Breeds / Medium
Aussiedoodle puppies
The Aussiedoodle is friendly, intelligent and highly trainable, and gets on with other pets and children when well socialised. They need at least an hour of movement a day plus a job to do, or they become destructive.
The facts
- Size class Medium
- A cross of Australian Shepherd and Poodle
- Country of origin Not published
- Adult weight 18 to 31.8 kg
- Adult weight in pounds 40 to 70 lb
- Adult height 46 to 63 cm
- Energy level Very high
- Grooming High
- Coat type Medium wavy to curly
- Typical lifespan 10 to 13 years
- Good with children Usually good
- Good with other dogs Usually good
About the Aussiedoodle
The Aussiedoodle crosses the Australian Shepherd with the Poodle, and breeders began producing the cross in the 1990s. Adults are 18 to 31.8 kg and 46 to 63 cm, with tightly curled or wavy coats in a wide range of colours including merle. Both parent breeds are working dogs and the cross behaves like one: clever, quick to train, closely tuned to their handler, and bored within minutes of being left with nothing to do.
A quiet household is a hard fit for an Aussiedoodle. Reckon on at least an hour of movement a day plus a job, whether that is agility, scentwork or long training sessions. Grooming means regular brushing and trims to keep the coat off the skin. Choose with your head as well as your eyes. Merle to merle matings should be avoided because of the deafness and eye defect risk, so ask what colour both parents were.
A cross, not a breed. The Aussiedoodle is a cross rather than a standardised breed, so size, coat and drive vary and can favour either parent, and a first cross of two purebred parents is less predictable than a later generation bred back to a Poodle. Miniature Aussiedoodles bred from a Miniature Poodle top out around 13.6 kg rather than the standard figures given here, and merle to merle matings should be avoided because of the deafness and eye defect risk.
What to expect at eight weeks
At eight weeks a Aussiedoodle puppy is sleeping around 18 to 20 hours a day, is not house trained, and cannot hold on for more than an hour or two at a stretch. A medium breed puppy at eight weeks is a manageable armful that will not stay that way. Most of the growth happens between now and six months, so buy for the adult dog where you can. This is a very high energy breed. The mistake owners make is trying to tire them out physically. Training, scentwork and puzzles will do more than distance ever will. Grooming needs are high. Start daily brushing and short, positive handling sessions at eight weeks, well before the adult coat arrives, or the first professional groom will be traumatic. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything they meet calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of their life.
Health worth knowing about
Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.
- Multi-drug resistance mutation (MDR1) from the Australian Shepherd side, detectable by DNA test and important to know before certain drugs are given
- Collie eye anomaly and hereditary cataract, detectable by DNA test and by veterinary eye examination
- Hip and elbow dysplasia, screened by hip and elbow scoring radiographs
- Progressive retinal atrophy, detectable by DNA test in both parent breeds
- Autoimmune thyroid disease, diagnosed on a thyroid blood panel
- Sebaceous adenitis, suspected from flaking, scaling and hair loss and confirmed by skin biopsy
Your Aussiedoodle puppy's first six months
- Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
- Worming and parasite schedule.
- Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Medium for a Aussiedoodle.
- Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 18 to 31.8 kg adult range.
- Puppy names and the first week checklist.
Kit sizes: crate 36 inch (36 x 24 x 26 in, 91 x 61 x 66 cm) for an adult of up to 31.8 kg; chew toys made for medium breeds. Worked out the same way as the crate size calculator. PetMD bases a crate on the dog's own measurements, not weight or breed alone, so measure once the puppy is home.
Buying guides for this
Other medium breeds
American Cocker Spaniel
American Pit Bull Terrier
American Staffordshire Terrier
American Water Spaniel
Australian Cattle Dog
Australian Kelpie
More on the Aussiedoodle
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Not veterinary advice. Breed information is general. Your own dog, and your own vet, always win.
Sources
- petmd.com for adult weight and height, life expectancy, energy, grooming and the temperament ratings and coat type
- petmd.com for health notes
- Health notes from Aussiedoodle breed information at https://www.petmd.com/dog/breeds/australian-shepherd. Discuss any of these with your own vet.
No published figure for country of origin, so nothing is shown rather than a guess.
Photo: F. D. Richards from Clinton, MI, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped. All photographers are listed on the photo credits page.