Sheepadoodle – Must Know Facts Before You Own The Cute Dog Breed

They are crossbreeds of sheepdog and poodle. This variety is specifically developed for ardent dog lovers.

Old English Sheepdog:

The name itself reveals that the origin of this dog breed is England. In the 1800s, farmers in England used them as guardian dogs for protecting and mustering sheep. These dogs are active, adaptable, intelligent and playful.

Standard Poodle:

Poodles were popular in the olden days due to their small size and cute personality. They were initially developed in Germany for hunting fowls in water.

The nature and constitution of the crossbreeds vary based on the characteristics of their parents.

Poodle hybrids are cute balls. Designer dogs like like Aussiedoodle, Cockapoo , and Australian Labradoodle are gaining popularity in recent times.

These poodle mixes are condo type dogs and are best suited for first time dog owners.

What is a F1 Sheepadoodle?

Pure Old English Sheepdog mixed with  Pure Standard Poodle produces this type. If you breed the purebreds of a sheepdog and the poodle, you will get F1 variety.

This breed costs high as you combine the purebreds. Also, this is the best combination.

Are Sheepadoodles hypoallergenic?

They are claimed to be hypoallergenic. However, we cannot prognosticate that it is completely a non-shedding dog. They are not suitable for people having severe allergies.

If you want to have a hypoallergenic dog, then go for an adult dog. In general, they shed a minimum. But, the coat of this dog changes when it grows.

You should feed an adult three to four cups of dry dog foods daily. Ensure that you are feeding a high-quality food to keep healthy and shiny skin and coat.

What is a Mini Sheepadoodle?

They are crossbreeds of Standard Sheepdogs and Miniature Poodles. Their height is below 20 inches and weight ranges from 24 to 44 pounds.

These doodles are charm, adorable and lovable.

Tiny dogs of this breed are developed by crossbreeding an Old English sheepdog with a small and tiny Poodle. They weigh around 10 to 24 lbs.

These dogs look gorgeous. They have a strong, muscular body with a round or square face. Their face is black usually.

They have a feather-shaped browny eye, hanging ears, and a dome-shaped skull.

Colors

Their coat is soft generally. The color can be black and white or black. In a rare case, these dogs come in White. Most often, the black coat changes to gray and white or gray. Some of them may have thick and dense dual coats like poodles.

It inherits blue eyes from the parent, Old English Sheepdog. Either one or both of her eyes are blue based on the inheritance. In general, they are rare and expensive.

Size

The size of this dog is similar to that of the standard poodle. Their height is between 24 and 27 inches. They weigh between 45 to 55 pounds.

But, depends on their parents, small dogs weigh between 45 to 65 pounds and the large ones weigh 60 to 80 pounds.

Sheepadoodle Lifespan

The average lifespan of this dog breed is 12 years. But, some can live up to 15 years. If you are lucky, they can be a long-time friend for you.

• These happy and loyal dogs are very clever and smart clever dogs that are well-suited for families.
• Very sweet and affectionate with the family members irrespective of age especially with seniors and children.
• They interact with their counterparts and maintain a good relationship with them.
• This quiet and not-so-loud dog breed loves to play a lot and bark less.
• Easy to train and sure does have the eagerness to please the owner.
• As it sheds minimally, the maintenance costs will be less and a bonus for families.

Interesting Facts

• This breed was developed during the 1960s.
• They were developed initially with military objectives.
• The term doodle was coined in 1992 and ‘poodle’ became ‘doodle’.
• Meryl Davis and her fiancee Fedor Andrew, the popular figure skaters, have a miniature Sheepapoo called “Bibo”

This breed sheds minimally. But, it requires regular and a lot of grooming, that makes your dog healthy. This teddy like cutie is a bundle of huge fluff. It doesn’t shed much. However, it wont get you off without brushing. They need regular grooming.

How to groom a Sheepadoodle?

Here’re a few tips:

As their coat may be straight or curly, brush your dog a minimum of 3 times a week. This will reduce the knots and matt forming.

You can trim the face hair as the fur may cover her eyes.

With the help of the groomer or vet, brush her teeth regularly and trim her nails. This will make her clean and healthy.

Bath her with good dog shampoo if it is necessary after clipping

To avoid infections, clean their ears regularly. Also, cut their ear hairs to make her free from wax and dirt.

Take him to a groomer at least every 4 to 6 weeks

Sheepadoodle Haircut

Looking for different haircuts for your pet? Have a quick look at a few styles.

You can cut and style your dog’s hair in many ways, considering her coat and the time consumption. If she has a poodle or sheepdog coat, she can have a basic cut.

Poodle-type Coats

For these dog breeds that have poodle-type coats, basic styles are the Teddy Bear, Puppy Cut, and the Kennel Cut.

The toenails, eyes, and nose are visible in the Teddy bear. In the Puppy cut, the coat is trimmed to a medium length. A ball called “Pompom” will be at the tip of the tail. Ears and the head top will have long hairs, whereas the rest of the coat is trimmed short in the Kennel cut.

The Continental, the Sporting Cut, Corded Coat, Dutch Clip, Bikini Cut, Lamb Clip and the English Saddle are the other styles.

