If you want to find a dog with a great personality, look no further than the Irish Doodle.
This breed of doodle is a hybrid that is great for show and for having as part of your family. The Irish Doodle is a cross between an Irish Setter and the Poodle.
The hybrid is great for hunting and retrieving, intelligence, sensitive, active, and loves to be around people.
They play well with other dogs and humans and can be very entertaining.
They are beautiful as well and love the attention when its shown and do well when placed in agility competitions where they can show off their talents and skills.
Table of Contents
Irish Doodles: The Complete Breed Breakdown
The History Of The Irish Doodle
The Irish Doodle is a combination breed bringing together the Irish Setter and the poodle.
Both of these breeds have a good disposition with people and other dogs and when combined, they create the beautiful Irish Doodle that offers everything a dog owner would want.
The Poodle breed is originally associated with the country of Germany. In Germany, the dog’s name was Pudlehund; Pudle means to splash around and hund means dog.
Over the years, the name Pudlehund transformed into what we call now, the Poodle.
Poodles have a reputation of being great companion dogs and are well trained for entertainment purposes.
There are miniature and toy Poodle varieties available as well, bringing different sizes of the breed to people who may want the companionship of a Poodle but not the size of one.
Poodles were originally supposed to be a retriever for waterfowl, like the Gold Retrievers and Labrador Retrievers.
The Poodles can not only deliver waterfowl after retrieving them, but they are able to manage the role of companion too.
The miniature version of the Poodle is a better choice for smaller game when retrieving.
Poodles are known for their curly thick coat. The legs and body were shaved so that the fur did not drag too much, and the curls didn’t tangle up while walking in the tall weeds to fetch game.
The joints and organs were left covered to provide protection.
The Irish Setter is also a particularly well-bred dog that originated from Ireland in the 1700’s.
They were bred to be used for field hunting however the breed became so popular that it expanded into the British Isles.
The Irish Setter is believed to be the ancestors to breeds that include the Irish Water Spaniel, the Irish Terrier, and the Gordon Setter.
The Irish Setters were able to search out the birds and then stay with the birds while staying out of the shots being fired. The original colors were red and white or yellow and white.
However, the red color changed to a deeper shade of red.
In the 1800s, the setters were brought to the United States to be used as retrievers for game birds.
While performing their jobs in an excellent fashion, they were then accepted into the American Kennel Club in 1878.
Crossbreeding included crossing with the Toy Poodle or miniature poodle to create the standard poodle that everyone knows and loves today.
The Appearance Of The Irish Doodle
The Irish Doodle is not a small framed dog; they are medium to large in size and feature a square build that is narrow.
The weight of can range from 30 pounds to 70 pounds and the height can be up to 24 inches.
They also feature a long muzzle that is most of the time squared off and sturdy like the Irish Setter Ancestors.
The shape of the head is rounded elegantly to compliment the length of the nozzle.
The eyes are a medium brown to a dark brown shade and may be oval or almond shape.
The ears of the Irish Doodle are set right below their eye level and they hang down to the sides of the face.
The coat of the Irish Doodle is not always the same on every doodle. It can vary in color and how it coats the doodle.
The poodle parent may feature a single layer coat that has curls and is soft to touch.
It can be kept long or trimmed short and, in some cases, can be corded – which may look like the dreadlocks on humans.
The Irish Setter parent may feature a double coat that is very soft to touch with the undercoat being dense.
The outer coat can be glossy shiny or can be flat. The Irish Setter features shades that include the dark red or the yellow color. In some cases, the setter could display patches too.
In many cases, the Irish Doodle will take on the coat of the Poodle instead of the flat coat of the Irish Setter.
The color of the Irish Doodle can be found in these five basic colors: brown, black, red, white, or black with tan. The color will be dependent on the parents of the Irish Doodle.
The Difference Between A Male And Female Irish Doodle
With the Irish Doodle breed, the males and females are not as distinct as they may be with other breeds and that is due to the fact that their build and personalities will depend mainly on the traits of their ancestors.
Males can be a little larger in size and the more energetic than the females though. Some characteristics are learned and adapted depending on how the Irish Doodles are raised.
Of course, if you plan on breeding and raising Irish Doodles to sell, then you will want a female.
You want to avoid having an active male and female in the household from the same litter or family.
How to Maintain The Irish Doodle
You may be thinking that grooming for the Irish Doodle is going to be extensive however, this is not the way it normally goes.
Their coats are good for a few baths a year, instead of the weekly bathing that other breeds require.
You simply need to brush through their coat frequently in order to maintain the overall health of the doodle’s coat.
Again, the coat does take on the characteristics of the parents so this may change depending on the overall coat of your Irish Doodle.
