If you already own an Irish Doodle, you’ll already know how smart and loyal this breed is. This type of pup is the perfect combination of sweetness, friendliness, intelligence, and beauty.
Irish Doodles are also great with kids and seniors. They don’t bark a lot and thus won’t cause a fuss or scare children. If you want to add a member to your family, the Irish Doodle is a great choice.
Perhaps before you take a step like that, you’ll want to know more about this so-called perfect new family member. Here are some things you should know before getting emotionally attached to an Irish Doodle.
Irish Doodle – A Wholesome Biography
Before we delve any deeper, let’s make one thing clear. You could never be certain what exact traits this breed will take after either of its parents. Thus, the information will vary from one individual puppy to another.
In a nutshell, Irish Doodle’s have these features and traits.
- Fun-loving and energetic
- Low-shedding dog
- A dog that loves children
- Could be easily distracted
- Smart breed
Origin
Don’t be fooled by the name, this dog probably doesn’t come from Ireland. The name comes from combining the parents’ names together.
The Irish Doodle’s origin remains somewhat of a mystery. The idea of mixing different dog breeds to produce a hybrid is a relatively new idea. It’s said that they’ve originated in the last 30 years. Like most hybrids, it’s speculated that the Irish Doodle has been bred in the USA.
Their parents’ history, on the other hand, extends all the way back. The Irish Setter was discovered in Ireland in the 17th century. While early records of the Poodle in Germany date back to the 15th century.
An Irish Doodle’s Personality
This is one of the most fun-loving and light-hearted dog breeds out there. They’re the perfect companion for a fun hike or a walk on the beach. Besides being incredibly smart, those Doodles are loyal and devoted to their owners.
For families with younger kids, the Irish Doodle is a safe option. Those Doodles love playing with younger kids. Thankfully, Doodles don’t consider children to be prey. It’s not just kids that the Irish Doodle gets along with, but also other dogs. This isn’t a hostile breed and will make friends wherever they go.
Unlike other large breed dogs, it’s very convenient and easy to keep your Doodle inside the house. They won’t make a mess as long as you moderately take them out and make sure they get moderate amounts of exercise.
Do Irish Doodles Shed?
Shedding is inevitable for every living organism with fur or hair. We shed hair on a regular basis, and dogs are not different.
The Irish Doodle is a hybrid. One of its parents, the Irish Setter, sheds a lot. You’re going to find dog hair everywhere if you own this breed. Like most long-haired dog breeds, their coats need to be well-kept and groomed regularly.
On the other hand, the Poodle, which is the other parent to an Irish Doodle, earned its reputation being a low-shedder. The main reason behind this is that Poodles don’t have an undercoat as
Fortunately, the Irish Doodle is more similar to the Poodle in terms of shedding hair. In fact, it may have even lower shedding levels than that of a Poodle. A Doodle’s coat is wavy or shaggy and doesn’t require a lot of grooming to keep things under control. It’s not as curly as a Poodle’s fur nor as straight as an Irish Setter’s.
Are Irish Doodles Hard to Train?
Did you know that Poodles are the World’s second most intelligent dog breed? That’s after the Border Collie, who can learn new commands in only 5 seconds. So if the Doodle takes after this parent, it’ll be very easy to train it.
On the other hand, the Irish Setter doesn’t even rank in the top 100. If your Doodle takes after this breed, then it’ll be more likely to get distracted during training and take about 15 to 20 rounds of repetition in order to follow commands.
Irish Doodles are somewhat stubborn and thus may cause you trouble when training. Also, try to keep your puppy focused on the training because they can easily get distracted by noises and other people.
What Does an Irish Doodle Cost?
Buying a puppy is a step that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Some people go with whatever option comes up first, and that’s a huge mistake. There are some things you should take into consideration related to the cost.
Price
We aren’t only going to talk about the price of an Irish Doodle, but it’s a great starting point.
