How long do Goldendoodles live, and what do they cost?

How long do Goldendoodles live?

The parent breeds put it somewhere between 10 and 18 years, and a large study of those breeds points to the early teens. The Goldendoodle has no official lifespan of its own, so the parents are where the numbers are.

Among more than half a million dogs in one large lifespan study, Golden Retrievers typically lived 13.2 years and Poodles 14 years, against 12.5 years for dogs as a whole. That's the midpoint, so half the dogs in each group lived longer. The longest-lived dogs were the small breeds with longer noses, at about 13.3 years.

Keeping a dog lean helps too. Breed for breed, overweight dogs tend to die younger.

Does crossing breeds add years?

Not on the evidence so far. In the same study, mixed breeds as a group typically lived 12 years, a little under the 12.7 years for purebreds. There's little evidence yet that a cross outlives the better of its parents.

A first-generation cross may get some benefit, and later generations bred from crosses tend to lose it. So a long life comes down to the actual mama and papa and the care a dog gets at home, and the next section covers the health checks to ask about.

What health checks should the parents have?

For a Golden Retriever, the hips, elbows, heart and eyes should be checked, along with a DNA test for an inherited brain disease. For a Poodle, the kneecaps, hips and eyes should be checked, plus a DNA test for an inherited eye disease that can lead to blindness.

We are working toward health testing all of our mamas and papas, and the certificates we have are posted on each parent's page. So far the ones for our Goldendoodle mamas cover eye, heart and kneecap, and for our Mini Poodles eye and kneecap. Young puppies can't be checked for hip problems, which is why the parents' and grandparents' results are the ones to read.

What does a Mini Goldendoodle cost?

Our F1B Mini Goldendoodles are $1,600, and each puppy's page lists its price and when it can go home. All sales are subject to 7% Indiana sales tax. Cash in person, card by phone, PayPal invoice, or Venmo. Card and PayPal payments carry a 3% merchant fee.

Here's what's already taken care of by the time your puppy leaves us at 9 weeks. Every puppy goes home with vaccinations against Parvovirus, Distemper, Adenovirus, Kennel Cough and Parainfluenza, plus Leptospirosis and Rabies depending on age, deworming, a puppy pack with care notes, a bag of Diamond Naturals food, a blanket with mama's scent, a written guarantee, and a microchip enrolled in your name with lifetime recovery, already paid for.

Reserving starts with the application, and the deposit follows once you're approved. A non-refundable deposit of one third of the puppy price holds a puppy that is already listed. A $200 non-refundable deposit holds a place on the waiting list for a litter that has not been born yet.

What should you budget for after pickup?

Grooming and the rest of the vet schedule are the big ones. A furnished, curly coat follows the Poodle's needs, which means a trip to the groomer every four to six weeks, or a short trim you learn to keep up yourself. A coat closer to the Golden's sheds more and wants brushing once or twice a week with a slicker brush, and every day while the shedding is heavy.

On the vet side, the puppy shots run to about 16 weeks of age, and a booster follows within the year, which your vet will schedule. Budget for heartworm and tick prevention as well, starting at the first full vet exam. The coat side of things is covered in our Mini Goldendoodle guide.