Tomball, Texas, United States
The Aussiedoodle, A Furever Friend
Additional Information
An Aussiedoodle is a designer dog bred mix of both Poodle and Australian Shepherd (Aussie). Although Aussiedoodles are not currently as popular as Goldendoodles or Labradoodles, they are quickly growing in popularity. Aussiedoodles tend to have a beautiful color variety not available in Goldendoodles or Labradoodles. Like Goldendoodles, Aussiedoodles have absolutely beautiful coats with none of the undesirable traits of the Labradoodle's. Aussies and Poodles have some of the most desirable coats in the dog world, so the mixture often results in an incredibly soft Aussiedoodle coat with outstanding texture, curl, and thickness. Aussies have outstanding personalities and an incredible urge to please. It has been said that Aussiedoodles actually make better guide dogs and therapy dogs than even Goldendoodles and Labradoodles. Both Australian Shepherds and Poodles are legendary for their intelligence and desire to please. Mixing the two together results in a highly trainable dog. Aussiedoodles have been called “the Einstein dog.” They also are great at walking off leash. If you were walking with a pet doodle in a crowd, a Labradoodle would likely follow you from a little distance. A Goldendoodle might get lost in the crowd licking every stranger and wagging his tail ferociously. An Aussiedoodle would likely stay right with you (there’s a good reason Aussies are known as “velcro dogs”), unless he saw some cats or small animals to herd. Aussiedoodles are probably the most loyal of all the Doodle varieties. Your pet Aussiedoodle would follow you to the ends of the earth. However, lack of exercise and training can make them very angsty. Aussiedoodles aren’t a barking breed – they will bark to warn, but not bark obsessively so. Basically, they cannot just lie around doing nothing. So when you keep them without activity for too long, they will show aggressive behavior like barking, chewing or gnawing at things. If you see such behavior from an Aussiedoodle, it is most likely your fault. With training and attention they will be your perfect companion. I've even seen them help their family's out with household chores such as picking up toys and laundry and putting them away.
Are all Aussiedoodles the same in terms of coat type, being hypoallergenic, and non shedding? The answer is “no” and it highly depends on the Aussiedoodle generation that you choose. Since the Aussiedoodle is a crossbreed dog between the Australian Shepherd and the Poodle, genetics play a huge factor in dictating the features of the dog. Australian Shepherds and Poodles have very different personalities, so if you get a dog with more Australian Shepherd genetics, they will be very different from a dog with more Poodle genetics.
F1 Aussiedoodles
An F1 Aussiedoodle (50% Poodle and 50% Australian Shepherd) is the first generation Aussiedoodle that is bred between a purebred Australian Shepherd (100%) and a purebred Poodle (100%). The result is an Aussiedoodle dog that is going to be 50% Australian Shepherd and 50% Poodle.
An F1 Aussiedoodle is the Aussiedoodle that most pet owners think about when they hear the term “Aussiedoodle”. However, F1 Aussiedoodle genetics aren’t that great. This is because they can vary widely which will affect how they look. For instance, they can have straight coats that shed like crazy or wavy coats that are non-shedding like our girl. Since it is 50% Australian Shepherd and 50% Poodle, it’s basically going to be a coin flip on which genetics the dog receives. Most pet owners would not prefer an F1 Aussiedoodle for this reason.
The F1 Aussiedoodles coats can be smooth like the Australian Shepherd or curlier like the Poodle. However, it is worth noting that F1 Aussiedoodles gain the most health benefits of a term called “Hybrid Vigor”. Hybrid Vigor simply means the first cross between two purebred dogs will almost always be healthier than any of the parent purebred dogs. However careful breeding using health testing through places like Embark, Wisdom Panel, and OFA can lead to even healthier generations than their purebred starters. This is because a purebred is basically inbreeding of the same genes which causes genetic defects. Since Aussiedoodles are a crossbred or hybrid dog, they will only inherit genetic problems that are common to both the Standard Poodle and Australian Shepherd.
F1 Aussiedoodle Characteristics
• Coat Type: Unknown. It could be straight, wavy, or curly.
• Non-shedding: Not guaranteed. It may shed lots of hair or not much at all.
• Hypoallergenic: Not guaranteed. It may be hypoallergenic ( if it receives more Poodle genetics.
• Hybrid Vigor: Yes, it has the highest qualities and will be the healthiest generation in terms of genetic defects.
F1B Aussiedoodles
The F1B Aussiedoodle (75% Poodle, 25% Australian Shepherd) is a cross between an F1 Aussiedoodle (50% Poodle & 50% Australian Shepherd) and a purebred line which is either a 100% Poodle or 100% Australian Shepherd. A breeder will usually always choose to backcross breed with a Poodle because they shed less and are more hypoallergenic. Since it is going to be backcrossed, this is why we call it an F1B Aussiedoodle.
