A Goldendoodle is a breed that falls under a teddy bear dog category, meaning that they have large eyes, curly coats, and are smaller than average in size. There are two types of Goldendoodles that we will be looking at today: Toy Goldendoodles and Teacup Goldendoodles.
Dogs have been bred for multiple generations to make them as small as possible. The size of each Goldendoodle comes down to a number of factors that we will get into later. However, the average size of a Teacup Goldendoodle ranges from 8 to 13 inches, with a weight range of 7 to 15 pounds.
A Toy Goldendoodle is slightly larger than a Teacup breed, with a height of 10 to 16 inches (from floor to shoulder) and a weight of 10 to 20 pounds.
The Teacup Goldendoodle and Toy Goldendoodle are the exact same breed of dog. The only difference between the two is their size and how they have been bred to achieve it.
Today we will be looking into everything you need to know about Teacup and Toy Goldendoodles, their size, and whether they are a good fit for your family. So, what are we waiting for? Let’s get right into potentially finding your new family member!
What is a Goldendoodle?
The Goldendoodle is considered a designer dog as they are a hybrid breed between a Poodle and a Golden Retriever. This crossbreed doesn’t make it any less popular; however. In fact, the Goldendoodle is one of the most popular breeds out there, and this is only growing.
The Goldendoodle gets the best qualities from its predecessors, with them being affectionate, clever dogs that are easy to train – much like the popular Golden Retriever. Unlike the Golden Retriever; however, the Goldendoodle is low-shedding – something they get from their Poodle roots.
Goldendoodles are considered to be a teddy bear dog breed, meaning that they have a likeness to teddy bears. The teddy bear dog was originally bred into existence in the early 2000s to work as therapy dogs for young children.
Teddy bear dogs are known for being loyal, friendly, and cuddly breeds. Miniature Goldendoodles were first bred in the 1990s and quickly became man’s best friend. They have shaggy coats with large round eyes and a button nose. A quick internet search will show you how adorable the Goldendoodle is.
Who are Goldendoodles good pets for?
These dogs are tiny in size, soft to touch, and overall good-natured. They are very friendly and will make excellent companions for almost anyone. Goldendoodles are hypoallergenic, which means that they are even suitable for people who suffer from allergies.
Teacup and Toy Goldendoodles are also low-shedding and easy to look after. As they fall into the teddy bear dog category, they are excellent for children and adults alike. These smaller breeds of Goldendoodle require less exercise due to their short legs, so you don’t have to worry about taking them on incredibly long walks, either.
Miniature Goldendoodles are good pets for apartment living as they are small in size and don’t require as much space for all of their necessities. This makes them equally as good for people living in tiny homes or RVs.
However, there are still a few things that you should consider before opting for a Miniature Goldendoodle. For starters, they might need regular trips to the groomers – especially if they have tight curls through their coat.
While they don’t need to go on two to three hour-long walks every day, they will still need 30 to 60 minutes of exercise each day. If you cannot abide by this requirement your dog will get bored and might even suffer from depression.
Finally, Teacup and Toy breeds have been bred multiple times to achieve their small size. This puts them at a higher risk of health issues later in their life. These might include:
- Von Willebrand’s Disease
- Bloating
- Progressive Renal Atrophy
- Hypothyroidism
- Patellar Luxation
- Elbow or Hip Dysplasia
- Allergies
- Ear Infections
Toy and Teacup breeds might also be more susceptible to dental problems and digestive issues, which is why they need to eat a diet specifically designed for small breeds. For information on what to feed your Toy or Teacup dog, check out our blog on Best dog food for Goldendoodles.
Overall, Toy and Teacup Goldendoodles make excellent pets for anyone who has enough time and attention for them. They can be seen as relatively easy dogs to care for, but their needs shouldn’t be overshadowed by their cuteness.
What is the size of a Teacup Goldendoodle?
When measuring a dog’s height, you don’t measure it from the bottom of its paws to the top of its head. This is because the head is easily moved and might leave you with an inaccurate reading.
