Updated: 01/09/2024 – There is a wide price range when it comes to the cost of a Goldendoodle. On the lower end of the purchase price range you can find a Goldendoodle puppy priced as low as $750.
But this may not be the bargain you think it is. Goldendoodles in this price range tend to be poorly bred by unknowing or neglectful breeders and often come with health problems including allergies.
On the opposite end of the price range are turnkey Goldendoodles or Goldendoodles that are trained as guide dogs or service dogs that can cost $20,000. We will discuss what “turnkey” means later in the post.
How Much Does a Goldendoodle Cost in 2024?
The average Goldendoodle price is $2,000 to $5,000. The actual cost will depend on which state you buy from, demand, the type of breeder, size and more. Keep reading to learn about how these and other influences can affect the cost of this designer breed. Plus, find out why the average cost of a new puppy is so high.
Quick Facts About the Goldendoodle
| Traits | Overview |
| Mix | Golden Retriever and Poodle Mix |
| Sizes | Standard: 60 to 100 lbs.; Medium: 36-50 lbs, Mini: 24-36 lbs; Micro: 10 to 24 lbs |
| Energy Level | High energy |
| Maintenance | High maintenance requirements. Need regular grooming |
| Colors | Cream, apricot, red, black, chocolate (dark brown), silver and gray coloring with various patterns like Parti, Phantom, Tuxedo or Merle. |
9 Things That Can Affect the Price of a Goldendoodle
1. Size: Does Size Affect the Price of a Goldendoodle?
The size of the Goldendoodle you want will have a big impact on the cost of your puppy.
Goldendoodle sizes include; Standard, Goldendoodle, Medium Goldendoodle, Miniature Goldendoodle and micro or petite Goldendoodle.
The original Goldendoodle was a standard sized doodle. Meaning they bred a full-sized Golden Retriever with a standard Poodle. This resulted in a large dog. Standard Goldendoodles typically weigh between 50 to 90 lbs and are over 21-inches at the shoulder.
Since not everyone wants a large dog, breeders began to breed mini Goldendoodles. But breeding a large dog down to a smaller one takes time and experience to ensure that the dog is healthy and structurally sound.
A mini Goldendoodle is generally bred by using a mini or moyen poodle and a Golden Retriever to create a smaller sized Golden doodle.
Since the smaller dogs are harder to breed and require several generations to properly breed down the size of the dog, they cost more to produce resulting in a higher price.
Mini and Micro-mini Goldendoodles can cost $1,000 to $2,000 more than a full sized Goldendoodle.
2. Training: How does training affect the Goldendoodle Price?
One of the issues with doodles is that first-time dog owners were allured in by the sweet, teddy bear faces and promise of easy training. This resulted in stories of crazy, out of control doodles.
Although most doodles do inherit the intelligence of the poodle and a willingness to please, puppies don’t train themselves. They still need an experienced person to guide them to acceptable behaviors.
However, too often a first-time dog owner will not know how to train a dog.
To alleviate this issue, breeders started offering trained puppies for an additional cost.
Training varies by breeder. Some will provide different levels of training, while others only offer fully trained turnkey dogs. In all cases the puppies will be older than 8 weeks when you get them.
The cost of training is in addition to the cost of the puppy. Training cost can range between $1,000 for one month of training to $15,000+ for a turnkey puppy.
What is a Turnkey Puppy?
The definition of turnkey puppy is ultimately up to the breeder. But in general, you will get an older puppy that has been crate trained, leash trained, and knows basic commands such as; Sit, Stay, Come, Down and No. Depending on the age they can also be fully potty training.
Other items that may be included in the cost of training are routine health checks, including age appropriate vaccinations, and boarding.
In addition to the training listed above another benefit to getting a turnkey puppy is that you may be able to miss the puppy biting stage. The downside of getting an older puppy is that you will miss the puppy bonding time.
Remember, if you choose to get a trained puppy, always check with the breeder to see what is included in the training as it varies by breeder.
3. Color: What color Goldendoodles are the most expensive?
Goldendoodles can come in either the traditional golden color of the purebred Golden Retriever or any of the colors and color combinations of the poodle.
Common colors include golden, apricot, black, and brown. Plus any of the special color combinations of the poodle including the rare merle coat.
Merle Goldendoodle Premium
The most elusive color available for a Goldendoodle is Merle, A merle coat is commonly associated with the blotchy coat of the Australian Shepard but is making its way into the designer dog breed world very quickly.