An F1B Aussiedoodle is 75% Poodle and 25% Australian Shepherd. The F1B is one of the most sought after generation of Aussiedoodle because they are one of the most hypoallergenic and nonshedding generations. Most of the breeders that claim to breed Aussiedoodles that don’t shed and are allergy-friendly are likely going to be F1B Aussiedoodles.
With an F1B Aussiedoodle, there are some distinct features that you will notice in your dog. First, F1B Aussiedoodles will almost always have a wavy or curly coat that is inherited from the Poodle. This means that it is very unlikely to shed. Also, this generally means that your dog is going to be more hypoallergenic than an Aussiedoodle with a straight coat. The downside of a nonshedding coat is that you will have to regularly groom your Aussiedoodle with pet clippers or take them to the groomers.
Secondly, F1B Aussiedoodles are likely to inherit the personality and temperament of a Poodle. It’s likely that they will be taller in stature, have lots of energy, and need to be regularly exercised with mental stimulation. If an F1B Aussiedoodle isn’t regularly exercised or mentally stimulated, they will get bored and engage in destructive behavior around the house.
Lastly, F1B Aussiedoodles also gain a little bit of the health benefits of being Hybrid Vigor. This means this generation of Aussiedoodle is likely to be healthier than the purebred parents. An F1B is technically the “2nd” generation Aussiedoodle so it does lose some characteristics of Hybrid Vigor. With each passing generation, the amount of hybrid vigor goes down. However, with careful breeding using health and genetic testing you can always make sure to have very healthly dogs without any of the genetic defects from the purebreds.
F1B Aussiedoodle Characteristics
• Coat Type: Wavy or curly like a Poodle.
• Non-shedding: Almost always have a non-shedding coat.
• Hypoallergenic: Almost always hypoallergenic. (Allergy Friendly)
• Hybrid Vigor: Yes, but not as much as an F1 Aussiedoodle.
F1BB Aussiedoodles
The F1BB Aussiedoodle (87.5% Poodle and 12.5% Australian Shepherd) is a cross between an F1B Aussiedoodle (75% Poodle, 25% Australian Shepherd) and an original purebred dog that is either the Poodle or Australian Shepherd. Breeders will almost always pick the Poodle to breed with an F1B Aussiedoodle because this basically ensures a nonshedding and hypoallergenic dog. This is referred to as the F1BB Aussiedoodle because this is the second backcross with a purebred Poodle so it gets a second “B” in its name and is referred to as an F1BB Aussiedoodle.
The F1BB Aussiedoodle is the most hypoallergenic and non-shedding of all the first generation Aussiedoodles due to a large amount of Poodle genes. This Aussiedoodle will almost always come with an extremely curly coat that will need to be brushed every day and groomed with a dog clipper every 6 to 12 weeks to prevent the fur from tangling and matting. This Aussiedoodle generation is the best for people with dog allergies and don’t want to have to vacuum up dog hair.
An F1BB Aussiedoodle is technically the “3rd” generation of dog offspring so it will have less Hybrid Vigor qualities as compared to the F1 Aussiedoodle or F1B Aussiedoodle. Breeders may also classify the F1BB Aussiedoodles as a multi-generation Aussiedoodle since they are beyond the 2nd generation of offspring.
F1BB Aussiedoodle Characteristics
• Coat Type: Curly like a Poodle.
• Non-shedding: Almost always have a non-shedding coat.
• Hypoallergenic: Almost always hypoallergenic. (Allergy Friendly)
• Hybrid Vigor: Yes, but less so than an F1 and F1B Aussiedoodles because they are the 3rd generation.
F2 Aussiedoodles
The F2 Aussiedoodle (50% Poodle and 50% Australian Shepherd) is the second filial generation of an Aussiedoodle. This is a cross between an F1 Aussiedoodle and another F1 Aussiedoodle. This results in exactly the same genes (50% Poodle & 50% Australian Shepherd).
The F2 Aussiedoodle generation is very similar to the F1 Aussiedoodle generation since they are the same percentage of Australian Shepherd and Poodle. Usually, most breeders try not to breed an F2 Aussiedoodle because this generation is unpredictable in terms of coat type, shedding, and being hypoallergenic. In addition, most pet owners usually don’t want an F2 Aussiedoodle because they won’t know if their dog will shed or not.
F1B Aussiedoodle Characteristics
• Coat Type: Highly variable and unpredictable. Straight, wavy, or curly.
