Doodle Dogs

We had to put our Rhodesian Ridgeback, Stella, down a few months ago. She made it to 13 years so while it was tough she had a good run. We’re looking for a new dog and my wife insists on a doodle of some sort.

I get why…they don’t really shed. Stella was a moderate shedder with short hair and it was still a lot. However, she was a great protector of the house. At 90 pounds and a pretty ferocious bark, I never worried about someone attempting to get in. We’re looking at a larger doodle…probably a bernadoodle but I can’t see anyone being scared away by one of them.

Maybe I’m thinking about this wrong but anyone have experience with doodles? I know they are great family dogs but I’m having a tough time with getting a “designer dog.” Any feedback on doodles would be appreciated.

Pic of Stella a few days before we had to put her down:

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The only doodle that I’ve liked is an Aussie Doodle that a friend of mine has. It’s still a scrappy dog, small at about 35 lbs. however it doesn’t seem to get instantly cold like most small dogs and it can hike and go all day it seems. It also didn’t seem incredibly high strung.

Otherwise I’d get the biggest most homeless lookin doodle I could find.

My brother has a goldendoodle which his wife insisted on getting due to the lack of shedding. He’s very friendly and well behaved dog, and definitely not intimidating in the least bit even though he’s about 70lbs. The no shedding is certainly nice, however there is still plenty of other grooming and maintenance involved. Regular grooming haircuts, frequent baths, burrs and other stuff gets stuck in the fur easily.

My neighbor has a doodle and I don’t think it would hurt or scare anyone.

Now my son has one that is a great family dog. When she is home alone she makes quite a ruckus if someone walks up to the door.

These are both golden doodles and are around 65 pounds. Burrs are a problem.

Cousin has a golden doodle, his parents have cockapoo. Both are the nicest dogs you’ve ever met. Not a single bad bone in their body. Great family dogs. As far as hunting and protection, I wouldn’t buy one.

I have never seen a doodle with a mean bone in it’s body.I have a buddy who has one,they raised a couple of litters and she is 70 pounds of i love everyone.His 3 boy’s have 4 between them,same way.
I have a terrier\heeler cross and nobody is getting in a vehicle,house,or near the GF.Get one of those little devils.

be prepared to spend $100-200 each time you need grooming/haircuts

Time to think outside the box.

Curl Power: Poodles Return to the Field

We have an F1 80lb goldendoodle. Hand-picked him out of the litter as the pup with the most retreiver in him. Pretty easy to spot as puppies which ones lean more golden/poodle.

Best large breed to have with young kids, in my opinion. My two year old can climb all over him, pull his hair, yank his tail etc. and never shown a hint of aggression towards her. He sheds a bit still, but definitely manageable and minimal compared to other large breeds.

The thing I’ve noticed with our goldendoodle, ever since we’ve had kids, he’s been in protection mode. At night, he sleeps at the top of the stairs staring at the one way up to our bedrooms. If they’re laying on the floor, he’s laying next to them. Don’t get me wrong, he’s not going to savage the intruder that comes in during the night. However, the shadow of an 80lb goldendoodle with a deep bark would be enough to make me think twice. And if not, I’m now awake, and that’s what 12 gauges are for.

My mom has a golden , probably 70ish lbs. Great dog, very obedient very smart. That thing is in the groomer all the time. But she is a really good dog. Protector lol no

Dogs only go so far for protection. Good buddies parents had a couple pitbulls mixed of some sort, think rottweiler or something one was huge and nasty, both extremely intimidating, I’m not a fan of bullies whatsoever. Long story short hotdogs and sleeping pills, if criminals want access to your home they’ll get it.

My mom had a golden, same as everyone else here it was a good dog.

We have an F1 goldendoodle as well. I’ll 2nd and 3rd everything that been said. Great family dog and actually a pretty good protector. The grooming part is my biggest pet peeve, pun intended. Ours at least, is pretty strong minded and even though my wife is the one that wanted her, she has become my dog. Loves to hunt which was a bit of a surprise to me. They are very smart.

