Cross breeds are all the rage lately! Yet another cross breed you might be interested is a Goldendoodle. What is a goldendoodle and how does it compare to cavapoo? Which one should you choose? Or, if you already have a cavapoo, should you add a goldendoodle to the mix? Let’s find out!

Cavapoo vs goldendoodle: what is a goldendoodle?

A goldendoodle is a breed that results from crossing a golden retriever with a poodle. It’s a cross of probably the two of the most popular and loved breeds out there, and so there is no wonder that the hybrid dog has gained such popularity in the recent years. It was first bred in the early nineties, and now it has spread all over the world, being particularly popular in North America, UK and Australia.

Appearance

Since one of the goldendoodle’s parents is a Golden Retriever, it can be quite a bit larger than a cavapoo. Goldendoodles may reach 26-40 lb of weight, whereas cavapoo are generally around 6-20 lb. A goldendoodle would probably be a great dog for you if you have larger space – such as your own home.

A cavapoo is definitely a more compact dog, so you might want to choose a cavapoo if you live in an apartment. Having said that, goldendoodles may also vary in size, and it is possible to find a small goldendoodle bred from miniature or toy poodle.

Just like cavapoo, goldendoodles may have straight or curly hair. That depends on which parent they inherited their coat from: Golden retriever or a poodle. If a goldendoodle has curly hair, it is less likely to shed, just like poodle. It may shed a little more if it inherited straight hair from Golden, but it will still shed less than other breeds.

Goldendoodles were bred with the idea of making them hypoallergenic and non-shedding, like poodles, but of course they may still shed minimally, and you may still be allergic to them if you have a dog allergy. The best way to find out is to visit a breeder and spend sometime around adult goldendoodles.

Cavapoo, as you may already know, can also have curly or straight coat and be more or less low-shedding and close to hypoallergenic as well, due to those magical poodle genes.

A cavapoo may feature a wide range of colors – they can be white, apricot, cream, black, brown, red and multi-colored. You can find the same variety of colors in goldendoodles.

Cavapoo vs goldendoodle: grooming

Both cavapoo and goldendoodle will require regular grooming. You can read more about your cavapoo grooming here. A goldendoodle, regardless of coat type, will need regular grooming sessions as well, including washing, combing their coat, cleaning their ears, trimming their nails etc.

Since goldendoodles are significantly larger than cavapoo, expect to spend more time on grooming or grooming services than with a cavapoo. Your goldendoodle will probably also be prone to bringing more dirt from the outside than a cavapoo, again, due to its large size and higher energy levels.

As with any big dog, keeping them clean will be an important part of your life. If you prefer less grooming, go with a cavapoo.

Temperament and personality

You probably already know a lot about cavapoo personality if you have been reading this blog for any amount of time. They are wonderful companions: loyal, affectionate, easy to live with, funny and eager to please. They also fit well in families with children and do especially well in families that can spend enough time to spend with them playing or walking outside, or just being in the same space.

But what about goldendoodles?

Goldendoodles were bred to be perfect companions as well. Both of the parent breeds (Golden Retriever and poodle) are extremely people-oriented breeds and are very loyal. The resulting goldendoodles are an extremely social hybrid, adoring their people and needing a lot of socialisation and time spent together with their owners. Goldendoodles have been traditionally used as guide dogs, therapy dogs, agility dogs, as well as search and rescue dogs.

These are not stand-offish, independent dogs. While they are rarely nervous and can hardly be characterised as clingy, like cavapoo, they are not the dogs that do well on their own. Goldendoodles crave time with their family. They were born to be companions and don’t do very well when left alone.

If a goldendoodle is left alone for prolonged periods of time, they may develop destructive behaviours such as barking, whining or chewing everything in sight, which can be not only irritating for the neighbours and bad for your furniture, but also dangerous for the dog as they tend to swallow the things they chew up.

In that sense, goldendoodles are very much like cavapoo who also don’t like being left alone and can become sad and destructive. Ideally, with any dog you would first make sure you have enough time to spend with your pet and only then bring your pup home. If you work too much or are constantly on the go, any dog may not be the best idea.