Labrador cut is the option for this breed having both breed’s coat. The hair will be curly and short, medium-length hairs will be at the ears. The face can be long and fluffy

Other haircuts are:

*  The Puppy Cut

In this haircut, you have to cut the coat too short. The eyes and the feet will be visible and it is easy to maintain.

*  The Long Puppy Cut

It is well suitable for sheepdog-style coats. After a thorough bath and blow-dry, you have to trim the coat up to wee level. Their legs will be like cotton cylinders and the rest of the body will be fluffy. After the haircut, the coat will be floating when the dog walks.

*  The Traditional Sheepdog Cut

You can allow your dog’s hair to grow naturally and then trim. The hair will grow about one inch in a month after trimming.

Sheepadoodle Food

A high-quality diet is suitable for this breed. Have a look at the below information for how much to feed and how often:

• Feed your dog two to three times daily as they are active.
• If they put on or lose weight, give the food in small portions.
• Ensure that you are feeding 2100-calorie diet to a puppy and 1300-calorie diet to an adult.
• Feed them some dry food.
• Never feed without restraint as they have an overeating tendency.
• Do not add fillers to the diet as they have bloating and digestive issues.
• Also, they should not be allowed to do exercise immediately having their meals.

Sheepadoodle Health Problems

This breed is healthy generally, but they may inherit a few diseases from their parents. Mostly, they will have skin problems, joint issues and bloating.

Common in Sheepdogs

• Hip dysplasia – In this condition, the hip of your pet becomes weak, worse and lead to arthritis. Large breeds have hip dysplasia in most cases. Surgery is the first option and hip replacement will be done in worst cases.
• Canine autoimmune thyroiditis – Thyroid gland will not secrete hormone slowly due to the presence of anti-thyroid antibodies. If the thyroid gland functions low, it indicates this disease in your dog. You can treat this disease through daily medication.
• Hypothyroidism – A condition which the thyroid gland secretes insufficient amount of hormone or does not produce it. Symptoms of hypothyroidism are obesity, infertility, etc.
• Progressive retinal atrophy – A condition in which retina in the eye becomes worse and leads to loss of vision.

Common in Poodles

• Cushing’s disease – This condition occurs when the dog’s body produces too much cortisol or when the dog takes high-dosage medications for corticosteroid for a long time.
  The doctors will provide medications or they remove will the adrenal gland in worst cases.
• Sebaceous adenitis – This is a skin disorder. Inflammation will occur in the sebaceous glands and the dogs will die. When the gland is not functioning, hair loss, musty odor, skin thickening, and secondary skin infections will occur.

Other than the above-mentioned diseases, these doodles will get the below diseases as well:

• Von Willebrand disease
• Dilated cardiomyopathy
• Patent ductus arteriosis
• Tricuspid dysplasia
• Patellar luxation
• Mitral dysplasia
• Glaucoma
• Cataracts
• Allergies

They may occasionally get epilepsy, anemia, color dilution alopecia, etc. It is better to ensure the health issues of your dog before you own him.

Sheepadoodle Allergies

Like any other dog breed, they are allergic to a few food items. Generally, corn and soy may cause allergies in dogs.

Your dog may get itchy skin if it is fed corn and soy. So, it is better to avoid feeding these food items to your dog. Also, your pet may get digestive issues from ticks and fleas if present in the food items.

So, always ensure that your pet is in a clean environment and is fed clean and fresh food.

Apart from these, they are suitable for persons having allergies and they do not drool as well.

Specifically, F1 type of this breed does not drool at all. Because of its non-drooling nature, people in the family won’t get allergies.

• These dogs are eager to learn and are intelligent. So, you can train him easily
• Training should be proper, firm and patient
• You can start training him at an early age
• Socialization (i.e. exposure to people and objects) and obedience training at a young age is recommended
• Reward your dog with treats and praise him. Do not punish him as it may lead to aggressive behaviors
• Ensure that you are providing more exposure to other dogs and people. If trained they will be sweet with felines also. This will make your dog sweet, affectionate and sociable.

Eager to name your scintillating puppy? Find your favorite from here.

You can buy a puppy at a cost of around $1000 to $4000. But, the cost depends on the color as well. Sometimes, the breeders charge separate for the eye color, especially for the one with blue eyes.

How much do Sheepadoodles cost?

Let’s see how much this breed and the puppies cost:

• Micro dogs of this breed are quite expensive. You have to pay an extra up to $1000.
• Mini Sheepapoo costs $1900.00
• Puppies of mini dog type of this breed having tricolor cost around $2200.00
• Standard puppies having tricolor cost $1800.00
• Silver color puppies of this breed cost $1800.00

Sheepadoodle Breeders

It is essential to know the breeders of every dog. You must know the breeders of this dog as it is a crossbreed.

Breeders in the United States

Sheepadoodle Rescue

It’s rare to find this breed in rescue organizations. When you look for this dog breed, make sure to have all the papers. Normally dogs that come to the rescue shelters will be with mats and burrs.

The shelters first give a nice spa and give them the necessary vaccination shots. It is a great family dog and will cling to the new forever owner much easier.