Everything has pros and cons, we wanted to make sure we were also listing some of the things that people have mentioned as concerns you should be aware of before getting a sheepadoodle. Many of the lists will include stories about sheepadoodles to help illustrate the point for future owners! Have fun with this hopefully enjoyable read.
1. The sheepadoodles are super clever.
- The sheepadoodle in this family took advantage of the family’s outing and instead of doing the usual when it was let out the door such as use the restroom on the light pole down the street, the sheepadoodle actually went out and climbed through the neighbor’s doggy door to eat the crispy bacon off the neighbor’s table and return back to the owner’s home. The owner only found out about the incident because the neighbor visited and the owner then observed his sheepadoodle licking the scraps of crispy bacon on his kitchen floor. Thankfully the neighbor was able to tell on the sheepadoodle as the owner and neighbor had a good relationship.
- You will also find other examples of the sheepadoodle being extremely clever; another one is of a sheepadoodle who actually wanted the cozy spot in the house. The spot was the perfect spot much like Sheldon Cooper’s mythical spot in The Big Bang Theory. The dog realizing that one of the parents was in the spot decided to get clever, what he did is he proceeded to go to the front door and scratch it as the sign to be let out. The parent who was in my line of that door proceeded to get up and walk towards the door to let the dog out. However, the dog seeing the opportunity now presented thanks to the parent being out of the spot. Ran to the spot on the couch that he wanted and snuggled in. The parent not seeing his dog realized that he had been duped and now I’ve lost his cozy spot.
- Another owner talks about the funventures he has during bath time with his sheepadoodle. Oftentimes his sheepadoodle we’ll take advantage of all the time spent preparing for bathing, getting him ready and will then proceed to run throughout the house and make a big mess with wet paw prints everywhere. This is to say nothing of the initial ordeal of the sheepadoodle pretending that by not being able to see the owners that they somehow cannot see him and so the dog will proceed to hide in different locations and as the dog is pretty heavy, plus enlarged by being a wet dog mass who likes to shake, this is the sheepadoodle’s favorite time.
2. Personal space is a thing of the past:
- Two parents talk about how their sheepadoodle loves to follow them no matter where they go especially when they go into the restroom. Restroom time is really us time and US time really means let’s look at mom while she uses the restroom.
- Another set of parents talk about how anytime there is any conversation that the sheepadoodle will do double run up from anywhere in the house to listen in and sometimes, most often it seems that the sheepadoodle loves to side with the dad completely a daddy’s boy.
3. Stubborn
Sheepadoodles are known for their intelligence. This will often lead to potential complications with their parents, when the parents give an order that the pup does not want to listen to or follow they will come up with many hilarious but difficult alternatives to the instructions that you provided. Knowing full well that you both know what the pup should be doing but they are sometimes dragging their feet or hiding to prevent themselves from doing the command.
4. Health Issues
- Some of the health issues that might accompany sheepadoodle are listed down below. We don’t wish to scare you away from owning one but it is important to know this information prior to getting one in your family.
- Hip Dysplasia – This is when a dog’s hips weaken, deteriorate and become arthritic. Not all hip dysplasias are the same and the severity of the condition can vary. Large breeds are more predisposed to hip dysplasia due to their rapid growth. It is recommended to know if both the parents have this condition so actions can be noted and potentially taken.
- Elbow Dysplasia– This is the same as hip dysplasia but occurs in the elbow of your dog. This will result in weak or even arthritic joints. An X-ray Is usually done to know what the potential damage could be for prospective parents. A poor grade should not allow the dogs to be breeding any longer.
- Cataracts – Poodles are well known to have cataract issues. If your dog does develop cataracts it is recommended to do an annual eye test. Most owners first notice problems when their dogs are bumping into furniture. Cataracts can quite often be treated through surgery to resolve this problem.
- Sebaceous Adenitis – This is a skin disorder. In this disorder, the dog’s sebaceous glands become inflamed and eventually die. When the gland no longer works, the following symptoms will appear; thickening of the skin, musty odour, hair loss, and secondary skin infections.
- Addison’s disease is when the dog’s body doesn’t produce enough cortisol.Crucial signs include excessive drinking and urinating, increased heart rate and panting.
