The Irish Doodle is gaining popularity all over the globe because of its personality. The breed which was introduced less than 30 years ago has already caught the eyes of many. The Irish Doodle is an intelligent breed that loves nothing but to play. They have unique qualities that make them all-around pets. As much as they can play around with your kids in the backyard, they can also snuggle with them in bed. This makes them the perfect family pets. In this article, we take a closer look at these playful intellects.
Breed History
The Irish Doodle is a hybrid dog breed believed to have existed around the ’90s. Their uniqueness and cheerful character are a result of inherited genetic traits. The Irish Doodle also goes by the Irish Doodle Setter, Irish Poo Setter, Irish Setter doodle, and the Irish Setterpoo. Since the Irish Doodle is a recent dog breed, its history is not that well documented. After creating the Labradoodle breed in the 80s, a world of possibilities as far as hybrids are concerned exploded into life. Before 1980, most hybrids’ creations resulted from accidental mating. Like most hybrids around today, the Irish Doodle began its life in the United States of America. It’s, however, challenging to pinpoint an exact location of hybrids’ origin.
The Irish Doodle’s parents, the Irish Setter, and the Poodle, have a much richer history. The Irish Setter is said to have come from Ireland in the 18th century, while the Poodle’s history dates back to the 15th century in Germany. The Irish Setter, in particular, was originally used as a hunting dog. And as for the Poodle, their main job was to follow waterfowl. This means that the Irish-Doodle is still a hybrid full of heritage, despite its anonymous origin.
Prevalent Breed Characteristics
The Irish-Doodle is a hyperactive and fun breed of dogs. They are also an intelligent breed; this makes a perfect family pet. The breed comes in different sizes depending on the genetic traits inherited from the parents. The Irish-Doodle enjoys its time with humans but also fancies outdoor activities just as much. They also love being noticed and are always eager to please. This trait means that they can be easily trained.
Furthermore, the Irish-Doodle doesn’t bark a lot as they are not territorial. This dog is also hypoallergenic, making it a good breed for those who have allergies. The Irish Doodle comes in the following colors: black, apricot, cream, silver, blue, red, brown, and some have white markings.
Size and Lifespan
The Irish-Doodle poses a long and dense but wavy fur coat and weighs about 40-65 pounds for females and 50-75 pounds for males. Being an average-sized breed, they have an average height of about 15-28 inches. Some factors come into play regarding how big the Irish-Doodle can grow. Firstly, it is the gender, you should expect a male Irish-Doodle to be larger than a female one—secondly, the genetics. The breed comes in two main sizes; the Standard Irish-Doodle-a mix between a Standard Poodle and an Irish setter, and the other size is the Medium Irish-Doodle.
The Medium Irish-Doodle tends to be lighter and shorter than the Standard Irish-Doodle. The difference is also present in the time taken to mature. While the Medium one takes about 11-13 months, the Standard breed takes up to 16 months to grow fully. An Irish-Doodle lifespan is about 10-15 years naturally. With this lifespan, you are assured that the dog will be part of the family for a very long time. However, you can not bank on these estimates. For the breed to reach its maximum life expectancy, you will have to help it in all possible ways. This means that you have to provide it with a balanced diet, take it for regular checkups and do a lot of training and exercise. For all animals, those are the ingredients for longer life.
Cost
The price for an Irish-Doodle is around $1000. However, some breeders would insist on a price tag of about $2800. There are also premium breeders whose offers start at $2500-$3500. The advantage of these breeders is that they offer special after-sale services. These prices are influenced by the breeder’s source, coat color, generation, and sizes. As far as size is concerned, the Standard Irish-Doodle has a starting price of $1000-$2000. The Mini or Medium Irish-Doodle has a lower price ranging from $500-$700.
As mentioned above, the price is also dependent on the coat color. The red coat color, the most popular one, would cost you about $1600-$2000. The apricot-colored Irish-Doodle has a price range of $1400-$1800. The red-colored Irish Doddle is the most expensive as the coat color does not fade as time passes by. The generation of the breed also affects the price. The F1 Standard Irish-Doodles range from $2200-to $2500. The F1b generation has a $200-$2500. The prices mentioned might vary based on your location, but they vary by a large margin.
Breed Temperament and Personality
The Irish-Doodle inherited their intelligence from the Irish Poodle. Their intelligence allows them to take everything on, including agility and retrieval training. The Irish Poodle is capable of learning to fetch your newspaper every morning. Don’t expect this breed to lay indoors the whole day while you are away. The Irish-Doodle requires constant stimulation through toys, training, and exercise because of its eagerness to learn.
It would be nice if you were to set aside some time at least once a day to engage with the dog. If it is not possible, we highly recommend getting a doggy sitter to engage the dog while you are away. The Irish-Doodle is a very friendly breed, and expect it to get along very well with your kids. After lots of exercise during the day, the breed would enjoy the company of the family. The Irish-Doodle exhibit hunting traits inherited from their Irish Setter parents. They get along well with other dogs, but you must monitor their interactions with other pets. They can easily get excited and turn their energy levels into aggression towards other pets, such as birds that might be viewed as prey.
