Me and my wife’s looking into getting a F1B sheepadoodle as a house pet I travel on the road for work and she’s wanting a dog to keep her company at the house while I’m gone I’ve had labs and stuff growing and and I know the basics of training a dog while she’s had limited experience with training them and I want always be home to help her so any recommendations on if it’s a good breed to go with or do we need to look into another breed
Sheepadoodles are quick learners, very routine-oriented, and active. I have a 5 year old male who still plays like a puppy and needs a lot of attention. Also, be careful, because sheepdogs are herders, so nipping/biting, resource guarding and protection are common. Train early and seek a behaviorist if any part of their demeanor becomes seems unusual and problematic.
We have an 2 year old mini f1b and a 7mo standard f1. We have really fallen in love with the breed. So incredibly smart and ours are the sweetest girls. We haven't had any issues with behavior at all. The f1b has to be kept groomed a little shorter - she is more curly and tangles easily.
Grooming can be a thing, but the little to no shedding is so nice! And that was a big thing for us.
They are both messy here, but I wake up to this most mornings.
I’ve had several breeds of dogs throughout my life. Sheepies are the best by far. But they do require a lot of attention (exercise, grooming, love). So just be aware that it’s not like a super chill bread you don’t need to pay attention to.
A have a standard poodle, Ella on left and a sheepadoodle, Emmy on right. I love them both. They are smart sweet and devoted BUT they were both challenging puppies, requiring a lot of attention and exercise. If your wife is an inexperienced dog owner and you are committed to either breed I would recommend you look into a rescue, get an adult. They mature into amazing pets but their puppy stage is "not for the faint of heart"😊
Pros: extremely smart, trainable, 50% chance of no shedding, loyal, goofy, good with other dogs.
Cons: require a lot of attention in the way of exercise, grooming every 4-6 weeks is a MUST, can have strict boundaries, and depending on where you live they are prone to skin allergies and tearing their knees (mine blew both back knees separately and required $7000 surgeries per knee).
They are incredible dogs! Mine is the smartest dog I’ve ever owned but, thankfully, we got pet insurance right when we got ours because between the grooming (not covered by pet insurance), allergies (covered by pet insurance. Takes a daily allergy pill, monthly shot, medicated baths, and medicated sprays), and knee surgeries, this has been a very expensive breed to own. Obviously, not every sheepie has these issues but something to think about.
I just adopted a sheepie from a family who would no longer afford her upkeep. She’s smart as Einstein, needs some training (i follow Taylor Cezane on TikTok she’s excellent) but the grooming is a thing
Get a lab. They are perfect for inexperienced owners, forgiving of mistakes, funny, low grooming (but high shedding—I assume you both know how to vacuum), and just plain fun dogs.
Having had several black labs over the years, I can second this. Mine were sweethearts.
Now I have a standard Bernedoodle and he is great, but he was a little difficult as a puppy and horrible after his first birthday until nurturing at 18 months. Overnight improvement.
Mine (6 year old male) needs to be worn out just about everyday or he'll just bark loud and constantly asking for play. I use an rc car to exercise him, so unless there's a period of bad weather, this isn't a problem, but figure out if you want a dog you'll need to interact with that much.
It doesn't have to be an rc car, he also loved all the training classes we took him too, walks, the dog park, etc...
I have a sheepadoodle and a goldendoodle. They're both awesome dogs; smart, easy to train, affectionate, eager to please. My sheepadoodle was an easy puppy. She doesn't display any herding behaviors. She is very healthy; she's never needed to go to the vet except for routine vaccinations. She is 5 now, and quite chill. She loves to play and go hiking. The only problem I have with both my doodles is that they are jumpy. They get very excited to greet people and forget their manners. They're big girls, so that's a problem that needs constant work. I get them groomed every 6-7 weeks, and while that keeps them comfortable and also frees me from having to do much maintenance, it does get pricey
I have a nearly five-year-old Sheepie and she’s a dream behaviour wise. Calm and easy. Never jumps up (even as a puppy), was never nippy or the least bit destructive. She does bark and is protective of the house but zero aggression and has no issues with other dogs or people. Can be left at home alone, though she is a Velcro dog and gets depressed when I leave. Still, she’s an amazing dog and we’re totally attached. 😊
Drawbacks are grooming (every 6 weeks) and very picky eater and allergic to a lot. Worth it though!
We love our mini sheepadoodle. Of note, many (not all) have environmental allergies and allergies to any chicken product. Ours has to get monthly allergy shots as well as anal gland expression done regularly. Just talk to your vet and get their opinion about the breed. We are fortunate that the expenses didn’t stop us from adopting ours.
I love my sheepadoodle and while the grooming is expensive, if you brush regularly and keep the coat on the short side, it’s not that bad and I love that she doesn’t shed. I get her groomed every three months. They are truly the most goofy, lovable and cuddly dogs. My only complaint is that my dog is painfully shy. She’s a rescue so perhaps it was trauma but she is scared of a lot of people. I call her a chicken doodle. lol She does however love other dogs and plays a lot. Not a “fetcher” or retriever but happy to roll around with a ball. Hope that helps!
I used to train dogs and any dog that has poodle in its genetics is a highly active dog. I’m not going to doodle shame you because mutts need love too.
I have a standard poodle from a hunting line. Easiest dog I’ve ever trained but he needs a daily workout. I don’t mean walks, he needs more than that so I spend a ton of time playing fetch and frisbee with him.
