Groodle Cross-Breed: Information and Personality Traits

The groodle dog is a cross between a poodle and a golden retriever and tends to exhibit the best traits of both their parent breeds.

The groodle is not a true dog breed but, rather, a hybrid, more popularly known as a designer dog: an intentional cross between two purebred dogs, chosen for particular characteristics and traits. With the groodle dog, breeders aimed to combine the personality and temperament of lovable golden retrievers with the low-shed traits of the distinguished poodle. The result was a medium-sized dog with a shaggy, low-shedding coat and the friendliness and eager-to-please nature of the golden retriever and the high intelligence of the poodle — making for a dog who's both easy to train and a sweet family pet.

Like their golden retriever parents, groodle also make great service dogs. Their intelligence and obedience are a winning combination that helps them excel as guide dogs, and their affectionate and gentle nature makes them a great choice for therapy dogs. Groodles also possess a knack for sniffing out the presence of peanuts for people allergic to the legume.

Because they're not a true breed, the appearance of groodles can vary widely depending on which parent possesses the more dominant genes. Their coat can be straight like a golden retriever's or curly like a poodle's, but it often lands somewhere in between, appearing wavy and shaggy. Groodle puppies may go through different stages before their coat takes on its final appearance. Colouring is often yellow-brown like that of their golden retriever parent, but it can also be any colour you'd find in a poodle, including white, amber, red, brown, black, gray or white. It's also possible for the coat to be multicoloured.

Size also tends to vary widely, depending on what type of poodle is used in breeding. Typically, golden retrievers are bred with standard poodles to produce larger dogs but miniature groodles are also becoming popular — a cross between a golden retriever and a miniature or toy poodle. As a result, groodle puppies can weigh anywhere from 7 to 45 kg. If you ask your breeder what type of poodle the parent was, you can get a better idea of what size dog your groodle puppy will grow up to be.

Personality:

As with their appearance, groodle's temperament might take after one parent more than the other. But more often than not, they're intelligent, obedient and extremely loving dogs. Groodles love people and also get along great with other pets, and they tend to be patient and gentle with young children — making them a fantastic choice for families.

They are far too friendly to make good guard dogs or watchdogs and would more likely try to befriend a stranger than warn them off. As highly social dogs, they need to be with their family and wouldn't do well as outside dogs or in homes where they'd be left alone for long periods of time, which could cause them to develop separation anxiety.

Living With:

Groodles are fairly energetic dogs who need room to romp and play. As such, they may not be a good choice for apartments but would do well in a home with a fenced-in yard. They need about 30 minutes of daily play and exercise to stay fit and entertained.

With their high intelligence, they can get bored easily and need activities to keep them out of trouble, but they can also be content curling up on the couch for cuddles. If you're crate training them, it's best to provide toys to keep them entertained and to turn on the TV or radio when leaving, so they won't get distressed while they're alone.

Although it's possible that they'll take after their golden retriever parents in terms of shedding, groodles more typically don't shed a lot. They don't need to be bathed more often than every couple of months unless they get dirty, but they do need to be brushed daily to keep their coats from matting. If their coat is clipped fairly short, which some pet parents prefer, they will only need to be brushed once or twice a week.

Diet Suggestions:

Puppy: Hill's Science Diet Puppy Large Breed Dry Dog Food

Adult: Hill's Science Diet Adult Large Breed Dry Dog Food, Hill's Science Diet Adult Perfect Weight Large Breed Dry Dog Food

Mature: Hill's Science Diet Adult 6+ Senior Large Breed Senior Dry Dog Food

History:

Groodles first appeared in the 1990s to provide a larger alternative to the already popular spoodle: a cross between a poodle and a cocker spaniel. They're a fairly recent entry into the designer poodle crossbreeds but have been steadily gaining in popularity, with a more recent surge in demand generated by social media.

As they're technically mixed-breed dogs, groodles are not recognised by the AKC or other international purebred dog registries. And as of 2019, no breeding clubs have formed to promote the development of a breed standard. However, they are recognised by the American Canine Hybrid Club and can be registered with that organisation.

As cute as they are sweet and loving, groodles are also energetic and playful, making them an excellent match for active families who like to include their dogs in all of their outdoor adventures.