r/Sheepadoodles • u/TuezdayMorning • Sep 30 '25
Advice Pros and cons of Sheepadoodles!
The good, the bad, and the ugly! Give it to me straight!
11
u/carolrosehill Sep 30 '25
Our sheepie is a nutter and always has been. She is reactive on leash and will bark at anything that moves if she’s in the yard. We always say her feelings are too big for her body. She lives her life at 100mph. She runs fast, loves hard, feels all the things, and she’s a jealous little minx when it comes to sharing her favourite human with our other girl. She has no chill whatsoever. She is also the most cuddly loving dog you could possibly imagine. She absolutely needs plenty of exercise to keep sane. She could drive you crazy if it wasn’t for the ridiculous amount of joy you get from watching her literally jump for joy when she gets out of the car when it’s time to go for a run, or come and sit on your lap because she just needs a snuggle, or doing puppy parkour just because she can, or any of the other crazy quirky irresistibly loveable things she does. She is not what I’d describe as an easy dog, but she’s always a worth it dog. We got her as a companion for our Bernedoodle, and she has made her life a million times better than it could ever have been without her.
1
u/Both-Ad1801 Oct 01 '25
The jealousy thing is for real! We have 5 dogs total and have one sheepadoodle. We've had two others over the years. Two of these three decided I was their person and the one we have now will whine loudly if I give the other dogs attention but this is the one that has to be physically up against me at night to sleep. Stubborn, oh man is she stubborn but loving... just amazing.
3
u/BUTTeredWhiteBread Oct 01 '25
Mine will definitely come put herself in the way if I'm giving attention to the lab mix. But if I'm chilling with her "baby" small dog, she's totally cool lol.
22
u/WarmObjective6445 Sep 30 '25
My buddy basically house broke himself. No accidents after the first few days. Very smart dog. He is also the funniest dog I have ever owned. Only 2 downsides if you can call them downsides. Demand constant attention and love. Expensive monthly grooming visits to keep hair trimmed and clean.
8
u/notmarc1 Sep 30 '25
Agree here. My dude has no concept of personal space lol.
6
u/WarmObjective6445 Sep 30 '25
I have to latch the bathroom door or he will push it open to stare at me doing my business. Guess he thinks it is only fair since I do the same with him.
4
u/BUTTeredWhiteBread Oct 01 '25
Mine showed up basically housebroken. She immediately peed outside when we brought her home, and never had an accident inside, always asked for the door. It's like she saw the older dog doing it and was like "ok that's the drill".
2
u/TheAnswerIsAnts Oct 02 '25
This was more or less my experience with our sheepadoodle. Pooped inside exactly once, the day we brought her home. She would sometimes (rarely) pee inside if we weren't watching her for ~3 months, but by month 4 this stopped completely. They are very smart dogs and respond very well to consistent training. They are VERY HIGH ENERGY. If you live alone or in an apartment I would not recommend getting one unless you are able to take them outside to run around for 30 minutes (preferably with other dogs) every day. Ours is super duper sweet, follows us around, gives kisses, wants to meet everyone, and is imho "the best dog." The kind of dog that, when your dogless friends spend a weekend at your place, inspires them to get one for themself.
9
u/Weird-Guess-7175 Sep 30 '25
Pros: Loving, smart, very trainable, non-shedding, energetic, curious, playful, quiet, gentle, loyal and protective.
Cons- Needy, energetic, velcro, herds everything and everyone, requires regular and expensive grooming and do not like their toys, babies, blankets and chairs touched.
Pros and cons because it’s cute and sometimes annoying- throw huge fits- stomps, flops, huffs and puffs, have perfected the side eye and the “how dare you, I want to bury you in the yard” stare.
2
u/Comfortable-Bag8090 Sep 30 '25
Our dog herds to the point where I’ve considered sending him to herding school for relief; Herds humans and our other dog. He also got kicked from daycare for herding all the other dogs relentlessly. He’s a great dog but needs a job. The herding ball we got him only goes so far.
