A mini doodle is a cross between a Golden Retriever and a miniature Poodle.
This cross breed are extremely popular because of their hypoallergenic qualities, vivacious personalities and intelligence levels.
Mini Doodle Bentley is one of the most popular examples of these hybrid dogs on social media.
He’s got 207,000 followers on Instagram but Bentley’s TikTok is where the fun happens.
This Mini Doodle has over 1.3m followers on the video-sharing app.
We spoke to Bentley to learn more about Mini Doodles, his TikTok success and whether he prefers Instagram or TikTok.
You can follow Bentley on Instagram (@minidoodlebentley) and TikTok (@minidoodlebentley).
Mini Doodle Bentley Questions and Answers
1) How did you first hear about Mini Doodles?
Through Instagram, actually! My husband found the breed.
2) What attracted you to the mix breed?
Bentley the Mini Doodle (Photo: minidoodlebentley / Instagram)
My husband and I are both very allergic to dogs, so my husband looked into which breeds are hypoallergenic and then found several Goldendoodle accounts on Instagram. After following them for two years, we fell in love with the breed and knew it was time to get one of our own
3) How did you end up with Bentley?
We knew that we were going to get one, but we had to wait for the right time in our lives considering both me finishing grad school and my husband finishing medical school. We put a deposit down six months ahead and then when the time came, we went to the breeder and chose Bentley out of the six that were left.
4) Do you see Golden Retriever and Poodle traits in Bentley?
Yes! I always say this. The Golden Retriever traits are the happy, goofy, and silly ones like when he brings something (usually a toy) outside to pee with him, to bed, and to greet us at the door. Also just the endless love of tennis balls and the happy smiles I always see in Goldens. On the Poodle side, he is so so smart which also makes him a bit stubborn! He catches on to things way too quickly and sometimes can outsmart us…
5) Do Mini Doodles need a lot of exercise?
Bentley the Mini Doodle (Photo: minidoodlebentley / Instagram)
I’d argue all dogs need lots of exercise! He may not need as much as others, but we also got exceptionally lucky that Bentley is content to just chill out with us and lay on us.
6) Are Mini Doodles smart?
Bentley is extremely smart. As I mentioned above, he always surprises me with how quickly he’ll catch on to things and how obedient he is.
7) What are the funniest comments you get about Bentley when out and about?
Often times we are out with other dogs as well, not just Bentley, and they’re usually smaller than him. People always assume Bentley is the dad. We usually just get comments about how fluffy and soft he is though, kids love to stop by and ask to pet him when they see us outside.
8) What’s your best memory with Bentley?
This is really tough to pick just one! (This is also why social media is great; I can scroll back through the memories and see all of the great times). If I had to pick one, I’d say having him as a part of our wedding day will always be very special to me. Aside from that specific day, I think about all of the things we’re so lucky to do with him on a regular basis: bring him on family vacations, take him to baseball games, cuddle in matching pajamas on the couch, take him stand up paddleboarding, etc.
9) How does it feel to have hit 500k fans on TikTok?
Absolutely crazy! I first joined the app about a year ago and had absolutely no clue what I was doing. As soon as I joined, I told my husband, “This is gonna be the next big thing.” He didn’t believe me at that time, but now he’s on it even more than I am!
10) What’s your favourite video you’ve created so far?
Bentley the Mini Doodle (Photo: minidoodlebentley / Instagram)
Stay tuned! I actually plan to post some of my favorites for hitting 500K. Many of them are sounds that I created, though the trends are always fun to participate in too.
11) Does TikTok give you the ability to be more creative?
Absolutely; ten thousand percent. It’s also much lower risk and higher reward. You can post ten times in a day if you want and feel like you created that many funny videos. I would never do that on Instagram. Also it’s more welcome to feed off the ideas of others. You see a trend going around on Tik Tok so then you modify it to make your own. I don’t see Instagram creators as being open to that.
12) How does content creation on TikTok differ from Instagram?
Sometimes I’ll post something I thought was awesome from Tik Tok to Instagram (and it will usually do 50 times worse on Instagram). They definitely don’t translate one to one. I think there’s a huge age difference. Also as I mentioned above, on Tik Tok, you cue into trends… so when you hear a sound, you know what you expect from the video and often times you wait to see it. On Instagram, if the video doesn’t visually capture your attention very quickly, people will go away quickly from it. Of course the other big one is pictures vs. videos! I’ve been doing more videos on Instagram lately however per my follower’s requests.
