Our Aussiedoodles are half and half, austrialian shepherd and standard poodle. Lately I have been wondering which breed they resemble more. I have not thought much about it since I’ve embraced the portmanteau Aussiedoodle. I even attached a sticker to my car that says “Aussiedoodle Mom.”  The combination word rolls off the tongue in a delightful way, and I have had a lot of fun playing with the words and sounds on my blog. But today I am contemplating what about them is aussie and what about them is poodle.

The coat of curls that both Koda and Summer have is definitely poodle. But the extra smooth silkiness may be passed from their aussie mama. Our aussie Dot was gifted with the luxious coat of hair. In winter Dot’s coat thickened up, especially when we moved up to the cold northeast. All Aussie’s shed and this included Dot. Poodles do not shed. From what we can tell so far, Summer and Koda do not shed.

Then there is that picture I posted of the puppies’ father poodle. Koda and Summer have his same long lean body and legs. His poodle head is small and pointy for his large frame. Koda and Summer have fuller faced round heads, more like their aussie mama.  So basically they are physically a true combination of the two breeds, but what about behaviorly?

Aussies are known to be loyal by-your-side dogs. Dot was like this her whole life. She came when I called to her out in the backyard, that is unless she was already following me around. She liked being wherever our family was: the tv room, the kitchen, the outdoor patio, our bedroom, my bathroom… Koda and Summer definitely have this trait. They will be sound asleep next to  me or on the sofa and if I get up to go get a drink of water in the kitchen, they pop up and follow me. They go upstairs with me if I allow them, and if I don’t they lay at the puppy gate just waiting for my return. This drive to stay close to the pack leader (me) is Aussie all the way.

Koda and Summer have shown no aggression or brattiness that some dogs exibit, especially what I have heard about some poodles. These pups are no fuss, eat what I put in their bowls, and are happy to meet new people. I believe the no fuss part is aussie, but the happy to meet new people part is something I question. Dot was nervous and protective around newcomers. Maybe poodles are more social. So that’s a toss up.

Both breeds are known to be smart. Koda and Summer have done very well with their training. They seem to understand even more than what we learned in puppy school (sit, stay, heel, come, climb). These dogs know words like “kisses” which prompts them to lick someone’s face giving kisses. They will go get a ball when I say, “Bring me the ball.”  Now they still get all excited and jump on us when we first get home, but I think that’s the poodle part. Up the street is their poodle friend Otto. He is a real sweetie pie but he jumps all over me when I bring the dogs for a visit. I don’t mind his excitement and affection, but it does make me think the jumping may be a poodle thing.

I am starting to sound like a mother who is wondering who my child got a habit from, it had to be from your father, I don’t do that. The truth is our children are combinations of both mother and father.  Each may take a few more traits from one or the other.  Koda and Summer are not only a mix  from two different dogs with different personalities, but they are two separate breeds. A little aussie and a little poodle make these aussiedoodles. It also comes down to our environment. My daugher said, “happy people have happy dogs.”  I think she may be right.

One last word on this questioning of aussie vs doodle, my husband surprised me with a personalized liscense plates. Finding something that was not yet used was challenging. He tried for letters that got close to “aussiedoodle” but was only able to order this: AUSEEE.  So I guess this sort of tells you which way we think these dogs lean.