LICENCED GOLDENDOODLE BREEDER

Zoes Doodles
Zoes Doodles
  • HOME
  • Zoe's Doodles
    • About Us
    • What We Do
    • Contact Us
  • Breeding Dogs
    • Our Breeding Dogs
    • Potential Breeding Dogs
    • Retired Breeding Dogs
    • Guardian Program
  • Upcoming Litters
  • How to Adopt
  • MORE
    • Breed Profile
    • Understanding Genetics
    • Testimonials
    • Questions & Answers
    • Social Media
    • Our Partners
    • Canine Couture Photos
  • More
    • HOME
    • Zoe's Doodles
      • About Us
      • What We Do
      • Contact Us
    • Breeding Dogs
      • Our Breeding Dogs
      • Potential Breeding Dogs
      • Retired Breeding Dogs
      • Guardian Program
    • Upcoming Litters
    • How to Adopt
    • MORE
      • Breed Profile
      • Understanding Genetics
      • Testimonials
      • Questions & Answers
      • Social Media
      • Our Partners
      • Canine Couture Photos
  • HOME
  • Zoe's Doodles
    • About Us
    • What We Do
    • Contact Us
  • Breeding Dogs
    • Our Breeding Dogs
    • Potential Breeding Dogs
    • Retired Breeding Dogs
    • Guardian Program
  • Upcoming Litters
  • How to Adopt
  • MORE
    • Breed Profile
    • Understanding Genetics
    • Testimonials
    • Questions & Answers
    • Social Media
    • Our Partners
    • Canine Couture Photos

Understanding Genetics

The Science Side of Things

As a consciences breeder,  our goal is to select healthy breeding dogs with even-tempered dispositions.  To achieve this, we use genetic testing to help manage our breeding program, from improving genetic health and diversity to screening for disease mutations, understanding and predicting coat traits, and more.  Behaviors are very much influenced by environment as well as genetics – that’s why retrievers retrieve and pointers point.  


For each of the genetic tests that we perform, there are 3 possible outcomes when testing Autosomal Recessive genes. The dog could be CLEAR of the disease, where both alleles are normal (N/N), AFFECTED by the disease, where both alleles are affected (A/A), or a CARRIER of the disease, where one allele is normal and the other is affected (N/A). Carriers are equally as healthy and are an important component to creating greater genetic diversity within a breed. Carriers and even affected dogs can be used in a cautious breeding program as long as they are paired with a CLEAR mate. 


Genetic tests are very reliable and can be taken at any age. Genetic diseases are much simpler to predict, diagnose and eliminate than physical disease, such as hip dysplasia.

Genetics Basics

Allele

Coat Trait Testing

Coat Trait Testing

An allele is one of two or more versions of a gene. A dog, similar to a human, inherits two alleles for each gene, one from each parent.  

Coat Trait Testing

Coat Trait Testing

Coat Trait Testing

We test our breeding dogs for curl, color, furnishings (incorrect coat) and shedding.  This information enables us to better to predict what kind of coat traits our dogs will produce in their offspring.  

Color Testing

Coat Trait Testing

Color Testing

Our focus (& favourite) is the cream to red goldendoodle fleece coat, however color testing ensures that we can predict the colors, expression (agouti), and intensity of color in each litter.

Curl Testing

Furnishings (F)

Color Testing

When testing curl,  know that the inheritance is incomplete dominance, which means the two alleles work together. We can predict the coat type in each litter.  -/- represents (straight) which really is a loose wavy coat, -/+ is a  curly/ wavy coat, +/+ is a curly coat.

Shedding (SD)

Furnishings (F)

Furnishings (F)

The SD Locus (Shedding) has been identified as one gene that can impact the degree of shedding in certain breeds of dog. 


Various combinations of genotypes at the SD locus and IC locus can produce intermediate shedding states as indicated on the chart at the bottom. 

Furnishings (F)

Furnishings (F)

Furnishings (F)

The longer hair on the face, including beard, mustache, and eyebrow hair is a result of the furnishing gene. We find this trait desirable and ensure all our puppies will have one furnishing allele  to give them the “doodle look.”   


Goldendoodles only need to have one copy of this dominant gene to have furnishings.  Furnishings are associated with much lower amounts of shedding and a doodle with both furnishing alleles will have the highest rate of non shedding.

Incorrect Coat (IC)

Companion Animal Eye Registry (CAER)

Companion Animal Eye Registry (CAER)

A Goldendoodle that carries two copies or 'is affected' with IC will not have furnishings. The Furnishing allele is dominant, so you only need one to give us the fluffy, scruffy face of the traditional Goldendoodle.


An IC affected coat looks more typical of a golden retriever coat. The facial hair will be very short and the body hair will be a diluted version of the curl locus and usually shed moderate to heavy.  


All of our dogs are tested for IC.  A dog that just carries the IC allele, will still look like a Goldendoodle but may shed moderately. However, with DNA testing, we are able to avoid breeding two IC carriers together that would result in some of the puppies being affected. 

Companion Animal Eye Registry (CAER)

Companion Animal Eye Registry (CAER)

Companion Animal Eye Registry (CAER)

All our breeding dogs undergo a complete eye exam on a biennial schedule by a certified canine ophthalmologist. These results are registered with OFA and can be located in their data base.

read more

OFA Certified

Companion Animal Eye Registry (CAER)

OFA Certified

The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals was founded in 1966. Their initial mission was to provide radiographic evaluation, data management and genetic counselling for canine hip dysplasia. The OFA still maintains a database for hip dysplasia but now also maintains databases on many other genetic disorders, such as elbow, patella, cardiac, eyes and congenital deafness. All our breeding dogs will have their hips, elbows, eyes, and cardiac tested and approved through OFA. If a breeding dog is under 20", patellas will be rated through OFA as well.

Link to OFA

GANA

GANA

OFA Certified

Goldendoodle Association of North America (GANA) is the first and only breed club established for the Goldendoodle. We just love this website! When we discovered GANA, we were so thrilled to have a standard description of the Goldendoodle breed and to have detailed levels of the testing recommended. As a breeder mentor, I always refer to this site for upcoming goldendoodle breeders. It is a wealth of knowledge and there is a communication board with the most current scientific discoveries on genetic disorders. I am proud to be a registered breeder with GANA! ALL my breeding dogs are tested to the highest level (blue ribbon status) achieved within GANA. 


Link to GANA

Shedding interpretation chart

Copyright © 2018 Zoes Doodles - All Rights Reserved.

Powered by

WE ARE ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS ON OUR PLANNED 2025 LITTERS

Fully health tested parents.  PennHip, OFA: Hips, Heart, Patellas, Elbows, Eyes (CAER), genetics and coat traits.

Learn more