Your veterinarian can help you determine the best grooming methods to establish so you can ensure a beautiful healthy coat throughout its lifetime.
When dogs are crossbred, they tend to inherit the dominating coat which in this instance would be the poodle coat.
If the Irish Doodle inherits the poodle coat, they are not going to be shedding as much as other breeds and in some cases are even considered hypoallergenic dogs.
If the Irish Doodle takes on the coat of the Irish Setter, then they are most likely going to shed and not be hypoallergenic.
The dog’s ear needs to be cleaned on a regular basis in order to prevent ear issues such as ear mites, and a buildup of ear wax which can lead to both internal and external infections of the ear.
Variations of the Irish Doodle
The Irish Doodle is most often recognized by their size and their coat. Depending on how your Irish Doodle was crossbred, the doodle’s coat could include a shaggy look or a wavy look.
Every puppy in one single litter can display a variety of size, shape, and color because there are so many color possibilities with this breed.
The Temperament of the Irish Doodle
Some characteristics of the Irish Doodle’s temperament can include being intelligent and energetic.
This breed can be trained with a little persistence and they learn very quickly, in fact, they love to dedicate time with you to learn something new.
The Irish Setter breed loves to learn new things as well and once they learn something, it is nearly impossible to unlearn it.
If you want to train your Irish Doodle in obedience as well as manners, you can feel confident that this breed is going to learn and learn it well.
Do you have children in your home? The good news is that the Irish Doodle comes from a long line of breeds that are good around children.
It is however important to note that some Poodles are sensitive physically compared to others and this may make it difficult for them to handle children at a certain age, however, with their temperament, they will try their best to make it work.
They may show sensitivity with touching unexpectedly or with loud sounds.
This is why it’s important to teach children from day one how to be compassionate to animals as they would other humans.
Children sometimes feel that they can dominate our four-legged friends, and this is simply not the case.
Can Irish Doodles Get Along Well With Families?
An Irish Doodle wants to fit into a family, regardless of how many kids you may have. In fact, the more active the family, the more an Irish Doodle will thrive.
While you can place an Irish Doodle in a home with minimal activity, they will do better if they can be involved in a more active family life.
Being in a home with minimal activity may turn out to be detrimental as they Irish Doodle will start to act out when placed in a busy event or circumstance such as a party or dinner with several people at their home.
They may not be accustomed to the noise that a small gathering can make, and this can cause the Irish Doodle to act out.
The Irish Doodle breed likes to be show affection and be shown affection. You can cuddle and pet as well as play with your doodle as often as you want, and they will love every minute of it.
The entire family should be involved in training and caring for the Irish Doodle so they can feel accepted in every way.
Can Irish Doodles Get Along With Other Pets?
It’s important to consider the background of the Irish Doodle before placing it in a home with other animals.
The Poodle characteristic is about retrieving, and the Irish Setter is about hunting and the Irish Doodle will take up these characteristics as well.
If you want to place the doodle in a home with other animals, you will want to supervise the pets and not leave them alone.
The Irish Doodle can become bored or anxious and this can lead to aggression as well as acting on their basic hunting instincts as well as retrieving.
If this behavior comes out while left alone with other pets, this may not turn out well for smaller pets that include mice, cats, and birds.
Are Irish Doodles Good Around Strangers?
The way an Irish Doodle responds to strangers will depend on how it is socialized.
If not socialized in the proper manner, then the Irish Doodle breed may become aggressive to strangers.
To ensure that they do not become aggressive, train them while they are still puppies so they will be comfortable when approached by strangers as well as other pets.
Take them for walks where they see other people and pets running around such as the parks.
Take your Irish Doodle puppy for a ride in the car at least once a week to get them use to the feel of traveling.
What Are The Activity Levels Like In An Irish Doodle?
An Irish Doodle is a pet that has a lot of energy and wants to be active because its in their nature.
If you plan on taking an Irish Doodle into your home, be prepared to make a strict time commitment with them so they can get the exercise and attention they need and deserve.
You can expect to spend at least ninety minutes of just exercising your Irish Doodle each day. The exercise routine can include walking, jogging, or swimming.
You can enroll the Irish Doodle in agility classes as well as advanced obedience training classes in order to learn how to master the breed and to determine what the Irish Doodle likes to do the most and you can work it into your daily routine.
An Irish Doodle requires a yard to run in so you can give them the opportunity to get outdoors and fetch or socialize with neighbor dogs when able to.
How To Train Your Irish Doodle
It’s important to remember that the Irish Doodle breed can become bored very easily and that is why you need to create a schedule that is fun and entertaining throughout the day.
You must be committed to ensuring that your Irish Doodle gets the activity he or she needs prior to their arrival at your home.
