Goldendoodle Puppies and Adult Dogs For Sale

Shaggy coat Goldendoodle by Goldendoodle World

Beautiful Goldendoodle puppies and young adult dogs available for sale by Goldendoodle World!  UKCI registered with over 400 ofa champion ancestors dating back to the early 1930s.  Visit http://www.goldendoodleworld.com/  for more details!

                     704-278-3647 

Worldwide shipping available!  Personal pick up welcome!

* spaying and neutering required.

* Blue eyes, brown eyes, multi eye color available

* Apricot, cream, Silver Frost


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Taking your Goldendoodle to work

Author: Dee Gerrish

Bink in Holland

As the Goldendoodle dog becomes more popular, many doodle owners are beginning to take their dogs to work. As the doodle rises from its bed underneath their owner's desk, it isn't uncommon for the Goldendoodle to waltz itself from cubicle to cubicle, picking up treats along its way.

Standing and waiting happily with its nose pressed against a filing cabinet, the Goldendoodle is very patiently waiting for a glancing smile or a pat on its head. For many people, taking their family dog with them to work is just a part of their daily routine. June 22nd is "Take your dog to work" day. You should encourage your boss to allow you to bring your Goldendoodle to work if you work in a company small enough to allow this. Created and sponsored by "Pet Sitters International", nearly 500 companies in the beginning participated in permitting their employees to bring their pets to work. That number has jumped well past 5,000 here in 2009. This event draws massive attention to the value of dogs of all breeds, including rescue dogs and shelter dogs. Taking your Goldendoodle to work with you has its advantages. He or she is, after all, a mixed breed dog. By bringing your Goldendoodle to work, you are encouraging someone who may not own a pet, to consider giving one of their own, a good home.

Perhaps they've never considered this type of dog or they've never seen one. Perhaps they were thinking about adopting a shelter dog but were afraid of giving a mixed breed dog a chance. The Goldendoodle dog will surely put all of those fears to rest as soon as your co-workers meet him or her. Even if for one day, the Goldendoodle dog can demonstrate how well behaved they are; how friendly they are; what wonderful companions they can be and how little they shed. Taking your well-behaved Goldendoodle to work with you can show others how this simple gesture can increase company productivity not to mention lower absenteeism! Taking your Goldendoodle to work also helps to encourage interaction and socialization. A pet friendly company gives dog owners a peace of mind. Employees can work late and still be able to feed, walk and care for their Goldendoodle companion. For other employees, this policy can ease stress and anxiety. Dee Gerrish, of Goldendoodle World says, "Many of our customers take their Goldendoodles to work with them. I hear it all the time.

They say it helps them to not worry so much about how they are going to get home in time to take their new puppy out for potty breaks and it definitely helps them become a better dog owner. Their Goldendoodle is a companion dog who needs them just as much as they need the dog. Both the doodle and the owner benefits from a pet friendly work place". Employees who are able to bring their Goldendoodle to work agree that this type of policy is a great perk! Their doodles can accompany them where ever they go because their owner is always around. The Goldendoodle hybrid can become very lonely when left home for hours on end waiting for their owner to come home. Dee says, "Everyone benefits from having a Goldendoodle around! Look at it this way, how many people do you think will be uncooperative at work if a Goldendoodle comes up and licks your hand or gives you a friendly smile?".

"Jack Trout and friend"

GUIDE TO PERFECT PETIQUETTE

*Your boss would probably be more willing to permit you to bring your Goldendoodle to work providing that you:

1. Teach your Goldendoodle basic obedience commands.

2. Socialize your Goldendoodle with other dogs.

3. Don't bring squeeky or noisy toys to work.

4. Be careful to not bring your Goldendoodle around those with allergies unless they specifically ask you to.

5. Make sure your work area is large enough to accomodate your doodle's bed and other daily needs.

6. Make sure your Goldendoodle isn't a noisy barker.

7. Make sure to remove your doodle's collar tags so as not to disrupt co-workers.

8. Only walk your Goldendoodle in designated areas.

9. Always clean up after your Goldendoodle when he or she goes "potty".

10. Ensure you bring enough water and food and treats for your doodle.

*About the author: Dee Gerrish, of Goldendoodle World, has been writing about the doodle dog since 1999. Dee is one of the original founders for the Goldendoodle dog for the entire southern region of the United States. More information can be found on Dee's Goldendoodle World website at http://www.goldendoodleworld.com

About the Author:

Dee Gerrish has been a private, professional breeder for 13 years as of Jan. 2009; She was a respite and foster care provider in Mannheim, Germany and won many community awards for her dedicated service. Dee Gerrish is one of the original founders for the Goldendoodle dog for the entire southern region of the United States. Dee has been writing about the Goldendoodle dog since 1999.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Taking your Goldendoodle to work

Breast cancer in Goldendoodles

Author: Dee Gerrish

When we think about breast cancer, we usually think about women getting this disease. We seldom stop to think about men having breast cancer, much less a canine having breast cancer. Although the Goldendoodle hybrid is a relatively new hybrid, we must take into consideration that as this hybrid ages, the possibility of breast cancer is there.

The Goldendoodle hybrid became first known as a "labeled" breed in the United States around 1997. I am not sure who the first breeder in the USA began advertising this beautiful dog, but I do know when we began our Goldendoodle breeding program in 1999, we were the only breeder in the entire southern region...at that time...offering them. The dog is relatively young to know much about possible "genetic" issues that may come from the Poodle/Golden Retriever mixture.

Cancer unfortunately kills more dogs than any other disease known. Approx. forty seven percent, according to canine data. Heart disease and kidney disease round out the top three diseases that kill our dogs. Because the Goldendoodle hybrid is still relatively new, there is no existing data at this present writing (December 23, 2009) that can help us know what percentage this hybrid may rank...if at all. According to the Englewood, Colorado based Morris Animal Foundation, skin cancer in dogs accounts for most of the cancer cases.

According to sources, cancer occurs in dogs (or even a person for that matter) when body cells grow uncontrollably and without purpose. Certain types of cancer can spread through out the body via the blood stream which then carries the cancer cells to other parts of the body. Some cancers remain stationary but these types of cancers can grow rapidly and invade tissue in which they are growing. Tumors that are malignant are types of cancers that are stationary. Tumors that don't spread or invade tissue are called "benign" tumors.

Today, veterinarians who specialize in canine cancer are more advanced and detecting cancer in your Goldendoodle at an early stage is now possible. These doctors are called Veterinarian Oncologists. They have three methods that can help save your Goldendoodle, if cancer is detected early enough:

1. Surgery

2. Chemotherapy

3. Radiation

Now that veterinarians have become more advanced and know more about canine cancer, they now have the ability to extend the life of your Goldendoodle including giving him or her a quality of life that wasn't available ten years ago for any canine. Most dogs who were diagnosed with cancer, faced certain death. Now, there is hope.

When your veterinarian suspects your Goldendoodle may have cancer, your hybrid baby will have to undergo a surgical procedure called a "biopsy". This means your veterinarian will remove some tissue from your Goldendoodle that can be examined carefully. A pathologist will examine the tissue or collected cells to determine if it is benign (negative) or malignant (positive) for cancer. If your Goldendoodle has a solid tumor, your vet may insert a needle and take a few samples. This type of procedure is entirely less invasive. If the collected cells suggest they are malignant (positive), your Goldendoodle will then undergo a surgical biopsy.

Unfortunately, these procedures are not cheap and the costs can be quite great. If you suspect your Goldendoodle may have a lump that needs to be further examined and tested for cancer, you will have to weigh the pros and cons regarding whether or not you can afford the required testing, procedures, vet costs and of course, if unfortunately the tests come back and they confirm cancer, long term care and the expenses regarding long term care will have to be carefully weighed.

SPOT THE WARNING SIGNS

* You find an abnormal lump or swelling that continues to become larger over time.

* Sores on your Goldendoodle's skin that don't seem to heal.

* Your Goldendoodle begins to lose weight for no particular reason.

* Loss of appetite.

* Unusual bleeding or discharge from your Goldendoodle's nose, mouth or anal area.

* You notice a foul odor from your Goldendoodle's mouth.

* Your Goldendoodle begins to have difficulty swallowing or eating.

* Your Goldendoodle suddenly doesn't have the ability to exercise and seems to have a loss of strength.

* Your doodle has difficulty breathing.

* You notice that your Goldendoodle has lameness or stiffness.

* Your Goldendoodle has difficulty urinating or defecating.

* You notice a sudden change in behavior with your dog.

Now, if you notice any of the issues above, do not suddenly become frantic that your Goldendoodle has cancer. There are many explainations other than cancer, for the above symptoms. It's very important, however, if you notice any of the above symptoms that you have your veterinarian thoroughly check your Goldendoodle out. Waiting could cause your Goldendoodle's demise.

