How to Find a Mate or Stud for Your Goldendoodle in the United States

Should you breed your Goldendoodle at all?

Not every lovely pet should be bred, and doodles are not short of homes: rescuers in Kentucky reported a rise in abandoned doodles in 2025. Answer these honestly before you contact a stud owner:

• Is your dog a healthy adult with a calm, sound temperament around people and other dogs?
• Has it finished every test in the table below, with results you would be happy to publish?
• Is there hip or elbow dysplasia, eye disease, heart disease, bloat or early cancer in close relatives? PetMD lists the first four among Goldendoodle health concerns.
• Can you pay for pregnancy checks and an emergency C-section, and raise a litter for at least 8 weeks?
• Will you take back any puppy, at any age, and can you find buyers who accept that coat and size vary?

If the answer to any of these is no, your dog may be happier as a companion. Read how to sell Goldendoodle puppies to see the full commitment before you decide.

Which health clearances should a Goldendoodle stud or mate have?

Use the parent breed clubs' lists for purebred mates, and the Goldendoodle Association of North America (GANA) breeder rules as a minimum for Goldendoodles. Ask for results recorded with the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA), which certifies mixed-breed dogs too.

Standard Poodles also need a thyroid evaluation under the club's list. Every dog should test negative for canine brucellosis: the AKC advises testing stud dogs every 6 to 12 months and females before each breeding.

How do you choose a suitable Goldendoodle mate?

• Generation. A Goldendoodle bred to a Poodle gives F1B puppies; two Goldendoodles give F2 or multigeneration puppies. Say which you plan, because buyers will ask.
• Size. The Poodle side mostly sets size. If one dog is much larger, ask your vet whether the female can carry and deliver the litter safely; a small female with a large male is the riskier combination.
• Coat genetics. Labs such as the UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory offer coat DNA tests, including furnishings, the gene behind the doodle beard. Furnishings is dominant, so two dogs that each carry one improper-coat copy can still have smooth-faced puppies. No pairing guarantees a coat.
• Temperament. Meet the dog, or at least see it on a live video call. A 2026 Royal Veterinary College study of Poodle crosses advised buyers to meet the parents, so expect buyers to judge yours.
• Pedigree. Ask for at least three generations to avoid close inbreeding and to check health and lifespan across the family.

Where can you find a Goldendoodle stud or mate in the US?

• Your dog's breeder. A careful breeder knows suitable dogs and may mentor a first litter.
• Breeder associations for the cross. GANA says its member breeders must health test their breeding dogs and follow its code of ethics.
• Poodle owners. Expect some to say no: the Poodle Club of America bars its members from breeding Poodles to other breeds.
• Listings. Search Goldendoodles for mating, filter by location and save the search to get alerts when a new dog is listed.

Message the owner through PetzLover first and ask for the dog's OFA results, DNA reports and brucellosis test date before you arrange a visit.

What should a Goldendoodle stud contract include?

The AKC advises putting a stud agreement in writing before the mating, with a signed copy for each side, and the same sense applies to a cross. The stud owner sets the fee and may take cash, pick of the litter or a puppy. Cover:

• Both dogs' names, microchip numbers, generations and sizes, and the planned dates.
• The fee, when it is due and whether any deposit is refundable.
• For a puppy as payment: who picks, at what age, and what happens with a very small litter.
• What happens if no puppies are born, such as a repeat mating on the next heat.
• The health results each side must show, including recent brucellosis tests.
• Who pays travel, boarding, progesterone tests or artificial insemination.

What legal points apply to breeding Goldendoodles in the US?

• No AKC registration. The AKC does not register a litter from two different breeds or from mixed-breed parents, so tell buyers plainly what papers, if any, come with a puppy.
• Local permits. Los Angeles, for example, requires a breeding permit before a dog is bred. Ask your city or county.
• USDA. Someone with more than four breeding females who sells puppies sight unseen generally needs a USDA license.
• Puppy sales. About 28 states and Washington, DC set a minimum sale age, usually 8 weeks, and about 22 states have puppy lemon laws.

Meet in daylight with a friend, keep your dog leashed, never send a deposit before seeing results, and use the Report Scam button on suspicious listings. Stud owners should read how to advertise your Goldendoodle for mating, and future buyers' questions are in how to buy a Goldendoodle puppy.