- Canine Autoimmune Thyroiditis– is the presence of anti-thyroid anti-bodies which slowly deplete the thyroid gland. Low levels of thyroid function in dogs is generally indicative of the disease. Treatment is possible in the form of daily medication and it’s essential.
5. They like domestic peace
- The sheepadoodle is super smart. because of this, they are keen observers of their environment. If there are domestic issues or squabbles or even just fights or intensity occurring within the family, there can be at times a dog barks,almost telling on individuals. Now this may not seem like a big deal and oftentimes isn’t but it is something worth noting that they are very in tuned with their environment and will let people know if they are unhappy or to draw attention to any fights that might be taking place. As one family member put it, sometimes the last thing you want to deal with is kids fighting and a pup barking all at the same time.
- Another thing the sheepadoodle will occasionally do to her children if she feels like they are not able to make correct decisions on their own, this tendency can be trained out of your sheepadoodle. Sometimes this can be useful and kind of cute. There are many videos that you can find online of this sheepadoodle herding or protecting or guiding a child to do a certain thing especially if they are little. Once again, but it is something worth noting, and if wanting to change your sheepadoodles’ behavior making sure that you put in components for a training course to do so.
6. They will nip at you
One thing that all owners can agree with is that one thing you should be mindful of and make sure to train out of your dog is the tendency to nip. Because of the ancestry of the sheepadoodle, many family members report that their pup often times will nip at them when they are very young. Once again this is not that bad, but you need to make sure to train this habit out of them to avoid their unpleasant little teeth experience.
7. Haircut Options
Thanks to all the grooming options that are available to the sheepadoodle and the constant expenditure of grooming for your pooch. Most parents often find themselves thinking about different options on hairstyles. Let’s face it, when you constantly have to go get a haircut sometimes getting a variety of options may not seem like the worst idea. Especially if you see some other cute pooch on Instagram with a nice doo. Sometimes it’s nice to switch things up and not get the same doggy hairstyle every day. Getting the same haircut every time day in and day out is pretty boring. Fortunately, this does not have to be the case with the Sheepadoodle. Many owners share their stories about how they have chosen different hairstyles or have thought about changing their hairstyle but ultimately just stay with the tried-and-true. This can be a great thing or a bad thing much like Steve Jobs decided to simplify his life by going with just a turtleneck so can you choose to go with the same old haircut or switch it up to show fashion or flair for your pooch. Lastly, we have soon some amazing hairstyle cuts that went well with their Halloween costume before and would highly encourage oh and send it to us on instagram!
8. High maintenance / Jealousy around the family/spoil them a lot.
Be prepared that when you dedicate so much time to a single family member other members of the family may get jealous. Sarah, gives an example of such a thing occurring in her household. “My boyfriend and I after moving in with each decided that the next step would be to get a Sheepadoodle. After our long wait with the breeders, we were able to get our pup. Everything was great at first but eventually, I noticed that our pup would only really listen to my boyfriend. Even though I am the one who gives him food every day and talks him to walks most times. How do I fix this?!”
9. Can be overly friendly, warn guests.
Sheepadoodle dogs have the potential to be great guard dogs but must be trained to be able to act on that nature that they inherit from their old sheep ancestry. We have ran across multiple dog owners espousing how often their sheepadoodle gets along with everybody and we’ll come up to strangers and just start to be playful with them. This can be good but you must be careful to make sure that all your guests are familiar with your dog and the closeness that your dog will exhibit. Some people unfortunately have had bad childhood experiences with dogs and this could go into a very negative spiral if not properly managed.
10. They are High energy:
Be prepared to walk your sheepadoodle often up to two to three times a day for a few miles anywhere between 20 minutes up to 40 minutes per each walk. The main thing to keep in mind is that these high-level activities are actually very good for your sheepadoodle and depending on the age range you should qualify how long and how far these walks should be. One positive way to look at this as if you have been living a very sedentary lifestyle, the likelihood of you losing weight is very high as some of the owners of sheepadoodles can attest to during this pandemic lockdown. Rachel, an owner of a sheepadoodle shared, “I knew that I was going to have to go for walks every day but little did I know how often, great news is that unlike my other friends there has been no Covid weight gained. In fact, I am down 5 pounds since getting my pooch.