*About the author: Dee Gerrish, of Goldendoodle World, has been writing about the Goldendoodle dog since 1999. Dee is one of the original founders for the Goldendoodle dog for the entire southern region of the United States.

*This article is copyright protected December 23, 2009. The content of this article may not be copied, redistributed or used for commercial purposes without the expressed written permission of its author, Dee Gerrish. All rights are reserved.

About the Author:

Dee Gerrish has been a private, professional breeder for 13 years as of Jan. 2009; She was a respite and foster care provider in Mannheim, Germany and won many community awards for her dedicated service. Dee has written very popular Goldendoodle articles that are listed across the internet.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Breast cancer in Goldendoodles

Goldendoodle owners who play the blame game

Goldendoodle owners who play the blame gameWhy do some Goldendoodle owners play the blame game over the internet when they fail to not follow proper protocol with their breeder and something occurs with their purchased pet? A Goldendoodle customer contacted me last night saying that her Goldendoodle had a seizure earlier that day and when I started to ask her questions, she immediately became nasty and said "We've had problems with this doodle since the day we bought him!".

Funny. This was the first time I had even heard from this customer, yet alone receive any documentation from a veterinarian much less her signature upon the purchase contract that we provide to every customer. She purchased her Goldendoodle from me 8 months ago and the doodle was four months of age when she purchased him. I still have two doodles from that particular litter who have been in perfect health. So far, we've not had any negative responses regarding "health issues" from anyone else who purchased from that same litter. When she made the comment that she had been having "health" issues with her Goldendoodle from the first day she purchased him, I then asked her why was I just now hearing about a problem? If she had been having problems from "day one" as she claimed, why was she just now telling me about it after eight months has passed? She got angry and began playing the blame game and when she would not answer my questions, I hung up the telephone. She then called back and my husband answered the phone and she told him she was going to tell everyone on as many websites as possible what a bad breeder I was.

I find it completely absurd that someone would purchase a Goldendoodle...or any pet for that matter....have issues they felt had a 'genetic' factor involved and fail to contact the breeder immediately and then go all over the internet to smear their name posting one sided stories just to gain public sympathy. I found one comment that this customer wrote, claiming that I was NOT sympathetic and that I did not show any empathy towards their doodle's plight.

Below is a portion of her comment: "Dee had NO Empathy at all and only got defensive about it not being her fault (which we did not call about fault). She didn't care at all what the vet said and keep in mind this puppy came from her dogs. We are heartbroken because his condition does not look good yet she simply hung up on me tonight. I am in disbelief. I have never bothered them about the many digestive problems Teddy has had since we got him at 4 months old or the hip problems he has but with the neurological problems I wanted to get her guidance and instead I got her yelling and hanging up on me. She has added to our pain. I would NEVER allow someone I care ab out to purchase a dog from them. EVER. Think twice about it !"

I found her comment baffling because she posted this as a one sided story. This customer fails to mention quite a few things. The first thing she failed to mention is the fact that she never once contacted me regarding any "digestive" or "hip" problems. Her Goldendoodle has a seizure and now all of a sudden he's had numerous OTHER health issues since "day one" ?? This is like going and ordering a huge steak dinner....eating almost all of it and then getting the waitress to bring the manager over so you can tell him or her how disgusting the food was and that you want him or her to do something about it. I've added to their pain? How is this? I fail to see how I have added to her or her family's pain. She claims she called to obtain "guidance" from me as a breeder and that I yelled at her and hung up on her? This isn't what transpired nor did I yell at her at all. I began asking her questions when she told me that her Goldendoodle had a seizure.

I wanted to know what led up to the seizure or what had transpired with her Goldendoodle prior to the seizure. What flea preventatives was she using? I've warned even on my website for people not to use topical flea preventatives on their Goldendoodle because it can cause seizures with this hybrid. She immediately said to me that she was "warning" me about the seizure because her vet told her that seizures were genetic. That's interesting especially given the fact that we've never had a Goldendoodle have a seizure while in our possession and we've never had a single Poodle or Golden Retriever have a seizure except for one time when my vet came out to our home and gave one of my Golden Retrievers a rabies vaccine and she immediately had a seizure from the vaccine and puffed up like a chow chow!! Within less than five minutes of the vaccine. This was NOT genetic. This was caused by something.I tried to ask her questions and instead of answering my questions, I was accused of not being sympathetic and she is the one who got nasty over the telephone of which caused me to hang up the phone. I am not sure what reaction she thought I was suppose to have as a breeder. Start crying?? Start saying, "Oh my god, you poor thing!" I don't know. As a breeder for thirteen years, I have to stay rational and ask questions if I am going to attempt to get to the bottom of an issue and what may have caused the issue. I don't know what she expected me to say or do but if we are both irrational, nothing will be accomplished. I asked her why didn't she call me in the very beginning if her Goldendoodle was having all of these problems and why am I just now hearing about them?

The customer then said, "Well what was I suppose to do..bring him back?" Uh...yeah. If this Goldendoodle began having problems from the first day they bought it....that is exactly what they were suppose to do! Call me and bring it back for an exchange! Not wait eight months down the road and then bombard me with multiple supposed issues that I was never aware of. This customer has failed to submit veterinarian documents. If her Goldendoodle had hip issues, she failed as a buyer to provide me with hip x-rays and other veterinarian documentation. This customer failed to submit DNA to the company to prove whether or not her doodle's issues are genetically related and not customer/owner neglect or environmentally caused related. So now this customer wants to rant and tell everyone what a "bad", "uncaring" breeder that I am and gain internet sympathy even though she is completely negligent in following proper procedures based upon the contractual sale. She has never provided us with her required signature upon the sales contract; she has not complied in sending us proof of altering as well as proof of veterinarian incidents. She has never called me one time to mention she was having any issues with her Goldendoodle and she has failed, as a buyer, to abide by the contractual purchase agreement.

Now she wants to play the blame game over the internet.If a person makes a contractual purchase and they fail to abide by the contract or fail to follow the breeders' protocol of letting them know when an incident occurs that the buyer feels has a genetic factor involved, why is it suddenly the breeder's fault and why is the breeder suddenly the bad guy or girl? It completely boggles my mind that a customer would play the blame game over the internet especially given the fact the customer is in the wrong by not following proper procedure and protocol. It is further mind boggling given the fact the customer hasn't done any testing whatsoever to even show a genetic link or component to whatever issues are affecting their canine. They just automatically assume their dogs' problems are genetically related. Her comment originally to me and even in her internet complaint was the fact she said, "Keep in mind that this puppy came from her dogs". And??? So the puppy came from my dogs...and what's the point? We still have this customers' brother and sister who have remained in complete good health. There are other siblings out there whose owners have not mentioned a single problem. The same two parent dogs have had offspring before and we've never heard of a single incident from past customers who bought a puppy from the same two parents. Neither parent dog has ever had health problems...so I fail to see the point in the comment that was made by this customer.I find it completely interesting that people like this particular customer play the internet blame game to gain sympathy from complete strangers and only share one side of the story. She wants to make ME look like an ass and warn people about buying a Goldendoodle from me when she has completely failed to prove that her doodle's issues are my fault or the dogs' parents' genetic fault. She's failed to tell the story in its entirety, removing herself from any fault or blame. If she had wanted me, as a breeder, to assist her, she would have contacted me when her Goldendoodle had the first supposed issue and would have provided me with as much information as possible which would have included providing me with as much veterinarian info/history, etc..as possible. This customer didn't call me to gain my "guidance" or assistance. This customer called to play the blame game.

*About the author: Dee Gerrish of Goldendoodle World has been writing extensively about the Goldendoodle hybrid since 1999. More can be obtained on her website at http://www.goldendoodleworld.com

Customer response to AKC article

The following response was sent to me by S.B. of California. She is one of our Goldendoodle customers who owns a doodle named, "Jack Trout" and is a staunch supporter of Goldendoodles. We appreciate getting permission to repost her response:



AKC aticle‏
From: S.B.
Sent: Mon 4/27/09 5:04 PM
To: Goldendoodle World

Hi Dee,

I Bump into your communications in so many places, I don't know where best to write back to you. Just wanted to tell you how informative your AKC article on mixed breed dogs was. Thank you for sharing so much relevant information. As a doggie lover, not a doggie breeder, I am like most people who think AKC means a stamp of rigorous control and high quality. Obviously, it is not. Thanks for the good info on how it works.I was looking for a specific thing -- a dog with the loving devotion of a golden retriever, and the intelligence and non-allergic traits of the poodle -- hence the goldendoodle. I am not really into "desiger dogs" or bragging about my purebred whatnot. I just needed specific traits and the goldendoodle has 'em. Besides being such a funny guy and great companion, Jack Trout is all I could wish for.