You will want to start obedience training as soon as they arrive. During this time, you can work on socializing skills as well to ensure that they are socially able in the future as they grow.
If you are worried about house training your Irish Doodle, don’t. This breed is easy to train to do their business outdoors or in a designated area inside the home.
You simply need to be repetitive in your training to ensure that the behavior is learned.
While in the training process, you will want to keep in mind that sometimes the Irish Doodle may struggle to learn some behaviors and it’s important to be persistent and patient with them while they learn.
Sometimes the behavior of the Irish Doodle puppy can be somewhat unpredictable, and they don’t seem to always get what you want them to get.
Over time, they will learn what they need to learn.
Again, it’s important that you are patient while in the training process of your Irish Doodle as well as being committed.
In order to make the training successful, it needs to always be done in a positive manner in order to establish a connection with the learned behavior.
Be sure when you are training that you establish yourself as the number one, or the alpha but don’t be too hard on them either. You want to find a balanced line between the two.
The Irish Doodles are thriving in their surroundings and they do like to be somewhat praised and acknowledged for their behavior.
Maintaining The Health Of The Irish Doodle
If you are considering a Irish Doodle for your home, you may want to consider all that is involved in the overall health of this breed.
The overall health issues that were experienced through their bloodline still exist and may need to be considered today.
Health Issues Of The Poodles –
It takes a little more work to keep the poodle’s overall health in good standing. The Poodles and the Irish Doodles can share the same risk factor that includes:
- Von Willebrand’s disease
- Idiopathic epilepsy
- Immune mediated disorders
- Eye disorders
- Hip dysplasia
- Miniature and Toy Poodles also may experience
- Addisons Disease
- Legg-Calve-Perthes
- Luxating Patella’s
And frequent skin disorders that could result in a more commonly experienced skin condition that returns repeatedly.
Health Issues of An Irish Setter –
Irish Setters have a fairly healthy background but there are a few medical conditions that need to be mentioned.
- Bloating – If your Irish Setter develops the bloat, he or she will need medical treatment immediately. The bloat consists of gas build up that causes the stomach to swell and expand to the point that it will shut off blood flow to the heart.
- Epilepsy
- Cushing’s Disease
- Addison’s Disease
- Patellar Luxation
- Hypothyroidism
- Legg Calve Perthes Disease
- Hypertrophic Osteodystrophy
- Osteochondritis dissecans
- Sebaceous Adenitis
- Eye issues
- pan osteitis
It’s important that you establish a relationship with a vet that is close by and one that you feel comfortable seeing.
You also want to know what they will do if your pet should become ill and need immediate treatment. Create a list of questions you want to know about your vet before the first visit.
You want to ensure that you and your new Irish Doodle are comfortable with the vet that you choose and you can rely on them for medical advice when you need it.
Once you see the vet for the first appointment, you will want to purchase a portable file so you can keep track of all their pet records to ensure that you are able to keep your pet’s health up-to-date.
You can’t prevent all diseases and conditions from following the bloodline, but you can stay on top of it all with the right pet care.
What You Need To Know About Feeding Your Irish Doodle
You will want to start them out from the first day on high-quality food that is balanced and nutritious in every way.
The quantity you feed your Irish Doodle will depend on the age, the size, and the overall metabolism of the breed.
For example, if your Irish doodle is medium-sized, you will want to put them on a high-quality diet that will give them the energy they need for their daily activities.
The food can be wet, dry, or a combination of the two, depending on what they like. You can start with 2 ½ to 3 cups of dry food per day and divide it into two meals for that day.
If you notice that there is some food still left in the bowl after they are finished eating, then you may want to decrease it a little bit so that no food is wasted.
If you notice that they eat everything in the bowl and is still acting hungry afterward, then you may want to increase the food quantity a little in order to satisfy them.
If after eating, your Irish Doodle is still not satisfied, you will want to schedule an appointment with the vet to ensure that the dog is free from worms or other conditions that may make them feel hungry all the time.
If your Irish Doodle is large in size, you will want to still use these same methods in order to give them the proper amount of food and to avoid them becoming overweight.
Getting An Irish Doodle Puppy
Adding any breed of puppy to your family is a big decision.
An Irish Doodle puppy is just like the adult version of the Irish Doodle in the fact that it wants to be around their human as much as possible.
They enjoy the attention they get as well as love.
If you want to bring in a puppy, you want to make sure that you and your family have time for it.
You will want to devote as much time as possible to ensure that the puppy has everything they need and feels comfortable being a part of the family.
During this period, you will want to walk them on their leash and allow them to socialize with both humans and other dogs in order to develop their social skills early on.
Because training a puppy, any puppy, just takes time, you will want to begin some form of obedience training immediately so you can ensure a good connection with your pet.
