Double Doodle vs Goldendoodle – What are the Differences?

You’ve heard about these two breeds but can’t decide between them? Both breeds are beautiful and have loving personalities, but is there a notable difference?

In this article, we will differentiate between the two breeds in order for you to decide which breed is right for you and your family.

What is a Double Doodle?

Double Doodles are the result of breeding two specific “Doodle” breeds together – The Labradoodle and the Goldendoodle. This means that the Double Doodle has three breed mixes: Labrador, Golden Retriever, and Poodle. All three parent breeds come from a strong history of hunting breed dogs. The Double Doodle comes in Standard size or Miniature size, depending on which size Poodle was used.

Goldendoodle & Labradoodle (Double Doodle)

What is a Goldendoodle?

Goldendoodles are a crossbreed between a Golden Retriever and a Poodle. This breed, again like the Double Doodle, has parent breeds that are also hunting breeds. They can come in Standard size (Golden Retriever x Standard Poodle) or Miniature size (Golden Retriever x Miniature Poodle).

Golden Retriever & Poodle (Goldendoodle)

Color, Coat Type, and Maintenance?

Double Doodle Coat Type

Double Doodles are a three-breed hybrid and their colors are quite variable, as are their coats. The color can be anything from black, brown, cream, or white and in any of the shades that these can come in. They may or may not have the Poodle fading gene, so could potentially fade in color from puppy to adult.

Because of the variability of having a 3-breed mix, their coats are unpredictable and can range from straight, wavy, curly, or ultra-curly. They often have a double coat, but sometimes don’t. Because the Golden Retriever and Labrador are both shedding dogs and the Poodle is not, the Double Doodle has 2/3 shedding gene and only 1/3 non-shedding gene.

These dogs need regular grooming and maintenance, due to their make-up being 2/3 long hair breeds (Poodle and Golden Retriever). Daily brushing will help to take out the loose hair and control any matting. A regular 6–8-week clip or cut will ensure their coats stay soft and glossy. The curlier dogs tend to need more grooming than the looser-haired ones.

Goldendoodle Coat Type

Goldendoodle colors can be variable due to the array of colors that their parent breeds can come in. Their color can be anything from black, brown, cream, or white and in any of the shades in-between. They have a good chance of having the Poodle fading gene and will often fade in color from puppy to adult.

Their coats are often wavy to curly and usually have a double coat. The Golden Retriever is a shedding breed with a genetic predisposition to be long-haired. The Poodle is a non-shedding breed, but also has a genetic predisposition to be long-haired. Therefore, there will be a good chance your Goldendoodle will shed.

Grooming is ultra-important in this breed and you will need to keep on top of any matting and daily brushing. A clip or cut will be needed every 6-8 weeks. I personally like to keep my long-haired dogs clipped short. I find this minimizes the shedding (long hair stays in the hair shaft for a longer time than short-haired breeds) and I can control it by brushing it out.

Size Comparison

Double Doodle Size

As Double Doodles come in Standard or Miniature, their sizing varies greatly. If the parents were of a Standard Poodle mix, then you will get a medium to large-sized dog. If a Miniature Poodle was used, you will get a small to medium-sized dog.

When fully grown, the Standard ranges from 23” – 25” tall and weighs between 30lbs and 70lbs. The Mini can range from 14 “– 18” tall and weigh between 20lbs and 40lbs.

Predicting the size of a Double Doodle is extremely hard, due to the varying genes at play. Even if a litter has been bred from a Mini Labradoodle (Miniature Poodle x Small Labrador Retriever) and a Mini Goldendoodle (Miniature Poodle x Small Golden Retriever), you may still get a larger than expected dog. This is due to the genetic make-up of both of the retriever breeds being medium to large dogs.

Goldendoodle Size

The size of the Goldendoodle is similar to the Double Doodle, as they too come in Miniature and Standard sizes. The Standard is resulting from the Standard Poodle and a large Golden Retriever. The mini is resulting from a Miniature Poodle and a smaller Golden Retriever.

When fully grown, the Standard will usually be between 24” – 26” tall and weigh in between 30lbs and 45lbs. The Mini can range from 14” – 17” tall and weigh between 15lbs and 30lbs.

