The Head of a Goldendoodle-
There are two basic head shapes for a Goldendoodle. The first is a narrow skull with a long face that is very similar to the Poodle. Some Poodles have a wider skull depending upon their origins. It has been our experience that Poodles with a long slender face seem to gave ancestors that originated out of France and those with a wider skull seem to have ancestors that originated from Germany or Sweden and other parts of Europe. The second head shape is a wide skull with a short face. Many Goldendoodles are seen with the wider skull and shorter muzzle when a Golden Retriever has been used with this same skull structure. Although there are only two basic skull shapes for the Goldendoodle (and dogs in general), there are also several intermediate head shapes. Long-faced Goldendoodle dogs may have jaws eight inches long or slightly shorter. Goldendoodles who are much smaller in size such as those who are only 9 pounds, have a small face and will have a much shorter face in length.
Goldendoodles, like all dogs, have 42 teeth. Six pairs of sharp incisor teeth are in front of the mouth, flanked by two pairs of large canine ("dog") teeth. The other teeth are premolars and molars. The incisors and the canines are very important because the dog bites and tears at its food with these teeth.
Air breathed in through the dog's nose passes its way to the lungs through the two nasal cavities behind the nose. These cavities are lined by a mucous membrane containing many nerve endings stimulated by odors. Smell is the dog's most acute sense; As a Goldendoodle dog continually sniffs the air, the ground, and nearby objects to learn what is happening around it, this is how they identify their surroundings. Goldendoodles have a very keen sense of smell. All Goldendoodles have an indentation in their forehead just above eye level and this is called the stop. The stop in some Goldendoodles is deeper than that in others, it just depends upon the over all skull shape.
The fairly thin tongue of the doodle dog is used mainly for guiding food to the throat; for licking the coat clean and for perspiration. Yes, dogs do sweat and the Goldendoodle dog will sweat through its tongue like all dogs. Although some Goldendoodles enjoy hanging their tongue out during play, it will also hang its tongue out when he or she becomes overheated. The Goldendoodle cools off by hanging its tongue out and panting at the same time. As a Goldendoodle pants, the evaporation of perspiration from its tongue cools him or her off. Did you know that your Goldendoodle will also sweat through its pads on its paws and slightly through its skin.
While some dogs have ears that stick straight up, the Goldendoodle always has ears that hang downward. This is because the Poodle and the Golden Retriever have ears that hang down and the Goldendoodle picks up many of its traits from both parental sides of the "doggie tree". A Goldendoodle should NOT have erect (straight standing) ears but some Goldendoodles can have short ears that flip over at the tips. Their shaggy coat will cover their ears and the coat is always longer than the actual ear skin. All Goldendoodles have a fine keen sense of hearing. They can hear sounds at frequencies far too high for us humans to hear. This is why your Goldendoodle can respond to "silent" whistles.
Goldendoodles, like all dogs, usually have two complete eyes, unless of course an anomally has occured during the fetal stage. Each eye of the Goldendoodle dog has three eyelids, the main upper and lower lids and a third lid hidden between them in the inner corner of the eye. The third eyelid can sweep across the transparent cornea of the eye and clean it like a windshield wiper.
The head and body of your Goldendoodle is connected by its neck. Your Goldendoodle's neck may be long or short, depending on the size of the seven bones that support it. The length of the vocal cords in the neck is a factor influencing the pitch and loudness of a doodle's voice. Your Goldendoodle barks, grunts, and howls. Sometimes the pitch can be very annoying, but luckily the Goldendoodle is NOT a known yapper!
The Body of the Goldendoodle-
The body of a Goldendoodle contains most of its vital organs. The heart, lungs, stomach, and intestines can be located there. You will also find that its sex organs, kidneys, and bladder are situated inside the body cavity as well. The 13 ribs of the Goldendoodle dog's chest wrap around the heart and lungs. Since these organs influence your Goldendoodle's speed and stamina, its chest size can be an indication of these traits. Such traits come from the entire lineage of both the Poodle and the Golden Retriever.
