Groodle Breed Info

Groodles Popularly known as Golden Doodle outside Australia is a hybrid dog that is a cross between a Golden Retriever and a Poodle. The Groodles breed is highly intelligent and smart and easily trainable. Groodles have unconditional love for their hoomans. They could be a perfect companion for those with a very active lifestyle. Groodles love to run, play and even hike with you and accompany you on a vacation. It is a delight to watch these playful puppies full of energy and zest for life and their spirit is contagious.

Groodle Breed Info:

Groodle is a crossbreed between a Golden Retriever and a toy or miniature poodle. Groodles come in different sizes – Miniature, Medium, and Standard depending on the Poodle variant used for breeding. Groodles have curly, wavy, or straight coats. 

A Miniature Groodle weighs between 12 to 18 kg and the height can range between 35cm and 48 cm. Medium Groodles weigh between 18-26 kg. A standard Groodle weighs more than 26kg. They can weigh up to 45kg and grow to be between 50cm and 70cm tall.

The average life span of a Groodle is 10- 14 years. It takes almost just over 12 months for a Groodle puppy to reach adulthood and mature to full size. 

Parents Breeds: 

The Golden Retriever originated in Scotland. Retrievers are an intelligent breed with gentle, loving, and playful personalities. It is appealing due to its beautiful golden coat. Due to their high intelligence Golden retrievers are considered excellent service dogs in search and rescue missions. Golden retrievers are highly popular in the United States.

Poodles are German in origin. Poodles are popular due to their hypoallergenic curly coat and friendly and loving personality. Poodles come in a variety of sizes, including Toy, Miniature, and Standard varieties. They make wonderful family dogs.

Poodles and Golden Retrievers were originally bred for hunting purposes. Hence both these breeds have higher energy levels and are athletic and excellent swimmers.

Pros & cons of parent breeds: 

Poodles and Golden Retrievers are well-known for their intelligence, friendliness, and loyalty. Both the parent breeds respond well to training. Groodle's coat is hypoallergenic and sheds less like Poodles. They are wonderful service animals and therapy dogs. Groodles are natural fetch dogs because both of their parent breeds, the Golden Retriever and the Poodle, enjoy retrieving.

Though Retrievers and Poodles make excellent cuddling companions, they cannot be anticipated to be couch dogs all the time and require daily exercise and mental stimulation. Inadequate physical and mental activity can result in health problems and destructive behavior. Letting them unattended for long hours can result in separation anxiety. Groodles may be quite expensive due to their parents' high demand and popularity. Groodles generally doesn’t fit well in small apartments, if no adequate exercise is provided. 

Advantages of cross-breeding: 

The true advantage of cross-breeding is that it reduces genetic and hereditary diseases in purebred dogs. Cross-breeding produces healthy dog varieties that inherit the most desirable and popular DNA characteristics from the parent breeds.

Cross-breeds come in a variety of colours, shapes, and sizes, making them popular among dog owners, particularly in the United States and Australia. 

F1 and F1b cross & Genetic issues in Groodles and how to avoid it:

The letter "F" stands for Filial, which means "crossbreed," and the letter "B" stands for backcross. The F1 Groodle is a cross between a purebred Golden Retriever and Poodle. F1B Groodles are F1 Groodles that have been bred back with a 100% (purebred) parent breed.

F1B Groodles are commonly bred back with poodles to retain hypoallergenic, non-shedding coats and to obtain a smaller size. This will also help to reduce the prevalence of genetic issues in Golden retrievers.

To avoid genetic issues, always seek out breeders who are ministry-approved and carry out the necessary parental DNA testing, Hip, and Elbow X-rays and adhere to scientific and ethical breeding standards. Most commonly inherited genetic conditions are:

• Congenital Eye Malformation (Golden Retriever) 
• Degenerative Myelopathy
• Hip and Elbow Dysplasia (Golden retriever and Poodle)
• Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa (Golden Retriever Type)
• Elliptocytosis B-spectrin (Labrador Retriever/Poodle Type)
• Gangliosidosis GM2 (Poodle Type)
• Generalised PRA 1 (Golden Retriever Type)
• Generalised PRA 2 (Golden Retriever Type)
• Ichthyosis A (Golden Retriever)
• Mucopolysaccharidosis VI (Poodle Type)
• Neonatal Encephalopathy (Poodle Type)
• Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis NCL (Golden Retriever Type)
• Osteochondrodysplasia (Min Poodle Type)
• Osteogenesis Imperfecta (Golden Retriever Type)
• Progressive Rod Cone Degeneration (prcd) - PRA
• rcd4-PRA (Late Onset)
• Von Willebrand's Disease Type I

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How to look after a Groodle:

• Spend time with your Groodle every day. Provide them with plenty of love, time, and attention.
• Do not leave your Groodle unattended for long hours. Consider hiring a puppy sitter if you are away for a longer period or on a vacation.
• Exercising Groodles for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour is a must.
• Use puppy-friendly toys to keep Groodle occupied and reduce destructive and curious behavior.
• Groom them well.
• Provide Groodles adequate protein source and a diet that supports their size and high energy levels
• Conduct self-examination of the ear area to ensure that it is clean and free of odors. Make cleaning the Groodle's eyes with warm wet cottonballs a habit to avoid eye discharge and tear staining.
• Keep your puppy healthy by performing routine vet visits and vaccinations.
  

Grooming requirements for Groodles: 

Grooming requirements vary according to coat type. Brushing a flat coat is necessary only few times a month. If the coat type is Fleece, brush them at least once a week and trim it twice a year.

If Groodle coat is woolen, brush 2-3 times per week. The wool coat does not shred easily and requires 2-3 trims per year to avoid tangles and matting.

Bath them once a month with a vet-recommended shampoo. You can also clean them if their coat is not as soft as usual, smells bad, or has accumulated mud or dirt after a vigorous outdoor activity.