If you’re interested in one of the new crossbred dogs that are gaining in popularity all over the country for your family, chances are you’ve narrowed it down to the goldendoodle and labradoodle. Arguably the most popular in the new wave of “designer mutts,” these two breeds have a lot going for them, but don’t assume that just because they have similar backgrounds, they are interchangeable breeds. “There’s a very distinct difference between labradoodles and goldendoodles,” said Beth Lane, the founder of the Indiana Doodle Owners Group. Let’s take a look at a couple of the larger differences between the two breeds.
The most obvious difference is going to be the coat. The labradoodle is going to inherit a shorter coat from their Labrador retriever predecessors, but it will be curly and a little heavier, thanks to the poodle side of the family. However, “you aren’t going to find a six inch long wavy, curly coat on [a] labradoodle because there's nowhere for that 6-inches to come from genetically,” Lane said. If you’re looking for a longer, wavy coat, your best bet is the goldendoodle, which inherits the longer coat from its golden retriever predecessors. But, if your concern is shedding, you may prefer the labradoodle, since the curlier the coat is, the less shedding there is.
The main differences in attitudes are that the labradoodle, for all they are loyal and friendly, may need more convincing to enter a new environment, rather than the goldendoodle’s haste to be the life of the party and jump right in. As Lane said, “They don’t have the delay of making a decision. They make their decision well before they decide to come to you.” That being said, goldendoodles may have the upper hand when it comes to therapy work. “I'm not sure what it is, but they don't tend to dust all the tabletops when walking into a hospital or an elderly home,” said Michael Waggenbach of Sunshine Acres, who breeds both dogs, “where the Labradoodles' tails are going back forth so fast they dust every thing off.”
Finally, a word about one trait that goldendoodles have that may need a little extra training to break a nasty habit. Despite the fact that both dogs are descended from retrievers, it seems that only goldendoodles retain the active mouth from puppy hood. If this isn’t trained out very young, they may use their mouths to get their family’s attention when they get older. Lane recommends replacing the mouthing with retrieving a toy. “Their natural desire to retrieve keeps their mouths occupied with a toy."
