Are Goldendoodles Good With Kids – Pros and Cons
Are Goldendoodles good with kids? The short answer is – yes, they are. You might further ask – what qualities make them good with kids. In this article, you’ll learn about what traits make Goldendoodles good with kids. Furthermore, you’ll learn what rules to teach your kids when bringing a pup into the house.
Goldendoodles are full of energy. Furthermore, they would spend hours on hours playing and running around with your kids. Moreover, these dogs can make for great play pals for your children. Therefore, expect them to become an essential part of your family’s and kids’ life.
Besides being full of energy and desire to play, Goldendoodles have many other positive qualities. However, if you are wondering if you should get a Goldendoodle, you must be informed on the following:
- Pros and cons of having a Goldendoodle in your kids’ life
- How to prepare your children to be live with a dog
Page Contents
What Is A Goldendoodle
Firstly, you must know what a Goldendoodle is. This dog is a result as a cross between the pure breeds – Poodle and Golden Retriever.
However, depending on the the parents, you could end up with 1 of 3 sizes Goldendoodle – mini, medium or standard. If you want to learn more about how big your Goldendoodle can get click here Goldendoodle Size Chart With Pictures
Over time, Goldendoodles have become a vastly popular choice for a family dog. Furthermore, their good nature and loyalty makes them great service and therapy dogs.
The empathy trait is one of the many reasons Goldendoodles are a great choice for a family with kids.
Which Goldendoodle Is Best For Your Kids
When gettng a family dog that is going to be around kids, it’s important to know what’s the adult size of the pooch. As mentioned above, Goldendoodles usually come in different sizes – mini, medium and standard.
However, the final size your Goldendoodle is going to be, depends on the parents.
Mini Goldendoodle
For instance, if you want a mini Goldendoodle, you must ensure that one of the parents is a miniture Poodle.
Picking the right size Goldendoodle is essential for two reasons. One is for the well-being of your kids. The second reason is for the well-being of your dog.
This decision is important because if you choose incorrectly, it might be too much to handle. For instance, a puppy that grows up into a larger Goldendoodle than you’ve expected.
Therefore, you might end up having to give it away. As a result this would cause your kids to be upset and the dog to be heartbroken.
A small Goldendoodle is recommended if the following apply:
- If you live in a small apartment
- Don’t have a garden or an outside area
- You lead a busy, hectic life and don’t have time for a lot of exercise for yourself or the dog
- A smaller Goldendoodle is right for you if you want a dog that doesn’t require much exercise. In addition, if you prefer to spend most of your quality time together cuddled on the coach, go for mini Goldendoodle
Medium Or Standard Goldendoodle
A medium or standard Goldendoodle is recommended if the following apply:
- If you enjoy exercise and are an active person. As Goldendoodles are very playful and active dogs, the larger they are, the more exercise and play time they require
- Larger Goldendoodles are suitable for younger aswell as older kids. This is because larger dogs can help young children when they are not steady on their feet or when learning to walk
What Are Good Qualities In A Family Dog
If you are looking for a family dog, you must ensure the dog possess certain qualities. Especially, if you have kids!
By making the right choice before bringing the dog into the family, you’re avoiding the follwoing:
- Disappointment from your kids
- Not having to rehome your dog or even worse leave it in a shelter
It’s imperative that you make an informed decision on what is the right dog breed for your situation.
Active and Playful
A good personality trait for a family dog that is going to be around kids, especially older kids, is playful. As kids enjoy playing and being active, a dog that can join in, can become your kid’s new best friend.
Look for the following qualities when choosing the dog breed for your kids:
Trainable
Having a dog that is easily trainable is a desirable quality in a family dog. If a dog needs mental stimulation and wants to learn new things, means it can learn important rules such as how to live in a house with kids
Obedient
Obedience in dogs is different than being easily trained. With that said, the dog must want to please you by obeying the rules and follow what you’ve taught them
Friendly And Calm
The perfect family dog, is friendly and calm. Moreover, you want a patient dog. The reason for that is, kids can be sometimes impatient, lack respect for personal space and unaware of themselves.
By having a dog that is calm and friendly, you’d avoid unpleasant situations as the dog snapping at your kid. It’s important to teach your kids to respect the family dog. However kids can still misbehave. Therefore, you’d want your dog to respond in a calm matter in those situations.
Tolerant
The dog being tolerant towards your kids is an essential quality. Especially, if you have young kids. The reason for that is, young kids can act out sometimes. They can be loud, throw temper tantrums and wouldn’t always know where to pet a dog, so they might end up petting it ears, nose, tail, etc.
You’d want a dog that is comfortable being touched and petted by humans.
Loyal
When getting a family dog, you’d want to look for loyalty as one of the personality traits. Furthermore, you’d want a dog that would become a part of your family and a life-long friend to your kids.
All of the traits mentioned above, you can find in the Goldendoodle. Possessing these qualities, proves Goldendoodles are good with kids and a great choice for a family dog.
Pros Of Getting Your Kids A Goldendoodle
As already mentioned having a Goldendoodle as a family dog and around your kids can be one of the best decisions but you might ask why. The reason for that is the following qualities that Goldendoodles possess:
Minimum Shedding and Hypoallergenic
As Goldendoodles either don’t shed or only a little, they are great dogs for kids with allergies or asthma.
Furthermore, as there is no shedding, you don’t have to worry about having to clean up pet hair.
Intelligent and Trainable
As mentioned above, one of the desired qualities for a good family dog, is to be easily trained. Both of the crossbreed parents – Poodles and Golden Retrievers are smart and trainable dogs. Therefore, the Goldendoodle inherits those traits aswell –intelligent and easily trained.
