Adoption is a great way of bringing a pet into your family, and it can be a cheaper way to welcome a Goldendoodle as part of the family.
It is an amazing way to find a wonderful companion dog who is loyal and playful, and some people prefer adoption over breeding.
However, adoption isn’t the right choice for everyone, and there are a few considerations to think about before adopting a Goldendoodle.
Unknown Personal History
The main problem with adopting a Goldendoodle is that you won’t always know their personal history.
You won’t have access to information about its parentage, making it difficult to know what kind of life they had before adoption.
Not all adopted dogs have poor lives before being given up for adoption, but some have experienced hardships that can make them nervous, skittish, and harder to take care of.
Goldendoodles are sweet dogs that have great temperaments, but even these dogs can suffer a personality change when they’re neglected or mistreated.
If they have gone through this in the past, you might have to deal with the repercussions after adopting them.
If you have young children, bringing a dog like this into the home can be worrying and sometimes dangerous.
On the other hand, Goldendoodles from breeders are healthy and happy with their parents until they are old enough to be introduced to their new owners.
They have been looked after with love from day one, and therefore have nothing tainting their personalities.
Adopted Dogs Take More Work
Puppies from a breeder are obviously going to take a lot of work to train, but once they grow into adults, they should have been trained well enough to become easier to deal with.
When adopting an adult Goldendoodle, you might not always have this luxury. The adult could even need more attention and work than a puppy.
It is a difficult process to bring a dog into a new house, and you need to make sure that they feel safe, loved, and protected.
This is often a simpler process when the dog is a puppy and can quickly adjust to new environments.
Goldendoodles are smart and loyal dogs, and this is what you can expect from a puppy. However, adult Goldendoodles might not be so easy to adjust to.
The phrase “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” springs to mind, and it can apply to bringing an adult Goldendoodle home.
You might have to allow more time for training bad behaviors out of the dog, and this can be challenging if you don’t have the time to do this.
Again, not all adult Goldendoodles that are adopted have learned bad behaviors or will have a difficult time adjusting to a new home.
You might have a really easy time of it! But this is just a concern that some people have with adopting an adult Goldendoodle.
Potential Health Concerns
Due to the fact that you don’t know the previous medical history of an adult Goldendoodle, you might be sprung with health concerns that you have to deal with.
Health issues cannot be prevented, and a lack of medical history can make it difficult to know whether or not you’ll be challenged with them in the future.
Purchasing a Goldendoodle puppy from a breeder can be a safer bet as you’ll have the medical history of its parentage offered to you, showing you what your puppy might be at risk of in the future.
This can help you to prepare or make sure that you have the best vet care possible.
To avoid unwanted health concerns for an adopted adult Goldendoodle, you can take them to the vet as soon as you’ve adopted them to see if there is anything that needs treating immediately.
They might also be able to spot early signs of other concerns in the future.
Similar to all of the other potential concerns we have listed here, there is no guarantee that your adopted Goldendoodle will come down with health concerns for you to deal with.
It is simply more worrying since you don’t have a medical history and therefore will be surprised by any health concerns that they do have.
Some adopted Goldendoodles like a long and happy life without any health issues at all!
Are Goldendoodles Often Adopted?
You won’t find many Goldendoodles in adoption centers, usually because they’re so expensive as puppies that people don’t want to give them up!
Plus, their temperaments are so happy and loving that they don’t often have issues with families.
So, when you see a Goldendoodle in an adoption center, it’s probably due to the original owners not being able to keep them anymore due to personal reasons.
It’s rare because of the dog’s temperament or behavior.
Still, some Goldendoodles will have been neglected before ending up in the adoption center, and this might make them more challenging to look after in their new home.
Should You Adopt An Adult Goldendoodle?
Adopting an adult Goldendoodle is a selfless act that can take a dog out of adoption centers and give them a happier life with a new family.
You can gain a lifelong companion for much less than a breeder charges, and you won’t have to deal with the puppy stage.
However, the thing that concerns most people about adopting an adult Goldendoodle is the uncertainty that comes with it.
Unlike using a breeder, you won’t have access to their personal history, medical concerns, or behavioral problems.
This can be worrying to owners, as you will have to deal with whatever comes your way – no matter how challenging it is.
So, if you have the time and effort to put into an adult Goldendoodle that might have had a challenging life in the past, then absolutely adopt them!
But if you think that this might be more than you can handle right now, then we would suggest using a reputable breeder to purchase a Goldendoodle puppy.
For more information, check out our rescue and adoption guide which contains a list of of rescue and adoption centres across America and the UK.