My hairdresser, God love him, breeds standard poodles who are champions here, there, and everywhere. He wanted me to buy one of his females who became available after achieving her championship. When he offfered, I was ready, but he wasn't. When he was ready, I was traveling every weekend to see my daughter play volleyball. I couldn't introduce a new dog into our home and then be gone all the time. Bottom line: it just didn't work out. At my November appointment, he said he had found a home for her, so I began my adult doodle search which led me to you and our wonderful little crazy guy. The point of all these ramblings is that he considers Jack Trout a mutt and an embarassment to the quality dog world. He can barely talk about him, finding it difficult to accept anything crossbred with a poodle. I couldn't care less, because my needs and values are different. How silly is all this baloney!

As you said, all dog breeds started out as mixes which were refined (not always for the best interest of the dogs) until the desired characteristics were achieved. Who can defend the modern day English bulldog? "Standard" has created a dog with serious physical and reproductive difficulties. So doodle-ists must ban together and speak out. We love and treasure healthy, strong, animals with the wonderful traits of retrievers, terriers, etc., mixed with poodles. We don't want dogs with tendencies towards dysplasia, bone cancer, or other ailments reinforced by "pure" breeding! My vet is thrilled to see more and more "designer" dogs in his practice, with their hearty bodies. And, as for me and my husband and kids, we couldn't be happier. Jack is just an armful of pure doggie silliness. He is still a little shy with visitors to the house, but he is warming up quickly once they are introduced. He loves to cuddle.

He can do some tricks -- more if I only knew what more to teach him. He pesters and pokes at old Molly and gets her hopping about a bit, which is good for her. He is nuts for Golden Retrievers when he sees one. He really wants to please and is full of love. Doesn't get ANY better than that.Maybe you should form a national organization with other doodle breeders -- just for doodle people. This organization could speak up for the true "standards" for doodles -- healthy, hearty dogs wiith amazing personalities, high intelligences and low allergy characteristics. Too H*!! with other kennel clubs! They just don't "GET" it.Anyway, thanks again for the info, Dee.

S. B.

What kind of sleeper is your Goldendoodle?

What type of sleeper is your Goldendoodle? Many doodles sleep just like humans do! They may enjoy taking up the entire bed; they may just nap on the couch; some doodles even love just snoozing on the floor or in their favorite chair.

How many times have we purchased beautiful designer dog beds for our Goldendoodles only to discover they much prefer sleeping in OUR bed, instead? Goldendoodles have their own preferred sleeping positions.

How often do we walk in to find these terrific, funny doodle dogs full of antics, snoozing in various positions? Does your Goldendoodle have a particular sleeping habit? Is he or she a cuddler? A snuggler? A loner? A sprawler? A leaner? Or does he or she prefer to burrow under blankets?

We humans enjoy shopping for our canine, furry friends whether they are Doodles, Poodles or Poms. We love our dogs regardless of whether they are purebred, mixed breed or hybrid. Much emphasis is placed on purchasing bedding for our dogs when the fact of the matter is, they prefer to sleep on our beds, couch and chairs or floor. Dog beds come in a variety of price ranges. Some can be quite expensive depending upon whether they are designer beds or non designer beds. It has been my own experience as a Goldendoodle breeder that while these dogs enjoy being pampered and coddled, they are just as happy romping around outside as they are living indoors with luxurious accomodations. Many Goldendoodles are tomboys whether they are male or female.

Goldendoodles prefer to be where their human companions are, so they don't get all caught up in the glamour of designer dog beds. They are just as happy cuddling to a soft, warm blanket tossed on the couch. A Goldendoodle owner doesn't need to spend much to provide their doodle dog with comfort. They are happy to take over your bed, with your permission of course, or claim your favorite sitting chair as their own. But if you insist on purchasing a doggie bed for your doodle, make sure that you know what type of sleeper he or she may be. If your Goldendoodle enjoys sleeping on your bed, you might consider buying a specialty bed that resembles human furniture. Perhaps your doodle would be very comfortable in owning a bed that looks just like your own?
Does your Goldendoodle have a favorite couch or chair to sleep on? There are actual designer beds that resemble a human couch or chair. If you want to splurge, you can even obtain one to match that of your own home decor. There are no limits as to the types of designer beds available for your lovely Goldendoodle. Comfort, however, is the main concern. While some designer beds look fabulous, we must remember that your doodle isn't concerned with looks or colors. He or she is concerned with comfort. This is why they prefer to sleep on your couch, chair or bed. You've obviously taken comfort into consideration for yourself and this is why your Goldendoodle enjoys taking over your precious personal space. Who can blame them?

*About the author: Dee Gerrish has written extensively about the Goldendoodle dog since 1999. She has been a private, professional, hobby breeder since 1996. More information can be obtained by visiting her Goldendoodle World website.

*Special thanks to Mindy and Marley's mom/dad for sharing these terrific Goldendoodle photos. These doodles came from Goldendoodle World.

Opray Winfrey's puppy dies of parvo virus

Oprah Winfrey's puppy dies of Parvo Virus

Imagine that! A celebrity's puppy contracting parvo virus! I don't know why so many people assume that the parvo virus is a breeders' fault when it can clearly happen to puppies and dogs owned by anyone, anywhere and at any time. When a canine contracts the parvo virus, it is not the fault of a breeder or owner. Parvo can attack puppies and dogs alike who are of any age, even if they have had vaccinations. According the Entertainment Tonight:

Oprah Winfrey's new puppy perishes


March 17, 2009, 7:41 PM EST
Entertainment Tonight

ET has learned that one of Oprah Winfrey's two newly-adopted puppies has passed away.
Ivan, a golden cocker spaniel mix that Winfrey adopted earlier this month, passed away late last week from parvovirus. Winfrey adopted Ivan shortly after adopting his sister Sadie earlier this month. In the March 6 episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show," Ivan was held up by "Oprah" show panelist Alexandra Wentworth.

ET has learned that Sadie also has parvovirus, an infectious disorder that can cause diarrhea and vomiting in dogs. Sadie is currently in stable condition.
"I'm saddened by his passing though we only had him for a weekend," Winfrey tells ET. "I remain hopeful that Sadie will pull through."


I'm not glad that Oprah Winfrey's puppy contracted parvo and died. I am, however, very glad that this incident has come to light and that it happened to a celebrity such as Oprah Winfrey who is a huge "rescue" advocate. The reason I'm glad that it happened to someone like Oprah Winfrey...if it was going to happen to anyone...is because she is known to "rescue" dogs from shelters or rescue agencies and has, over the years, taken jabs at breeders and makes the claim that people should not buy puppies from breeders because they are "puppy mills" and the list goes on at the jabs she and her other advocate celebrity friends of hers has taken towards breeders over the years. So imagine my surprise to hear that one of Oprah's puppies that she more than likely adopted from a shelter....contracted parvo virus and died!

A lot of these rescue advocate snobs who sit upon their self made, soap oprah box to voice their personal opinions about breeders point fingers at breeders when an issue like parvo virus hits a puppy that someone has adopted. Here me now, people, parvo virus can attack a dog or puppy regardless of how terrific the breeder is. Many people do not realize that shelter dogs come with their own health problems and that parvo virus can attack dogs and puppies even in the cleanest environment. I am quite certain that advocate nuts will twist the reasoning around so that the blame still falls back to where Oprah's puppy originally came from......a breeder...because that's how they roll.

But let's learn a little somethin' somethin' about the deadly canine communicable disease called Parvo Virus:

WHAT IS PARVO VIRUS?

Parvoviruses are a large group; almost every mammal species (including humans) seems to have its own parvovirus. Fortunately, each virus is pretty specific about what animals it can infect (i.e. the pig parvovirus will not infect people, the canine parvovirus will not infect cats etc.) The canine parvovirus will affect most members of the dog family (wolves, coyotes, foxes etc.) and there is a new mutation that can affect domestic cats.
Parvoviruses are smaller than most viruses and consist of a protein coat (a "capsid") and a single strand of DNA inside. It is hard to believe that such a simply constructed organism could be so deadly; however, this virus has proved especially effective at infecting rapidly dividing host cells such as intestinal cells, bone marrow cells, cells of the lymph system, and fetal cells. Parvo viruses are difficult to disenfect away and very difficult for a puppy or dog to over come.
There are many parvo virus species have been well known for decades in our society, but the canine parvovirus is a relative new, when it comes to viruses. The original canine parvovirus, discovered in 1967 and called "CPV-1" or "the minute virus of canines," did not represent much of a medical threat except to newborn puppies. However by 1978, a new variant, "CPV-2" appeared in the U.S. This newer version seems to represent a mutation from the feline parvovirus (which is more commonly known as the "feline distemper virus"), though there is some controversy regarding what the parent parvovirus actually was. Because this virus was (and is) shed in gigantic numbers by infected animals and because this virus is especially hardy in the environment, worldwide distribution of the virus rapidly occurred. At this time, the virus is considered to be "ubiquitous," meaning that it is present in EVERY ENVIRONMENT unless regular disinfection is applied. More about parvo virus can be found on this link,

http://marvistavet.com/html/what_is_parvo.html

However, it's important to note that even "regular disinfection" can not prevent the parvo virus from attacking puppies and dogs. A bleach solution is really the best disinfectant to use if their puppy or dog has contracted parvo. But too many people assume that all they have to do is bleach their floors. All areas of your home must be cleaned with a bleach solution. The solution must be mostly bleach mixed with a little bit of water. Wiping counters, door knobs, floors and most surfaces will help kill the virus. Items that were used for your puppy or dog should be thrown away. Many people assume that they can just go right out and obtain another puppy or dog after the one they had, died of parvo. This is not recommended. A person who has lost a puppy or dog to parvo virus should ensure they have bleached every area, including the bottoms of their shoes, that their canine has been around. Many make the mistake of using the same toys, the same food dishes, the same crate, etc; Germs from the parvo virus can remain on these items and I definitely would not risk it by keeping these items for your next canine. Germs are not visible to the naked eye and who is to say if the virus still remains even if you have bleached them?

