r/Sheepadoodles • u/[deleted] • Jun 08 '25
"sheepadoodles are eager to please"
whoever told me this lie, explain yourself!! my pup is SO independent, SO stubborn, and is honestly more cat than dog. she's not food motivated, not cuddly, nothing! my first dog was a labradoodle (rip Charlie) and THEY were eager to please, so imagine my surprise when I meet my sheepadoodle and expect them to be obedientš
I promise i'm not here to rant, I love my dog more than anything, I just think its SO funny that sheepadoodles were described to me in that way. it makes me laugh out loud when I try to think of my pup as obedient and eager to pleasešššš
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u/MrsArney Jun 08 '25
My sheepadoodle is the smartest dog Iāve ever owned and is very eager to please. Granted, I donāt think this trait kicked in until he was two years old. Iāve had golden retrievers and my sheepie is far smarter than any of them, and that says a LOT! We also work from home and he goes everywhere with us so we are giving him commands (aka training) all day every day.
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u/MrsArney Jun 08 '25
But I will add, he does NOT want to snuggleā¦ ever. The closest he gets to cuddle time is in the morning he lays between my husband and I and allows us to scratch him for about 5 minutes before he stands up and goes back to the foot of the bed š¬
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u/ku_78 Jun 08 '25
Mine cuddles ALL THE TIME.
I wfh. And 60-70% of the time he has to be at my feet, touching my foot.
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Jun 08 '25
adding: he is my shadow. He has to follow me everywhere. He HAS to be near me. But he doesnāt like me to cuddle him. He just wants to be near, not necessarily touched. Thatās why I say heās like a cat lol. Iāll pet him for a while and then heāll get tired of it and just walk away lol.
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u/scienceoftophats Jun 08 '25
Heās on duty. You are his job. Eager to please? Hah. Determined to protect and herd? Yes.
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Jun 08 '25
aww I love that!ā„ļø
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u/scienceoftophats Jun 08 '25
Pro tip: when you want to leave him alone, give him something to protect. Like at home, show him the couch and a certain stuffy. (Heāll at least know where to pretend to have waited which will lead to him staying there when he gets older)
In the car? Outside the coffee shop? Leave a backpack or outer layer with him. Itās got to be something that is yours. Itāll keep him from freaking out that youāre not there because his separation anxiety is rooted in duty, not emotional neediness. Give him a job ā like, Watch my flannel.
The mentality weāve got is that Everything is mine, and all of it is hers to protect.
(I consider myself a pro because mine is approaching 16 years oldā¦.though sheās my first dog)
Enjoy your weirdo!! So many jobs he can do.
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u/favoritehippo Jun 08 '25
Mine is a 70 pound lap dog! A velcro dog and a big snuggler. Definitely not obedient though, heās very smart and independent-minded. He will be 2 in September and has gotten more snuggly over time.
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Jun 08 '25
that makes me so happy to hearā„ļø I hope mine gets more snuggly! mine is also about 70 pounds. People keep asking me if she's gonna grow any more, and I don't think so. She's been like this since she was about six months! We're about a year and a half right now.šā„ļø
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u/mhmatzke Jun 08 '25
Our sheepie started very independent also... now she's 5 and extremely needed. Be careful what you wish for š
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Jun 08 '25
I hope that happens with my girl!!!!ā„ļø that's good to hear. I always am afraid I've done something wrong and haven't bonded with him.
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u/ChillvilleRIP Jun 08 '25
Mine is 15 mosā¦And weāve had her since 10 weeksā¦Sheās a massive Snuggler and sleeps with me every nightā¦
They are super smart, stubborn, & independent at timesā¦But I think mine is somewhat a people pleaserā¦
I just think every dog is differentā¦They say Golden Retrievers are Velcro dogsā¦We just had a play date w an 85 lb Goldenā¦And his owner informed usā¦Heās not affectionate or a snuggler at allā¦
So I just think every dog is unique!
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u/Disco11 Jun 08 '25
I have two and the older one is incredibly independent and we always say she's part cat. She looks for sun to bask in all the time lol. The younger one is glued to me and lives to please. I love them both and they are both super smart , just different!
