The Golden Retriever is adored the world over for its gentle nature, tolerance of children, and eagerness to please. Unfortunately, the lovely golden coat that is so synonymous with them is the exact reason why some people cannot have them at home. If you have any pet hair sensitives or are just averse to living in a golden hair dusted home then these shedding fluff monsters are not for you.
Never fear though, the addition of the equally majestic looking Aussiedoodle may offer up a solution to reduce shedding and supercharge the Golden Retriever’s energy levels. In this article, read on to find out more about this intriguing hybrid possibility
Table of Contents
History of the Aussiedoodle
An Aussiedoodle is not just a Doodle who lives “down under”. The term refers to a cross of the Australian Shepherd and Poodle and can be found across Europe, the United States, and of course Australia too.
This hybrid is fairly new in dog history terms and there is no definitive timeline of their origin. They first appear to have been mentioned in the United States approximately 20 years ago alongside many other so-called “designer dogs” becoming more prolific.
As both the parent breeds in an Aussiedoodle have serious working dog credentials and brainpower to boot this makes for a cross that is eager to please humans and thrives on having work, tasks, or training to do. They are high-energy and excel in pursuits such as agility.
Visually they are generally a medium-sized dog with oodles of fluffy to wavy hair and expressive faces.
History of the Golden Retriever
The Golden Retriever is a gentle and affectionate big dog, that often sports a goofy grin. The breed originated in Scotland in the late 19th century and is thought to be descended from the Flat-coated Retriever, Spaniels, Red Setters, Labrador Retriever, and Bloodhounds.
While initially, it was bred primarily as a gundog, most breed lines are now firmly bred to create domestic pets. The Golden Retriever is perhaps most identified for its long history as a preferred breed for guide dog training. While there is now more variety in guide dog breeds, the Golden Retriever remains popular and has also been recruited as a medical detection or assistance dog.
Not all Golden Retrievers will have a working life though, the vast majority are much-adored family pets, favored for their calm and loving nature.
What Do You Call an Aussiedoodle Golden Retriever Mix?
The obvious choice to denote an Aussiedoodle Golden Retriever mix would be a Golden Aussiedoodle. A word of caution though, this term is also used interchangeably by some to describe both an Aussiedoodle bred with a Golden Retriever and a Doodle cross of a Goldendoodle and Aussiedoodle.
Why is the Aussiedoodle Golden Retriever Cross Being Bred?
The Aussiedoodle Golden Retriever cross is not being massively bred at present and we couldn’t find any active professional breeders offering this cross.
This could be for a few reasons. Firstly, the Golden Retriever is highly sought after as a purebred choice which may make some breeders less incentivized to use them to create a novel hybrid litter.
Secondly, the Goldendoodle (Golden Retriever x Poodle) is probably one of the most popular Doodle crosses in existence. Demand often outstrips supply for Goldendoodles in some areas of the UK and United States meaning breeders may prefer to go for a Golden Retriever Poodle cross instead of considering the Aussiedoodle.
Is the Aussiedoodle Golden Retriever Mix an Ethical Cross?
In theory, the Aussiedoodle and a Golden Retriever make a fairly sensible match for hybrid breeding. They can be matched fairly well in height, have similarities in temperament, and are considered fairly healthy breeds independently.
If appropriate health screening of the parent dogs occurs, creating a hybrid has the added benefit of diluting health conditions that may be more common in one of the breeds.
The Benefits of an Aussiedoodle Golden Retriever Mix
One of the major benefits of crossing an Aussiedoodle, or indeed any Poodle or Doodle, with a Golden Retriever, is the potential to massively reduce the shedding associated with a purebred Golden Retriever.
The benefit of perhaps choosing an Aussiedoodle over a purebred Poodle for this cross is that the combination of Australian Shepherd and Poodle will amp up the energy levels of the more docile Golden Retriever.
The Cons of an Aussiedoodle Golden Retriever Mix
The major potential drawback of an Aussiedoodle Golden Retriever mix, other than the difficulty you will have in finding one, is the element of unpredictability. Unlike Goldendoodles and Labradoodles which are well-established hybrids and we can say with some certainty what to expect in appearance, size, and temperament, the Aussiedoodle Golden Retriever will be more of a surprise.