Parvo virus is NOT a breeder's issue. Parvo virus is everyone's issue. In 1978, there wasn't a single dog or puppy who had protection against this deadly disease. They had no immunity whatsoever. An epidemic happened which proved quite disastrous. By 1979 a second mutation called CPV-2a occurred and this particular virus was even more aggressive. Many veterinarians used the feline vaccine on dogs because back then, vaccinations were at a premium and not that affordable. Thirty years went by and a new virus began attacking dogs. This virus was CPV-2b. Virtually all dogs at that time were exposed to that particular virus. In 2000, an even newer virus hit the United States and this particular virus was able to attack even cats! CPV-2c was even deadlier than the CPV-2b. Cats who were vaccinated against feline distemper were protected.

In 2004, an even deadlier version of the parvo virus became known to not just breeders but to everyone who owned a dog in the United States. Vaccinations that puppies and dogs had been given didn't even protect them against the new strain that happened that year. Many puppies and dogs, that particular year, were hit with this new deadly strain even though many dogs were older dogs who had years of vaccines that was suppose to protect them. It was a known fact that in New York, many Goldendoodles and Labradoodles who attended a "doodle romp" that year, had been hit by the new virus and many of them unfortunately died and could not over come the disease even with hospitalization by top vets. We, ourselves, had been contacted by just a couple of customers in 2004, whose Goldendoodle pups had contracted this particular deadly strain and had passed away. It was devestating for not just our customers, but for us as a breeder. We knew the pups had been checked out as healthy by our veterinarian and we knew for a fact we had given them the proper vaccinations. We could not understand how or why a couple of our puppies had contracted this deadly disease especially given the fact we have always taken every precaution possible to protect our pups and dogs from deadly canine communicable diseases. This deadly strain of parvo virus happened to many breeders and dog owners alike, in 2004. This disease was wide spread through the United States and it was not particular of what dog or puppy it attacked. It is a known fact that even some veterinarians who were breeders themselves, had been hit with the virus that was new in 2004 and even they were unable to save all of the puppies or dogs who had contracted that particular strain of parvo.

What WE did, as a breeder who never wanted this to happen...hopefully...to us again, was contact several laboratories who made the parvo virus vaccine and find out everything we could as to the best way to protect our puppies and dogs from this deadly virus. We switched our vaccines to a newer version called "NEO-PAR" and we were told to use a "high titer", low passage vaccine in the beginning and then reverse the vaccine during the second phase of vaccinations by using a "low titer", high passage. This way, our puppies would receive the best protection possible. We have now also included a new vaccine that has come out for distemper and we add this vaccine as the third "puppy" vaccine so that our young puppies receive at least three sets of vaccines while still nursing with their mother, which also helps boost their immune system. So far, the changes we made in the vaccine types that our puppies and dogs receive as well as implementing our "no browsing" policy, has been completely effective in protecting our puppies and dogs from parvo. We have not had a single incident of parvo since 2004. Which of course, we are simply delighted over, but we know that a newer strain of parvo can happen at any time. Breeders and shelters alike always need to be diligent in their practices regarding vaccinations but also in how they allow people to come into contact with the animals in their care. Vaccines do not mean much if breeders and shelters allow the general public to handle their puppies and dogs simply for the asking. Parvo virus germs attach themselves to every article of clothing that a person wears. They attach themselves to your shoes, hair, clothing, even car tires! Anything that you have on your being at the time of visiting puppies and dogs of any age, can become deadly due to harboring parvo germs. Without you even being aware of it. We've been ridiculed by some for our strict "no browsing" policy since 2004.......but any breeder or dog owner who has suffered a financial loss, not to mention the emotional loss, of a puppy or dog, understands why our policy was put into effect. It is because of our strict policy and our vaccination changes that we have been very fortunate to not have a recurrance of parvo attacks and we do not apologize for the changes that we made.

There is an old saying....those that mind don't matter and those who matter, don't mind.



*About the author: Dee Gerrish has been a private, professional, hobby breeder since 1996. She has written extensively about the Goldendoodle dog since 1999. Dee Gerrish has photographed, documented and researched the Goldendoodle dog since 1999. Dee was the first breeder to register the Goldendoodle dog with a ligit kennel club in the United States and Dee is one of the original founders for the Goldendoodle dog in the southern region of the United States.

Teach your Goldendoodle respect and structure

Teach Your Goldendoodle Respect and Structure

Have you purchased an adult Goldendoodle? Did you rescue one as an adult? Many times people will buy an adult Goldendoodleand believe if and when there is a problem going on, it must be the dog. They never stop to think that the problem could be them or the fact they are not providing the proper training for their Goldendoodle or that they are not being a proper dog owner. The old saying "An old dog can never learn new tricks" is just that! OLD! That is a very antiquated belief.

Dogs live for today, and today only. They don't have the memory capacity to remember their past or live in the past and they certainly do not have the capacity to live for the future. But we as humans can and do. Often times a doodle owner will not make corrections to the problems they are experiencing with their Goldendoodle right at the time they are having the issue. They wait and correct later...believing the doodle has the capacity to remember their past mistakes, when in fact, they can not.

It is never too late to make corrections to bad behavior but you most certainly want to make corrections immediately, instead of later. Teaching your doodle GOOD behaviour right away will establish YOU as the doodle's leader and taking charge immediately, will teach your Goldendoodle that YOU are in charge. You as the doodle owner, need to have patience and confidence that you can lead your doodle and not the other way around. Nervous owners have the most problems with their doodles. Because they don't set any rules or bounderies. While Goldendoodles are not in any way an aggressive dog, the fact remains that they are a dog and as submissive as these dogs are, they can still turn out to have behavioural problems if you, the owner, do not take charge right away.


Behavioural problems occur because the owner allows them to occur. Give a dog an inch and they will certainly take a mile. There are tons of training information that can be found in bookstores as well as all over the internet and there certainly are plenty of books with conflicting information. Just like baby books written by supposed experts, dog books will all vary with their information per author. Everyone also has their own personal opinions as to what the best method of training is....just ask the "Dog Whisperer". I love his show, but he does believe he is the GURU of dog training. Everyone has their idea as to what type of training method works the best. The problem? Most people are not professional dog trainers who can offer a doodle owner SOUND training advice. This means, the doodle owner gets alot of inaccurate, bad advice and that includes alot of mis-information that can be found over the internet. So, if you are having behavioural problems with your new adult Goldendoodle, make sure to hire a professional dog trainer who has many years of experience. After all, you wouldn't hire your family member or your mailman to remodel your home or fix your plumbing if they did not have alot of experience in that department, would you?

Training your Goldendoodle or incorporating dog training is not breed specific. Training needs to be specific for your doodles' personal needs such as dealing with temperament, drive or other issues that may be occuring with the individual dog. It doesn't matter how large or how small your Goldendoodle dog is...where it came from....who created or bred it....what gender it is...none of that matters. A solid plan needs to be created for your specific doodle, by a professional dog trainer so that your doodle gets the right start. Having a good beginning is very important. A doodle owner must remember also, that training is not just for the dog. It is for YOU as well. You need to learn how to get your Goldendoodle under control. You need to learn how to live in harmony with your Goldendoodle and your Goldendoodle certainly needs to learn how to live in harmony with his or her new family. Training helps the doodle owner learn about his new dogs' character and what its traits are...both learned and genetic.


