Goldendoodles are designer dogs — an intentional cross between two breeds of dogs. Does that mean they’re less valuable than purebreds dogs? Not at all! Especially when you take hybrid vigor into account. Read on for more about this important Goldendoodle attribute.
The joy Goldendoodles bring their human companions has been over eight millennia in the making. According to the article “Dog domestication and the dual dispersion of people and dogs into the Americas” that appeared in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the first domesticated dog appeared in Siberia around 23,000 years ago.
It seems that ancient peoples domesticated dogs before cattle or horses—or even goats and sheep. Archaeologists discovered carvings in the Arabian Desert that are likely the oldest images of humans working with dogs. A hunter is depicted stalking his prey surrounded by a pack of dogs, with two of them on leashes attached to him.
Though they are not the beloved Goldendoodles, these 8,000-year-old images reveal that humans have had a rather long and beneficial relationship with dogs. In fact, some 349 images of dogs were counted across these rock-art panels in the desert.
The history of Goldendoodles
Goldendoodles themselves cannot be traced back to pre-historic tribes of humans wandering the earth in hunter-gatherer societies. Instead, they have their origin as a breed sometime in the 1990s when several breeders started intentionally crossing Golden Retrievers with Poodles.
There is, however, a documented deliberate breeding of a Golden Retriever with a Poodle over 50 years ago in 1969 by the great-granddaughter of the author Charles Dickens. But apparently, she did not continue crossing these two breeds.
In the latter part of the twentieth century, the intentional breeding of two different purebred dogs to create hybrid—or designer—breeds emerged because of the desire to combine the positive characteristics of the two distinctly-different parent breeds. Goldendoodles, originally bred to provide a non-allergenic guide dog, offer the best of two worlds.
Smart and friendly
Everyone loves the Golden Retrievers for their boundless energy when at play, and they adore their calm demeanor, making them excellent family dogs. The Poodle is one of the most intelligent dog breeds recognized by the American Kennel Club. Depending on which information you research, the Poodle is smartest breed. Plus, they have next to no shedding.
This means that the Goldendoodle is smart, playful, loyal, and easily trained. As a bonus, Goldendoodles are excellent for the millions of people that suffer from dog allergies because they have little to no shedding. Not to mention their overall health and longevity. Resulting from crossing two purebred parents, the Goldendoodle gains what is called hybrid vigor.
What do we mean by hybrid vigor?
There is a scientific term for hybrid vigor: heterosis. The offspring of two different parent breeds has its traits enhanced to the point that they are improved over those of the parents. Those are all just fancy words for something that is plain to see for all proud families that have a Goldendoodle in their midst.
What this means to us is that our Goldendoodle is not likely to suffer from the infirmities that can afflict either parent breed. They have the best of the breeds. And that vigor means they stand a strong chance of outliving most purebred dogs, giving us more years of enjoyment and love.