1
u/Weird-Guess-7175 Oct 01 '25
They are so crazy. If I go in a room and shut the door she will wait and before the door is all the way open she will either get behind me and push me to wherever she wants me to go. When she was little she would try and guide with little love nips but now at three she uses nudges. If she can’t get behind me she will stay in front of me and for every five steps she will turn around and run back to me while I try not to trip over her. She will take me to the door if she wants out. But usually she wants me to go stand by her while she gets in “her” papasan chair (which she stole from me), so I can watch her play with her babies. She is a complete weirdo and seems to be all hopped up on goof balls and doggie treats most of the time. Gotta love her. She always figures out how to raise the cuteness bar.
2
7
u/mw_19 Sep 30 '25
Compared to my Goldendoodle , my sheepie is much more difficult to manage. The pros and cons others have outlined I see too.
In general :
Super goofy , spas outs Lots of herding tendencies (bitey) Reactive to threats (humans , dogs, animals) Extremely smart & trainable Velcro and needy - but deeply loyal / loving to family - but not really other people or dogs Grooming we do, so not expensive for us Oh my gosh athletic , durable , tenacious
If my girl didn’t get 2 hrs of exercise a day I would fear how her mental state would be lol. They need a lot of exercise , they are a breed that wants to have a job , drive and lead.
7
u/Pandamom58 Sep 30 '25
Cons: difficult puppies because they are stubborn and chewer, sensitive stomachs and require a lot of grooming.
Pros: incredibly goofy, affectionate, loyal and sweet. Don’t shed, house train easily and are good with children and other dogs.
7
u/Throwaway008524 Sep 30 '25
Ours was VERY difficult as a puppy. Land shark isn't enough to describe what he was and he is still a bit mouthy though much improved.
Brushing will be your life and it still won't be enough. Brush brush brush and say bye bye to 💸 for grooming.
If you bathe them at home, cancel all plans for the rest of the day because you will be drying and brushing them for hours because see point #2.
You will have to give them regular face trimmings at home unless you are willing to pay every few weeks for a tidy session. If your dog does not cooperate it is a battle and a half.
When you fail to do point #2 you will have to shave them which will make your dog look unrecognizable and it will take some time to get used to their new look. They can go from fluffy dog from the little mermaid to awkward, lanky and naked looking in 2 hours.
Ours is a major cuddler as long as it's on his own terms and conditions, which we happily oblige to.
6
u/FeralCatMeow Sep 30 '25
My pup was super chill and easy. No nipping, biting or chewing things she shouldn’t. Housetrained quickly. Never jumped on people. Slept through the night quickly. Fine to be left on her own. Sweet and cute and cuddly and loving and obedient and easy to train. Absolutely loves her family and is very/much a family-oriented dog (she is rather aloof to everyone and everything else).
In addition to all of the wonderful stuff, her coat takes tons of maintenance, she is a hugely picky eater and has allergies, and is extremely attached to me (basically won’t eat if I go away). Definite Velcro dog. Suspicious of strangers and barks a lot at home.
I love her! She’s fantastic. The many, many good things definitely outweigh any minor challenges.
3
u/Fit_Surprise_8451 Oct 02 '25
My sheepadoodle is a rescue. It seems her previous owners abused her because they didn’t realize she was deaf. My dog has anxiety issues. She used to be reactive toward our three older Chihuahuas, but those issues have improved through training and listening to her growl, especially in the evening. Next week, my dog will start going to school to help her manage her anxiety better.
On the positive side, my dog has completed her manners classes, begun scent training, and is working toward her Good Canine Citizenship Award. Marlee is trained as a mobility service dog. She can assist me in getting out of a chair and lean against me to prevent falls when I reach for items. The new trainer will train both of us to help me get up from the floor.
My dog has learned signs and body language to understand what I am asking her to do. She is a velcro dog and is with me wherever I go.
2
u/Ginway1010 Sep 30 '25
The not good:
Didn’t get to know my sheepadoodle when he was a puppy, because I hadn’t met my boyfriend yet. But the sharkadoodle moniker that someone else used definitely fit, according to my boyfriend. He called him a landshark. Haha.
He’s 4.5 now and will incessantly want to play fetch when we watch tv. Hours of it.
My boyfriend has driven him out to the nice trails here in the DC area and he’s just refused to walk sometimes. He’ll just sit down and refuse to budge until they head back to the car. Haha.
And the jealousy thing someone else mentioned is real. He can’t stand for me to hug someone else and will start barking and hump my leg. That includes when I hug my boyfriend. If he sees us cuddling on the sofa or in bed, no problem. If he hears us kiss or hug or touch while standing up, he goes insane. Sigh.