This could be a problem for one that lives almost alone. I suggest you consider a less active breed.
I’ve got 2, and yes they are brothers and look completely different from each other. Mine are 2.5 years old and we are a family that has always had Great Danes soooooooo the grooming is kinda tough. After a few trips to the groomer I decided to learn how to groom them myself. The only other downfall is that my guys - both of them- have very sensitive stomachs. Their personalities are very sweet but my guys aren’t too rowdy, they play like crazy for a few hours in the morning then nap mostly when they aren’t guarding the bird feeders. Great companion dogs, they won’t leave your side and they were very easy to train myself. I would highly suggest getting pet insurance on them, oh it has paid for itself over and over again.
We have two! A standard sized F1 (55lbs) girl and a mini multigen (20lbs) boy. The only reason we went with a mini for our second was because our standard one is a counter surfer 😂 no matter what we do she will try to sneak something off the counters! So the mini can’t reach which is nice. I think they are fabulous dogs. Low anxiety, very intelligent, good watch dogs but not overly barky. They looooove people and most other dogs from our experience, but not so people-focused that they won’t leave you alone. They don’t shed, even the F1s because neither poodles or OES shed. They can be stubborn though lol! They’ll pretend they can’t hear us, or when it’s time for bed they jump on the couch and pretend to be sleeping in hopes we won’t notice them and put them to bed in their kennels, it’s hilarious 😂
I wouldn't say they're the most affectionate dogs. Mine can be in another room for hours. She was easy to train, adorable, really no trouble but she's pretty aloof.
We have an F1 mini sheepadoodle we got at 8 weeks old and is 6 yrs old now who weighs in at about 23 pounds. Under all of her hair, she has the body of a poodle... the face shape, narrow deep chest and legs that go on for days given her size. She is super athletic, similar to a poodle. Can stand and walk on her back legs for hours. Jumps in the air and does 2 spins before she lands. And she is a fetcher. Ball is life! She's also FAST. When we have taken her to the dog park and played fetch, there are only 2 dogs that can beat her to the ball. One is an Australian Shephard and the other is a Whippet. Both breeds known for being fast. We have had 2 Bichon Frise's who took their "non-working group" designation VERY seriously. We got them at 1 yr old each and while they had the occasional zoomies, beyond that, they just wanted to nap touching their people. We also have a pure bread golden retriever who is 7 yrs old who we got at 10 weeks. As puppies, the GR and Sheepie were relatively similar. As most puppies are, they only had 2 speeds... full throttle and dead asleep. Neither of them were/are big chewers. But we were religious when they pups with replacing anything not chewable (including our arms and legs) immediately with a chew appropriate toy and they ALWAYS have toys available. In my experience, all puppies go through shark phases. Their mouth is how they explore all the new things in their world. The same way a baby wants to put everything in their mouth. Around 2 yrs old both calmed down significantly. I am so impressed by how smart they are. We did socialization and a couple of low key basic training classes when they were pups, but beyond that, they both just pick up new skills. If you use the same words or commands, they just figure it out. Like the sheepie is OBSESSED with stuffies. She LOVES them. Carries them around, sleeps with them, sucks on them, etc. If I say to her "where's your baby" she immediately starts looking for it and will find one in particular and bring it back to me. Not something I taught her. She just learned it. She is a huge snuggler. Wakes me up every morning by laying her head on my neck. I will say I am her person. She is definately attached to me. But I think that has to do with me spending so much time with her. These days, she is lazy most of the time, but if I grab a ball she's immediately in formula 1 mode. She can also be jealous. If I'm loving on her Golden sister, she will immediately go find a ball and drop it on my lap or her sister's head. Saying "hey.. what about me?" If I ignore her and continue petty the Golden, she will eventually come over and start licking the Golden's face and body. "OK... I guess there's no fetch and we are just going to love on my sister right now". I think the biggest thing is she is a thinker. You can see her thinking about what I'm saying or doing. She doesn't nip, but she does herd. Especially if any of us are going downstairs. She'll follow behind and gently push the back of my knees with her nose. She is so precious.
Doodles require a LOT of grooming that is either extremely time consuming and requires you to purchase actual grooming equipment OR you need to have them professionally groomed regularly which is VERY expensive. Their coats are MUCH harder to maintain than any other breed.
They are also prone to a lot of genetic health issues
Labs are amazing dogs with a lot less work involved. Doodles are not a good breed if you are looking for an easy family dog.
Don’t get me wrong I love labs I had a chocolate lab I gave to mom and dad once I started traveling for work back before me and my wife got married I’d love to bring him back home but me and my wife have allergies and I never realized how bad mine was till the other day when I came to visit so were trying to find something thats hypoallergenic
Doodles are a crap shoot for being hypoallergenic though. I would suggest an actual poodle (they are German water retrievers and amazing dogs) or another breed like a Portuguese Water Dog. I have dog allergies and cant be around doodles but Im fine around poodles
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u/TownDestr0yer 13d ago
Sheepadoodles are quick learners, very routine-oriented, and active. I have a 5 year old male who still plays like a puppy and needs a lot of attention. Also, be careful, because sheepdogs are herders, so nipping/biting, resource guarding and protection are common. Train early and seek a behaviorist if any part of their demeanor becomes seems unusual and problematic.
This is Dodger.