Prices could range from $1300 up to $3000. That’s purely the pup’s price. A high cost indicates that the dog is fit to compete in tournaments and shows. However, if you only intend to keep the dog as a pet, you could consider the lower-priced options.
Color
Irish Doodles come in different colors and there are mainly 5 of them.
- Red
- Apricot
- White
- Black
- Tan
Of Course, there are variations and different shades of each of those colors. The most common colors are red and apricot; these may have lower prices because of their availability. White markings on a Doodle could possibly increase its price too.
Medical Records
When buying an Irish Doodle, you should ask for their medical records and check them before proceeding any further. If the puppy is still young, you will have to carry out all the medical requirements yourself. That increases the cost of the puppy as the years go by.
Accessories and toys
Each dog needs to play around a little and move. A toy like a ball is a great way to keep your dog active and running instead of going on a walk.
It’s up to you whether you want to glam up your dog with accessories or not. If you choose to do so, start with a dog collar. I recommend using the Seresto Flea collar because it repels insects that might inhabit your Doodle’s coat.
What About Grooming?
It really depends on what you want your Doodle’s hair to look like. Another contributing factor is how curly or wavy the fur naturally is. If you brush your Doodle’s hair every day, blood will circulate around the dog’s body and up to the hair cuticles, nourishing the hair. That leaves the dog’s fur silk smooth.
Daily or frequent brushing also promotes hair growth. So if you’re looking forward to keeping the dog’s hair short but silky, you’ll have to trim it more often than usual.
The hair in the ears should be trimmed regularly in order to prevent dust and debris from building up. A dog’s weakest point is their ears. You’ve probably learned before not to get any water inside your dog’s ears and to be very careful around it. You should clean your dog’s ears regularly using water and wipes. However, if you find that your dog has got an infection, try using an ear solution like ZYMOX ear cleaning solution, for example.
Common Health Issues
Whether a dog is a pure breed or a hybrid, there are some common health issues that face most dogs.
- Eye problems
- Deafness
- Dental problems
- Worms
Because the breed in question is a hybrid, it takes after its parents. This means that common diseases that affect their parents’ breeds will likely affect the Irish Doodle too.
- Addison’s disease
- Bloat
- Hypothyroidism
- Canine atopic dermatitis
- Osteochondritis dissecans
- Von Willebrand disease
- Patellar luxation
- Epilepsy
- Cushing’s disease
- Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease
You can see it’s not a short list, that’s why you need to take great care of your Doodle. Fortunately, most of these health problems could be detoured by regular visits to the vet.
Always make sure to go to the vet as soon as your dog shows signs of being unwell. Waiting it out could lead to irreversible damage. With good care, the Irish Doodle has a life expectancy of 10 to 13 years.
What Do They Eat?
An Irish Doodle requires high-quality food to maintain high levels of energy and a healthy weight. You can feed your dog wet food, dry food, or both. Every dog’s taste is different; it’s all according to how they were raised and what nutrients they need in concordance to their weight and age.
The best thing to do is to ask your vet what diet to follow with your Irish Doodle. Feeding your puppy two and a half cups of dry food split into two meals a day is a good starting point. Keep in mind that you can’t feed your dog food that contains sugar. Sugar can harm dogs in multiple ways, one of them being tooth decay.
The Takeaway
Any dog owner is aware that taking care of a dog is almost like taking care of a baby. It might be hard work at first, but it’s very fruitful and rewarding. Dogs will give their owners the world as long as their owners keep them happy.
With the Irish Doodle, things get a whole lot more fun. Their bubbly personality makes them fun companions, while their cute appearance makes them a show-stopper. Every kid and adult on the street will stop you to pet your Doodle, especially if you brush their hair daily and keep them clean.
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Forrest is a lover of dogs, the wild outdoors, deep mysterious conversations… and coffee. He is the owner of several websites, including Canine Weekly. He resides in Austin, Texas.