Groodle Puppies: Adopt or Buy?

What exactly is a Groodle?

A Groodle is a cross between a Golden Retriever and a Poodle, usually a Standard Poodle, sometimes a Miniature. Outside Australia the same dog is called a Goldendoodle. It is not a breed in the formal sense: Dogs Australia publishes a breed standard for each purebred breed it recognises, and the Groodle is not one of them. For a buyer that means:

• No standard to measure a puppy against. Adult size, coat and temperament depend on the parents and can vary within one litter.
• No Dogs Australia registered Groodle breeders. Some crossbreed breeders belong to other registries, which Dogs Australia says are not affiliated with it and cannot issue certified pedigrees.
• No breed club. Nobody sets minimum health tests for Groodle litters or publishes a reference price, the way the Golden Retriever clubs do for their breed.

The best-known Poodle cross started in Australia. Two University of Sydney geneticists writing in The Conversation explain that the Labradoodle began in the late 1980s, when a Guide Dogs Victoria breeding manager crossed a Labrador with a Standard Poodle for people who reacted to Labrador hair. The Groodle, the Cavoodle and many other crosses followed, and none of them is a breed Dogs Australia recognises.

How big does a Groodle get, and what is it like?

Bigger than many buyers expect. Because there is no Groodle standard, the parent breeds are the only reference:

Heights, coat descriptions and character from the Dogs Australia breed standards for the Golden Retriever and the Standard Poodle, read 9 November 2026. The shedding and clipping notes and the Groodle row are general guidance, because a cross has no standard.

In practice most Groodles are energetic family dogs that need daily exercise, training and a groomer every few weeks for life. If you want something smaller, a Groodle bred from a Miniature Poodle may suit, but size is still a guess until the puppy grows. An adult from a rescue answers that question on day one.

Are Groodles hypoallergenic or non-shedding?

The Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) says: “All dog breeds cause allergies, although some do not shed as much dander, and therefore less allergen is spread.” The main dog allergen is in saliva, and up to 50% of people allergic to animals do not get symptoms straight away, so a short cuddle at a breeder's house proves very little.

Shedding is a coat question, and Groodle coats vary. One puppy may grow a curly Poodle-type coat that sheds little; a littermate may grow a Golden-type coat that sheds; many land between. Generation labels such as F1b (an F1 Groodle bred back to a Poodle) make a Poodle-type coat more likely but promise nothing, and no registry checks them. Our guides to dogs that don't shed and hypoallergenic dogs in Australia cover how to test a specific dog before you commit.

Which health tests should a Groodle breeder show you?

Certificates for both parents. A Groodle can inherit conditions from either side, and with no Groodle club there is no minimum standard, so the parent breeds' screening is your benchmark.

Read 9 November 2026. A buying checklist, not veterinary advice; your vet can tell you what each result means.

For what each condition means once you have your dog, see our national guides to Golden Retriever health and Poodle health, and the Groodle health guide.

What does a Groodle cost?

We cannot give you a breeder price we can stand behind. Purebred breeds have clubs and Dogs Australia breeder pages that sometimes publish a reference figure; the Groodle has neither, so any figure on a listing site is that seller's asking price. What we can show you is what rescues publish:

Fees as published by each rescue on the date shown. A reference, not a quote: fees change and some dogs are priced individually. Adoption fees normally include desexing, microchipping and vaccinations, which you would pay a vet for after buying a puppy.

The purchase price is the smaller number over a large dog's life. Food for a big dog, grooming every few weeks for a curly coat and insurance all add up, so run the first year through the dog cost calculator.

What do Groodles in rescue look like?

Mostly young adults and adults, plus the occasional puppy. Across the rescues we aggregate, Groodles are listed under several names (Groodle, Goldendoodle, Golden Retriever x Poodle, Poodle cross) so search more than one name. For an adopter ready for a large dog, an adult has one big advantage: you see the size, coat and energy before you commit.

A rescue will usually have had the dog vet checked, desexed, microchipped and vaccinated, and a foster carer can tell you how it behaves with children, cats and other dogs. What you will not usually get is its generation or its parents' health results, so book a baseline vet check in the first week. Widen the net by searching the low-shedding listings for your city, and look at the Labradoodle and Poodle breed pages too.

How do Groodle scams work, and how do you check a seller?

Scamwatch describes fake websites, social media profiles and marketplace listings offering popular breeds that do not exist, often at a price that looks like a bargain. A Dogs Victoria fact sheet warns that scam ads target in-demand breeds and mixes, and that they may show microchip, source or membership numbers copied from real breeders, so check that a number belongs to that breeder, that location and that breed.

Because a Groodle breeder cannot be a Dogs Australia registered breeder, the checks that matter are the ones every breeder must pass:

1. The state number. A breeder identification number in NSW, a Pet Exchange Register source number in Victoria, a supply number in Queensland, a DACO breeder number in South Australia, a licence number in the ACT. Look it up on the official register yourself. Our puppies for sale guide sets out every state's scheme.
2. The mother, where the puppies are raised. Dogs Australia says responsible breeders should show you all the dogs on their premises, and suggests asking whether your vet can check the puppy before you buy.
3. Certificates for both parents, as in the table above.
4. A reverse image search of the puppy photos, and a search of a sentence from the ad.
5. No bank transfers to strangers. Pay only once you have seen the puppy, by a method that gives you some protection. If you have already paid, call your bank straight away and report it to Scamwatch.

Should you adopt or buy a Groodle?

Adopt if you can be flexible about age. An adult Groodle from a rescue costs a published fee, arrives with the vet work done and shows you its size, coat and character, which matters more for a cross than for a purebred. Buy if you need a young puppy and will do the checking a missing breed standard leaves to you: state breeder number, the mother on site, certificates for both parents.

If what you really want is a predictable size and coat, consider the parent breeds. Both the Golden Retriever and the Poodle have breed standards, breed clubs and Dogs Australia registered breeders; our Golden Retriever adopt-or-buy guide covers one side. If a smaller oodle suits your home better, read the Cavoodle adopt-or-buy guide. Still deciding? Try the what dog breed am I quiz or the adoption readiness check.

Find a Groodle near you

Each page shows Groodles listed right now by rescues in that city, and each listing links to the rescue where you apply directly.

• Groodles for adoption in Sydney
• Groodles for adoption in Melbourne
• Groodles for adoption in Brisbane
• Groodles for adoption in Perth
• Groodles for adoption in Adelaide

Low-shedding dogs of every type, listed by city: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide.

Local Groodle adoption guides: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Perth, Adelaide.