Caring and Grooming
The Irish-Doodle benefit from the hybrid vigor and are generally tough dogs. Nonetheless, this does not mean that the breed is immune to conditions and diseases. More so those that affected their parents. For the Irish-Doodle, some conditions are; Cushing’s disease, patellar luxation, eye problems, panosteitis, bloat, Addison’s disease, canine atopic dermatitis, sebaceous adenitis, Von Willebrand disease, hypothyroidism and osteochondritis dissecans. Visiting the vet regularly for checkups is an important undertaking to care for your dog.
As mentioned before, the coat of an Irish-Doodle does not shed and hence gets entangled regularly. Always remember to brush the coat regularly, at least twice a day. This will keep the coat soft and neat. You might be forced to trim the hair on your Irish-Doodle when it gets too long. The breed’s ear hair tends to grow quickly, and therefore it is always important to trim it regularly.
Failure to trim your dog’s ear hair might begin to suffer from ear infections. To prevent the dog from contracting dental problems, it is prudent to have its teeth brushed regularly. Also, remember to clip the nails occasionally. Typically, the maintenance as far as grooming is concerned for the Irish Doodles is moderate.
Breed Activity Levels and Training
Irish Doodles are hyperactive animals that require continuous engagement. They inherited this trait from the Irish Setters, which originally were used as working dogs. Consider arranging for daily walks and training sessions for your dog. Their activity levels also suggest that keeping them in small tight spaces is not advisable. This is because they will quickly outgrow the small setting and become bored. Consider having a spacious backyard or compound in which they can run into. The space will also give you room to train and play around with them.
The Irish-Doodle is relatively easier to train than other breeds because they are very intelligent and are always eager to please. However, they need constant practice and repetition to be able to grasp the commands. We advise that you train your Irish Doodle while still a puppy. You can hire a special trainer to improve the training process. It is also important and part of the training to take your dog to socialize with other dogs and people. This improves the breed’s temperament and helps them learn what to expect in different scenarios as it grows. Remember to wait until your Setter doodle has been vaccinated before beginning to expose it.
Breed Nutrition
The Irish-Doodle requires quality food levels considering their playful lifestyle as time goes by. It is recommended to include both dry and wet food in the diet. Also, where possible, consider buying foodstuffs made of whole ingredients. It is also good to develop a particular feeding program for your dog to prevent the danger of digestion upset. Simply because the Irish Doodles are active animals doesn’t mean you should constantly supply them with food bowls.
This could lead to obesity and other health-related complications as the dog ages. It is recommended that you supply your Irish-Doodle with about 2-3 cups of meal in a day. This quantity is relative to the activity levels of the dog. Note that the 2-3 cups of meals a day should be evenly spread across the day.
Breeds Similar To the Irish Doodle
There are three similar breeds to the Irish-Doodle: Labradoodles, Sheepadoodles and Irish Setters. Let us look at each one of them individually:
- Labradoodle- They share the same parent with the Irish-Doodle. Labradoodle is also a crossbreed of Poodle. Labradoodle, just like their cousins, have a coat that might be black, apricot, or brown. The major difference is that the Irish-Doodle has a longer coat with less shed than the Labradoodle.
- Sheepadoodle- Just like Labradoodle, Sheepadoodle is also a crossbreed of Poodle. They have the same enthusiasm and intelligence as the Irish-Doodle. One of the Sheepadoodle parents was a herding dog; hence, they nip more.
- Irish Setter- It is no surprise the Irish Setter is on this list, as they are one of the parents of the Irish-Doodle. Both breeds are good with kids and similarly active. However, the Irish Setter sheds more moderately than the Irish-Doodle rarely sheds.
Generations of the Irish Doodle
You must understand the Irish-Doodle generation. Knowing this subject will help you understand other important matters such as Irish-Doodle prices.
So, there is the first generation, F1 Irish-Doodle; this is a generation obtained from crossbreeding an Irish Setter with a Poodle. The second generation, F1b Irish-Doodle, is when an F1 Irish-Doodle is crossed with a Poodle. The F2 generation of the Irish Doodle is obtained when an F1 Irish Doodle is crossed with another F1 Irish doodle. Finally, when an F1 Irish Doodle is crossed with an F1b Irish Doodle, the pup is an F2b Irish Doodle. Note that the price range of each of the above types differs.
Conclusion
Before wrapping up the article, here are some little-known facts about the Irish Doodle.
- Their origin is not known, and the American Kennel Club doesn’t identify it as an official breed. However, this does not make them any less of a dog breed.
- They have many nicknames, from Irish Poo Setter to Irish Setterpoo and many others mentioned in this article.
The Irish Doodle is a dog breed for anyone who fancies an active lifestyle. In addition, they are suited for owners who are ready to create time and enjoy the dog’s company. The breed is also comfortable with families as it is an amiable dog. If you are contemplating whether to be a new owner of the Irish Doodle, then be prepared to sacrifice some time because it will be worth it.