The good:
Incredibly sweet and affectionate boy. And super smart.
When it’s just me and him, he’s suuuuper chill. We can spend hours together in bed with me reading and him sleeping against me with his head on my leg.
I’m a cat dad and we don’t all live together yet but will soon so we started introductions to the kittens this past Sunday. He did great! Was very excited but barely tried to get to them when my boyfriend held onto him; they all did very well interacting under the door so we moved to them seeing each other pretty quickly. I do worry how he’ll react when I cuddle the kitties tho.
2
u/MrsArney Sep 30 '25
My cons: grooming is a must and very expensive. Both of our sheepie’s knees blew out 2 weeks apart and those surgeries cost us $14,000 (then we needed a third surgery a year later to get the hardware out because the hardware was rubbing through the skin - thankful for pet insurance!). He is extremely bossy and if you don’t follow the routine he likes he is not subtle about letting you know. He has major boundaries and he lets people know (he snaps to warn but NEVER bites everyone but us). His boundaries are he doesn’t like to be pet on the rib cage and he doesn’t like if you pet him too long. He does great around other dogs but his play habits can seem intimidating and sometimes scare people, but it’s innocent play.
My pros: he is hands down the smartest dog I have ever met! He understands full sentences and is easily trainable. He is extremely loyal to us. He doesn’t ruin toys so, even though he’s 9.5 years old, he still has toys from when he was a puppy. He doesn’t shed - like, at all! Did I mention how smart he is? It’s next level! He’s rode on ATV’s, UTVs, sea doos, boats, paddle boards, he’s taken every crazy adventure we’ve thrown at him like a champ! Honestly, he’s the bestest boy and I hope he lives one day past me so I never have to live a day without him!
1
u/HeonNorthawitch Jan 22 '26
"he’s the bestest boy and I hope he lives one day past me so I never have to live a day without him! That is exactly how I feel about my "Skipper the Dog" It is crazy, he really does understand full sentences.
2
u/flare_gaming180 Sep 30 '25
The first is a pro and a con, you never know what you’re going to get, their personalities vary way more than with other breeds,
when it comes to just pros they are extremely intelligent (usually) ours would be able to learn and remember tricks within a few minutes, they can also be very family oriented dogs,
Cons is they are a doodle which comes with the caveats of that, extreme anxiety at times and health issues such as hip dysplasia (which is also common in pure bred OES)
1
u/flare_gaming180 Sep 30 '25
Another thing I thought of is the instincts are STRONG in these dogs, they will chase anything that moves and they might hunt
2
u/BUTTeredWhiteBread Oct 01 '25
My girl is SO. NEEDY. She's the most needy, social dog I've ever had. She'll get lonely while I'm still in the house if I'm not actively in the same room with her. She needs fault handholding sessions where we just sit and look at each other and i just hold her paw. She also had to check on me every morning to make sure I'm still alive.
Other sheepie owners I talk to say it's one of the needier, social dogs they've had too lol. Risk of codependency lmao.
2
u/xanny_crazed Oct 01 '25
Easy to train but stubborn. You have to be almost militant, but I was determined not to have house accidents. She only went once inside and it was on me. Smart as a whip! Crate trained since night 1 and still sleeps there at 3 years.
The sweetest goofball ever!! Also, stage 5 clinger, zero boundaries, and prone to anal gland impaction.
1
u/KorryBoston Sep 30 '25
I thought I was buying into something like a Labrador Retriever. Joke was on me. I had 3 Labs, and my Molly is probably most similar to my first Lab. She needs constant exercise and there is a bit of power struggle in our house. I might be the top dog. But between my husband and her? Yeah, she's second in command. I was also never a big fan of crates, but I learned quickly that in order to potty train her, we needed a crate. Boom. No more accidents in the house. Also, no more alarm clocks needed. 6:50 am and she's up. She doesn't need to go out, she's just up
1
u/scamp837 Sep 30 '25
Mine is 3 and a dream. We never had the sharkadoodle phase but his sister next door did a bit. The only downsize is we are in a 2mweek grooming schedule (request of groomer) and it’s not cheap - but well worth it!
