As I have explained in my introduction to what we breed I’ve had quite a journey in my search for a reliably non shedding medium sized dog which could match my miniature labradoodles for size, health and temperament  while maintaining the genetic diversity I regard as so important.  Enter the Miniretriever, now known as the O’Connel Retriever based on Golden Retriever, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and a touch of Labrador.

I challenge anyone to think of a sweeter gentler temperament combination than Golden Retriever and Cavalier and when mated to our Moyen Poodles they’ve turned out to be wonderful mothers to their “Minigroodle”puppies. I’m calling them Minigroodles because  they look and act like F1 Groodles  they’re just smaller (meaning they’re not only a sensible size for the city, they’re also bloody cute).

Our first Minigroodles were born in 2017 and we will start to carry out surveys in 2023 looking at health, temperament, shedding and size so that we can say with confidence how well they are performing (watch this space) . The feedback from our owners has been overwhelmingly positive but perfection isn’t possible with living things.  It will be about ten years before we can start to look at longevity but we are hoping that they will be as long lived as our miniature labradoodles which we have found to have a median life expectancy of 14 years.

Trying to breed an ideal family pet has been a rewarding challenge. Every dog and every family is different so our Minigroodles wont suit everyone, but they tick all my boxes in my search for a healthy, medium sized,  gentle natured, non or low shedding dog. I won’t be looking any further – they may never be perfect but they are the best I can breed!