Is a Goldendoodle a Good Family Dog?
The Goldendoodle, a cross between the Poodle and the Golden Retriever, has become immensely popular.
This is because they have taken everything great about the two separate breeds and combined them into one, some would say more amazing, breed of dog.
Of course, as brilliant as a breed of dog is, it doesn’t mean that it will always be the perfect option for your family. There are brilliant breeds that wouldn’t really thrive in a family environment. You need to take particular care when choosing a dog for a family with younger children.
Luckily, the Goldendoodle is a top rate family dog, and highly recommended for almost every family situation.
This is a brilliant dog for families, and there are several reasons why. Although, do bear in mind that there are a couple of potential downsides to this breed to be covered.
For now, let’s start with the positives of the Goldendoodle. The reasons why they make an excellent pet for families.
The Positives – Why Goldendoodles Make Excellent Family Dogs?
So, let’s start with the positives. We know that not all of these are going to be positives for every family. Our job is to tell you the positives. Your job is to determine whether these positives are a good thing for your family.
Goldendoodles are Very Active Dogs
This is an incredibly active dog. If you love to go out running and hiking, then your Goldendoodle will be more than happy to join you.
Suppose you are a family that is all about adventure, e.g., camping, hiking, etc. In that case, the Goldendoodle is a wonderful breed. Typically they love to be outdoors, and it will constantly be running about.
The Goldendoodle is known to be a tremendous swimmer too. They enjoy a good paddle in the lake. If you own a swimming pool, then you probably will not have to worry too much about the Goldendoodle falling in either. It can cope with that.
Obviously, you will still want to prevent your dog from falling in a swimming pool, but they should be safe in most cases.
Do bear in mind that it is the larger Goldendoodles that tend to enjoy all of this adventure. Sure, the smaller dogs will probably be okay with it, but some may struggle to keep up if you are traveling at a faster pace. They only have little legs, after all.
Great with children of all ages
While there are probably some Goldendoodle dogs that can be a teensy bit aggressive (check their pedigree to see if there has been any issue with this). For the most part, the Goldendoodle is an amiable dog.
It gets on well with children of all ages. There isn’t a bad bone in their body. They are incredibly playful, and you can feel the love coming off of them.
We wouldn’t recommend leaving your Goldendoodle alone with the youngest of children. However, this is something that we would be telling you about all dogs.
It isn’t a problem that is limited to the Goldendoodle. You can never trust a dog to be alone with young children. The dog could harm the child, and the children could be injured by the dog.
This is a dog breed that can grow old with your children too. Some dogs have a problem with change as children age up. However, this isn’t really an issue for the Goldendoodle. They are surprisingly adaptable. Even as your child gets older, your dog will play with them and love them in precisely the same way.
Goldendoodles are Known to be Easy to Train
The Goldendoodle is an incredibly intelligent dog. However, this probably isn’t all that surprising. This is a dog that has been bred using some of the most intelligent breeds around.
When a dog is intelligent, it means that it is going to be easy to train. Not so easy that you could train them within a day. However, with a little bit of dedication, it shouldn’t be all that difficult to teach your dog most commands.
If you pick up your Goldendoodle when they are a puppy, you will be pleased to know that they will be easy to potty train. Once again, you will need to dedicate yourself to actually potty training the dog. Still, they should pick it up a little bit faster than many other breeds.
Remember, since this dog is intelligent, it will need a lot to keep it occupied. This means decent toys. A bored dog is an unhealthy dog.
Most Goldendoodles are Non-Shedding
Despite their rather luxurious fur, surprisingly, Goldendoodles are (for the most part) non-shedding. This means that if you do not want dog fur around your home in addition to whatever mess your children are creating, then this is probably going to be a fantastic breed of dog for you.
Do bear in mind that non-shedding does not mean that this dog is excellent for people with allergies. People are not allergic to the fur. They are allergic to pet dander.
These proteins are found in all dogs, particularly in dog saliva. So, the Goldendoodle can still trigger allergies if you suffer from them. There isn’t really anything you can do about that when you own this breed.
Many owners report much fewer allergies with Goldendoodles than other dogs – but there cannot be a guarantee.