Also, make sure you pick a good name. If you are interested in giving your part Irish dog a name that matches their heritage, check out our Irish Dog Names list.
How To Prepare For Puppy’s Arrival
As soon as you know that you are bringing home an Irish Doodle puppy, you will want to go on a little shopping spree to prepare.
While you can get by with the basics such as a collar, leash, and food, there are so many other things you will want to bring to your home to welcome the new arrival.
We will run through a few of the essentials, but for the full list check out our puppy checklist.
These items include:
A collar that is adjustable because your Irish Doodle will grow up quickly. You want a collar that will expand in order to adjust.
A leash should also be expandable so you can walk them at different lengths.
If you need to bring them closer to you while walking, you will appreciate the corded leashes that tighten up to bring them closer and lock into place until you can let them go again.
A name tag is going to be a great new way to welcome your new addition. You will most likely have the name already picked out before you even get to see him or her.
Food and water bowls will need to be purchased so your puppy will know where they can always find fresh water and food when it’s time to eat.
You will also want to purchase a food storage bin to store the food in to keep it fresh and bug-free while in your home.
Treats for your puppy should always be available.
You will actually need two types of treats; the treat you give them on occasion for just being a good puppy and the training treats that you will give them when they are in training or demonstrate that they can do a trick or skill.
You will need to find nutritious food that offers the perfect balance for your puppy. Don’t expect your puppy to find their balanced diet in a bag of adult dog food.
Puppies need a few extra nutrients that are found in the puppy version.
Toys for your puppy is a must.
If you don’t buy them their own toys and teach them to play with them as soon as you get him/her, then they will look for their own toys which could be your Italian leather pumps or your expensive running shoes.
Toys should be age-appropriate.
Grooming supplies should also be purchased and kept on hand for your little Irish Doodle puppy.
You will need a good brush, puppy bathing shampoo, and a couple of towels.
What Will You Need To Bring With You When Picking Up Your Puppy?
Before you go and pick up your new Irish Doodle puppy, you will want to stop by and put together a new puppy kit.
You will want to have a couple of towels handy in case of an accident on your way home.
You will also want a little blanket that the puppy can be wrapped up in so it can be held during travel if it wants to be.
Try to avoid sticking it in a crate immediately upon taking it from the only home they have known.
This will only result in separation anxiety which can and most likely will lead to them howling.
They have always been surrounded by their siblings and now they have none of them around and they are going to be scared.
Stay in close contact with them immediately and while traveling to ensure them that they are okay.
When Considering an Irish Doodle Rescue
Rescuing an Irish Doodle is an important task.
They may have been removed from their previous home because the homeowner was unable to care for them, the doodle was having a difficult time getting along with other pets in the home, or the doodle wasn’t trained in the right way and something went wrong.
Regardless, there are Irish Doodles that are brought to a rescue all the time and if you are unsure about starting from scratch with a puppy, you may want to consider rescuing.
When considering rescues, it’s important that you don’t just jump in and make a decision.
You need to get to know the Irish Doodle first and he/she needs to know you in order to establish trust.
Start by taking them for a walk or just sitting down on the floor and petting them.
You most likely won’t know what exactly led them to their new temporary home but you can make the difference in how their story ends.
Spending time around them will also give you an insight into how they may have been treated or not treated.
Once you understand their position, you can better understand the method you need to use in order to win them over.
How Much Does An Irish Doodle Cost?
Irish Doodles are a more rare designer breed so it won’t be cheap to get one.
Often times a good-quality Irish Doodle from a reputable breeder will cost you $1,500 to $5,000.
Even if cheaper Irish Setters are available proceed with caution!
You could be buying from an irresponsible breeder that might breed dogs with health issues or other issues.
Of course, a higher priced puppy doesn’t necessarily guarantee the puppy is going to be high quality.
Always make sure you get a health certificate for the parents of both dogs and make sure you know the conditions under which the puppies were bred.
Never buy from puppy mills and make sure that the puppies have a good relationship with their parents.
For a great article covering several things you should ask your breeder, check out this helpful article.
Pros And Cons of Owning An Irish Doodle
Like any other major choice in your life, you need to weigh out the pros and the cons to decide if owning one is the right decision for you.
Pros of Owning an Irish Doodle
- They are loyal
- They are affectionate
- They are good around people
- They lead an active lifestyle
Cons of Owning an Irish Doodle
- They can be high maintenance
- They are at high risk for health issues that can be serious
- They require a lot of exercise
- They require a lot of living space
Conclusion
Becoming an Irish Doodle owner is a privilege because they are such a good-natured breed that deserves the best.
They strive to be a part of the family and can fit into almost any situation.
They are also a big responsibility to consider taking on, so take your time making this decision.
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