Dogs for
companionship
More and more people are choosing dogs for companionship and therefore looking for dogs that fit in well with their lives and in homes.
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Since the domestication of the wolf centuries ago, dogs have long provided companionship, but also served many important functions for humans. The majority of recognized breeds today were bred to perform vital functions such as protection, hunting, field retrieving, livestock guardianship, etc. Coats, structure and temperament were selected and bred for to better the function of the dog for its role. With technological breakthroughs and societal change, many of the roles that these breeds were created for are no longer relevant.
More and more people are choosing dogs for companionship and therefore looking for dogs that fit in well with their lives and in homes.
Goldendoodles (a combination of Poodle and Golden Retriever) have been exploding in popularity in recent years because of their suitability as companions. They are also excellent emotional support and therapy dogs. We have placed many of our puppies successfully into both roles. Both Golden Retrievers and Poodles have been popular choices as pets and companions as well, but many people struggle with the shedding and dander from retrievers. The intelligence and drive of poodles can pose a challenge for some pet homes that do not necessarily know how to properly stimulate and use the drive and intelligence of the breed.
When breeding for a suitable in-home companion that also does excellent with emotional support, therapy, and some service roles, we look for the following traits that we generally see purpose-bred Goldendoodles thriving in:
We want dogs that thrive on human interaction and seek it out. These dogs can do well in a variety of settings and can tolerate a lot of people in a short amount of time. We have consistently seen Goldendoodles thrive in this category. It is a trait that we do select for in our breedings.
We want a combination of human focus, food motivation, eye contact, overall focus, intelligence, and a drive to please. Some mini Goldendoodles can lack high food motivation, but they usually make up for it in the other categories and are still highly trainable.
Allergies are a tough subject since they are very individualistic. The majority of people with dog allergies are allergic to dog dander. For these people, Goldendoodles can often be a good choice. Through genetic coat testing, we can determine which dogs are less prone to shedding and less likely to cause reactions. Although some people will have allergies to Goldendoodles, we have found them to do well in homes with asthma and allergies - including our own home!
Goldendoodles are often very tolerant of touch, noise, and active houses. We have found them to do very well with a variety of people, animals, and small children. Though training and socialization plays a large role with this, our puppies consistently show high levels of tolerance.
