In your search for the perfect new family member, selecting the right Doodle breed is step one. You have many options and all are great in their own way. There are gentle giants (Bernedoodles, Pyredoodles, Newfiedoodles, etc.) There are smaller “lap-Doodles” (mini-Aussiedoodles, Yorkiepoos, Havadoodles, etc.) And there are lots of medium sized Doodles, with wide-ranging personalities and temperaments (Goldendoodles, Labradoodles, Australian Mountain Doodles, Bordoodles and many others.) Amazing dogs all, but they all have their drawbacks.
This post is the first of what will be a series devoted to each Doodle breed. We hope this info will help you decide which is the perfect Doodle breed for you. We love them all, but they’re all very different!
Bordoodles
F1 Bordoodles (also sometimes called Borderdoodles) are a cross between a purebred Border Collie and a purebred Poodle. F1b Bordoodles are of course a backcross – a mix of an F1 Bordoodle and another purebred Poodle.
Bordoodles make wonderful pets, and for some families, they’re the perfect Doodle. They’re tremendously intelligent (the product of the two smartest dogs on Earth), loving & affectionate. They will always remain loyal, by your side.
What's special about Bordoodles?
The first thing that comes to mind when we talk about Bordoodles is intelligence. These dogs are scary smart – almost human at times. They are a cross of the two most intelligent dog breeds in the world. And because of their intelligence, they are one of the easiest dogs to train. (Click here to see Sophie being trained at 8 1/2 weeks!) We have Bordoodles that have grown to be masters at catching the Frisbee (even participating in Frisbee competitions), and if you’ve ever considered training a dog for obedience or agility competitions, this is the breed for you!
If exposed to water at an early age, our Bordoodles usually love the water – swimming in lakes and trips to the ocean. Poodles are of course water dogs, so this is a great breed if your family likes to spend time on the water or on the beach. Or, if you hike, run, bike or are an adventurous family in general, there’s probably no better breed.
Begin training and socialization and your Bordoodle will actually enjoy obeying your commands and love being around others. So even if you don’t compete, you’ll have an amazing dog that stays well-behaved at all times. Life with a Bordoodle can be fun, easy and very rewarding.
How big are Bordoodles?
Bordoodles are usually medium-sized dogs, but can weigh between 15 and 70 pounds. Minis will typically range between 15 and 30 pounds and the medium/standards will generally range between 35 and 60 pounds. We offer both. Most of our Bordoodles are medium/standards, but from time to time we will have a litter of mini-Bordoodles.
What are the negative aspects of the Bordoodle?
Their strengths can be their weaknesses…
As with most things in life, sometimes the strengths can also be the weaknesses. Because Bordoodles are so intelligent, they have a natural desire to be challenged. They love training, love to learn and love even more than that to please their human. A Bordoodle (not unlike their ancestors, the Border Collies) will often give you that “stare”, waiting for the next command. We love this, but some see it as overly needy, or demanding of attention. I’ve heard Border Collies called anxious or even neurotic. They’re not. They’re working dogs with superior intelligence and they need to be learning and playing. Let me repeat that: they need to be learning and playing. (Especially when they’re young.)
Are they clingy?
Also because of their Border Collie roots, some people would describe them as “clingy”. I think that’s a horrible word to use, and instead I’d call them devoted. We work very hard to make sure the Border Collies in our lines have “off-switches”, meaning that they will settle down nicely at the end of the day and enjoy snuggling and cuddling. For this reason, most of our Bordoodles also have this “off-switch”. But many Border Collies don’t have that “off-switch”, and therefore that trait can be passed down to their Bordoodle progeny.
The right Bordoodle will certainly learn to love sleeping in a crate or on a Kuranda dog bed (the very best dog beds in our opinion), but if you’ll allow it, they also love to snuggle on a cold night as well!
What about the coat? Positive or negative?
I love Border Collies, but I just can't deal with the shedding.
Many families have said these words to me. But because Bordoodles are part purebred Poodle, it stands to reason that your pup will benefit from the low shed, hypoallergenic traits carried by the Poodle. These dogs will usually shed far less than purebred dog breeds.