Training for you and your Goldendoodle will help build confidence. Not just with your Goldendoodle, but for you as well! It is inaccurate to say that Goldendoodles who come from rescue shelters have behavioural issues because they "were abused" prior to finding their way to a shelter or that they have behavioural issues because they "came from a puppy mill". Nine times out of ten, the reason a Goldendoodle has behavioral problems is because they did not have a healthy start with their original owner. It is more than likely their problem came from NOT having learned any bounderies or proper living structures when they started with their original owner. Temperament issues are not always genetic. While they can occur from faulty genetics occasioally, most often their issue did not come from their genes. Some breeds such as German Shepherds or Rottweilers and Dobermans may have temperament issues because they have faulty genetics. It may be that many dogs of these breed types have high "faulty" drives, especially those with extensive Shutzhund in their lineage. But people who purchase breeds who have high drive personalities or come from aggressive or high working lines, are usually aware of what they are getting into when they purchase this type of dog.
A Goldendoodle is not usually a high drive dog. Most Goldendoodles are very laid back and very family oriented. Most enjoy being with their family. But on occasion, a good Goldendoodle can go bad and again, nine times out of ten, the reason a good Goldendoodle goes bad is because it did not have a healthy start with its original owner. Just as there can be bad dogs, there can be bad owners. Most behavioural problems stem from bad dog ownership. It is not always the fault of the dog. As much as we want to humanize a Goldendoodle, the fact remains they are a dog and dogs "react" without reason. Goldendoodles with behavioural issues need leadership and they need to obtain that leadership from their owner in a positive way. Poor leadership comes from dog owners who treat their dogs like children, instead of treating them like dogs. Just as bad parenting can create bad children, bad "parenting" your Goldendoodle will create a bad doodle.


It is very sad when these bad owners relinquish their Goldendoodles to shelters or worse yet, have them euthanized just because the owner could not incorporate proper pack leadership. Many do not incorporate any sort of training whatsoever and worse yet, many attempt to incorporate training and then fail to follow through and turn around to blame it on the doodle. It's really a shame! Goldendoodles are usually submissive dogs. A proper start in teaching your Goldendoodle that you are his or her leader of its family pack is to give your Goldendoodle some isolated time away from the general public. You want to have a week or two of just YOU and your Goldendoodle. Some doodles may need more time of "isolation" but you'll have to use your own judgement. The important thing is to NOT give up on your Goldendoodle. Remember, patience.

What does social isolation mean? Well, simply put, it means that you do nothing more than feed your doodle; give him or her a clean place to live and to sleep; give your Goldendoodle plenty of water; take him or her for walks for potty breaks and provide for only his or her basic needs. That's it. Nothing more. The owner needs to just go about his or her business. Other than providing your Goldendoodle with his or her basic needs, the owner should just pretend the dog isn't even there. No petting. No cuddling. No coddling and certainly no childish chatter. This structure is NOT meant for young puppies or a Goldendoodle who seems to be falling into step with basic obedience and learning quite well. Rather, this structure is for adult Goldendoodles who were purchased as an adult and who needs to learn sound structure.

The proper way to isolate your Goldendoodle is to obtain a large or extra large crate and then place a lightweight blanket or sheet from the middle of the crate to the back. This helps give your Goldendoodle a sense of security. You will eventually remove this, but for now, this is what you should do. While there are many trainers who suggest a plastic crate, I highly advise against this.
The reason is that I've personally witnessed more commotion coming from a plastic crate than a wire crate. Dogs can sometimes feel claustrophobic in a plastic crate because of the fact they can't see out of it except for the front door area. With a wire crate, your doodle can see all the way around. That is, when the blanket or sheet is not covering up one half of it. I recommend either a large or an extra large crate. Despite the fact some trainers will tell you that the smaller the crate the better or that crates with dividers is the best, I personally have not seen this as being the case! The less room your doodle has to move around, the bigger the mess! Wire crates are great because you can easily slide out the tray and take it outside and hose it or spray it off. If you need to, the wire crate can also go outside and be hosed down. Plastic crates are harder to clean because you will have to get way inside of it and on your hands and knees to clean it.

Some may think that isolation training is cruel. I beg to differ. Back in 1996, a woman had brought over this little rat terrier because they were moving and didn't want to take her to the shelter and so they asked me if I would like to have her and give her a good home. She seemed calm enough and lovable enough when I pet her. The woman handed her to me and I carried her inside of my house. All hell broke loose when I put her down. For some unexplained reason, she bolted from room to room looking for a way to jump out of my windows....with them being closed! I tried to get her to calm down and talking to her and trying to pet her, but she then decided she was going to try and bite me. For my own sanity and her own safety, I fixed a large crate with bedding and newspapers and then I got my broom with soft bristles and had to hold her down with the bristles while I slipped a leash around her neck. She tried to fight me with the leash, so I slowly moved her into the crate with the bristles of my broom by pushing towards it and into it. I slipped off the leash over her head. Then, I took a lightweight blanket and covered half of the crate so that she could have some privacy and "alone" time. I felt the blanket would give her a sense of secuity. I placed a bowl of fresh water and food inside of the crate and I left her alone for 24 hours. I didn't even try to take her out for a potty break. She went on the newspapers and I cleaned them up the following morning. I assured her everything was fine by speaking to her in a soothing voice and I gave her liver treats by just tossing a few inside of her crate near her food bowl. I wanted her to understand that I was NOT going to hurt her and that she had to rely on ME for her living essentials and basic needs. By the second day, she was still staying toward the back, so I did the same thing over again. Fed her. Gave her water. Gave her liver treats. Cleaned her crate and left her alone. I checked in on her frequently and talked to her in a soothing voice. By the fourth day, she was coming towards the front of the crate and licking my hand. Her signal that she was ready to accept me as her leader and that she was showing me respect as her leader. I then placed a leash on her and took her outside for a walk and potty break. When she was done, I brought her right back and left her alone in the crate.

The idea is to give your dog the understanding that they must respect you because you are there to be their leader and because they are going to have to rely on your for their survival needs. You may indeed be there because you want to love them and shower them with lots of affection, but in the beginning, you only want them to understand that you are the leader and they need to respect your pecking order. On the fifth day, my little girl was my shadow. She has been with me since 1996. To this day, she follows me where ever I go and at night, she sleeps under the covers near my feet. The only word I have to say is "OUT???" and she comes right out from under the covers and makes a B-line for the front door. She obeys me and she respects me as her leader. This is how it should be. From that fifth day on, she has never had to go back inside of her crate. You are teaching your dog many things during this brief isolation period. You are teaching him or her to obey you as a leader; that you are providing him or her with a safe and secure home; that you are the one who provides the control and living essentials and that you are not going to harm him or her. Your Goldendoodle should always be on a leash the moment he or she comes out of its crate. This is because you are teaching your Goldendoodle that you have complete control over its every move. There will come a time when the leash is not necessary, but for now.....it's a must.


You are teaching your Goldendoodle to bond. During this isolation period, there should be no distractions. Training is about YOU and the dog. This is essential to training. No neighborly pats on the head. No vacations trips. No trips to the store. No socializing outside of your home. This isolation period is for bonding and teaching pack order. Setting up a sound structure makes the rest of obedience training easier because you have now gained respect from your Goldendoodle and they have now learned that you are the leader in charge. Remember not to use harsh training methods with your Goldendoodle as they are sensitive dogs. No yelling. No hitting. No screaming. No loud commands. This only reinforces negativity. If you want your Goldendoodle to respect you, you will have to act like a respectable leader. You want to be fair and you want to train your Goldendoodle in a fair way. You must be consistant and use repitition. It is quite unfair of you as the leader to be strict one day and then lax another.

Your goal is to teach your new adult Goldendoodle to earn your respect and affections. As hard as it may be to NOT want to pet and coddle, you must not do this during training. Be fair. Be consistant. Be a leader. Your Goldendoodle will more than likely howl and cry and carry on during this time, but its imperative that you NOT allow your Goldendoodle out of the crate just because he or she is howling and crying. If you have checked to ensure that all is well, ignore the crying as hard as it may be. If you give in, you've lost your position as the leader.



Leaders are firm and leaders don't give in. Do you ever see an alpha dog give in to those he or she has accepted into their pack? Never. Those inside of the alpha's pack must learn to respect and obey their leader. Period. During training, you should pet your doodle but don't over do it. If your doodle does something to earn being pet, then of course he or she should be pet. If your Goldendoodle does something to earn being praised, by all means give him or her praise. Your doodle must earn being rewarded and being pet or praised is a reward. You should never pet your Goldendoodle if he or she pushes for affection. When your adult Goldendoodle demands your attention, they are showing dominance. Some Goldendoodles can be "mouthy". Do not encourage your doodle to use your hand as a chew toy or to pull on your hand with their mouth. This can encourage the dog to bite if he or she does not get their way. It is not up to your Goldendoodle to decide when and where he or she receives YOUR attention. Your the leader, remember? If your adult Goldendoodle is pushy about attention, this means your pack order has been compromised and you must regain leadership quickly!