13) What cameras/equipment do you use for your videos?
I actually only use my iPhone 11 to shoot videos and I use no additional equipment or editing softwares. They’re just raw iPhone footage.
14) Do you prefer Instagram or TikTok? Reasons why…
Bentley the Mini Doodle (Photo: minidoodlebentley / Instagram)
I can easily say I prefer Tik Tok. It’s much easier to film a video that minute and instantly post, whereas on Instagram I would only ever do that with a story. It’s easier to get creative with trends and when you start your own you feel so accomplished! I can’t say enough about how different the algorithms are on the two platforms. Once Instagram instated paying to promote your posts, they took away your organic ability to reach people. Tik Tok you can reach MILLIONS of people from one video in a few hours. That’s just crazy awesome.
15) What advice would you give to someone starting a TikTok for their dog?
Think about why you’re starting the account and stick to your why. It’s easy to get carried away with wanting to go viral so badly that you let it affect your mood (as is true with any social media). As long as you are having FUN creating the videos, that’s what matters most.
16) Do you prefer to create your own content or follow the challenges?
I do a mix of both. I think it’s super fun to follow the trends and make your own spin on them (especially from a dog perspective), but Bentley also has so many unique quirks that it’s easy for me to make my own content of those as well. I get a pretty great response from both types of content.
17) What other TikTok dogs do you follow or draw inspiration from?
I follow a lot of other Tik Tok dogs, but honestly I don’t draw inspiration from them. I spend time scrolling through the for you page which is where I find all the latest trends and sometimes stumble upon hilarious audios
18) Finally, so far, what are the pros and cons of TikTok?
The pros are how much fun it is and how relatable the content can be. As I scroll through the for you page, I find myself sending content to more and more of my friends who aren’t even on the app. Of course the algorithm then learns what I like and shows me more content like that! The only con I can think of is how addictive it is. There are jokes about this all the time in videos on the for you page but IT’S SO TRUE!
Mini Doodle Pros and Cons
Bentley the Mini Doodle (Photo: minidoodlebentley / Instagram)
Pros
• Hypoallergenic We are super allergic to dogs; typically when we’re in a room with them for a while we get to a point where we can’t breathe. We have had absolutely no problems with Bentley. He does not shed and has a hypoallergenic coat.
• Playful He loves to be active with us and fits in seamlessly when we take him on hikes, long walks, play ball in the back yard, to the beach, etc.
• SUPER friendly/loving with humans and dogs There are always situations where someone is going to come up and touch your dog without asking. While I do not advise that for anyone with any dog; you would never have a problem doing that to Bentley. He gets along with every single other dog that he meets and all humans from new born to grandparent. Kids on the street often ask if they can pet him. Some kids that are scared of dogs even will pet him once they see others doing it. My cousins will pull on his tail and he won’t have a care in the world.
• Easily trained (often used as therapy dogs) Bentley was/is a fast learner. He was potty trained within two weeks, and with lots of practice, he learned all of the basic commands within a month or two of being home. Since they’re such loving and calm animals, they are often used as therapy dogs!
• Happy / adorable / goofy This one is a given. He’s just plain cute. He also is very smiley/happy! He has lots of little quirks that I can’t be sure if they’re Bentley specific or not, but they are certainly goofy.
Cons
I’m not sure any of these are specific to Golden Doodles (nor can I think of any specific cons for them), but all dog owners might have to go through these cons.
• Separation anxiety This is an effect of how you train your dog. We did not do a great job of letting Bentley be independent therefore he craves our attention. It is not uncommon that when I leave the house, he whines by the door waiting for me. It’s gotten much better; he used to not let me close the door to the bathroom unless he was there also.
• Time spent training People often don’t remember that dogs take time. After a couple of years once they’re trained, things get significantly easier, but you have to get to that point first. That includes waking up in the middle of the night the first few weeks to take them out to go to the bathroom, cleaning up after them if they have an accident in the house (or rip up something in your house), teaching them how to walk on a leash, how to sit, stay, come, and follow basic commands, and any other things you find important to you. They also take time to play with, as younger puppies will have significantly more energy and require constant attention / eyes on them at almost all times
• Stubborn This one is specific to golden doodles (and I think poodles in general). Bentley is really smart. So smart that he can be stubborn when he decides he doesn’t want to do something (like going in his crate, taking a bath, etc.)
