The newest trend in the doodle world is creating ultra-small dogs that weigh less than 10 pounds and stand around 10 to 12 inches tall. These dogs are often called the “micro doodle,” “micro mini doodle,” or “micro petite doodle.” In short, these dogs are ultra-cute and essentially look like real-life teddy bears, but do have significant health issues and high costs.
Today, we will focus on the micro Goldendoodle, which is a mix between the Golden Retriever and Toy Poodle. If you held up an 8.5 x 11-inch sheet of paper, that’s approximately how big this dog will be. The micro mini Goldendoodle is honestly one of the cutest dogs I have ever seen, but the way they are bred and created is quite concerning. Also, these dogs are extremely expensive since they take a long time to breed.
What is a micro Goldendoodle?
A micro Goldendoodle is the smallest size of the Goldendoodle that ranges in weight from 5 to 10 pounds; it stands around 10 to 12 inches tall. It’s a relatively new term that has been promoted by Goldendoodle dog breeders within the last few years.
The micro Goldendoodle also has several different names as they are also called the micro mini Goldendoodle and micro petite Goldendoodle. There are three relatively standard sizes of this dog: the mini Goldendoodle (<30 pounds), the medium Goldendoodle (<45 pounds), and the standard Goldendoodle (45+ pounds).
The micro Goldendoodle was a term that was created to emphasize an extremely small mini Goldendoodle. This term was essentially created for marketing purposes. The micro Goldendoodle is smaller than the toy Goldendoodle as well as the teacup Goldendoodle.
While having a full-grown micro Goldendoodle that will fit in the pocket of your jacket and look extremely cute may be appealing, the dogs are prone to more health issues than the normal Goldendoodle.
What is the micro mini Goldendoodle size?
The Goldendoodle sizes from smallest to largest are listed below. You will see these sizes commonly advertised by Goldendoodle breeders. However, it’s important to note that there is no standardized sizing of Goldendoodle as they are a designer dog.
- Micro Goldendoodle full-grown will be around 5 to 10 pounds
- Teacup Goldendoodle (usually around 13 pounds)
- Toy Goldendoodle (usually less than 20 pounds)
- Mini Goldendoodle (less than 30 pounds)
- Medium Goldendoodle (less than 45 pounds)
- Standard Goldendoodle (more than 45 pounds)
How do you breed a micro Goldendoodle?
Breeding a micro Goldendoodle is extremely difficult. In addition, many people consider these micro, micro mini, and micro petite dogs to be unethical.
Essentially, to breed a micro Goldendoodle, you need to originally breed a small Golden Retriever with a Toy Poodle. Next, over several generations, you only breed the “runt” or the smallest dog in the litter to keep creating a small dog. Only breeding the smallest dogs in the litter will force the offspring to get smaller and smaller. Eventually you will end up with a micro Goldendoodle.
Many people consider this select breeding to be cruel for Goldendoodles because they do have several health and genetic defects due to being small.
Do micro mini Goldendoodles have health issues?
Micro mini Goldendoodles have more health issues than a standard Goldendoodle because of their small size. Veterinarians have agreed that micro Goldendoodles are more susceptible to the following health issues:
- Hypoglycemia
- Heart defects
- Collapsing trachea
- Seizures
- Respiratory problems
- Digestive problems
- Blindness
There are also several other health issues that veterinarians worry about for micro Goldendoodles including liver shunts, development of dental and gums, patella luxation, and hydrocephalus. A lot of these medical issues could potentially be fatal for a micro mini Goldendoodle. It’s important to consider the health risk for these dogs before you purchase one.
How much does micro Goldendoodle puppy cost?
The micro mini Goldendoodle size may be extremely small, but the cost of these puppies is extremely high. It’s not uncommon to see micro Goldendoodle puppies that are multi-colored sell for more than $5,000. On average, the micro Goldendoodle price is typically two to three times higher than the average cost of a Goldendoodle puppy.
The cost of micro Goldendoodle puppies is primarily driven by two factors: the difficulty to breed these dogs as well as the demand. First, in order to get a micro Goldendoodle you need to breed several generations of dogs to make this small of a dog – this takes a long time. Second, the demand for these types of dogs is very high because they are extremely cute, hypoallergenic, and non-shedding.
Essentially a micro petite Goldendoodle not only looks cute, but they also get some of the best genetic traits that include being non-shedding and hypoallergenic.
Advantages of a micro petite Goldendoodle
- They are extremely cute animals. The micro mini Goldendoodle size makes them look like a living teddy bear.
- Micro Goldendoodles need less exercise than a standard Goldendoodle. Due to their small size, you won’t have an extremely active dog that destroys your house if you don’t exercise them. This is great for people that are immobile or live in small living spaces.
- Petite Goldendoodles will eat less food. Dog food is expensive and while you’re already paying a premium for a mini Goldendoodle so you can save money on food.
Conclusion for What is the Micro Goldendoodle?
The micro Goldendoodle may be the cutest dog that you have ever seen, but they do have several downsides. First, these dogs are bred somewhat unethically by selectively choosing to only breed the runt of a litter. Next, the micro petite Goldendoodle has several issues due to what is essentially a genetic defect of being extremely small. Lastly, these dogs are extremely expensive and it’s not uncommon to spend more than $5,000+ for one of these dogs.
So these may be the cutest Goldendoodles that you have ever seen, but you should consider all the facts before deciding to purchase one of these dogs.
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Dr. Sabrina Kong graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in England in 2016 and has been working at a small animal clinic in Northern California since then. She grew up in the Bay Area and got her bachelor’s degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. She also became a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner through a program at the University of Tennessee.
When she isn’t in the clinic taking care of her four-legged patients, she enjoys traveling and trying new foods with her friends and her three-legged dog, Apollo. She adopted Apollo from her clinic when he was a puppy with numerous health issues. Dr. Kong truly cares about taking care of animals.