Goldendoodles Have a Long Lifespan
This dog is very long-lived. On average, they will live between 12 and 15 years old. Smaller Goldendoodles will live a little bit longer.
There aren’t really any major health issues with this breed either. There are a few ’causes for concern,’ but you would get that with most other dog breeds. There are no health issues that are life-threatening with the Goldendoodle.
This is one of the best things about breeding together two distinctly different breeds. It means that any of the health issues that would have plagued the parent breeds would have almost been eliminated.
Some people will see the long-lived nature of the dog as both a positive and a negative. Obviously, the positive is that you will have a dog that will grow up with your family.
If you purchase a puppy when your child is a baby, then the dog will live until their teen years. Although the dog is so long-lived, it tends to hit a lot harder when they pass away.
Summary – Why We Recommend Goldendoodles to Families?
The Goldendoodle is going to be a tremendous family dog. It can work with children of all ages, and this is a dog that can easily grow old with them.
In light of the positives, the only people that we wouldn’t really recommend the Goldendoodle to are those that may not necessarily be all that active.
As you will discover in a short while, this is a dog that does need a lot of exercises. If you are not willing to give the dog the exercise that it needs, this will not be the dog for you.
The Negatives of Goldendoodles as Family Dogs
The Goldendoodle’s positives as a family dog may seem great to you, but it wouldn’t be fair if we didn’t tell you the negatives of the breed. This is where you can decide whether a Goldendoodle really is the right choice for your family.
Regular Exercise
This is a dog that needs a lot of exercise. It is going to need multiple walks per day. If your family cannot give the dog the exercise that it needs, this will not be the breed for you.
We are not talking epic hour-long walks (although your dog will probably enjoy those). It needs nothing more than a couple of 20-minute walks per day. If you can’t do that, then we wouldn’t really recommend that you own any dog, let alone a Goldendoodle.
Larger Goldendoodles Can Be Tricky to Deal With
This isn’t really going to be a huge issue if you have older children. However, if you have younger children (i.e., toddlers), you will probably want to steer clear of larger Goldendoodles.
As we said before, this is a dog that really loves to play. If you have toddlers, then it will want to play with them.
However, the dog’s larger size means that it could knock your toddler about, which probably isn’t going to be too pleasant for them. So, if you must get a Goldendoodle when you have toddlers, try to get a smaller one.
Goldendoodles Suffer Separation Anxiety
These dogs are well known for the awful separation anxiety that they suffer from.
If you leave these dogs alone for long periods and talk about anything more than perhaps five hours or so, it will be a massive strain on their mental health. This can lead to crying, destruction of your home, or even forgetting some of their training.
Honestly, we would only really recommend that you get a Goldendoodle if you know that somebody will be with it most of the time. This isn’t a dog that can be left alone for long periods.
It is unfair to the dog.
Some people have managed to help their Goldendoodle beat their separation anxiety. There are strategies and distractions you can implement.
Goldendoodle Barking Issues
The Goldendoodle also loves to bark. Seriously. It barks at just about everything. Every dog is different, but Goldendoodle barking is one of the most common problems that brings people to OodleLife.
With Goldendoodles we don;’t really see an aggressive way of barking, it is more often going to be very playful or boredom barks.
Obviously, the barking will probably be bad at the best times (people tend to hate barking). Still, if you have neighbors or live in an apartment block, it will probably be even worse.
You can’t really train a Goldendoodle to stop barking entirely either. It is their natural instinct.
Intelligence – Too Smart for Their Own Good?
As we said before, this is an intelligent dog. While this is positive, it can also be a downside. Intelligent dogs need constant stimulation. Otherwise, they will look for other ways to entertain themselves. This may include destroying your furniture.
Only get this dog if you are willing to pay attention to it. Only get this dog if you can afford a lot of toys. If you can’t, then the dog will be incredibly bored, leading to a Goldendoodle with severe behavior issues.
Is a Goldendoodle a Good Family Dog Conclusion
If you are looking for a great family pet, then the Goldendoodle could be a brilliant choice for you. Just bear in mind that it is not going to be for every family. There are a few downsides, but they are far outweighed by the positives.