The Goldendoodle easily learn new rules and behaviours quickly. Also, it enjoys learning all kinds of new tricks.
As Goldendoodles thoroughly enjoy pleasing their owners, learning tricks can be a great way for your kids to bond with their new puppy.
There are other activities that your kids would enjoy doing with the Goldendoodle. One of those activities is obstacle training as this breed needs a lot of mental stimulation.
Full Of Energy
As you have probably already guessed, Goldendoodles love to be active. Furthermore, they absolutely love going on adventures such as jogs, trips to the beach, hikes, swims and more.
For that reason, they make for great family dogs as they can be part of all the fun activities your kids get up to.
Therapy Dogs
Goldendoodles are often trained as service dogs. The reason for that is their obedience and loyalty.
These dogs are able to learn tasks such as opening doors, leading the blind. Moreover, they are quick to react when their owner is in danger. Therefore, Goldendoodles make for a great family dog and companion for kids with any kind of disabilities.
Very Social
The Goldendoodle is a social dog that love being around people. For that reason, they make for exceptional family dogs. Furthermore, they have a friendly personality which makes meeting new people an easy task for them compared to other dogs that can be very nervous and even aggressive.
By having a Goldendoodle as a family dog, you’ll be giving your kids a long-life best friend and companion with whom they can do anything from playing outside to laying on the couch watching TV.
Friendly Personality
Goldendoodles have a great personality! They are loving, affectionate and playful which are great qualities for a dog that is going to be around kids.
Their friendly temperament makes them tolerable towards kids’ behaviours. Furthermore, kids are known to lack awareness when it comes to personal space and demonstrate unpleasant behaviours such as being loud and throwing temper tantrums.
However, the Goldendoodle as a tolerant and friendly dog is usually not only easy going in these situations, but can also help the kid to calm down.
Cons Of Getting Your Kids A Goldendoodle
Although, there aren’t that many negatives when deciding to get a Goledndoodle, there are a few factors to consider.
Grooming
Goldendoodles would often require haircuts as their fur can grow long. Although, this is not a big disadvantage and something that many dogs need getting done, it’s something to consider before getting a Goldendoodle
Medical Problems
As any dog, Goldendoodles would require the occasional trip to the vet. However, you must keep in mind that Goldendoodles are predisposed to certain health problems such as cancer and heart illnesses
Furthermore, if the Goldendoodle has a Standard Poodle as a parent, they might inherit the Poodle’s predisposition to developing Addison’s disease
Before picking your forever puppy you must ensure the following:
- It’s imperative that you teach your kids how to handle and behave around dogs for their own well-being and that of the dogs
- If you’re adopting an adult Goldendoodle, you should meet the dog in-person before bringing it into your home. The reason for that is ensure their temperament will be a good fit for your family
Rules To Teach Your Kids About Dogs
It’s imperative that kids know how to behave around dogs for their own safety and also for the dog’s well-being. If you have young kids or kids that have never been around dogs, you must ensure that you have set rules for them to follow when it comes to interactions with the dog.
Some of those rules would differ depending if you are getting a dog from a puppy or adopting it as an adult. Dogs that are adopted as adults would already have behaviours and habits that they have learned.
Although, it’s possible to teach them new rules and habits, you should be extra careful around rescued dogs.
Rules For Kids Depending On Goldendoodle Age
The following rules apply to all dogs – puppies and adults:
- You should avoid yelling at the dog and teach your kids the same. If you are constantly yelling at your dog, they would become nervous, anxious and in some cases aggressive out of fear
- The same goes for physical punishment. By physically punishing your dog, or putting them manually in submission, you’re raising a nervous dog that keeps being backed up in a corner and might react aggressively at some point
- You must teach your kids to play safely with the dog. Many kids would pull the ears and tail of the dog which might not result in a negative reaction straight away but it would at some point. As a result, your kid can be seriously hurt and dog would have to be either given away or put down
- Another important thing to teach your kids is pet care. It would be very beneficial for your kids to be involved in feeding the dog. This way they would not only build a stronger bond, but your kids would also learn responsibility and that the dog has needs as us humans
- The same goes for walking and exercise for your dogs. Involving your kids during dog walks, teaches them further about the dog’s needs and later on when they are more confident, they can walk the dog themselves and build memories together
Additional Rules For Kids
The following rules would vary depending on the situation:
- If the dog is rescued as an adult, you should teach your kids not to touch the dog’s food, water bowls or toys. Many dogs are possessive over their belongings and food, and can react aggressively
- On the other hand, if the dog is brought to the home as a puppy, you should teach your puppy to be ok with sharing toys, food. Furthermore, teach it ot be calm and relaxed when touched whilst doing the mentioned activities.
This way you’re building a habit. So, when the dog is an adult, they won’t have aggressive reaction when sharing or being touched
Final Thoughts
Are Goldendoodles good with kids? After reviewing the most important points, our initial answer hasn’t changed. Goldendoodles are not only good with kids, but they make for an amazing family dog!
You should expect your Goldendoodle to part take in activities from spending the afternoon playing with your daughter and having tea parties, to chasing after your son on his bike.
Goldendoodles are full of energy and what best way to use up that energy than playing with your kids.
On the other hand, when not busy running around and being goofy, your Goldendoodles would be the perfect snuggle partner to relax the couch in front of the TV.
Not only, your Goldendoodle can become your kid’s best friend, but they are also great for people and kids with any kind of disabilities because of their empathy trait. Furthermore, they are hypoallergenic and great for kids and family’s with allergies.
You will not go wrong by making the Goldendoodle member of your family.