So is the coat a positive or a negative? The answer is, it depends on you. The nice thing about dogs that shed is that you rarely, if ever, have to get them groomed. But if shedding or allergies are potential negatives for you, (and you don’t want a purebred Poodle) then Bordoodles are a great way to go.
So as a possible negative...
…we’ll list the need for grooming. This is an expense to budget for, but we have many families who do the grooming themselves. And with the right routine care (regular brushing and occasional bathing), your Bordoodle will only need to be groomed every once in a while. We have a list of preferred grooming/bathing supplies you can see by clicking here.
If you’re considering a Doodle, then the coat is probably a positive…but to some the need for maintaining the coat could be a negative.
Bottom line: is a Bordoodle the right Doodle breed for you?
Because they’re part Border Collie, they may have working dog traits. They love to be active, but don’t let this scare you. It only means they’ll love to learn, exercise and please you. Our Border Collie Dicey, for example, is a feisty worker. She’ll run all day and will herd anything. Goats, cats, chickens, kids. Anything. BUT, she still lives inside the house with us and loves to lay with us by the fire and watch a movie. She sleeps with us and if she could talk (which is almost the case), she’d probably argue that she’s my wife, and not Michele. It’s true. Just ask Michele.
If you enjoy occasional walks or jogs, going to the park or taking hikes, or even wild adventures…but also enjoy a faithful companion who’ll snuggle at night, then the Bordoodle might be perfect for you!
And believe me, there’s almost nothing cuter than a Bordoodle.
- Shedding – 0 = no expected shedding at all; 10 = we expect this breed to shed excessively.
- Trainability – Prediction of dog’s ability to learn basic life necessities (walk on leash, sleep in kennel, etc., as well as basic obedience commands like sit, stay, come, place, etc.) 0 = not trainable at all; 10 = likely to respond extremely well to training.
- Temperament – Some experts use the terms temperament and personality interchangeably. For this study, we’ll separate the two. For temperament, we’ll consider the dog’s basic, biologically inherited traits. In this chart we’ll measure temperament in the context of how well the dogs fit in with a typical family, versus other Doodle breeds. 0= poor; 10 = excellent.
- Personality – We’ll define personality as how the dogs tend to develop in their environment, starting with its natural temperament. Much of this depends on how the dog is raised, of course. We’ll measure this again versus other Doodle breeds. 0= poor; 10 = excellent.
- Good with kids – Some breeds are inherently more patient with kids. This number represents where the dog would rank versus other Doodle breeds. 0 = poor; 10 = excellent.
- Grooming – Grooming is directly tied to the shedding category. Dogs that shed less need to be groomed more. This measures the amount of grooming required versus the purebred breed counterpart. (All Doodle breeds will be similar.) 0 = no need for grooming; 10 = regular grooming is required.
- Energy Level – This category measures the breed’s need for exercise, versus that of other Doodle breeds. 0 = no exercise needed; 10 = regular exercise is expected.
- Lifespan – Since this chart ends at “10”, we’ll have a number of breeds that have longer lifespans. (The “minis” can live much longer than 10 years, for example, while a medium might range between 9-12 years.) So if a breed exceeds 10 years, ask us for follow up information on that specific breed. For this chart, the number represents what we predict to be an average lifespan.
- Cost – We’ll measure cost of any particular Doodle breed in contrast to the other Doodle breeds. 0 = low cost; 10 – typically very expensive.
I’m trying to decide between a labradoodle and a bordoodle to train as a service dog for my autistic son who is 7 years old. Which between the two would have higher success rate to be a service/therapy dog/guard dog? Thank you. My name is Johnny.
Hey Johnny – for a service dog for your son, I’d *lean* toward the Labradoodle. (Or maybe even a Goldendoodle.) The Doodles with the Lab or Golden genetics tend to be pleasers and tend to be very empathetic. And while the Bordoodles might be the most intelligent of the Doodles overall, Labradoodles and Goldendoodles are also very smart. They’re patient and very trainable, & they typically make terrific support animals
Hope this helps, and feel free to ask questions anytime. Thanks for the comment!