So, instead what is used is the withers. The withers are the highest point of your dog’s shoulder blades at the nape of their neck. You should be able to feel these relatively easily as they tend to be covered in less fat.
The height that we will be looking at today for both the Teacup and Toy Goldendoodle has been measured from the floor to their withers. So, don’t be alarmed if your dog’s head reaches significantly higher than these measurements!
A mature Teacup Goldendoodle can expect to reach a height between 8 and 13 inches, which is otherwise known as 20 and 33 centimeters.
This dog breed will also only weigh between 7 and 15 pounds as long as they’re following a balanced diet and getting enough exercise. This means that you would be able to carry your dog in only one hand.
The small height and weight of the Teacup Goldendoodle are impressive and allow them to be easily transported wherever they need to go. They can fit into a bag or a small pet carrier, provided that they’re comfortable. You also won’t need a large car to accommodate a Teacup Goldendoodle.
The Teacup Goldendoodle has a life expectancy of 10 to 15 years and comes in all sorts of coat colors, such as gold, caramel, cream, apricot, red, and black.
What is the size of a Toy Goldendoodle?
The Toy Goldendoodle is slightly larger than the Teacup Goldendoodle, as the former will have been further bred to create the latter. The Toy Goldendoodle is by no means a large dog; however, with a height expectancy only between 10 and 16 inches, or 25 to 40 centimeters.
This height is similar to that of a laptop screen, so you can imagine how short a Toy Goldendoodle can be!
Their adult weight should be between 10 and 20 pounds. This means that a large Toy Goldendoodle could be double the weight of the smallest Teacup Goldendoodle! But that still doesn’t mean that this dog is large.
Toy Goldendoodles can be carried in small bags and pet carriers, although they might be slightly more snug than a Teacup Goldendoodle. This can be helpful for owners who have to walk up and down a lot of stairs on a regular basis, as these small breeds can sometimes find this challenging.
Why choose a small dog breed?
There are a number of reasons why someone might choose to opt for a Teacup or Toy breed. While miniature breeds have been called out numerous times for being unethical and making the dogs more susceptible to unnecessary health conditions due to their size, this is not always the case.
Some people have genuine reasons for choosing a miniature breed rather than a large one. Plus, not every breeder is unethical and most follow the correct practices to prevent the litters from suffering later in life.
Perhaps the most common reason for opting for a miniature dog breed is their size and how it’s convenient for people living in smaller spaces. With a Teacup or Toy Goldendoodle, you don’t need as much space as if you were to opt for a Golden Retriever.
Miniature Goldendoodles are also easier to transport and are ideal for smaller cars. Small dogs are also proven to be easier for first-time owners, as they don’t require as much time to go on lots of long walks.
Smaller dogs also eat less food which makes them more economical for people with tighter budgets. Small beds and bowls tend to be cheaper than larger ones too, saving you money on your dog’s accessories.
Some people want to choose a miniature breed just because they look cuter, which is fine as long as they use a trusted breeder or adopt from a shelter. However, this shouldn’t really be the only reason why you want to welcome a dog into your family.
How are Teacup and Toy Goldendoodles so small?
A miniature Goldendoodle can come from a number of different generations in their line, such as F1, F1B, F1BB, F2, or even F3. Any of these dogs could be a tiny little Goldendoodle, it doesn’t always have to be the youngest.
You might be wondering what all of these letters and numbers mean. We’ll break it down for you below so that you can understand exactly what we mean.
F1: An F1 Goldendoodle is a crossbred dog between a purebred Golden Retriever and Poodle. When you breed a Poodle with a Golden Retriever, the puppies will be considered Generation F1 Goldendoodle.
To create an F1 Teacup or F1 Toy Goldendoodle, you’ll need to breed a Golden Retriever with a Toy or Teacup Poodle. The next generation will then be called Generation F1 Toy or Teacup Goldendoodle.
