Can Goldendoodles Hunt

Can Goldendoodles Hunt – Are They Good At It?

Goldendoodles are cross-breed dogs that are becoming more and more popular, especially as pet dogs. Mixing a Labrador Retriever and a Poodle sounds very cute and interesting, but can those dogs be good hunters?

So, can Goldendoodles hunt? Goldendoodles are excellent for hunting. This cross-breed has the qualities of both of its ancestors. Besides being good pet dogs, Goldendoodles are slowly gaining a reputation as great hunting dogs as well.

When thinking about Poodles, people imagine dogs with fancy haircuts, performing tricks for a treat. Historically, Poodles were used as hunting dogs, especially in France and Germany, where that practice still exists.

Golden Retrievers, despite the fact of being perfect family pets, were bred as hunting dogs too, as their name suggests.

Can Goldendoodles Hunt

Goldendoodles are a relatively new cross-breed, originating from 1969. As poodles are suitable for people with allergies, it seemed like a good idea to mix the two breeds in order to create a hypoallergenic dog, as a guide dog for sensitive individuals. From then until now, Goldendoodles were used as pets, guide and therapy dogs, and even search and rescue. They are smart, easy to train, adaptable, and healthy. Those and many other qualities make them usable for hunters.

Here we are going to list all the reasons that make Goldendoodles good hunting dogs.

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Golden Retriever Hunting Skills and Advantages

These medium-large dogs have been used as hunting dogs since the 19th century. They are gentle and able to retrieve game birds, such as ducks, from the water without any damage. They are excellent swimmers. Because of their soft mouth and lack of aggression retrieving game birds is a perfect task for them.

Golden retrievers are extremely easy to train, they are intelligent and love being outdoors, running, and swimming. They are truly enjoying their hunting lifestyles. A double coat repels water and keeps them dry and warm.

They are friendly towards other people and animals, playfully, and patient. Some of their qualities are:

  • love for work
  • ability to focus
  • persistence
  • intelligence
  • obedience
  • endurance
  • loyalty

They can be so persistent in task execution that the owners should be careful not to exhaust them. That kind of enthusiastic behavior made them number one in retriever breeds. Except for the extraordinary ability to work, they are obedient enough to sit and wait patiently during hunting parties.

Poodle Hunting Skills and Advantages

There are three variations of the Poodle breed. The one used for creating Goldendoodle is the Standard Poodle. They originate from Germany, but they are so popular in France that some claimes had been made that Poodles are originally French dogs.

They are rated as the second most intelligent dog. Agility, obedience training, tracking, and many other activities are perfect for Poodles. The standard poodle has been used as a retriever or a gun dog long before it became a popular pet. They are agile and excellent swimmers. Curly and dense coat is resistant to moisture. As we can see, Poodles and Golden retrievers share some qualities despite the fact they look different.

Fancy haircuts poodles have today were not a fashion statement in the past. Hair was longer on some body parts to enhance protection.

Some of the numerous qualities that make Poodles great hunting dogs are the following:

  • stamina
  • intelligence
  • trustworthiness
  • trainability
  • tolerance
  • loyalty

Since 2008, there are breeding programs in the US and Canada that are trying to restore the reputation and promote poodles as hunting dogs.

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Are Goldendoodles Good Hunting Dogs

Poodles and Golden Retrievers are excellent hunting dogs and so is their cross-breed. Can Goldendoodles hunt and be trained as well as other hunting dogs is a question asked by many. Cross-breeds are still considered to be designer dogs made solely for appearance and to be used as pets.

When mixing two hunting dogs the result will be a hunting dog. Goldendoodles possess the same qualities. Except for being great pets, therapy dogs, and search and rescue dogs, they can be used for retrieving birds.

Goldendoodles have the intelligence of a poodle and trainability of a Golden Retriever. Excellent swimming skills, agility, and stamina are among the qualities hunting dogs need to have. They are becoming more and more popular as hunting dogs and there are breeding programs established for that purpose.

Goldendoodles have many qualities including:

  • great hunting instinct
  • strength and stamina
  • friendliness
  • intelligence

Unfortunately, not many hunters recognize those qualities. Poodles are one of the most popular pet dogs today and not knowing the history of the breed, they are not considered as potential hunting dogs.

It is important to say that not all Goldendoodles are bred for the same purpose. Some are more suitable for hunting and some as pets, depending on the qualities from parents breeders tried to get.

It is also important to choose a reputable breeder in order to get the best possible Goldendoodle. Not all puppies are 50% Golden retriever and 50% Poodle. Percentages and behavior may vary.

Training

Training a Goldendoodle for retrieving game birds is the same as training any other breed. The dog should be exposed to hunting and used to gun noise as early as possible. Standard obedience training can be applied. As intelligent as they are, Goldendoodles do not require any special or hard training methods. They are gentle and friendly by nature so they react best to respectfully approach. Goldendoodles are fast learners and good at following instructions.

It is important that a dog comes from a reputable breeding line and that parents have good hunting capabilities. That also applies to any other dog breed.

Well-bred Goldendoodle inherited qualities from both parents and it can be even better for training than pure-breed hunting dogs.

“Can Goldendoodles hunt” should be asked more frequently for the cross-breed to get the acknowledgment it deserves. These unfairly underestimated dogs make great hunters. Their capabilities are recognized in many contests, they are trained to be used for search and rescue and a lot more. Their qualities are accepted world-wide and slowly but surely they will become popular hunting dogs.

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