You've begun your search for a new doodle puppy.  There's so many options of doodles, so many breeders to choose from and just so many puppies. How do you possibly know where to begin?  I am sure there is someone out there still trying to figure out what size doodle they are wanting.  Do you want a Mini Aussiedoodle or a Toy Aussiedoodle?  And what is the difference in size between a Mini Aussiedoodle and a Toy Aussiedoodle?  What about the Bernedoodles?  Each breeder has their own size ranges (especially when it comes to doodles) and its important to look into those sizes so you know what you are looking at. A mini bernedoodle will most likely be a different adult weight than a mini aussiedoodle and like wise a toy aussiedoodle will most likely be a different size than a toy bernedoodle.  In general the aussiedoodle sizes run slightly smaller in height and weight than the bernedoodle sizes (but like I said each doodle breeder has different opinions on what they categorize into what size).

​Ok... lets get onto the differences in sizes and a few things to think about. 

From my personal experience as a breeder, especially in the aussiedoodles, the smaller you get the more energy the dogs get. I feel like (in general) large breed doodles are more times than not very gentle. They just know how to act around small children, occasionally they forget how big they are, but they are just more laid back.  On the other hand... the toy and mini doodles are just a little more high strung.  These are definitely not blanket statements, but something that I have seen more common that not as a breeder who's bred standards, minis and toys.

A few other things to think about -  When traveling with a doodle, especially on an aircraft, the toy. sized doodles win the award for being the easiest to travel with.  Most airlines have a 20 lb. weight limit for the carry on pets, so a toy size (according to most breeders standards) would fit onto an aircraft for easy travel.  If you are talking a toy bernedoodle puppy, they may still be a little borderline as far as making the 20 lb weight limit.  As a aussiedoodle breeder and a bernedoodle breeder, the ease of traveling with a small dog is definitely becoming more of a hit as families realize they want to include their four legged friends on their vacations and trips. 

The downsize of a small dog is that they are more likely to fall prey to a hawk, coyote, or a predator of some sort if not under constant supervision while outdoors. A larger sized doodle will more than likely be able to defend itself and escape the predator's plan. This is something that not everyone thinks about, especially if you live out in the country, where wild animals are more prone.

Lastly, one other very important thing to think about is the cost to care for one of these doodle puppies. Obviously, the larger the dog, the more they will eat. But you will also have higher grooming costs, vet costs, and other various expenses that vary by size. Larger sized dogs obviously eat more, but at the groomer- most groomers charge each visit based on size in some form and when you are talking your doodles flea and tick medication most of those are larger doses for larger dogs and end up being more expensive in the end.  Also - with spay and neutering, the anesthesia often costs more on larger dogs, bringing up the cost on the surgery.  These expenses most likely aren't large differences, but they are definitely things to keep in mind and points to research to see just how much money you may save in your area by going with a smaller sized doodle or choosing a mini or even standard sized doodle.

There are so many more things to think about when choosing the size of doodle that fits your lifestyle best, including weight limits in certain housing developments & apartments  and the cost of the puppy (as smaller sizes tend to cost more).  I hope this blog was helpful in some way as you consider the perfect doodle to add to your home. 

As always - if you have any questions or if you are in the market for a new aussiedoodle or bernedoodle, don't hesitate to reach out to me at 330-347-4651 or by email at steindoodles@gmail.com.

Your looking for an Aussiedoodle (or any kind of doodle for that. matter) and you are getting confused by all the colors. What do all these colors even look like? I get it. It's complicated, and what makes it even more complicated is the fact that each breeder has their own reasons why they call a certain color the color they call it. Plenty of times, I see breeders listing puppies as colors they really aren't called.  There are SO many color options in doodles and its definitely a learning curve and takes lots of dedication to learn the differences between each color.  What complicates it more, is that lots of puppies look the same at birth, but as they get older - they change. With the Australian Shepherd already coming in a variety of colors itself, the Aussiedoodle is probably one of the only doodle breeds that comes in so many color options in its first generation.

So... lets take a look at some of the most common colors that Aussiedoodles come in below!

A true "Blue Merle", sometimes referred to as "Black Merle" (because of its black base color) has a mix of black, gray and sometimes white.  The merle gene is a dilution gene, that dilutes the pigment on certain areas of the coat (causing the black to look a gray).  A neat side note on the merles, merles have the highest chance of any color at having blue eyes, the reason for this is that if that dilution gene hits over the eye, it can dilute the eye pigment as well to the blue color (instead of brown, green, etc).  Kind of neat, huh?  What's even more intriguing is the fact that you can have a "marble colored eye" that is both blue and a different color (black, brown, green, etc) which gives the eye an almost "merle" color look as well when you look closely.  Now - side note - there is also a blue eye gene in some breeds (for example: The Australian Shepherd) which can increase your chances at blue eyes but is not related at all to being Merle Colored.

The puppy pictured below has a Blue Merle Base (the black and gray colors) with a small patch of white on his front chest (often times classified as "Abstract") as well as a small hint of brown (which is considered "Phantom" markings). I'll dig into a few more of these markings below.