Mini Goldendoodle vs Goldendoodle: The Differences (With Pictures)

Goldendoodles make excellent companions due to their friendly personalities, intelligent temperaments, and loyalty. It’s an ideal designer dog breed in different sizes and has a gorgeous curly coat. They are social, fun-loving, and playful, and suited to any potential owner.

As a new breed that’s existed since the 90s, the Goldendoodle is an amalgam of the Golden Retriever and Poodles, with the latter affecting their variety and size. A Standard Poodle mix achieves a Goldendoodle while crossing retrievers with Miniature or Toy Poodles will result in Mini Goldendoodles.

Personal preferences play a significant part in deciding the type and size of dog you’d rather take home between a Mini Goldendoodle and a Goldendoodle. Keep reading to learn how these two doodles compare against each other besides the noticeable size difference.

Visual Differences

At a Glance

Mini Goldendoodle Overview

The Mini Goldendoodle is a low-shedding dog, thanks to its Poodle lineage. This makes it ideal for owners with allergies or those that simply prefer hypoallergenic dogs.

It’s a relatively easy-to-manage dog compared to the Standard Goldendoodle, and it’s less expensive since it eats less and requires smaller amounts of grooming essentials.

Personality / Character

Mini Goldendoodles are spunky, intelligent, and delightfully fun companions. They have human-like personality traits inherited from their Golden Retriever and Poodle parents, including quirks, wit, and devotion to their owners.

It has a gentle temperament and loving characteristics, which means it fares well in families with kids, including toddlers.

Thanks to their small stature, Mini Goldendoodles also make great travel companions as you can take them on airplane and train journeys, although they tend to get carsick.

Training

Due to its people-pleasing characteristics, the Mini Goldendoodle is easy to train because it will want to do anything that you command. Besides obedience, they’re athletic, intelligent, curious, and eager to learn, and this makes their training even quicker.

However, they can present stubbornness at the beginning of training, and their curiosity and intelligent nature may tend to get in the way of learning commands or tricks. But the people-pleasing traits of this dog soon dissolve the stubbornness and know-it-all attitude they may initially present.

Health & Care

As hybrid dogs, Mini Goldendoodles are prone to several health issues, including Von Willebrand disease and hip dysplasia. While these are congenital disorders and have no cure once they’ve set in, you can manage them with medical care, excellent nutrition, and exercise.

Your pet will probably have the thick coat of a retriever or the loosely curled but dense coat of its Poodle heritage, both prone to matting and dirt collecting. You can maintain their cuddle teddy bear look with the correct grooming methods and tools.

Regularly brush their coat at least a few times a week and offer professional grooming once every two months as recommended for the Mini Goldendoodle curly coat.

Their floppy ears create a favorable ground for bacterial or fungal growth, which causes infections, so you should inspect and clean them often.

Mini Goldendoodles also require regular teeth cleaning to rid them of plaque and prevent dental issues. Nail clipping is also recommended, especially if the dog scratches furniture or hurts kids during play.

Breeding

Mini Goldendoodles will vary in size, coat color, and temperament depending on the genetic inheritance of their Toy Poodle and Golden Retriever parents. In the first generation, these dogs tend to grow from 15 to 30 pounds with a height of 13 to 19 inches and spot a hypoallergenic coat.

F1b Mini Goldendoodles with a purebred Toy Poodle and an F1 Miniature Goodle are also less likely to shed. F2s occur when breeders cross two Miniature F1 Goodles, while F3s have the heritage of at least 5/8th Toy Poodles, which is about 63%.

Suitable For:

Mini Goldendoodles are adorable fur balls that act as favorite buddies for individuals living in smaller spaces such as apartments and condos. They’re the perfect companions for people who are always at home and for families with small children.

Being a small-sized toy dog weighing less than 30 pounds, you don’t have to worry about it hurting or knocking down your baby. Besides, you can easily travel with it.

A Mini Goldendoodle can also flourish in the city, but a fence should protect the space provided in a country dwelling. They’re lap dogs that prefer proximity to the house and will not thrive in open areas where they may fall prey to predators like snakes or eagles.

Goldendoodle Overview

The full-size Goldendoodle, or Goodle, is a hybrid that results from breeding a Standard Poodle and a Golden Retriever, which means it’s larger than its Mini Goldendoodle counterpart and weighs 50 to 80 pounds. It has a low-shedding coat, making it a plus for owners with fur allergies.

