Aussiedoodle

Aussiedoodles can do well with children who already know how to be calm and gentle. Expect a medium-sized dog that is high-energy, barely sheds and needs professional grooming on a cycle. The big catch is company: this breed genuinely struggles when the house is empty all day.

Aussiedoodle is a cross, not a standardised breed, so there is no official standard for it. The figures above are the American Kennel Club standards for its two parent breeds — Australian Shepherd and Poodle (Standard) — and an individual dog lands somewhere between them, varying by generation.

This cross combines two of the cleverest breeds there are, and the result is a dog that badly needs a job. Aussiedoodles are frequently sold on their looks — merle coats and blue eyes are common — and bought by families expecting a low-shedding teddy bear, then rehomed when the herding brain shows up around eight months old. If your family runs, hikes, trains or competes, this is a superb dog. If not, look at a calmer cross. One serious breeding caution comes from the Australian Shepherd side: the merle pattern that makes these dogs so photogenic is dangerous when two merle parents are bred together, producing puppies that are often deaf, blind or both. Ask.

Day to day. High-energy — this is a dog that needs a real outlet every single day, not a stroll. Skip that and you get chewing, barking and digging, which is not naughtiness, it is boredom. On noise, it is about average for noise.

The coat, honestly. This breed barely sheds and needs professional grooming on a cycle. That is the trade every low-shedding dog asks for: you are not vacuuming hair, you are booking and paying for a groom every few weeks, and brushing between visits or the coat mats down to the skin.

Being left alone. Struggles on its own. If your house is empty from the school run until the evening, this is the breed most likely to be unhappy about it — and separation problems are one of the top reasons dogs end up back in rescue.

Training. Eager and easy to train. That makes it a forgiving choice for a family training their first dog, as long as everyone is consistent.

• Someone in the house genuinely wants to run, hike or train most days
• You would rather brush and pay a groomer than vacuum every day
• This is your first dog and you want one that makes training feel possible

• Your daily walk is really a quick trip round the block
• Your house is empty from the morning drop-off until the evening
• Nobody has budgeted for a groomer every few weeks
• A surprise vet bill would be a real problem this year

Every animal is an individual, and plenty of Aussiedoodles live long, healthy lives. This is here so nobody is surprised — ask a vet, and ask whoever you get the dog from what they have tested for.

Rough running cost: $$$ (one of the pricier dogs on our list) — because the coat needs a professional groom on a cycle, and that is the bill people forget, and the breed has known health issues that can mean extra vet visits.

Those are relative bands, not live prices. For real numbers across every pet we cover, see the pet cost study and the cost calculator.

Aussiedoodle is a cross, not a standardised breed — two from different litters can differ in size, coat and shedding. Everything on this page is the typical middle of that range.

Rescues do have Aussiedoodles and Aussiedoodle crosses, usually adults whose size, coat and temperament you can see rather than guess at.