We were attracted to the Sheepadoodle when we were looking for our next dog. We’ve owned various breeds that I loved, but I wanted a dog that was easy to own (mellow and easily trained), cute, with a temperament that would allow me to possibly do therapy work with them. When I saw the description of the sheepadoodle as smart, but clown like, I thought “this is the dog for me”. Then I looked at pictures and was completely won over.
A sheepadoodle is a designer breed crossing an Old English Sheepdog with a Standard Poodle. A sheepadoodle is a great family pet, wonderful with children and with other dogs and animals. They are great with kids because they are playful, energetic and affectionate. Please note however, with the herding breed, they may try to herd younger children, so watch them and stop this behavior if you see it. For the sheepadoodles I have, I have not had any kind of herding problems; even as puppies they were very gentle with kids and did not jump or bite… even as puppies.
There are several “types” of Sheepadoodle:
F1 (sheepdog bred with standard poodle also known as first generation)
F1b (sheepadoodle bred back to poodle, also known as second generation) – these are the most hypoallergenic, although both are hypoallergenic.
There are other variations, but above are the typical…most don’t do a sheepadoodle to sheepadoodle (from my research you can’t be sure what traits from original breeds will come out) and I have never seen an F1b bred back again to a poodle (becomes essentially all poodle).
Our Puppies Coloring
- Black and white – the black could fade to grey as an adult (like the sheepdogs do); some stay blacker while others go grey. I cannot guarantee whether the puppies will go grey or stay black. The Old English Sheepadogs always fade to grey, so its the poodle color that dictates whether they turn grey…and even in a single litter I can get some that turn grey and other stay black.
- Sable – the sable coloring is the reddish/brown color and is so pretty. However I like to be sure people are aware that sable fades…it will leave some darker areas, but the brown/red can fade to a lighter red or even a cream color.
- Merle – I hope to have some merle colored sheepadoodles later 2021, early 2022.
Our Puppies Weight
Puppies weight depends on weight of the parents and because they are a hybrid, sometimes more of one breed may come in and make puppies a little bigger than I might estimate. Once I have puppies from specific parents I have a better idea what they will have in the future. Our sheepadoodles weight anything from 45-75 pounds depending on the parents.
Our Puppies Coat
They are low to no shedding and hypoallergenic for most people – however if you have dog allergies, try to be around the F1 and F1b to see if you have any reaction. Their coat can be anywhere from a curlier poodle type to straighter and fluffier like the sheepdog; one of my females has the more poodle and the other more sheepdog and they are both first generation sheepadoodles. The F1b will typically tend to be a little more curly. Any sheepadoodle generation will require grooming to keep their coat in good shape, so if you don’t want to do weekly brushing and periodic grooming (depending on the length you keep the coat a sheepadoodle needs to be groomed every 2-4 months), this hybrid is not for you.