Breeds / Medium
Sproodle puppies
The Sproodle is active, biddable and closely attached to their handler, a gundog cross that wants a job. They need long daily exercise and mental work, and become mouthy and noisy without them.
The facts
- Size class Medium
- A cross of English Springer Spaniel and Poodle
- Country of origin Not published
- Adult weight 18.1 to 31.8 kg
- Adult weight in pounds 40 to 70 lb
- Adult height 46 to 61 cm
- Energy level High
- Grooming High
- Coat type Medium wavy to curly
- Typical lifespan 12 to 14 years
- Good with children Usually good
- Good with other dogs Usually good
About the Sproodle
The Sproodle, sometimes sold as a Springerdoodle, crosses the English Springer Spaniel with the Poodle. Adults are the largest of the common spaniel crosses, roughly 18.1 to 31.8 kg and 46 to 61 cm, with a medium wavy to curly coat and heavy feathering. Both parents are working gundogs, so expect an active, biddable dog that wants to carry things, retrieve things and stay within sight of their handler.
An active household is essential, with long daily walks, retrieving games and training to use the brain. Grooming means brushing several times a week and clipping every couple of months, with ears cleaned and dried after swimming because both parents have hairy drop ears. If you are after a quiet life, a gundog cross is the wrong choice. An under exercised Sproodle gets noisy, mouthy and progressively harder to live with.
A cross, not a breed. Sproodles are crossbred, so no kennel club publishes a standard and the weights and heights above describe dogs on the ground rather than a target. Litter mates differ, some taking the Springer's coat and heavier bone and some the Poodle's curl and lighter build, and working line Springers produce noticeably busier puppies than show lines do. A Miniature Poodle parent gives a much smaller adult than the range given here, and backcrosses to the Poodle have more reliably curly coats.
What to expect at eight weeks
At eight weeks a Sproodle 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 high energy breed. At eight weeks that shows up as intensity rather than stamina, and they will need a job to do long before they need 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 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.
- Hip and elbow dysplasia, screened by hip and elbow scoring radiographs
- Progressive retinal atrophy, detectable by DNA test in both parent breeds and by eye examination
- Chronic ear infections in the hairy drop ear, found on otoscopic examination
- Idiopathic epilepsy, diagnosed from witnessed seizures with other causes excluded
- Fucosidosis from the Springer side, detectable by DNA test
- Phosphofructokinase deficiency in Springer lines, detectable by DNA test
- Sebaceous adenitis and von Willebrand disease from the Poodle side, confirmed by skin biopsy and by DNA test respectively
- Gastric dilatation volvulus in deep chested individuals, an emergency recognised by retching and a distended abdomen
Your Sproodle 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 Sproodle.
- Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 18.1 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
Aussiedoodle
Australian Cattle Dog
Previous: Sprocker Spaniel · Next: St. Bernard
Not veterinary advice. Breed information is general. Your own dog, and your own vet, always win.
Sources
- petmd.com for adult weight and height and health notes
- petmd.com for life expectancy, energy, grooming and the temperament ratings and coat type
- Health notes from Sproodle breed information at https://www.petmd.com/dog/breeds/standard-poodle. Discuss any of these with your own vet.
No published figure for country of origin, so nothing is shown rather than a guess.