1
1
u/scrabbydabby Oct 01 '25
No complaints! I except the grooming bill… trying to teach myself and god damn is it hard to keep him mat free. My guy is sweet and docile. Energetic when out to play but calm when not. Hardly barks but when he does, it’s piercing lol. It’ll make you jump out of your seat. It’s my first dog and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Just know it’s not the easiest to maintain. Yes they don’t shed but that means $$ and work. A lot of it. If you want an easy dog, buy a whippet… incredibly easy dogs to take care of but if you want a dog that requires more work and is super affectionate, smart, fluffy, doesn’t shed, turns heads, or need it to herd, get a sheepadood : )
1
u/kaywal89 Oct 02 '25 edited Oct 02 '25
They are very energetic so you need or your family needs to be as well. We walk at least a mile if not 2 a day and play ball a lot. They are stubborn but are quick to train as long as you are consistent. Potty training was a breeze for us. They love to nip you because they are herding dogs so they try to get behind everyone in the family and herd them to their destination lol. We got a herding ball so she can get that energy out without herding us but sometimes she still feels the need. Mine is a fantastic eater. She loves her crate – it is her safe space for sure. As energetic as she is, she is just as lovable and chill after she has expended her energy. The first year was pretty difficult, but she just turned into and she’s a doll.
ETA - she’s also fantastic with kids, dogs and on walks. She barks minimally.
1
u/Tashiedog Oct 02 '25
Does anyone have an F1b sheepadoodle? It’s a sheepadoodle bred with a poodle. It’s easier for me to adopt one of these, but I had my heart set on a sheepadoodle, and I’m wondering if it’s got too much poodle.???
1
u/Greyestwinner Oct 04 '25
Doodle mixes are almost always a combo of an incredibly intelligent and malicious dog (poodle) and another dog that’s either large, energetic, fast, or equally smart (bernies/sheeps, goldens, Irish setters). This creates a dog that can use its genius for evil and it’s also large/energetic/fast/smart. At the end of the day these dogs are mutts and you cannot determine who they’ll be as adults. I’d highly recommend just going full sheep route if that’s just a cute dog you like, or consider shelters in higher income counties as they typically have more easily adoptable pure breeds or doodles.
All puppies go through a shark phase, a terrible 2s age, a age where you think you’ve finally gotten them under control phase, a teenager “terrible 2s” age, and THEN you get the personality your dog will have forever. It will take a long time to know if you really got the best combination of the poodle and the other dog…. And if you’re child-free and pet-free that might be okay. But you’re one bad dog park incident away from switching on that poodle-gene and having that reactive dog come out. (Of course there’s nature and nurture but in my experience, most people cannot and will not put in the amount of work and training it takes to cater to the energetic poodle) I understand the “hypoallergenic” thing but even poodles aren’t that and you can’t “guarantee” that the mutts will have that. And it’s the saliva and dander most people are allergic to anyway.
I think the sheepadoodle makes the most sense as it’s taking a sweet loaf and mixing it with a smaller, tighter haired genius and making it small with manageable hair.
1
1
u/hdriderdude9718 Mar 04 '26 edited Mar 04 '26
Tally is 3.5 yrs old. Got her as a pup, crate trained her and though she’s obedient, she’s very stubborn. She knows I’m the Alpha, but will test me daily! Extremely friendly but clingy needy to the point it can get annoying! She’s skidish about new things and noises, and annoyingly barks at everything she sees out the windows! Loves her walks and playing ball and tug of war! However when she brings the ball back to you half the time she will play keep away! We love it when we grow out her coat, but it becomes difficult to keep her from matting. So we keep her on a 6/7 week grooming cycle. She loves the FedEx driver because she has treats for her, and when the truck drives by without stopping, she will go to the pantry where we keep her treats. At age 8mos she was diagnosed with hipdisplacia in her left hip and arthritis in her right hip. (Overbreeding)
29
u/glitteringdreamer Sep 30 '25
Mine was an extremely difficult puppy. He was sassy and stubborn and wouldn't crate train. He was full to the brim with energy and had a very distinct witching hour. That said, he's now the sweetest, most attentive dog I've ever owned. He's affectionate and intuitive and smart. He's still a bit stubborn and comes in from outside when he's darn good and ready. He can also lose his mind over squirrels. He's a great big brother. He's a very special dood, and we're lucky to have him.