All Goldendoodles have 27 bones from the skull to the point where its tail begins. The number of tailbones, however, and the length of your Goldendoodle's tail will be dependent upon whether or not the Goldendoodle breeder has docked the tail or allowed it to remain intact.
The Goldendoodle's body is always covered with alot of fine hair. This hair can be very shaggy and long or short and shaggy. Some Goldendoodles have alot of curls and some have a few curls. Depending upon its actual DNA, a Goldendoodle with more Poodle DNA will usually sport more relaxed curls about the coat and possibly a much longer muzzle. Its tail can also be shorter than a Goldendoodle that has more Golden Retriever DNA. Hair shafts emerge from tiny follicles in the skin of the Goldendoodle. The shafts are connected to tiny muscles that cause the dog's hair to stand up, or bristle, when they contract.
During times of stress, a Goldendoodle raises its hackles; the hair along the neck and spine. Special sensory hairs called whiskers are near the nose, but their usefulness is doubtful because a dog rarely relies on the sense of touch.
Internal anatomy of a Goldendoodle dog: carnivorous domestic mammal raised to perform various tasks for humans.
Encephalon: seat of the intelluctual capacities of a dog.
Spinal column: important part of the nervous system.
Stomach: part of the digestive tract between the esophagus and the intestine.
Spleen: hematopoiesis organ that produces lymphocytes.
Kidney: blood-purifying organ.
Rectum: last part of the intestine.
Bladder: pocket in which urine collects before being eliminated.
Penis: copulative male sexual organ.
Testicle: sperm-producing male sexual organ.
Intestine: last part of the digestive tract.
Liver: bile-producing digestive gland.
Heart: blood-pumping organ.
Lung: respiratory organ.
Trachea: tube that carries air to the lungs.
Esophagus: last part of the digestive tract.
Larynx: part of a dog's throat that contains the vocal cords.
The Legs of the Goldendoodle-
The front and back legs of a Goldendoodle are also called the forelimbs and hind limbs. Your Goldendoodle uses its legs for movement; for scratching and for digging. Because the Golden Retriever and the Poodle both were originally used for retrieving and hunting, some Goldendoodles may enjoy alot of digging and rooting around in the dirt. While this isn't always enjoyed by its owner, the Goldendoodle usually has fun romping around outside, getting dirty.
Each of the forelimbs is connected to the body by a long, narrow scapula, or shoulder blade. Its lower part forms a shoulder joint with the humerus which is the upper forelimb bone. The lower forelimb bones, the radius and the ulna, are fused at two points and act as a single bone.
The foot, or paw of your Goldendoodle has five toes. One of them, the dewclaw, is too high to be of any use. Some breeders remove this dewclaw when the Goldendoodle is an infant dog while others leave the dewclaw intact. It is a vestigial part and is often surgically removed from puppies either by the veterinarian or the breeder. The toes of the foot (or paw) are composed of a number of bones. A toenail, or claw, emerges from the end of each toe. The foot also has cushiony pads known as "pawpads" for each toe and two larger pads farther up the paw. Your Goldendoodle also perspires from its pawpads. Depending upon the color of your Goldendoodle, some green and amber eyed Goldendoodles have liver colored (also known as chocolate) pawpads.
Each of the two hind limbs is connected to the body at the pelvic bone. The upper portion of the femur, or thighbone, fits into a socket in the pelvic bone to form the hip joint. The tibia and the fibula are beneath. They make up the lower thigh. The joint where their upper portions link with the femur is called the stifle. The joint where their lower portions link with the foot bones of the hind limbs is called the hock. Like the forefeet, the hind feet have pawpads and four functional toes, although a dewclaw is sometimes present. Dewclaws are rarely seen on a Goldendoodle's forefeet like it is with other breeds.
