Breeds / Large
Sheepadoodle puppies
The Sheepadoodle is intelligent, affectionate and very people oriented, and adapts well to family life with children and other pets. Its endurance is high, and pent up energy shows up quickly as barking and other unwanted behaviour.
The facts
- Size class Large
- A cross of Old English Sheepdog and Poodle
- Adult weight 29.5 to 38.6 kg
- Adult weight in pounds 65 to 85 lb
- Adult height 41 to 56 cm
- Energy level High
- Grooming High
- Typical lifespan 12 to 15 years
A cross, not a breed. The Sheepadoodle is a cross rather than a standardised breed, so size, coat and temperament vary and can favour either parent, and a first cross of two purebred parents is less predictable in coat than a later generation bred back to a Poodle. There is no guarantee of a low shedding coat, because Old English Sheepdogs shed heavily, and the rarer miniature Sheepadoodle from a Miniature Poodle finishes well below the weights given here.
What to expect at eight weeks
At eight weeks a Sheepadoodle 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 large breed puppy at eight weeks looks deceptively normal sized and will roughly double every few weeks for a while. Keep exercise short and low impact, the growth plates are wide open. This is a high energy breed. At eight weeks that shows up as intensity rather than stamina, and it will need a job to do long before it needs long walks. 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 it meets calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of its life.
Health worth knowing about
Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.
- Hip dysplasia, noted from stiffness or limited mobility on examination and screened by hip scoring radiographs
- Progressive retinal atrophy, cataracts, corneal dystrophy and distichiasis, found on a veterinary eye examination
- Gastric dilatation volvulus, an emergency recognised by retching and a distended abdomen, and reduced by a preventive gastropexy
- Multi-drug resistance mutation (MDR1), which occurs in Old English Sheepdogs and is detectable by DNA test
- Autoimmune thyroiditis, diagnosed on a thyroid blood panel
- Congenital deafness linked to white pigment, detectable by BAER testing
From Sheepadoodle breed information at https://www.petmd.com/dog/breeds/sheepadoodle. Discuss any of these with your own vet.
Your Sheepadoodle puppy's first six months
- Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
- Worming and parasite schedule.
- Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Large for a Sheepadoodle.
- Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 29.5 to 38.6 kg adult range.
- Puppy names and the first week checklist.
Other large breeds
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Not veterinary advice. Breed information is general. Your own dog, and your own vet, always win.