Joe Jarl wrote:

We have an F1 goldendoodle as well. I’ll 2nd and 3rd everything that been said. Great family dog and actually a pretty good protector. The grooming part is my biggest pet peeve, pun intended. Ours at least, is pretty strong minded and even though my wife is the one that wanted her, she has become my dog. Loves to hunt which was a bit of a surprise to me. They are very smart.

I always thought they were supposed to be good hunting dogs ?

Bearcat89 wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Joe Jarl wrote:</div>
We have an F1 goldendoodle as well. I’ll 2nd and 3rd everything that been said. Great family dog and actually a pretty good protector. The grooming part is my biggest pet peeve, pun intended. Ours at least, is pretty strong minded and even though my wife is the one that wanted her, she has become my dog. Loves to hunt which was a bit of a surprise to me. They are very smart.

I always thought they were supposed to be good hunting dogs ?

They are, but like most breeds, you gotta train it into them. Because goldendoodles tend to be great house dogs as well, they’ve been labelled as such. Poodles have a long history as waterfowl dogs. Goldens as well. If you’re going to hunt upland birds with them, I suggest keeping their coats extremely short, because the burrs are a real pain.

Bearcat89 wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Joe Jarl wrote:</div>
We have an F1 goldendoodle as well. I’ll 2nd and 3rd everything that been said. Great family dog and actually a pretty good protector. The grooming part is my biggest pet peeve, pun intended. Ours at least, is pretty strong minded and even though my wife is the one that wanted her, she has become my dog. Loves to hunt which was a bit of a surprise to me. They are very smart.

I always thought they were supposed to be good hunting dogs ?

Not sure why it surprised me. Goldens are great all around hunters and poodles were bred for waterfowl. Maybe what surprised me most was that she was going to be my wife’s dog and has become my hunting partner. Would really like to get her on ducks. She can’t get enough of the water.

hossfisher wrote:

burrs are a real pain

That is the truth. Keep their coat like buzz cut short if you want to avoid the burrs.

Not much more to add, our almost 9 year old F1 goldendoodle has been a great dog. Either getting another goldendoodle for next dog or possibly an aussiedoodle.

My parents have a mini goldendoodle. He’s the friendliest and cuddliest dog I have ever met. My brothers and I fight over who gets to watch him when they’re out of town.

I also lived with a full size golden doodle in college. It was my roommates support dog. He was trained to alert on incoming heart complications and he did an excellent job. Incredibly protective yet he was also one of the best dogs I’ve ever lived with. Plus, the ladies loved it when I brought him to class.

They’re on my short list if I can ever convince myself to stray from GSP’s.

Matt Moen wrote:

We had to put our Rhodesian Ridgeback, Stella, down a few months ago.

Sorry for your loss, Matt. Never easy. But a new dog is the best medicine in my opinion.

-J.

Thanks for all the feedback. I’m coming around to the idea. The protection thing is just one component and probably not as big a deal as I make it.

We have a 7yo daughter and having a dog for her is objective number one I think. Sounds like a doodle would fit the bill perfectly. Stella was great with our daughter but she wasn’t a cuddly companion. She was more of a sworn protector. A companion is what our daughter wants.

I have several friends and family with golden or labra doodles. I would second the grooming and burr issues. A couple seem to have allergy issues, whether that is doodle related I’m not sure. They love the no shedding. I won’t go into the hunting aspect since it doesn’t sound like you’re interested in that. The ones I know are good companion dogs, pretty much like a lab or golden retriever in that regard.

My buddy has a Labradoodle and it does have a big bark when people come over to his house but after he sees who it is the dog is a big lover. He does have to take it to the groomer more than I have to take my Golden Retriever.

Also I have heard that 1 out of 3 what ever doodle it is can shed. Not sure if that’s true or not.

slough wrote:

A couple seem to have allergy issues, whether that is doodle related I’m not sure.

I believe a certain number suffer from poultry allergies but so do golden retrievers.

My last couple dogs were/are poodle mixes. Toy sized, but great companions and awesome with kids of all ages.

Rudy was the best, papillion poodle mix and had him since he was a puppy.

Shih poos I have now are more yippee and stubborn, but still good dogs

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