We say that we breed for temperament because we are very intentional about breeding dogs that have desirable personalities. We focus on breeding dogs that are friendly, reliable, eager, alert, trustworthy, and self-confident; we deliberately avoid breeding dogs that are hostile, timid, or nervous.
Personality and temperament are affected by genetics, which is why Goldendoodles are known for being calm, affectionate, and intelligent, reflecting the best traits of Golden Retrievers and Poodles. If the parent dogs have bad personalities, however, even if they’re not representative of the breed as a whole, the offspring may develop similar traits. For example, the smaller poodles have more personality quirks due to the rapid downsizing of the breed. In our breeding program at Hilltop Pups, we take the time to develop smaller poodle lines to avoid such quirks.