So you want a mini Goldendoodle? It’s easy to be taken in by that cute little teddy bear face. These furry little fellas are among the cutest dogs you’ll ever see. When we picked our mini Goldendoodle up at 7 weeks old, we were instantly in love with her.
She was so tiny at just 3 pounds. She was just a big fluffy ball of golden fur with the cutest face we had ever seen. She was the perfect dog for us and we were happy to know that she was a mini dog since we wanted a breed that wouldn’t get too big.
As she grew, we learned so much about her and this awesome breed. We are still learning but have gathered up enough information and experience to share.
What is the temperament of a mini Goldendoodle?
Mini Goldendoodles are intelligent, loyal and loving. They tend to be playful, curious and energetic. Some may show protective qualities and be attached to their owners while being cautious around strangers. They are fun to be around, good with children and make great family dogs.
We had researched and learned this information before we ever picked our puppy up. What we didn’t know however, was just how much of a friend she would become to us.
We all know that dogs are man’s (or woman’s) best friend. Until you have a dog of your own though, it’s really hard to understand this.
A mini Goldendoodle is one that will be there with you when you’ve had a bad day at your job. When others have forsaken you, your doodle will be your steady rock that you can count on. He or she won’t judge you and will love you just as much today as tomorrow and the next day.
They can’t love you any more and they will never love you any less no matter what.
Our dog is super loyal to us. Although she doesn’t love to be around strangers. Once she bonded with us as a puppy, it become apparent that she didn’t want us to be close to other people.
She has a bit of a protective personality and will bark if someone gets too close to us. However, she only makes noise and would never hurt anyone else.
Intelligence
You probably already know that Goldendoodles are super smart. They are too smart for their own good some times. If you’ve ever been around a dog that was very smart, you probably know what I mean.
Sometimes she will get into things just because she can. When she was younger, she would steel socks, underwear and other clothing items. It wasn’t because she wanted to tear them up; it was because she wanted us to see that she had stolen the item.
It’s as if she got a kick out of us knowing about it. She would steal things, run off with it and then just drop it and wait for us to see her. We always thought this was so funny and we probably shouldn’t have condoned it but we did and she just did it more and more.
Even in her senior years, she does it from time to time and it’s still just as funny as ever.
The intelligence level of a mini Goldendoodle is impressive. It’s no surprise since they have genes from two very smart breeds. The Poodle and the Golden Retriever are both among the smartest dog breeds in the world.
The funny little things they do
I could write a book about the little things our dog has done over the years that has entertained us. It’s something nearly everyday that makes us smile. We love watching her and her little ways of doing things.
One of the first things we ever noticed about Goldendoodles was how they lay on the floor with their back legs spread out. This doesn’t seem comfortable but doodles sure seem to love this position.
It cracks us up to see this with our dog. She doesn’t do it as much in her senior years unless she is fully involved in playing with a toy.
However, as a puppy, this was nearly always her preferred position when she was laying on the floor.
Some other funny things that she does:
- Talks to her toys – anytime she gets a new toy, she spends a little while getting acquainted with it and she makes little noises and grunting sounds while playing with it. We assume she is having a conversation with it.
- Gets jealous when getting ignored. If we have company, she gets jealous if we talk to our company more than we do her. She will bring toys to us until we give her attention. Sometimes we have 20 toys sitting around the living room by the time our company leaves.
- Kicks her feet to get our attention – when she wants us to know it’s time to eat or we are taking a nap and she’s bored, she will kick her feet on the carpet and be as loud as she can about it. This goes on until we finally acknowledge her.
- Asks for the good toys – she likes to tear toys up so we keep good toys closed up in her toy box. She’s usually only interested in those toys because they haven’t been torn up yet. The ones laying out are old and torn and uninteresting.
The fun never ends when you have a mini doodle. You just never know what they are going to do next but you can be certain that it will be entertaining.
The Good
There are many things that can be said about the temperament of a mini Goldendoodle. The good far outweigh the bad and this type of dog is a great family pet. Here are few of the good qualities of their temperament.
- Loyal – you’ll never find a better friend.
- Loving – unconditional love no matter what.
- Playful – always wanting to play.
- Smart – they are extremely smart.
- Fun – it’s so much fun spending time with a mini doodle.
- Energetic – they keep going and going.
A note on the good
Obviously, each dog will have a different personality but in general, this list applies to the majority of mini doodles.
Our dog is the most loyal, loving dog that we could have ever asked for. Her energy is amazing. Even at nearly 13 years old, she runs and plays like she did when she was a puppy. Only difference is, she has become more crafty than she was as a puppy.
The Bad
There are always bad temperamental issues that could be present in all dogs. The mini doodle is no different. Here is a list of the bad that you may come across.
- Tendency to bark a lot
- Protective – which can sometimes lead to behavior problems.
- Mischievous – they are often too smart for the own good.
A note on the bad
Our dog displays all of these bad qualities. Although they are not a real issue and aren’t things that can’t be lived with.
Our doodle does tend to bark a lot. We would say that this is her worst quality. She is a barker and barks at strangers, people walking by our house and even at us when we come and go. It can often be disturbing when she is barking while you are trying to talk with a visitor in your home.
She is also very protective of us and we feel that this is why she barks at others. She has a dominant personality and thinks it is her job to protect us. This is most likely a fail on our part in the early years of her life and might have been different had we chosen to do obedience school with her.
Does temperament change as they grow old?
Our dog’s temperament has remained about the same throughout her life although she has gone through a few different ways of showing different personality traits.
She is as loving now as a senior as she was as a puppy. Her loyalty has only become greater as has her intelligence level. Whoever came up with the saying, “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” obviously never owned a mini Goldendoodle.
We are still teaching her new tricks in her senior years and she learns quickly.
She did become a barker later in life as she got age on her and was around other dogs. She learned things from some of the other dogs she was around and it did change her in some areas.
She also become more protective later on in life as well. When she was a puppy, she was more friendly with strangers and welcomed them.
She is now more stand-offish with strangers and will bark at them. This is likely a result of the stronger bond she has built with us.
Conclusion
If you are in the market for a mini Goldendoodle, you are in for a treat with a dog that has a lot of desired personality traits.
Expect to be loved unconditionally, entertained on a regular basis and shown what true companionship really means. This dog may be small but it brings a lot to the table and makes a great dog for anyone looking for a true friend.