Depending on the breeder a merle Goldendoodle can cost $500 to $1000 more than the standard golden coat.
Merle coats are rare outside of certain breeds and merle dogs need to be carefully bred not to cause blindness.
Other popular coat colors that are popular and may come with an extra charge are parti and tuxedo patterns.
4. Quality Breeder: Where you get your Goldendoodle affects the cost of a puppy
Where you get your Goldendoodle will have the most impact on the cost of a puppy. These are the 4 basic ways to get a new puppy and their price points.
1. Backyard Breeder
One of the lowest cost places to get a puppy is through a backyard breeder. These are people that decide to breed their family pet to make a little money. They know nothing about how to breed healthy dogs. Because of the poor breeding practices these dogs may end up with health issues.
Backyard breeders are found on Facebook or Craigslist.
You can often determine if someone is a backyard breeder by simply asking questions about the breed and their breeding process. They will not be able to answer the questions. They also don’t conduct health testing, provide a contract or a health guarantee. You should not get your puppy from a backyard breeder.
Backyard breeders typically charge between $500 to $1,000.
2. Puppy Mills
A puppy mill puppy may cost less than a reputable breeder, but you should not buy from them. Puppy mills are farms that breed hundreds of dogs at a time.
The breeding dogs live in horrible conditions and the puppies are not taken care of before they are sold.
Puppy mill puppies often have health issues and are sometimes sold when they are sick. They are not socialized and are harder to train. In the long run a puppy mill puppy will cost you more than a well-bred dog from a quality breeder.
Puppy mill puppies are often sold either through pet stores or on-line puppy brokers. They can also be sold through the internet by the puppy mill disguising themselves as a reputable breeder.
When dealing with any breeder, always ask questions about the breed and their breeding process. Ask about health testing and what the results are. A true breeder will be able to answer all your questions and provide proof of testing.
Goldendoodle puppies from a puppy mill can cost between $750 and $3,000.
Are you surprised at the $3,000 Goldendoodle price tag? Higher prices are one-way puppy mills try to hide who they really are.
3. Puppy Brokers
A Puppy Broker is not a breeder but they may portray themselves as one. Puppy brokers work with puppy mills and backyard breeders to sell their puppies either to puppy stores or direct to consumers on-line.
Some online puppy brokers are easy to spot because they sell all different types of breeds, from many breeders.
But others are harder to spot. Instead of using one site for all breeds some brokers will use a different site for each breed to make it look like they are different places. One way to spot them is to follow the trail of links. In order to cross promote their sites they may have links to their other websites.
Puppies sold by brokers are sold at a premium price with popular colors being sold for over $3,000. The broker is then paid a commission for selling the dog.
4. Quality Breeders
A quality breeder is one that takes pride in the dogs they produce. They strive to make the breed healthier by carefully selecting the best mating pairs possible. They do this by having all their breeding dogs, health tested and they provide long term health guarantees for avoidable, genetic health conditions. They will also use guardian homes which allow breeding dogs to live with a family.
Another advantage of dealing directly with the breeder is that you may be able to pick your puppy from the litter with the guidance from the breeder.
Because of the care they take in breeding and the cost involved with health care, and testing, a quality breeder will cost more.
You can find a reputable Goldendoodle breeder in the United States, by looking at the Goldendoodle Association of North America approved breeder list. Reputable breeders on this list must follow the breeding standards set forth by the organization that includes specific health testing.
The average price range for a health tested goldendoodle puppy is $4,000 to over $5,000.
5. Health Testing: How does health testing affect the Goldendoodle price?
Breeders that health test their dogs are generally well educated in the breed and the best breeding practices. There are many health tests that are recommended for breeding a Goldendoodle. Both the health tests and breeding education are expensive. That expense is then passed on to the buyer.
The cost of a health tested Goldendoodle can be twice the cost of a non-health tested Goldendoodle.
6. Goldendoodle Generations: F1 Goldendoodle vs F1B Goldendoodle
Some would say there is an art to breeding doodles. Unlike breeding two pure-breeds where the outcomes are pretty much guaranteed, breeding doodles is more complicated.
When breeding a purebred dog, like a Golden Retriever with a Poodle, the puppies can take on an assortment of characteristics. Not all of them will have the desired look or traits that people want. To help potential puppy buyers understand what they may get, breeders created the Doodle Generation Classification.
