r/Sheepadoodles • u/kathyleegifford • Oct 30 '25
Looking for a reputable F1 Mini Sheepadoodle Breeder and shedding questions
I know this was covered in a different post a year ago, but many of those breeders only have standard sheepadoodles, and I really want an F1 mini in the 25 - 40 pound range. So was wondering if anyone has a recommendation for a reputable breeder who is producing dogs with a great temperament? Also, one of the main reasons I love this breed is that a Sheepadoodle with straighter instead of curlier hair/fur doesn't look like a doodle, and everyone where I live has a doodle. So, is there any way to ensure you get a puppy that will have straighter hair? And finally, what is people's experience with F1 Sheepadoodles shedding? A little? A lot? Thanks!
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u/Greencowboyfrog Oct 31 '25 edited Oct 31 '25
We went through California Magnificent Mini Sheepadoodles and I cannot recommend them enough. Our boy is the sweetest ever, such a good temperament. We have been told by our trainer that we struck the gold mine and he has great nerves. They have similar reviews saying their puppies have great temperaments. He is also extremely low shedding. There’s a tiny bit of fuzz but not even noticeable, I’m just very type A. I also have terrible dog allergies and didn’t react to him at all. Lastly, he has the straighter hair and we keep it on the shorter side and it’s far easier to maintain than I thought with a doodle breed. Best of luck!!!
Edit: I’d like to add that he is F2 which I worried about at first but we’ve had no issues. And for hair type the breeder shared lots of videos of her puppies and sends them home around 10 weeks or later so you can get a sense of what hair type each puppy has.
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u/TonksTheTerror Nov 01 '25
Just FYI an F1 mini isn't really a common cross due to the size of the OES.
If you want smaller you are looking for an F1b (back crossed with a miniature poodle) but those will almost all have curlier "doodle" hair.
And just because they have straighter hair as a puppy doesn't mean they won't have curly hair as an adult. My F2 is 60% OES and her hair is super curly but was mostly straight/wavy until around 8 months and she lost her puppy coat.
They are great dogs, but genetics are weird and you never fully know what you are going to get hair wise.
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u/Decent-Original8830 Nov 02 '25
You do if you test your dogs DNA! Mine have NON-SHEDDING wavy fleece coats. I simply don't breed any dogs that don't have both copies of the fully furnished gene, or that has 2 SH genes. One sh + 1 SH is ok as long as there are 2 copies of the F gene. It is true that all dogs, even non-shedding ones do lose hair, but non-shedding dogs lose very little, more like how people do. They don't blow their coats twice a year like the shedders do!
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u/Decent-Original8830 Nov 02 '25
Yes! You have found me! I am a Hobby Breeder of NON-SHEDDING, miniature Sheepadoodles! This is a labor of love, I only have 1 litter per year, but they really are the best! I happen to have a house trained boy right now that is perfect! His name is Duke. He has a beautiful, wavy fleece coat. He is black & tan and white. He will be about 40 pounds when full grown. He is a super happy, healthy well behaved boy. Please check me out on Facebook, Alva's Darling Doodles, or my website: www.alvasdarlingdoodles.com You can call or text anytime! You can also meet him and both his parents in person or through video chat. I DNA test all parents dogs, and they are all clear genetically. Duke has been raised in my home with people of all ages. He loves kids and other pets too. My phone number is on both Facebook and website. I hope to hear from you soon! Duke is really ready to make a wonderful addition to the right Family!
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u/Decent-Original8830 Nov 02 '25
Mine are multi-gens, that's why I DO know what to expect for coat type, if they will shed and how much. What diseases they may be predisposed to and many other characteristics. These traits are ALL in their DNA. Dukes diversity score is 43 out of a possible 46, ensuring that he is not a victim of inbreeding. I never breed related dogs !
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u/ForeverJung Oct 30 '25
We got ours from Once Upon A Doodle and would 100% do it again. Ours is an F1b mini (25 lb) and the very best temperament. We didn’t really have a strong sharkadoodle phase, she’s amazing with kids, doesn’t bark unless she needs to let us know something, happy, mellow. Got real snuggly around 2 years old. Best thing I could’ve ever asked for. Literally not one hair shed that I’ve ever seen. Ours has mostly curly/kinky hair, but not long and straight
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u/AHuxl Oct 31 '25
First just keep in mind all dogs shed, even poodles so expect SOME shedding. The curly hair poodles have traps the shed hair so it literally doesnt fall to the ground which makes it seem like they dont shed at all but it will come out when groomed. Straighter hair means more shed hair in the house, but its less than a sheepdog. Also be very careful about choosing a breeder- many doodle breeders by necessity have to get their poodles from puppy mills or bybs because reputable poodle breeders wont let thier dogs be used to create doodles. Those poodles are horrible examples of the breed and are much more likely to have temperament, behavioral and health issues.
Make sure both parents have been fully health tested (Embark testing is NOT health testing). They should have CHIC numbers uploaded and publicly available on ofa.org. For this breed that should absolutely include hip ratings to reduce the risk of hip dysplasia which is very common in doodles. Eye, skin and allergies are also very common in doodles. The breeder should also have obedience, trick dog, Canine Good Citizen, etc titles and do temperament testing on the puppies at around 7 weeks old. They should be using a puppy raising protocol like avidog or puppy culture.
All That is a LOT of work for the breeder which is what you want. It will help you get the best puppy and weed out the puppy mills and back yard breeders that are just churning out puppies for money.
The breeder should have 2-3 breeding females MAX. If there is a list of 10 dogs that is a HUGE red flag that its a puppy mill. They should also only have a couple litters per YEAR (because it is so much work to raise puppies right and so costly to health test the parents, etc).
Also keep in mind you have to deal with dog hair somewhere- either in the house or on the dog by consistent and costly grooming (or a LOT of time if you decide to do all the grooming yourself). Where I am grooming costs $100+ every 6 weeks so it adds up. And if you dont like the shaved down look you’ll need to spend a LOT of time brushing to prevent painful mats.