question my husband was asked.  You want to get clothing that is lighter in color if you get a blond golden, some are red, also. If they cross the golden with a black lab, the black will be dominant. So you may get a black dog with flecks of gold in the fur. 

In class we had a cross that was three fourths golden and one fourth black labby. He had short curly fur, smile. There must have been a curly golden somewhere in the line that popped out, smile.

Becky in her Joy Wheels 

-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Parham Doustdar via NAGDU
Sent: Monday, December 18, 2023 7:31 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Parham Doustdar <parham90 at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Any experience with Golden Doodles?

Hi Jenine,
Wow, this is very helpful, both your personal experience and the wider statistics. Also, the advice on questions at the end was gold.
The reason I’m asking about cross-breeding with poodles isn’t that I’m allergic to dogs. It’s a couple of reasons. First, this is the guide dog with the shortest waiting list, and their timeline is between 2 weeks to 1 year from the date of application.
Second, I’ve heard that other breeds like Labradors and Retrievers shed a lot, and Poodle cross breeds don’t, so I figured this might be a good side-effect as well.
However, I’m not sure if the risk of inherent diseases and higher probability of having to retire the dog early are worth it?
Also, guide dog schools here aren’t very forthcoming with helpful statistics or information to educate a first-time owner who doesn’t know what to ask. Any other questions you’d suggest I ask them before I commit?
Thanks,
Parham

> On 18 Dec 2023, at 15:24, Jenine Stanley via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi Parham, 
> 
> My experience with Poodles and Poodle crosses comes from working at Guide Dog Foundation and having worked a Lab/Poodle cross. 
> 
> Poodles in this country have been so overbred it’s difficult to find stable ones with both good health and solid temperament to work as guide dogs. It’s not that they can’t do the work or that they would be a poor choice. It’s more that breeding and selection for the work is very important. 
> 
> You are luckier in Europe that schools have better stock to start with, in theory anyway. 
> 
> When you cross breeds, it’s typically a toss up as to which characteristics you get from each. For example, I think there were 8 or 9 Lab/Poodle crosses in my dog’s litter. Of those 9, 8 made it through class. Each one was very different. Several worked for over 5 years without issues or health problems. Some were retired quickly while my girl retired due to aggression at age 5. We later learned her aggression was due to a vision problem common to Poodles that was very hard to diagnose. 
> 
> I’ve heard from instructors that training Poodles is a lot like training German Shepherds in that you need to compel the dog using other methods than food. Poodles tend to be very particular about their food as many shepherds can be. My girl, Molly, had the Lab tendency toward her food, and anything else she could get into her mouth. 😄
> 
> As for the Poodles at GDF, they tried, and still do to my knowledge, to select healthy solid stock but it’s not easy to find those dogs. In a litter of 3 or more maybe 1 will make it and even then, may implode the day before class starts. In other words, they aren’t exactly a good return on investment. Which is why you won’t find many schools here in the states using them. As for crosses, GDF tried, as did many US schools, the Lab/Poodle cross to help those with allergies. This, btw, is a bit of a myth as the dander of crosses varies so much that it’s hard to know how someone will react, even to dogs of the same litter. 
> 
> As for Golden Poodle crosses, GDF tried exactly two litters. None of them made it out of the puppy raising stage to training. There are probably some really good Golden Poodle crosses out there but it’s even more of a crapshoot than Lab Poodle crosses in part because Goldens have almost as many inherent health issues as Poodles. Both breeds are also very intelligent but can also be a bit high strung. All this is very subjective and varies widely. 
> 
> I’ve wondered the logic of crossing Poodles with so many breeds then claiming those dogs are hypoallergenic. At GDF we would send someone seeking a hypoallergenic dog a bag of the dog’s hair for testing. Again this could vary widely between siblings. 
> 
> I’d ask any program training this type of cross about their breeding, success rate, meaning how many of this type of dog work past 24 months, and what is the primary cause for retirement. Of course you should ask these questions of any program regarding any breed. 
> 
> Hope this was somewhat helpful. 
> 
> Jenine
>> On Dec 18, 2023, at 7:24 AM, Parham Doustdar via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> 
>> Hi all,
>> I was wondering if anyone here has had any experience with Golden Doodles, which are a cross between a Golden Retriever and a Poodle. Some people seem to think that poodles won’t be a good guide dog, and since I have no experience with guide dogs, I wonder why that is, and if anyone has actually experienced it themself.
>> Thanks,
>> Parham
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