Predicting the size of the Goldendoodle is a little more straightforward due to only having 2 breed mixes. Usually, the Goldendoodle adult size can be ascertained from the parent’s sizes.

Temperament

This is where these two fantastic breeds aren’t that dissimilar. They are both loyal breeds who thrive in a family environment. Both breeds are loving, clever, eager to please, and incredibly funny.

Both the Double Doodle and the Goldendoodle come from parent breeds that were historically bred as hunting dogs, so both breeds will love toys and chasing games. Both breeds will have a tendency to chase other animals too though, so care is needed when off the leash.

Both these breeds are perfect family dogs and are very easy to train (they are often hugely swayed by food) and are sensitive gently dogs.

Exercise Needs

Both breeds will need regular exercise due to their working dog parentage. They also have an energetic personality, so don’t forget the mental stimulation that these intelligent dogs need. Mental stimulation will help in calming their exuberant nature.

The Standard sizes in these two breeds need roughly 1.5 to 2 hours, split between two to three walks per day

The Miniature sizes need around 1 hour, split between two to three walks per day.

Both breeds are incredibly proficient swimmers and love water. Swimming will meet their exercise needs but is much gentler on their joints, making it the perfect exercise for a bouncy puppy.

Both breeds come from gundog / hunting origins, so love games involving fetching and chasing.

The Double Doodle and the Goldendoodle are not a breed for the faint-hearted. They are best suited to active busy families.

How Much Do They Eat?

Both the Double Doodle and the Goldendoodle come from inherently greedy dogs (Labrador Retriever and Golden Retriever) therefore whilst they may WANT to eat a lot, you will need to calculate their food requirements based on their weight, size, and activity levels.

Both the Mini and Standard-sized Double Doodles and Goldendoodles will need a good quality food, made up of high-quality protein, carbohydrates, and vegetables. Look for the best quality you can afford and always look at the ingredients. The composition of dog food is listed in the ingredients with the greatest first and the smallest last. Therefore, look for a food that lists meat first, then vegetables/grains/carbohydrates.

Dry food feeding guides are always printed on the packet, or available online and vary from brand to brand, so you will need to check the guide for amounts to feed your dog.

Both breeds originate from parent breeds that are all hunting dogs, therefore will thrive on a raw diet.

A Mini adult dog will eat around 2oz to 7oz (50g to 200g) of dry food per day.

If feeding raw, they will need around 2% to 5% of their body weight, of raw food per day. (eg. If your Mini is 30 pounds (13.6kg) in weight, they will need roughly 9.6oz (270g) to 24oz (680g) of raw food split between 2 meals per day).

A Standard adult dog will eat around 7oz to 14oz (200g to 400g) of dry food per day.

If feeding raw, they will need around 2% to 5% of their body weight, of raw food per day. (eg. If your Standard is 45 pounds (20.5kg) in weight, they will need roughly 14.5oz (400g) to 36oz (1kg) of raw food split between 2 meals per day).

Health Issues

Double Doodles and Goldendoodles are generally healthy breeds, but can suffer from any of the inherited health traits from the three parent breeds:

Eyes / Ears; Cataracts, Retinal Atrophy, Ear Infections.

Skin / Joints; Allergies, Tumours, Hip Dysplasia, Elbow Dysplasia, Arthritis.

Other Issues; Epilepsy, Addison’s Disease, Hyper/Hypothyroidism, Obesity.

Any of these issues should have been carefully eliminated as far as physically possible from the gene pool before breeding, but some diseases can naturally develop as a result of the dog’s lifestyle, like Arthritis and Hip Dysplasia.

Price Comparrison

When choosing between these breeds, there is not much of a big difference when you look at their personalities, temperaments, grooming needs, health, and general lifespan (Usually 10-15 years).

However, Goldendoodles will usually attract a higher buying price than the Double Doodle. Many factors will determine the overall price including country, breeder, time of year, area, etc. It’s worth researching your local area for both breeds to determine the cost that you will be looking at.

In Conclusion

Whilst there are many similarities between two breeds there are also a few differences.

We hope you now have a greater understanding of both the Double Doodle and Goldendoodle and now feel better informed as to which dog is right for you.