Apart from joking about my waist size, the truth is diet
and exercise DOES impact the size your puppy will grow to – but only around the
belly (total weight). Genetics is what really matters in terms of overall size.
Clearly, a Toy Poodle will not grow to over 100 pounds, and an 85 pound mom
will not have a healthy offspring grow to just 15 pounds.
As an AKC registered and monitored breed, Poodles have
3 distinct sizes and classifications. Goldendoodles are NOT recognized nor monitored by the AKC
as a distinct breed and, therefore, some of the names and sizes can vary and be
confusing. (NOTE: The AKC considers
Goldendoodles to be a “hybrid” or a “cross breed” and therefore not a pure
breed, which is their organizational focus)
I can’t explain or defend words or claims made by other
breeders, but I can tell you that our goal at CuteGoldendoodles.com, is to be
honest and fair in our size estimates. You are trusting us to raise a healthy
puppy for you and your family, and we owe it to you to be honest and
transparent with the information we give to you.
Before we get into sizes, let’s briefly talk about
Goldendoodles and their generations and parenting. When a Poodle and a Golden
Retriever are bred together, their offspring are Goldendoodles – specifically,
“F1” or first generation Goldendoodles. These puppies will be “low-to-no”
shedding and are unlikely to cause allergies for people.
When an F1 Goldendoodle is bred with a Poodle, their
offspring are called “F1b” (b=back crossed) Goldendoodles. This “generation” is
the ultimate goal for CuteGoldnedoodles.com. These dogs will have 3 parts
Poodle, and 1 part Golden Retriever. They tend to have very little
chance of allergy or shedding issues, they are smart, intelligent and
trainable, and they are still incredibly lovable and not aloof – as poodles are
sometimes described.
You may sometimes see other phrases in advertising or on
other breeders’ sites describing “multi-generational”, “inter-generational”, “F2”,
“F2b”, etc. These are all terms used to describe the offspring of breeding
Goldendoodles with other Goldendoodles. There is nothing inherently wrong about
this practice, and there is no reason to believe that these puppies are
anything but healthy and loving.
We choose NOT to engage in multi-generational breeding
because it becomes virtually impossible to determine which characteristics and
traits will be passed to the puppies from their parents. There are just too
many variables. It doesn’t make them bad dogs; it’s just not what we choose to
do.
OK. Next, let’s talk about sizes.
At CuteGoldendoodles.com, we break down Goldendoodles into
three basic groups, based upon size:
· Small,
or Mini
o These
dogs tend to range in size from 13 to 20 inches in height (at shoulders) and;
o Typically
weigh between 20 to 35 pounds when grown.
·
Medium Standard
o These
dogs tend to range in size from 17 to 24 inches in height (at shoulders) and;
o Typically
weigh between 35 to 55 pounds when grown.
·
Large
Standard, or Full sized
o These
dogs tend to range in size from 20 to 27 inches in height (at shoulders) and;
o Typically
weigh between 55 to 85 pounds when grown.
o We currently do not have any moms that breed in this category.
o We currently do not have any moms that breed in this category.
Genetics, and their impact on the size of a grown dog,
are complicated to fully understand and difficult to manage. We estimate the probable size
of a grown puppy by using the average of the weights and sizes of the parents.
We believe this is a fair estimate and we openly divulge the weights and sizes of
our parent dogs. However, it is just an estimate.
My wife’s sister has 5 children. The first four are all
within the “normally expected” height for the family, and the fifth has grown
to be the tallest person (by far!) in our entire extended family. Go figure!
To wrap this all up, at CuteGoldendoodles.com, we strive
to be upfront with our expectations on size and weight for our puppies. We
firmly believe our process is fair and generally accepted. We apologize if your
puppy grows to be outside of our estimate – either bigger, or smaller. What we
do know for sure, is that our puppies will grow to love you and your family
every single day!!