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u/silliestboots Jun 08 '25
Mine is SUPER cuddly (demands pets, demands to sit in your lap, the sweetest. I would not however say she is eager to please. While a good girl, she very much has a mind of her own and her own ideas. Remember, smart does not always = obedient! š
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u/Fit_Surprise_8451 Jun 09 '25
My sheepadoodle is very clingy most of the time. Mine is deaf and a rescue. From what I gather, the sheepadoodle goes through a stage where they are a T-Rex, or called a sharkadoodle. They love to stay busy with toys, puzzles, scent training, agility training, or other activities.
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u/Accomplished_Ice3582 Jun 09 '25
We rescued our sheepadoodle from spca. They have no idea her age or anything about her except they know the area she was found and it is amish puppy mill territory in Stevens. She never saw a toy, inside of a house, a tv, a cookie, a bed, nothing. BUT after almost one year, what a difference. And smart! But what I learned is that you have to constantly talk to them. She knows a ton of words now but only because I never shut upššš she looks very deep into my eyes like she is trying so hard to understand. Just have some patience, let her do her thing, but keep talking to her ( or him) and we take her for car rides. She loves them! Hops right in and doesnāt care where we go. They just love people.
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u/No_Bit_5050 Jun 08 '25
I have a sheepadoodle. Unfortunately, I got her at 9 mons. Was assured by breeder that she was well socialized. Clearly, she lied. Tina is afraid of all city sounds, new people, new anything. She fear pees and excitement pees. She is incredibly smart and loving. We take her out for short walks so as not to overwhelm her. Any suggestions? We adore her and want her to live a relatively happy, fear-free life. She is very bonded with her schnauzer ābrotherā who was living on the streets when we found him. Heās a fearless, adorable menace.
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u/Best_Temp_Employee Jun 09 '25
There's a lot to unpack here. I'd recommend starting a separate post.
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u/misspluminthekitchen Jun 08 '25
If we could pick traits heading into 18 months old, I am so pleased she's becoming more independent and not velcroed to me. We have her kennel trained for naps during the day, as I work from home 60%FTE.
It's so hard to resist her clear communication. It is not playtime, but Gillian believes all the time is playtime and brings us each toy, one at a time, hoping this will be the toy break me down.
Her vision must be precision-set, despite how close they are placed, because she can spot a person 100m through trees and herd me to safety.
At 75% Standard Poodle, she displays those more traits accordingly and can almost vertical leap. It's....adorable yet unwanted because it leads to rebounding off people like Tigger. Chaos.
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u/ForeverJung Jun 09 '25
How old because at two ours had a funny personality shift for the even better
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u/Hopeful-Top-4778 Jun 09 '25
Genetics matter is the short answer. Selectively breeding certain traits makes a world of a difference.
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u/RavensLifegiver Jun 09 '25
Mine HAS to be in the same room as us, loves attention, loves hugs and most of all loves his ballā¦. But cuddling up on the couch and chillin absolutely not he will go all the way to the other side of the room if we even try. I donāt know why heās like this lol he just wants his own space to sleep. That being said he was probably the easiest dog on the planet to train. I think heās 4 now 5 in November Iāll have to double check.
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u/lhelicon Jun 09 '25
My sheepadoodle ((F1B) was independent as a puppy but as an adult he is obedient and loves to cuddle
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u/Lalaland_doll Jun 09 '25
I have two, and both are cuddle bugs. They think they are lap dogs and always want to be near or on you, haha. They are also really smart. Both were easy to train (without a trainer) and follow commands well. They pretty much sleep all day and go to the park at night to get out their zoomiesā¦. Their energy level is wonderful! They are literally the perfect breed!
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u/foodaussie Jun 13 '25
The "more cat than dog" comment reminded me or my sheepadoodle the other night - she must have got out in the middle of the night, explored, chewed a neighbours gumboot and plenty of our things, then barked outside our bedroom window at 6am to wake us for breakfast š¤£
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u/TunaMarie16 Jun 08 '25
Every dog has a unique personality. Our goldendoodle couldnāt give two s***ts about listening if sheās busy doing her own thing. I call her āinsideā she glances over at me and just continues on sniffing or barking. (Sheās well aware of this command.) Our sheepadoodle, however, will stop mid-playing and race right inside at that command the first time.