Those who want to train their Goldendoodle will ask, can I play with my dog during training? The answer is no. You do not want to play with your Goldendoodle DURING training. Play time is EARNED time. Providing your Goldendoodle has earned the right to play by obeying you during training, then he or she has EARNED playtime and yes, at that time, you can then play with your Goldendoodle. During training you should not go out and purchase new things for your doodle. Your Goldendoodle should be focusing on you...the leader! This is bonding time, remember? New toys or items will distract your doodle from the goal. During training, you should also not allow your Goldendoodle to have access to all of his or her toys. Toys are earned. When he or she is finished playing with the toys you have allowed him or her to play with, then the toys are put up and placed out of sight. Out of sight...out of mind. You are the leader and must be the one who decides what and when your doodle can play with.


Even when playing with your Goldendoodle, it should only be done while on the leash. Remember, you are in control during training. Once training is complete, your Goldendoodle will have loads of time to be off leash.

So you have purchased your doodle as a family pet? Most people do. But when you first bring home your Goldendoodle, your children need to let the Goldendoodle first become acquainted with his or her new home and the new rules and the new leader of the pack, which is you. Children who are young should never be in charge of training your Goldendoodle or setting the rules. Your children can and should be a part of the training, but always under supervison. Young children are not mature enough to handle the training of any type type of canine of any size or gender. Many parents make the mistake of putting children in charge of training and handling the family dog. Training is very involved and requires maturity and of course, experience. You are setting you and your family, including the dog, up for failure if you put your child/ren in charge of taking care of and training the new family pet. Many accidents happen because a parent assumes that a "friendly" dog of any breed is okay to be left alone with a toddler or infant or even small, young child. Sometimes with tragic consequences. I remember a story about a daschsund of all dogs being left in a room alone with an infant laying inside of a playpen. The mother went to the bathroom and was only gone for approx. 2 or 3 minutes. Tragically, the mother came out in time to see the daschund mauling the baby due to it tearing a hole into the playpen mesh. The baby died. I'm guessing....so did the dog after it was euthanized. This was a family dog who had been around the baby numerous times. It only takes one time for a dog to tragically injure or kill an infant or young toddler. Dogs do not act with reason. They merely react and who knows what goes on inside of a dog's head. Do not humanize your dog. A dog is a dog is a dog! Babies and small, young children are off limits to any type of dog unless supervised by a parent or responsible person such as the child's caregiver.


Can you teach your Goldendoodle to respect your child as a pack leader? I seriously doubt it. So don't do this. Establish the rule that your doodle is not permitted around your young child without being supervised. It is very difficult to keep a child away from their new "family pet"; it is hard to tell your child NOT to pet or praise your new doodle or to allow the neighborhood children over to "play" with the new pet...but this must be a rule that is strictly obeyed the first week or two of training. You are setting up bounderies and teaching your doodle a sound structure....rules set by its leader of the pack and until this is learned, your child must know that this is a training and bonding period. Your Goldendoodle needs time to bond with its new family pack...not the general public and certainly not the neighborhood. Once your Goldendoodle has been trained and completes basic obedience, non family members should be off limits.

Many people who desired to purchase from us wanted to come into contact with our adult dogs or our other puppies and dogs. This is strictly forbidden by me. I intentionally prevent non family members from petting or coming into contact with my adult dogs and I expect my personal dogs to NOT become stranger friendly. I expect my personal dogs to bark at strangers and to be wary of them. Some people say, "Well, I want to meet the parents so I can judge how the puppy's personality will be". That's complete and utter nonsense! The fact that I intentionally keep my personal dogs away from the general public and have taught them to be wary of strangers, means there is no way you can judge one of my puppies accurately by meeting them. None of my personal dogs are aggressive towards strangers but someone may perceive this and I don't want any of my puppies being unfairly judged.

Your Goldendoodle is more than likely a very personable type of dog. In the many years of creating them, we have never had any turn out to be aggressive dogs. They have very sound genetics and because of their genetics, they are easily trained. However, a good Goldendoodle with sound genetics can be ruined by a bad owner who doesn't set up proper bounderies or a sound structure to live by. Start your Goldendoodle in the right direction to begin with and you will always have the best dog you could ever ask for.

Author/breeder: Dee Gerrish. Copyright June 2008.

About the Author: Dee Gerrish of Goldendoodle World has written extensively about the Goldendoodle dog since 1999. Dee is one of the original founders for the Goldendoodle dog in the southern region of the United States. She was the first breeder to register the Goldendoodle hybrid with a ligit kennel club. More about Goldendoodles can be discovered on her site at http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LmdvbGRlbmRvb2RsZXdvcmxkLmNvbQ==

*This article is a re-post due to malicious tampering of my original My Space account.

What is a first generation Goldendoodle?

What is a first generation Goldendoodle?

What does "F1" mean? What does "F1B" mean? Why is there so much confusion about the term "First generation Goldendoodle" ?

It seems to me that many people are having problems understanding what constitutes a Goldendoodle as being a "First generation" hybrid. It's quite easy to understand if you have some knowledge with basic genetics. It may seem complicated to those who do not understand the basics of genetics. Simply put, a First generation Goldendoodle is any Goldendoodle dog that comes from two parents who are not closely related, regardless of whether or not both Goldendoodles are Goldendoodles or if one parent is a Poodle and the other parent is a Golden Retriever or whether one parent is a Poodle and one parent is a Goldendoodle. The offspring are STILL considered Goldendoodles and they are STILL considered first generation when neither parent shares the exact same parents themselves. That's it in a nutshell. Nothing complicated about it, but so many people...including breeders.....just can't seem to grasp the concept.
Instead, some people believe that a first generation Goldendoodle only comes from a 50/50 mix...meaning, coming from one parent who is a Poodle and one parent who is a Golden Retriever or some people believe that Goldendoodles are "f1B" if a Goldendoodle is bred to a Poodle or Golden Retriever or to another Goldendoodle. I'm sorry to burst the genetic bubble, but that belief is not accurate at all. If you really want to get technical, lets first ask "First generation of what???". What is the Goldendoodle a first generation of, exactly ? Are they the "first generation" upon their family tree? Are they the first generation to both of their parents? Technically and accurately speaking, if neither parent are directly related, the answer is YES. All offspring, in reality, that are born to two parents who are not directly related and who DO NOT share the same parents themselves, are FIRST GENERATION DOGS.

What exactly does the term "first generation" imply anyway?

When speaking of "generations" it is generally implied to mean parent/child. The parents have children and thus, their children are "first generation". When those children have their own children, they then become "second generation". When we speak of the Goldendoodle being a "first generation" it is implied to mean that the offspring come from two parents who are not closely related or who are not related at all....whether the same breed or different breed, the offspring are always "first generation" when neither parent are directly related to each other. I've had so many people try to convince me that a Goldendoodle isn't a first generation Goldendoodle unless if comes from a Poodle/Golden Retriever parent. Again, I hate to burst your genetic bubble, but that's not correct. With purebred dogs, both parents are the same breed and their offspring are first generation providing neither parent shares the same parents themselves or direct relatives within their first three generations of pedigree. If you bred two parents who were related, together, then their offspring would be "second generation" . When we speak of Goldendoodles being an "F1B", the "B" means "backbred". A very nice term for implying the dogs are inbred....backbred to a close relative. Just because a Goldendoodle is bred to a Poodle, does NOT imply the offspring are "F1B". If a Goldendoodle is bred to a Poodle and the Poodle within the Goldendoodle's genetic structure is NOT related or closely related to the other Poodle used for breeding, their offspring are "first generation". If a Goldendoodle is bred to a Golden Retriever and the Goldendoodle used for breeding is NOT closely related or related at all to the Golden Retriever within the Goldendoodles' genetic structure, their offspring is still a first generation.

Genetic diversity is very important when it comes to hybrid dogs, period. Due to the fact many purebred fanciers inbreed their dogs, the entire reason hybrid dogs have fewer health issues is due to the fact their genetic structure is wide and varying. A genetic "bottle neck" is created when two dogs are bred together and share the same lineage. It's one thing to have similar ancestors or share similar ancestors down through the pedigree, its quite another to have the same exact ancestors down through the pedigree. We have created the Goldendoodle since 1999. We have been purebred dog breeders since 1996. We know for a fact that dogs are healthier and have entirely fewer genetic issues when they have a wider variance in their genetic structure. Goldendoodles who come from two related parents will have genetic issues much more often than Goldendoodles who come from two unrelated parents. When a breeder says they create "multi-generation" Goldendoodles....that means you'd better be careful of buying one of their dogs. Multi generation Goldendoodles are highly inbred dogs and are at a much greater risk for genetic issues. I definitely do not believe in multi-generation doodles or even purebred dogs. I've never agreed that even purebred dogs who are bred back to a direct relative is a good thing. Such dogs can be at a higher risk for behavioral issues; health issues and genetic issues. Many undesirable traits come from dogs who are born from parents who are too closely related.

