[Debbie D]

I am so interested in getting a goldendoodle...I was wondering if anyone has one, and what their temperment is like, do they like water, etc. Are they really non-shedding?

[FluteMaker]

the dog you get is going to depend on the dog you get. regardless of the breed dogs are just as individual as people.you might try anderson animal shelter in south elgin, they were on rt31 last time i was there.they may have a dog that would suit you just right.

as for the low shedding thing.....
ive seen wire type coated dogs that shed like crazy. low shedding or not each breed is going to have its own specific grooming requirments. a decent brushing once or twice a week wont hurt the dog.
as for temperment....
again,depends on the dog you get and what life has taught that dog.for the most part they seem to be just big happy luggs. at the same time that can also be their downfall.big happy bouncy dogs arent something most people want around an infant or toddler.they need socialization and training from an early age to keep them well behaved.but they frequently seem to adore children and do very well with them when supervised.
they can be very high energy dogs that need structure, physical and mental stimulation.at the shelter i work at we had goldendoodle named max. he was housed in a 7 foot high run and could jump from the floor and hit the roof of his run.we couldnt put him in the 4 foot tall runs because he kept jumpping out.max was fed exclusivly from food dispensing toys and worked with around the clock.voulenteers took him on outings to expose him to as many new distrctions as we could. we worked with him on obidience training as well as a makeshift agility course we set up. max actually took to the agillity well and wound up beating a competition agillity dog (australian sheppherd named dingo,aka dingbat)max did get adopted and the last i heard was doing great in his new home.
what ever dog you get,it takes commitment, compassion and patientce.if you put in that effort to get your dog the proper socialization and training you can do some miracle level stuff.at the same time the wrong training for that dog or not following through can do more harm than good.

[braingonebad]

I think you'd play heck trying to keep him out of the water! Both of the breeds are water dogs by nature. Even my toy poodle lived in the pool with me. She would prefer to sit on the raft, so as not to mussy her coat though, lol. But she could swim.

My sil had two goldens and a pool, plus the dogs had a baby pool. When they couldn't be in the real pool, you could find them in the wading pool.

I think you need to consider the high maintanence coat and serious non stop energy levels, esp when they are younger. They only look layed back after a lot of excercise.

[ZSPW]

Shelters across the nation are full of mixed breed dogs like the golden/noodle...adopt, don't shop
.