On the other hand, if you are looking for a loyal companion to share your days with, both cavapoo and goldendoodle could be a great choice.

Goldendoodles, just like Golden Retrievers, can be a little too enthusiastic in their play or while socialising. They do have a lot of energy and will often test their limits unless they have a strong pack leader (you!).

While cavapoo are a smaller dog and are normally not extremely energetic (although they still do have plenty of energy), goldendoodles require a confident leader to keep them in check. You don’t want a dog that jumps at everyone enthusiastically or drags you on the lead wherever it wants. Goldendoodles may be like that – not because they are out of control, but just because of lots of positive energy they possess. So be prepared to invest time and energy into training and teaching your dog to behave if you get a goldendoodle.

Both goldendoodles and cavapoo are fairly athletic, but goldendoodle is a larger dog, so it would need a larger area to frolic in than cavapoo. With their fountain of energy, goldendoodles thrive with owners who can regularly take them for long walks or runs in the park, or simply give them a ride to a dog park. Extremely curious and social, goldendoodles do best if they have plenty of opportunity to spend time outside meeting new people and dogs and exploring the area. They are not homebody dogs!

Due to their affectionate personality and absence of aggression, both cavapoo and goldendoodle are great dogs for families with young children. (Except you have to mind cavapoo around very young children as a small cavapoo might get hurt by accident.)

Cavapoo vs goldendoodle: Intelligence

Both cavapoo and goldendoodle have poodle in their ancestry, which means both hybrids can boast outstanding intelligence. With goldendoodles, it reflects in the fact that they really do need plenty of mental stimulation along with physical exercise. Boredom and loneliness are not good for goldendoodles.

Their inquisitive and eager minds need constant stimulation in the form of socialisation with you the owner, games, being outside, or even just watching their family go about their day. If you leave your goldendoodle alone without anything to do for long periods of time, two things may happen.

First, your goldendoodle will find something to do, such as shred your couch or swallow your TV remote. And second, it may get depressed, which will result in a whole host of other health and behavioural issues.

Cavapoo are slightly better equipped with dealing with boredom or lack of stimulation than goldendoodles, but it doesn’t mean they don’t need stimulation. Again, be sure you will be able and willing to put the time and effort in your dog and spend enough time with it to meet their requirements. If you are that type of owner, you will be happy with either cavapoo or goldendoodle. Due to their high intelligence, they are great dogs to teach tricks and games – easily trainable and eager to please.

Health

The thing with cavapoo and their health is that they can inherit some of the fairly grave health issues from their Cavalier King Charles Spaniel ancestry. Those may include Mitral Valve Disease and syringomyelia, as well as Hip Dysplasia, epilepsy and a number of others. Not every cavapoo (far from it!) will have any of these diseases, but Cavalier King Charles Spaniel itself is probably one of the less healthy breeds out there. So there is always that risk with a cavapoo, unless you purchase your pup from a very reputable cavapoo breeder.

Goldendoodles, similarly, can inherit health issues from both poodle and golden retriever. Although both of these breeds are quite healthy, they can and do sometimes have issues. Some of the diseases that can be somewhat common to goldendoodles include Patellar Luxation, Hip Dysplasia, epilepsy and Atopic Dermatitis. However, all in all goldendoodles do seem to be pretty healthy and carry low risk of inherited diseases.

Conclusion

This was a little overview of cavapoo and goldendoodle, and how the two cross breeds compare to each other. I hope it will help you pick the one dog that’s best for you, and whichever one you pick, I know you’ll be happy with your choice!

If you are looking for a cavapoo to adopt, check out our articles on how to find a reputable breeder. You can find such breeders in: Reputable cavapoo breeders UK, Cavapoo breeders in Ontario, Canada, and Cavapoo breeders in Alberta, Canada. You can also adopt a puppy from Cavapoo Rescue. Don’t forget to read about Cavapoo pros and cons.