When Gregor Mendel began his hybridization experiments with pea plants in 1856, knowledge of how heredity works was limited. Experimenting with hybrids has been going on for many, many years. Many things had been guessed at or not exactly known as to how genetics + hybrids really worked. Some characteristics, called discrete traits, did not produce a state of being between two parents. The children of a brown-eyed father and blue-eyed mother do not end up with an intermediate eye color; rather, the children inherited the eye color of a single parent. This occurs with people. With dogs, it is quite different. The offspring CAN inherit an intermediate eye color and we've witnessed this with the Goldendoodle dog. In 2006, we bred two Goldendoodles together that were not closely related. They had a different Golden Retriever parent and a different Poodle parent. The only traits the Goldendoodle dogs had in common was that they had the same eye color (Blue); The same coat type (curly) and both were the same color (apricot). We intentionally bred both Goldendoodles together so that we could increase our chances of having blue eyed Goldendoodles.

We were not sure what coat type would occur since both doodles had a curly coat. We were quite surprised to learn the following:

*smooth coat/blue eyed/first generation Goldendoodle

1. This pairing only produced 2 blue eyed doodle offspring.

2. Out of four offspring, 1 puppy had brown eyes. 1 puppy had green eyes. Two of the puppies had blue eyes.
3. Out of four offspring, 3 puppies had a smooth coat and 1 puppy had a shaggy coat. Not a single curly coat was born to parents who had a curly coat themselves.
4. Out of the four offspring, 2 puppies were cream. 2 puppies were apricot.

If we assume that each parent contributes a single chromosome to his/her offspring for a given trait, how is it that we had 3 smooth coat Goldendoodles born out of this pairing and neither parent had a smooth coat? How is it that we've seen a variance in size regarding the offspring, regardless of the sizes of either parent and how is it that we've seen a variance in eye color for the Goldendoodle offspring, regardless of the eye color of either parent? We personally have come to know that Goldendoodle dogs can inherit their traits, appearance, sizes, temperaments and coat or eye coloring from their entire lineage of ancestors. We have come to know that Goldendoodle offspring do not inherit traits exclusively from their parents. We know that their entire lineage plays a part of what and whom they become. Gregor Mendel proposed that some genes are dominant while others are recessive. Since 1999, we have come to realize that our Golden Retrievers Do carry the dominant genes. They dominate personality, color and at times, they dominant coat traits in our Goldendoodles. On occasion, we do see Poodle traits dominate in a select few offspring. For an experienced breeder, it is quite easy to spot the dominating gene. The inexperienced breeder will only be able to rely on information they obtain via the Internet and not all of the information is clear, precise or accurate. Hence, why there is so much inaccurate Goldendoodle information over the Internet. Much of it drives me crazy.

Especially because I've dedicated an extensive amount of time documenting the coat changes; The many coat phases; the personality types; The coat types; The coloring and markings; I've lived, breathed and basically dreamt day in and day out, the Goldendoodle dog. It is very frustrating to try and explain the facts with regards to the Goldendoodle dog to inexperienced people who want to challenge what it is I've come to know through personal experience and my countless hours of research. There are some days, I just don't even try. Some people don't want to know the facts, they only want you to tell them what they want to hear and not what the facts are and I don't like to try and teach someone about the Goldendoodle dog if they are not interested in actually learning and knowing facts vs. rumors or what they've "read" over the Internet. I LOVE writing about the Goldendoodle dog and what I've come to know. It's quite obvious that the Goldendoodle dog is a passion of mine, given the fact my website is so extensive and comprehensive where the Goldendoodle is concerned.

*Dark apricot, first generation, curly coat Goldendoodle

I love talking about the Goldendoodle to anyone who wants to know.....and I might even get into some heated arguments with people about the Goldendoodle dog because I'm very passionate about what it is I've come to know to be facts and I am NOT one for believing rumors. The Goldendoodle dog is a very stimulating, entirely new field of study for me. I've created the Goldendoodle dog in nearly every imaginable way and my research has helped literally thousands of people over the years. Some people you just can't convince and it is those people that really need to become breeders themselves or otherwise just shut up. That sounds harsh, but I'm very direct and honest. I don't need to argue with an inexperienced doodle person who doesn't know what they are talking about. They don't know what they are talking about because they haven't done the research on a personal level. They haven't spent the time that I've spent, nor have they indulged themselves in documenting facts and taking thousands of photos as a part of their documentation.

Darwin's problem explaining "blending" and the preservation of variation was essentially solved. However, while Mendelian genetics provided a way to refute arguments concerning the lack of a mechanism for the preservation of variation through inheritance, Mendel's results went largely unnoticed until 1900, when the laws were independently "rediscovered" by several geneticists -- Hugo de Vries, Carl Correns, and Erich von Tschermak -- some 34 years after Mendel's original publication of his findings in 1866! Speaking of genetics, Let's talk about genetics for a little bit.
Evolution can be described in many ways; one way to look at evolutionary change as a change in genotype frequencies over time. If organisms are considered evolutionarily successful if they have more offspring, and offspring are created from genes, then changes in gene frequencies (or more specifically, genotype frequencies) will reflect successful evolutionary phenotypes. Researchers in the field of population genetics examine populations in terms of differing proportions of particular genotypes in order to determine what, if any, evolutionary forces are active in that population. Genotype frequency and gene frequency are closely related variables, and both are easy to measure. The simplest case is one genetic locus with two alleles (A and a) and three genotypes (AA, Aa, and aa).

Each individual has a genotype made up of two genes at the locus and a population can be symbolized like this:

Aa AA aa aa AA Aa AA Aa

This is an imaginary population with only eight individuals. To find the genotype frequencies we simply count the numbers of individual with each genotype. Thus:
frequency of AA = 3/8 = 0.375frequency of Aa = 3/8 = 0.375frequency of aa = 2/8 = 0.25
The extent of variation in natural populations is such that every individual must be genetically unique. Evolution from the origin, to the modern diversity, of life must have required more variation than existed in the original population.

Where did the extra variation come from?

Several processes can generate new variation in a population:

• Recombination between existing chromosomes produces new chromosomes with their own unique sequences and many new genetic variants of a character like body size were probably generated by recombination.

• Migration is an important source of new genetic variation: when individuals arrive from distant parts they will often have different genotypes from the local population; they thus provide new genetic variation.

Both recombination and migration work with existing allelic variation; they put existing variation into new genetic, or geographic, combinations. Important though this is, if there were no pre-existing allelic variation, recombination and migration would not generate new genetic variants. Recombination between identical chromosomes produces the same identical chromosomes over again.

• Mutation is the original source of genetic variation. Even in a population in which all copies of a chromosome were identical, new genetic variants would arise by mutation.

Random events in population genetics - What is random sampling?

Gene frequencies may change by chance
Even when natural selection is not operating, the gene frequencies may change a little from the previous generation just by chance. This can happen because the genes that form a new generation are a random sample from the parental generation.

Random sampling

Random sampling occurs whenever a smaller number of successful individuals (or gametes) are sampled from a larger pool of potential survivors and the fitness of the genotypes are the same. Random sampling works at every stage as a new generation grows up but it starts at conception.
In every species, each individual produces many more gametes than will ever fertilize, or be fertilized, to form new organisms. Using the female trout as an example, it has many thousands of gametes of which a tiny fraction will ever become zygotes.

The successful gametes which do form offspring are a sample from the many gametes that the parents produce. Provided the parent is a heterozygote, such as Aa , it will then produce a large number of gametes, of which approximately one half will be A and the other half a . If that parent produces 10 offspring, it is most likely that five will inherit an A gene and five a . But because the gametes that formed the offspring were sampled from a much larger pool of gametes, it is possible that the proportions would be something else. Perhaps six inherited A and only four a , or three A and seven a.

Random sampling can have important evolutionary effects such as genetic drift and the founder effect.

What is the Founder effect??

Using Polydactyly as an example......extra fingers or sometimes toes ..... is one symptom of Ellis-van Creveld syndrome. The syndrome is commonly found among the Old Order Amish of Pennsylvania, a population that experiences the "founder effect." Genetically inherited diseases like Ellis-van Creveld are more concentrated among the Amish because they marry within their own community, which prevents new genetic variation from entering the population. Children are therefore more likely to inherit two copies of the particular recessive genes that lead to genetic disease. Because of their closed population stemming from a small number of German immigrants -- about 200 individuals -- the Amish carry unusual concentrations of gene mutations that cause a number of otherwise rare inherited disorders, including forms of dwarfism. Eastern Pennsylvania is home to beautiful farmlands and countryside, but it's also a gold mine of information for geneticists, who have studied the region's Amish culture for decades.
The founder effect can occur in dogs when a breeder inbreeds their dogs and does NOT use a wider variation of genes to create their dogs' offspring. Maybe not perhaps by having extra fingers or toes, but by other undesirable traits such as personality disorders, behavioral disorders or physical issues as well as internal issues. When dogs are too highly inbred, some do not even survive their first birthday. The female dog can miscarry the entire litter or one or two of the puppies can suffer from what is called the "fading syndrome".