Goldendoodles are very child-friendly and gentle dogs, meaning you can leave them with your kids with minimal supervision. If you want to get the best of the Poodle and retriever heritages, a first-generation Standard Goodle is an excellent addition to your household.

Personality / Character

Goldendoodles are obedient, loyal, and highly trainable, which makes them perfect for the service dog industry and competitions. If you are looking for an element of protection, this breed also makes excellent guard dogs, thanks to its loud bark and larger structure. It’s an intelligent dog with an accepting, friendly nature.

They’re curious due to their high intelligence, and they will require a thriving and stimulating environment for physical and mental acuity. But while they can go hard and keep up with you in any physical activity, they’re content to nap the rest of the time.

Although a Standard Goldendoodle walks well on a leash, traveling with them could be less convenient due to their larger size compared to their mini counterparts. But if you have the needed space in your car, they still make great travel companions.

Exercise

A Standard Goldendoodle has the stamina and agility to make an excellent adventure and exercise companion. They have above-average to high energy levels, meaning they require daily exercise for fitness, health, and happiness.

Besides their daily walk, give them sufficient space to run around. The dog is only suited to close-quarter living when there’s a lot of exercise and play. Engage it in interactive play to integrate well with kids and other pets or animals.

These dogs also enjoy swimming, seeing as both the Poodle and Golden Retriever are water dogs, thus they make great turkey and waterfowl hunters.

Training

Goldendoodles’ high intelligence, obedience, and loyalty, coupled with athletic and active physique, make their training quick. They are eager to learn, and as people-pleasers, they will catch on to commands quickly to learn tricks, especially when you train them with playtime.

While they have a reasonably sustainable attention span, keep the training sessions short so they don’t get distracted. Positive reinforcement, which involves treats and praise for being receptive to commands, is recommended. Early socialization also makes the breed relate better with people and other pets.

Health & Care

A Goldendoodle from a reputable breeder is generally healthy, except for inherited congenital disorders. As a hybrid, this dog may experience some genetic issues, but when caught early, you can manage these problems throughout its lifetime.

Some health conditions that Goldendoodles suffer from include hip dysplasia, eye disorders, and ear infections. It is also susceptible to Von Willebrand’s disease and Patellar Luxation, which happens when the kneecap or elbow moves out of its usual location.

A Standard Goldendoodle has a double coat that’s thick and curly, which means it traps dirt easily and is prone to matting and knotting. Brushing at least twice a week prevents tangling, while regular bathing and shampooing ensures these dogs stay clean and parasite-free.

Compared to their Miniature counterparts, you’ll require more maintenance and grooming essentials such as brushes, shampoos, and cotton wool pads.

Take care of their teeth, too, with regular brushing and clip nails if they’re unsightly and scratchy, especially when playing with children.

Breeding

The Goldendoodle gets the same size as their parents (a Standard Poodle and a Golden Retriever).

First-generation Goodles may lack the hypoallergenic coat nature depending on whether the retriever side of their inherited genetic makeup is dominant. To solve this, breeders cross an F1 Goldendoodle with another Poodle, which results in a 75/25 ratio in a process called backcrossing.

Suitable For:

Standard Goldendoodles thrive in both country and city settings. However, if you are living in a small apartment setting, you must give your dog enough playtimes, exercises, and walks or provide space such as a fenced yard for them to roam.

The dog is suitable for anyone with an adventurous life as they make excellent road travel companions if you’ve provided enough space for their bulky stature. It’s also a perfect service, therapy, or guard dog, seeing as it’s intelligent, curious, and loyal while having a loud bark.

Which Breed Is Right for You?

Knowing the differences between Mini Goldendoodles and Goldendoodles puts you in a better position to decide which of this breed’s variants is best for you.

Goldendoodles, whether miniature or standard, make excellent companions, have gentle temperaments, and are great with kids or other pets. Their friendliness, intelligence, and energy levels will suit your lifestyle, whether you’re a jet setter that needs a travel buddy or an adventurer looking for outdoor companionship.

But it’s essential to factor in the care requirements for both the Mini Goldendoodles and Goldendoodles as the former suits a low-budget owner compared to the latter. There are also healthcare needs to consider because though both are designer dogs, congenital disorders may still affect them.

See Also:

• Portuguese Water Dog vs. Goldendoodle: The Differences (With Pictures)
• Mini Bernedoodle vs. Mini Goldendoodle: The Differences (With Pictures)

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Featured Image Credit: Left – SoySendra, Shutterstock | Right – Cavan-Images, Shutterstock