This can make it harder to decide if this dog will fit your lifestyle or home.
What to Expect from an Aussiedoodle Golden Retriever Mix
Size and Weight
As there is not a great deal of information available right now about an Aussiedoodle Golden Retriever cross we will take a look at the average sizes and weights of the parent breeds to give an indication of what you can expect.
A Golden Retriever is a large breed and will generally be between 22″ and 26″ in height when fully grown and could weigh up to 80lbs. Generally, female Golden Retrievers are between 10 and 15% smaller than their male variations.
An Aussiedoodle on the other had come in 3 different sizes dependent on the Poodle used in the cross.
- Toy Aussiedoodle (Toy Poodle parent)
- less than 10″ in height and 10lbs to 15lbs
- Medium Aussiedoodle (Miniature Poodle parent)
- 10″ to 15″ and 15lbs to 45lbs
- Standard Aussiedoodle
- 15″ to 25″ and 45lbs to 75lbs
As the standard Aussiedoodle and the Golden Retriever are the closest in build, it is suggested they would make one of the best pairings. Of course, some may choose a Medium Aussiedoodle in the hope of creating a slightly smaller hybrid. However, in reality, that is not guaranteed and may just create a bigger variety across a litter.
Based on the parent sizes we could estimate an Aussiedoodle Golden Retriever cross to be in the region of 15″ to 26″ in height and somewhere between 40lbs and 60lbs when fully grown.
Color and Coat Types
The Golden Retriever brings with it a dense, mid to long-length coat that will be flat or gently waved. Colors include cream, red, dark golden, light golden, and of course pure golden. The Golden Retriever unlike the Poodle does have a dense undercoat which contributes to the level of shedding it presents.
The Aussiedoodle on the other hand comes in a much greater variety of colors and patterns. The most common hues include blue, merle, red, sable, gray-black, and white. They can be bi or tri-color combinations of any of these tones. In terms of coat type, they often display a medium-length fluffy hair-like coat that will be softly waved. Some Aussiedoodles will have a tighter more Poodle-like curled coat.
An Aussiedoodle Golden Retriever will ultimately be a mix of the above colors and types. There is no way for certain to determine what parent a pup might take after. However, it would be a reasonable prediction to suggest they will have a waved to curled coat and may be more commonly golden, tan, or white colors.
Health
It can be difficult to say with certainty the health of these rarer hybrid crosses as there just isn’t enough of them to pull averages. Overall, the Golden Retriever and the Aussiedoodle are considered healthy. The Aussiedoodle can carry the merle gene which has greater chances of passing on deafness. However, as this is not present in the Golden Retriever the risk of both parents passing a copy of the faulty gene is removed.
There are some conditions present in both parent breeds that may have a greater chance of presenting in an Aussiedoodle Golden Retriever mix and these include:
- Hip and elbow dysplasia
- Epilepsy
- Skin allergies
The good news is that these are only possible conditions and not a guarantee. Both the Golden Retriever and the Aussiedoodle have general life expectancies in excess of 10 years.
Temperament
A mix of the Aussiedoodle and Golden Retriever will very likely present with strong traits of loyalty, intelligence, and exuberance. The Aussiedoodle and Golden Retriever are both known for their eagerness to please and their people-pleasing natures will lend themselves well to training.
It is likely that the Aussiedoodle’s zest for life and slightly scatty personality will liven up the more docile aspects of the Golden Retriever temperament making for a cross that will have stamina and energy for days.
Exercise Needs
An Aussiedoodle Golden Retriever is not the choice for the elderly or less active. This is a blend of three working breeds, the Australian Shepherd, the Poodle, and the Golden Retriever. They will need regular vigorous physical activity in addition to a good helping of enrichment activities to challenge their ample brainpower.
It is likely this cross will crave activity or work, while you may not need them to herd cattle, think of pursuits such as agility, scent work, or trail running.
Feeding Requirements
The Aussiedoodle Golden Retriever cross will be a fairly solid, medium-sized dog. In addition, they will be highly active which will increase the number of daily calories they burn. Specific feeding requirements will vary by overall size, gender, and activity but it would be wise to budget for in the region of 1.5 to 3 cups of a good quality dry dog food split over two or three meals a day.