As one of the parents of this new generation will be a full-sized Golden Retriever, they will often be Miniature Goldendoodles rather than Toy or Teacup Goldendoodles. However, it is still possible to achieve a Toy or Teacup Goldendoodle from the F1 generation – it’s happened before!
F2: As F1 Goldendoodles will often be Miniature rather than Toy or Teacup size, they can be bred with another F1 generation Goldendoodle to achieve a smaller size. However, two F1 Goldendoodles will likely be around the same size, so you might end up with more Miniature Goldendoodles rather than Teacup or Toy Goldendoodles.
F1B: A more common way of breeding Goldendoodle generations together to achieve Toy or Teacup sizes is to breed a Toy Poodle with an F1 Goldendoodle. This will leave the new generation much smaller than F1 or F2 Goldendoodles. F1B Goldendoodles are much more likely to be Toy Goldendoodles.
F1BB: If you wanted to breed a Goldendoodle that was even smaller than a Toy Goldendoodle, you could breed the F1B generation with another Toy Poodle. This generation would be called F1BB and it would be closer to a Teacup Goldendoodle size.
What does all this breeding mean for the dogs?
To put it more into perspective, below is a list of the Goldendoodle generation names along with how much of each parent breed is found in them.
- F1: An F1 Toy Goldendoodle is 50% Poodle and 50% Golden Retriever.
- F1B: This generation is 75% Poodle and 25% Golden Retriever.
- F1BB: 87.5% of an F1BB Goldendoodle will be a Poodle while the remaining 12.5% will be a Golden Retriever.
- F2: An F2 Goldendoodle is 50% Poodle and 50% Golden Retriever.
- F3 (Multigeneration): Toy Goldendoodles of this generation will have different heritages depending on the breeder. However, typical numbers are shown to be between 60-65% Poodle and 35-40% Golden Retriever.
Why are some people against Teacup and Toy Goldendoodles?
As you can see from the different generations of Goldendoodles that we’ve detailed above, the dogs have to go through a lot of breeding to get to their smallest sizes. Some people want a dog that is as small as possible to take pictures with and to use as an accessory.
This is partially where the name ‘Toy Breed’ comes from, as people consider them toys or accessories.
Breeders know that, unfortunately, there are still people out there who will pay the most money for the smallest dogs. So, to cash in on this and make as much from their dogs as possible, they will quickly breed their Goldendoodles with other dogs to make new litters.
Breeding dogs can be a lengthy process as you have to wait for the new generation to be born and mature slightly. This can lead to immature dogs being bred too early and put through painful pregnancies that their bodies aren’t ready for.
Some breeders also use dogs to carry more litters than is healthy for them to get more money from multiple litters. Unethical breeders might even resort to inbreeding to achieve Teacup sizes, which sets the new generation up for a plethora of health concerns later on in their lives.
It’s important to remember that this is not all breeders and most are ethically breeding Toy and Teacup Goldendoodles. You just need to find an ethical breeder rather than an unethical one.
Can you get smaller than a Teacup Goldendoodle?
Yes, you can get even smaller than a Teacup Goldendoodle, although a Goldendoodle will have to be bred with another breed to achieve this. This is called selective breeding and the price of these dogs can be much higher than that of a Teacup Goldendoodle, which is already quite expensive.
For example, you can breed a Goldendoodle with a Cocker Spaniel, or another breed smaller than the Goldendoodle that has similar features. This will create a new smaller generation that is still similar to the Goldendoodle in looks.
Breeders should be upfront with you if they have used selective breeding to get a smaller size for their litters.
Final Thought
Goldendoodles can be of various sizes depending on a number of factors. However, Teacup Goldendoodles will have a height between 8 and 13 inches with a guide weight between 7 and 15 pounds.
Toy Goldendoodles are slightly larger than Teacup breeds with a height of between 10 and 16 inches with a weight of 10 to 20 pounds.
Goldendoodles can be born through any generation, although they’re most common in either the F1B or F1BB generations. These dogs will be more Poodles than Golden Retrievers. Make sure that you’re using a trusted breeder to choose your Goldendoodle.