Because defects can vary wide and greatly, it is of great importance that the Goldendoodle breeder become experienced in their selection of breeding methods. Some people can challenge me all they want with regards to the Goldendoodle dog, but we are up for the challenges and will argue with whomever wants to debate the issue regarding first generation Goldendoodles vs. F1B Goldendoodles. There isn't a single advantage in creating a second generation Goldendoodle...much less an "F1B". Breeders can argue amongst themselves or with others as to what the term "F1B" means, but we personally will never change our view that "F1B" means the Goldendoodle is an inbred dog. A breeder who creates the "F1B" Goldendoodle will create the Goldendoodle from a 50/50 mixture; meaning, the Goldendoodle comes from a Poodle/Golden Retriever mixture. They will then select one of the offspring and when that offspring becomes old enough to breed, they then breed that Goldendoodle BACK to its brother, sister, mother or father or close relative. Perhaps they even breed it to another Goldendoodle who shares its same ancestry. This is the true meaning of the "F1B" Goldendoodle. We have never created a Goldendoodle in this manner, nor would we want to. We have not ever created a purebred dog in this manner, but many show breeders have. Hence why so many purebred dogs have so many issues, today.

If individual dogs share the same parents or very close ancestry, there's a greater likelihood that the recessive genes of the "founder" genes will come together in the cells that produce offspring. Thus diseases of recessive genes, which require two copies of the gene to cause the disease, will show up more frequently than they would if the two breeding dogs were not closely related. Further studies have been completed regarding inbreeding.

HIDDEN VARIATIONS

The fact there are hidden variations at the genetic level is yet another reason why inbreeding (creating F1B Goldendoodles) carries with it an increased likelihood of the expression of a deleterious or lethal allele. It is very likely that all individuals carry some deleterious alleles which are left unexpressed from generation to generation, primarily because the frequencies of these alleles in the whole population is very low. While outbreeding (creating offspring from two unrelated parents) (or exogamy) will significantly reduce the probability of a chance encounter between two individuals carrying the same deleterious alleles, inbreeding will significantly increase this probability on the basis of degree of relatedness. Again, this is why the Goldendoodle hybrid, when created properly by experienced breeders, is a much hardier, healthier dog than their purebred counterparts.

All dogs, as well as all living animals and plants, including humans are made up of living cells. Each microscopic cell is a building block of life that contains a specific set of "biochemical blueprints" called chromosomes. The complex molecules instruct the cell and make it possible for the cell to repair and reproduce themselves. As an example, whether a cell is supposed to be part of an organ such as a heart, or a part of your skin or whether or not its role is to grow hair upon your head, arms or legs. Breeders who study the basic concept of genetics, found out a long time ago that many traits, such as hair coloring of dogs, could be manipulated to produce new coat colors or even new eye colors by breeding two dogs that have one particular coat color or a particular eye color. Breeders found out they could also remove such coloring if they wanted to, in the offspring. A British mathematician/biologist named R.C. Punnett developed a straight forward, yet very powerful statistical tool called the PUNNETT SQUARE to predict the outcome/offspring of breeding individuals with known traits of various characteristics. Even though both parents may have a particular coat color...lets say "Black" (Bb), about 1/4 of the litter of puppies will have buff coat coloring. Why does this occur? Each parent's pair of genes responsible for determining coat coloring has one recessive buff gene (b) that was passed along to the offspring by their parents and/or their grandparents and so on. This is how we explain eye coloring of the Goldendoodle dog. When a breeder has a puppy with an eye color that neither parent has, you can be sure the eye coloring came from a recessive gene that was a part of the parents' lineage down through their heritage.

This also explains the SMOOTH COAT Goldendoodle.

The Golden Retriever has a smooth coat. The Poodle has a curly coat. When we bred a blue eyed curly coat Goldendoodle to a smooth coat Golden Retriever, interestingly enough, all of the offspring had brown eyes and all of the offspring had a shaggy coat except for one smooth coat who looked like a carbon copy of her purebred Golden Retriever mother. The shaggy coat was a recessive gene carried by the Goldendoodle sire who had littermates himself, as well as ancestors with a shaggy coat. As with the Goldendoodle to Goldendoodle pairing who both had a curly coat and yet did not produce a single curly coat in their offspring, we know that the parents themselves both carried the recessive genes to create the blue, green and brown eyed doodles who had the shaggy coat and smooth coat.

The origin of the Goldendoodle

Goldendoodles originated from the crossing of a Poodle and a Golden Retriever. Some argue that the Aussies (Australians) created the Goldendoodle first and some argue that the Canadians created the Goldendoodle first. Who actually started the Goldendoodle doesn't matter.What matters is the fact that Goldendoodles have actually been around much longer than most people realize. Dogs have been mating outside of their own breed since the beginning of man. Every purebred dog in the world began as a mixed breed dog or came to be as a result of many mixtures of other breeds. Lets say that we give the Golden Retriever the letters (GR) to represent the gene pair for the Golden Retriever and the Poodle (PP) to represent the gene pair of the purebred Poodle.

The offspring that comes from this pairing is quite accurately predicted by the Punnett's Square:
GR+PP=GD (Goldendoodle)

Predicted Breed outcome of the litter= 100% Goldendoodle.

When a purebred Golden Retriever is bred to a purebred Poodle, the entire litter of puppies produced is composed of first generation Goldendoodles (GD). They become adult dogs whose physical appearance can be much different than either parent including a variance of physical traits that neither parent dog has, itself. For example, neither Golden Retriever or Poodle has a full facial beard trait that their children, the Goldendoodle, has itself. Neither the Golden Retriever or the Poodle has a shaggy coat that the Goldendoodle child has. But the Goldendoodle dog DOES carry some physical traits and attributes as that of their parental dogs.

The Goldendoodle does have almond shaped eyes similar to its Golden Retriever parent. The Goldendoodle may have either a Poodle temperament or a Golden Retriever temperament, depending upon which gene was more dominant. One of two of the pups may have a curly coat that is similar to its Poodle parent. Some of the offspring may have very long, slender legs that is similar to its Poodle parent and some may have shorter legs that are more similar to its Golden Retriever parent. Sometimes the coat type or length of coat is determined by the Golden Retriever. Again, we have come to know by experience that it all depends upon the dominating gene.

Although most Goldendoodles exhibit a favorable combination of their traits and characteristics from both of their parental breeds, they will still retain those alleles (meaning variations) from their parents that were NOT expressed within their first generation. These hidden variations/recessive alleles are analogous to the "buff" coat color discussed up above regarding coat coloring. This is why you may see Goldendoodles that come out of the same litter, have different colored eyes or different coat colors or who have different characteristics amongst each other such as a variance in sizes. While some Goldendoodle breeders believe they can "purify" the Goldendoodle by creating multi-generations or by backbreeding and inbreeding, it doesn't seem statistically possible to "purify" the outcome of further generational breeding beyond 50% Goldendoodle. Applying the three "unique" gene pairs (GR, PP, GD) created in the Punnett Square which predicted the second generations....it just doesn't all add up when you go beyond that range.

The Punnett Square can not take into account the selective breeding methods being used by Goldendoodle breeders who are involved in attempting to establish this hybrid as a "recognized purebred dog". It could technically require up to 15 generations (or more) of very fine selective breeding of unrelated Goldendoodles to guarantee ALL subsequent generations of the puppies the same "statistical/genetic purity" as the first generation litter that come from a Golden Retriever/Poodle mixture.Although the Goldendoodle dog IS recognized as a registered hybrid with many kennel clubs, we older breeders may never see this hybrid as an AKC recognized purebred dog, in our lifetime because it will require an extensive amount of breeding from a select few breeders who then create their own kennel club to create their own Goldendoodle standards just as the breeders did for the purebred dog back in the very early days of man.I can't think of too many breeders who desire to keep 15 generations or more, of Goldendoodles, just so they can attempt to "purify" this hybrid.

The Goldendoodle dog is quite a unique dog as it is now and I don't see why we as breeders need to change this. Those who desire to argue what makes a first generation doodle, a first generation, can argue all they want. Genetics determines what a first generation is, whether plant, animal or human and this fact can not be removed, despite the arguments.

Resources:

Genetics

http://www.wwnorton.com/college/anthro/bioanth/ch2/chap2.htm
http://www.mulberryfarm.com/canine-genetics_explanation.htm#cockapoo-genetics

About the Author: Dee Gerrish is a Searchwarp.com winning, founding, top 100, featured Goldendoodle author. She has been a private, professional, registered and certified breeder for 12 years as of Jan. 2008. Her extensive, comprehensive, educational research about the Goldendoodle dog has helped numerous people across the world. More information can be located upon her doodle website at http://www.goldendoodleworld.com/ On a doodle quest? Check out her website and give her a call.