• Non-shedding: Unpredictable.
• Hypoallergenic: Unpredictable.
• Hybrid Vigor: Yes, but not as much as an F1 Aussiedoodle.
F2B Aussiedoodles
F2B Aussiedoodle (62.5% Poodle and 37.5% Australian Shepherd) is a cross between an F1 Aussiedoodle (50% Poodle, 50% Australian Shepherd) and an F1B Aussiedoodle (75% Poodle, 25% Australian Shepherd). Alternatively, some breeders will choose to breed an F1B Aussiedoodle and another F1B Aussiedoodle which would result in the F2B Aussiedoodle being 75% Poodle and 25% Australian Shepherd.
This F2B Aussiedoodle generation has a significant amount of Poodle hereditary qualities which results in a mostly wavy or curly coat. This means that it’s likely the F2B Aussiedoodle usually not shed and be hypoallergenic. However, like most crossbreed dogs there are always exceptions to the genetic lottery. If your Aussiedoodle doesn’t shed, you will regularly need to groom them with dog clippers.
The F2B Aussiedoodle generation is sometimes referred to as a multi-generation Aussiedoodle since they are the 3rd generation of offspring.
F1B Aussiedoodle Characteristics
• Coat Type: Wavy or curly like a Poodle.
• Non-shedding: Almost always have a non-shedding coat.
• Hypoallergenic: Almost always hypoallergenic. (Allergy Friendly)
• Hybrid Vigor: Yes, but not as much as an F1 Aussiedoodle.
F2BB Aussiedoodles
F2BB Aussiedoodle (81.25% Poodle & 18.75% Australian Shepherd) is a mix between an F2B Aussiedoodle (62.5% Poodle, 37.5% Australian Shepherd) and a original purebred 100% Poodle. Since this is the second backcross with a purebred Poodle and part of the 2nd generation, it gets a second letter “B” in its name and is referred to as an F2BB Aussiedoodle.
An F2BB Aussiedoodle is the most hypoallergenic and non-shedding of all the second generation Aussiedoodles because it is mostly Poodle genetics. This Aussiedoodle also has the 2nd most Poodle genetics, only behind the F1BB Aussiedoodle (87.5% Poodle & 12.5% Australian Shepherd). It is extremely likely an F2BB Aussiedoodle will have a curly coat that will need to be brushed every day and regularly shave them with dog clippers every couple of months to prevent the fur from tangling. However, this Aussiedoodle generation is great for people with pet allergies and don’t want to have to vacuum up dog hair everywhere.
The F2BB Aussiedoodle generation is going to be referred to as a multi-gen Aussiedoodle since they are the 4th generation of offspring. Many breeders won’t use the term F2BB but will use the term multi-generation Aussiedoodle instead.
F1B Aussiedoodle Characteristics
• Coat Type: Curly like a Poodle.
• Non-shedding: The most non-shedding of the 2nd-4th generation Aussiedoodle.
• Hypoallergenic: The most hypoallergenic of the 2nd-4th generation Aussiedoodle. (Allergy Friendly)
• Hybrid Vigor: Yes, but less so than F2 and F2B Aussiedoodles because they are at least the 4th generation of offspring.
F3 Aussiedoodle or Multi-generation Aussiedoodle
The F3 Aussiedoodle is also called the multi-gen Aussiedoodle. This is the 3rd generation or greater of Aussiedoodles bred together.
Typically, F3 Aussiedoodles are bred with an F1B Aussiedoodle and another F1B Doodle. Alternatively, you could breed an F3 Aussiedoodle with an F2 Aussiedoodle and another F2 Aussiedoodle. F3 Aussiedoodles contain a significant portion of Poodle genetics so it is great for people with pet allergies. The F3 Aussiedoodle generation coat can vary from wavy to very curly which makes them less prone to shedding hair.
Multi-generation Aussiedoodles are used to describe any Aussiedoodle beyond the 2nd generation. This includes some of the Aussiedoodle generations listed above like F1BB, F2B, and F2BB. Many breeders will simply list multi-generation Aussiedoodle instead of listing the exact generation of Aussiedoodle. You will have to ask your breeder to specify which generation your Aussiedoodle is.
F1B Aussiedoodle Characteristics
• Coat Type: Curly like a Poodle.
• Non-shedding: The most non-shedding of the 2nd-4th generation Aussiedoodle.
• Hypoallergenic: The most hypoallergenic of the 2nd-4th generation Aussiedoodle. (Allergy Friendly)
• Hybrid Vigor: Yes, but less so than F2 and F2B Aussiedoodles because they are at least the 4th generation of offspring.