The Goldendoodle is a “designer dog,” a hybrid dog breed resulting from mixing the Poodle with the Golden Retriever. Like all other designers’ “breeds,” this Doodle is not truly a breed of its own, but is a crossbreed — and in this case, a cross that is enjoying growing popularity. Affectionate, intelligent, and low-shedding, these dogs inherited some of the best traits from their parent breeds, along with good health. Good for novice dog parents and experienced canine families alike, you’d have a hard time finding a more loving companion. Goldendoodles vary in size. This is because, at this stage, they’re rarely the result of multigenerational breedings (in which one Goldendoodle is crossed with another), and there are no breed standards that Goldendoodle breeders are aiming for. However, the Goldendoodle tends to come in three different sizes: Miniature, Small Standard, and Large Standard. The Miniature Goldendoodle is the result of a Miniature or Toy Poodle crossed with a Golden Retriever. These dogs tend to range in size from 13 to 20 inches in height and 15 to 35 pounds in weight. The average height for a Small Standard Goldendoodle is 17 to 20 inches; the weight is 40 to 50 pounds. The Large Standard Goldendoodle averages 20 to 24 inches in height and weighs 50 to 90 pounds. The Goldendoodle should have a wavy to the curly coat of about two to three inches in length. He has longer hair on the tail, body, ears, and legs (legs may be slightly feathered); the hair on the head and muzzle tends to be shorter. The coat can be black, copper, white, cream, gray, golden, apricot, or red, although golden seems to be the common coat color.