You may be surprised to learn that even if you’ve never heard of anyone refer to their dog as an “Aussiedoodle”, there’s probably a good chance that you’ve seen one, you just weren’t aware of it.
Over the past 10 to 20 years, this “designer dog” or “hybrid dog breed” has been growing in popularity, mainly because the result of mixing an Australian Shepherd and a Poodle (be that a Standard Poodle or a Miniature Poodle) actually creates a wonderful puppy!
An Aussiedoodle is just one example of a new “type” or “breed” of dog that is commonly referred to as a “designer dog” or “hybrid dog”. And while this trend to cross-breed two totally different dog breeds together may at first seem a bit strange, the result can actually be quite beneficial to both individual breeds.
Some breeders, in an attempt to “capture” the positive characteristics of certain breeds without also “inheriting” many of the health risks have chosen to combine different well loved dog breeds in an effort to create a healthy combination of some of our favorite dogs today.
Asking what your Aussiedoodle’s appearance will look like is a great question. But the problem is, it’s also a tough question to answer.
You see, what you’re basically going to get is a mix of these two historic breeds, and most of the time you’re not going to get a 50/50 split so the looks and behavior of your Aussiedoodle will likely depend on which way your Aussiedoodle “leans”.
Either way, one thing that we can tell you is that your Aussiedoodle is going to be smart. So smart, that this dog is often referred to as the “canine Einstein”. Which is great, because this is going to make training your Aussiedoodle a piece of cake!
The average size of an Aussiedoodle can vary greatly depending on which breed of Poodle is used. Standard Poodles will result in a larger Aussiedoodle while the use of Miniature Poodles will create miniature Aussiedoodles or a Mini Aussidoodle.
But be warned, regardless of the size of your Aussiedoodle, he or she is going to have a lot of energy and is going to need to get a lot of exercise
While the personality and temperament of your Aussiedoodle will in part be inherited, the environment that they are raised in will also play a major role in their development.
Which is why you’re going to want to make sure that your Aussiedoodle puppy is “socialized” at a very young and if you aren’t able to socialize them with other dogs, because puppies aren’t able to be fully vaccinated, then you should socialize your Aussiedoodle puppy with other people.
Is that these little guys are going to be SO…. CUTE that it’s going to be nearly impossible for you to keep your hands off the little guy and also impossible to keep anyone who sees him or her from trying to pick him or her up! (Yes Aussiedoodle puppies are that cute).
Aussiedoodles come from two separate dog breeds that have been historically great family pets that are typically good with children of all ages and other animals including dogs and cats for the most part.
Generally speaking, because both of the breeds that make up an Aussiedoodle are friendly dogs who are completely devoted to their “pack” whether it is one person or a whole family.
This breed is definitely a companion dog and should not be an “outside only” dog. They are very intelligent and very social. If left alone they can act out and start to exhibit negative behaviors (digging, chewing, etc.) as they are trying to keep themselves occupied.
You’ll want to start your obedience training with this dog as young as possible, usually before they are six months old, otherwise you will probably have a very headstrong adult Aussiedoodle on your hands.
Aussiedoodles love to play with children of all sizes. Because your dog is half Australian Shepherd they may try and herd your family to keep all of the people together.
This may be seen by bumping people or kids to keep them in a group or lightly ‘nipping’ (not aggressive) family members . . . the ‘nipping’ is not a wanted behavior though and should be stopped ASAP. That is why you need to train your Aussiedoodle puppy early.
That Aussiedoodles are very smart and respond very well to positive reinforcement so for the best results, you should only use positive motivation and positive reinforcement.
Some consider the Aussiedoodle’s coats to be ‘hypoallergenic’, as poodles are often thought of in that respect since they do not shed. But this is a misnomer because people aren’t allergic to the hair/fur of an animal but to the dander, dead skin cells (thank dandruff on people), that flake off of the body.
Aussiedoodles require a significant degree of maintenance, just like any type of “doodle”. An Aussiedoodle will have to be groomed every six to eight weeks, with baths every few weeks, as they do have hair which continues to grow and not fur which is shed when it reaches are certain length.
So, will an Aussiedoodle be the perfect addition to your family?
Portions of this article borrowed from IndulgeYourPet.com