This is a common question we get asked on a regular basis and understandably so as there are many different types of hybrid dogs these days, specifically doodles, and it can be hard to determine which specific breed would best suit you and your family.
When our family finally knew that we wanted to get a doodle, we automatically assumed a Goldendoodle since I, Faith, grew up with Golden Retrievers and was always quite fond of them as well as didn’t really want to take the time to consider each type of doodle, at first.
Thankfully, my mom encouraged us to broaden our scope of knowledge regarding the different types of doodle breeds, specifically Labradoodles, and I’m so very glad that she did because we probably wouldn’t have welcomed sweet Piper into our lives if she hadn’t!
Our overall desire for this post is to better clarify both the similarities as well as differences between Labradoodles and Goldendoodles so that you can hopefully get a sweet doodle into your arms – sooner rather than later!
*Disclaimer: There are a lot of articles out there on this very subject, many of which we’ve read ourselves and would very much agree with some and yet very much disagree with others. With that being said, this post is most specifically written based off of our own personal experience with the sweet doodles that we’ve been blessed to know and even more specifically, what is true of our own two girls, Piper and Finley.
First things first and just for the sake of clarity: a Goldendoodle is the result of breeding a Poodle with a Golden Retriever and a Labradoodle is the result of a Poodle breeding with a Labrador Retriever.
Overall, Golden Retrievers and Labrador Retrievers are very similar and are long-beloved by many dog enthusiasts as both breeds are:
- Highly social, adaptable, and intelligent
- Very affectionate and loyal
- Playful + active + water-loving
- And most of all, make wonderful family + therapy + rescue dogs!
And then Poodles are known to be:
- Highly intelligent
- Easily trainable and observant
- Very intuitive and loving
- And most helpful for people with allergies – non-shedding!
Thus, the very reasons why this hybrid breed was desired as Labradoodles and Goldendoodles both truly possess invaluable traits which precede their up-and-coming reputation.
So now, I’ll quickly go over the top two differences/major areas of interest based off of the regular inquiries which often come our way in comparing both breeds: appearance + behavior/personalities.
Appearance
Coats: Goldendoodles most often have wavy/soft coats compared to Labradoodles who most often have more curly/silky coats – and this is absolutely true of our girls. Both, I think, are absolutely adorable and are really pretty comparable in maintenance/grooming needs.
Size: This is honestly a tough one to answer as sizes can greatly vary between doodles as they are the result of cross-breeding. Most often, there are three different class-sizes for Goldendoodles and Labradoodles: Miniature 15-30lbs, Medium 30-45lbs, and Standard 45-60lbs+. Our Labradoodle, Piper, is right on the mini/medium line weighing 30lbs (wet!) and our Goldendoodle, Finley, most definitely falls into the standard category weighing 55lbs on her best day.
Colors: One again, color is something that can greatly vary between doodles depending on the heredity of each unique dog. From white, black, cream, apricot, red, chocolate, gray, and even multi-colored – no one would argue the fact that there are plenty of options to choose from when it comes to doodles and their colors! We personally love the white/cream and apricots which is exactly the type of puppies we get from our dogs. Piper is a lovely apricot with white highlights/markings here and there and Finely is a beautiful white with cream/golden/red highlights throughout. Both are so pretty!
Behavior / Personalities
This is where we often disagree with many of the articles we’ve read regarding Labradoodles vs. Goldendoodles. Most often, you’ll read that Labradoodles are more stand-offish and hyper compared to Goldendoodles being more friendly and easy-going but this is not what we have personally experienced.
Both of our girls are wonderful with children, friendly with strangers, affectionate, loyal, outdoors/water-loving, and are comparatively excitable as well as easy-going.
Finley, our Goldendoodle, is indeed more easy-going, very loyal, a bit aloof at times, and is more cautious around new people than Piper is. She is not always aware of her size (which we often laugh at) but is really sweet and sensitive to the core.
Piper, our Labradoodle, is in-fact more active than Finley, slightly wittier, and is much more of a snuggler than Finley is. She is friendly to EVERYONE and is much more the adaptable one in new environments with the most unforgettable, fun-loving personality.
Thankfully and despite their two very different personalities, our girls get along beautifully and enjoy each other a lot!
Ultimately and sometimes even regardless of breed, each dog has their own unique personality ranging from independent to laid-back, curious to cuddly, excitable to lazy, friendly to shy, playful to pondering – and the list goes on and on…
So before you simply “pick a dog from a picture” be sure to ask what it’s personality is like beforehand and even better, go and visit the litter if you’re able to so that you can get a better feel for who each and everyone is as they’re always a unique bunch, this we know from experience!
One of our favorite things is to have families come to our home and meet our sweet puppies and their momma’s before they fully commit to adopting one because we really do want the very best match for you and your family as well as each and every one of our sweet puppies!
So to sum it all up – both Labradoodles and Goldendoodles make wonderful family dogs that our family can truly attest to and in turn, loves sharing the joys and companionship that come along with both of these wonderful breeds!
As always, if you have any questions regarding this post or anything else – feel free to reach out to us at any time!
Much love from our family to yours,
The Gibsons
*p.s. – Stay tuned for some EXCITING news this weekend, to be announced…
