The making of Cabo - The Goldendoodle

Cabo 9x12 Arches 140lb Cold Press watercolor paper

Value sketch before starting painting

Original photograph

 Cabo is a Colorado dog and was commissioned for a surprise birthday gift. Painting light colored dogs are always challenging, I have to use a darker background to make the light fur stand out. 
I LOVE the demeanor of Goldendoodles so before I start a painting I like to read up on a breed to understand their nature a little better. Here are a few fun facts I found:

The earliest known use of the name 'Goldendoodle' comes from the Neelands family in the U.S.A in 1992. A Goldendoodle is a Golden Retriever and Poodle cross. Their ancestry along with both parent line is as both hunters and waterdogs. Their intelligence, eagerness to please, and the love of learning makes them very easy to train.  They are medium-to large sized family dogs with easy dispositions. Obedient family companion, friendly towards children, other dogs and pets, and easy with strangers. Goldendoodles are social dogs and happiest when with people. They are likely to get into mischief and develop behavior problems if they spend most their time alone. 
Families with moderate to severe allergies often chose a Goldendoodle. .

Standard - Goldendoodle that is predicted to be 45 lbs or more at adulthood.
Medium -  Goldendoodle that is predicted to be 30-45 lbs at adulthood.
Miniature - Goldendoodle that is predicted to be 15-30 lbs at adulthood.
Some standard Goldendoodles have grown to more than 100 pounds.

The color of the coat can be cream, gold, apricot, chocolate, gray, black.
When grooming, unclipped Goldendoodles will have hair about 4-7 inches long, shorter on the face and longer on the body, tail and legs.  They require combing every few weeks. Depending on how often the dog is groomed, clipped Goldendoodles are groomed several times a year. Life expectancy is about 15 years.