F1 Goldendoodle– First generation Goldendoodle – Pups are 50% Golden Retriever and 50% Poodle. The F1 doodle is considered the healthiest cross, since there is less chance of inheriting breed specific health issues. Of course this only works for health conditions that affect only one of the breeds. First generation doodles are more likely to shed, though it should be less than a Golden.
F1b Goldendoodle – A second generation Goldendoodle. In this combination when a F1 Golden Retriever is crossed with a Poodle, the genetic make-up is thought to be 25% Golden and 75% Poodle. While there are no guarantees, the puppy should be more poodle than Golden.
F1b Goldendoodlesare more likely to not shed as compared to an F1. Because of this they cost more than an F1 Goldendoodle.
F2 Goldendoodle– Multi generation Goldendoodle. This is when 2 Goldendoodles are bred together. Later generation doodles tend to cost more than either a F1 or F2B.
7. Hair type
Goldendoodles can have lightly wavy to curly fur. The most sought-after look is a soft, non-shedding, wavy coat. Some less experienced breeders will price their puppies according expected fur type.
Experienced breeders that conduct genetic testing will produce a more consistent look. Therefore, they will not have price differences for fur type.
8. Demand
Supply and demand have a lot to do with the cost of anything, and dogs are no exception. Since the mini or micro Goldendoodles are harder to breed, they demand a higher price tag. Same thing goes for merle Goldendoodles or ones with a preferred coat type.
9. Breeding Rights: Companion Dogs vs Breeding Rights
It’s important to understand what you are buying when you purchase a puppy. When you buy a puppy you are not only buying the dog itself but also whether or not you can breed the dog. Most puppies are sold as companion pets with a spay/neuter contracts.
This basically means you have agreed to have your puppy fixed by a certain age so they cannot produce more puppies. Companion puppies cost less than puppies with breeding rights.
Breeding right puppies are expensive and typically only sold to breeders that plan to produce litters for profit.
The cost of breeding dogs will depend on the quality of the dog. Premium prices are charged for dogs with popular colors and that are health tested.
Where to find a Goldendoodle puppy for less?
If the price tag of a well-bred Goldendoodle is too high, there are alternatives.
One is adopting a Goldendoodle that is in-need of a home. The cost to adopt an adult goldendoodle can range between $250 and $600 depending on the age of the dog and the adoption agency. The adoption fees for a young puppy maybe even more than that.
The other is to look for a breeder with the Guardian Home program. You can learn more about Guardian programs in our post Goldendoodle Puppies: Where to find one.
Beyond the initial Cost of a Goldendoodle
Purchasing a dog is only the start of the costs involved with owning a dog. You will also have annual costs that include items like:
First Year Costs* – $1,500 to $2,900
- Veterinarian Care – $400 to $600 this includes the cost of vaccines.
- Food – the cost of food will depend on size of your dog and the type of food you feed them. $400 to $800
- Toys and treats $200 to $600
- Pet Supplies – $200 to $450 – this includes items like a crate, bedding, snuggle puppy, food bowl and water bowls, leash and harness.
- Training Classes – $150 – $300
- Grooming – professional grooming $400 – $600.
- Grooming DIY $400 -$800 to buy grooming supplies the first year.
Ongoing Annual Costs* – $1,250 to $2,400
- Veterinarian Care – $250 to $400 this includes the cost of vaccines. May be more if illness or accidents happen. To manage medical cost you may want to purchase pet insurance.
- Food – the cost of food will depend the size of your dog and the type of food you feed them. $600 to $1200
- Toys and treats – $200 to $600
- Grooming – professional grooming $600 – $1,200
* Note: the actual cost will depend on your location, size of your doodle and buying choices.
Is a Goldendoodle a good family dog?
If you are looking for a friendly, high energy, family-oriented dog that is easy to train, then a Goldendoodle is a great choice. Just keep in mind that no dog is perfect and all puppies require consistent training to grow into well-manner adult dogs.
You may also want to look into other doodle breeds, like the Labradoodle, or Bernadoodle.
Bringing home your Goldendoodle puppy.
Once you decide on a breeder, you should start thinking about what you need for when you bring your puppy home. Puppies require many things, like a leash and collar, food bowls and toys. One of the things you might not think about is where your puppy will go to the bathroom. Having an established place to train your puppy to go will make potty training easier. To learn more, check out our posts on Potty Training a Puppy: Made Easy and Outdoor Dog Potty Area Guide.
Tell us what your Goldendoodle Cost
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- Mini Goldendoodle: Your Up-To-Date Guide for 2022
- Black Goldendoodle: What You Need to Know
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