Poodles have become one of the go-to breeds to include in popular designer breeds. You’ve probably already heard of the Labradoodle or the Golden doodle, but how about the Bordoodle?
The Border Collie Poodle mix, also known as the Bordoodle, Borderpoo, is another designer breed that has climbed the ranks of today’s popular mixed breeds.
But what kind of dog is the Bordoodle? How hard is it to care for and do the strong personalities of the Border Collie and the Poodle mesh well together?
We have created this guide to give you a deep understanding of the Border Collie Poodle mix, helping you decide whether this is the breed for you.
The Origins of the Bordoodle
Most designer breeds have an ambiguous history. The Border Collie Poodle mix is no different. Pinning down a creation date for this designer breed is incredibly difficult, though it is a relatively new mixed breed.
Luckily both of the parent breeds, the Border Collie and the Poodle, have more recorded history. Their history is the best place to start when you want to understand the Bordoodle.
The Border Collie has been a popular breed for centuries. Originating in Scotland, this breed was the farmers’ dog of choice. Perfectly designed with its superior intelligence and agility, it was, and still is, the ultimate herding dog. Still, most farmers will choose the Border Collie to herd their farm animals, like sheep. Slowly the Border Collie has a popular family pet and is regularly seen in show and agility competition circles.
As for the Poodle, this breed also has a working dog history. That may be hard to imagine, given this dog’s portrayal in media today. Now seen as pampered pooches, Poodles are likely to have originated in Germany. Its name came from the Low German word ‘puddeln’ meaning ‘to splash’. There are some contradictions when it comes to the Poodles history. Some people think Poodles originated in France.
Whichever country Poodles originally came from, we know for sure that it was a water dog. Much like the British had their English Water Spaniel and the Irish had their Irish Water Spaniel. Poodles were commonly used to retrieve fowl and arrows while on a hunt with their human companions.
Poodles also became popular circus dogs in France. This is where the sizes of Poodles began to differ as the Poodle was bred down for these circuses. Making them smaller and easier to train for certain tricks.
The intelligence and athleticism of Poodles have been admired for generations. Perhaps this is why this fancy pooch has remained so popular?
Although the Bordoodle has very little recorded history, you can already see they are bound to be a rather special mixed breed.
What does the Bordoodle look like?
Both parent breeds of the Bordoodle are medium-sized breeds. Your Bordoodle will likely be too.
However, there are three official sizes of the Poodle, Minature, Toy, and Standard. The size of the Poodles chosen for breeding can have drastic effects on your Bordoodles’ final size.
Due to their mixed-breed status, the appearance of a Border Collie Poodle mix can vary greatly, especially with their pedigree parents looking so different. Their coats can either be curly like the Poodles or a straight double-coat like the Border Collie. Whichever one your Bordoodle finds itself with, there will be specific care requirements needed.
The Border Collie Poodle will commonly have brown eyes, even though its coat colors can vary greatly.
Bordoodle: Coats and Colors
Both the Poodle and the Border Collie have very different coats and sets of official colors. These physical traits are one of the many things that makes them such popular purebreds.
The Border Collie has a dense double coat. Due to their fur type, they experience heavy seasonal shedding and require extra coat care during these seasons. Dogs with double coats should not be shaved or clipped too often. This can severely affect the cycles of hair growth they naturally go through.
The Border Collie also has 17 official colors and many other unofficial ones. Some colors you may already be pretty familiar with are Black and White, Tricolor, Blue Merle, and Red Merle.
Poodle also has a very dense coats. However, its texture, unlike the straight rough fur of a Border Collie, is curly. The curly coat of a Poodle can quickly get out of control if it’s not clipped regularly. The fun thing about a Poodles coat is that it can be clipped and styled into different patterns and formations. This is because the density of the Poodles coat gives it more structure. It also has ten official colors. These include some of the most popular and recognizable colors like Apricot, Black, Blue, and Brown but, much like the Border Collie, there are many more unofficial colors.
Thanks to the color wheel provided by the parent breeds, you can find Bordoodles in many different color variations. They are usually some mix of Black, Brown, White, and Gray. When it comes to their hair type, the Bordoodle can go one of two ways. Inheriting the double coat of the Border Collie or the curly coat of the Poodle. Either way, their fur will be medium in length with a varying degree of texture to it.
How big does the Bordoodle get?
Although it is common practice to breed a Border Collie with a Standard Poodle, Poodles come in three official sizes. Standard, Minature, and Toy. Breeding with either of the other Poodle sizes can affect your Bordoodles size. Meaning they can come in anywhere from small to medium in size.
When it comes to the Bordoodle when using a Standard Poodle, the average weight of a Borderdoodle can range anywhere from 30-60lb. Their height can also be anywhere from 12 inches to 22 inches. It’s also common for females to come in slightly smaller than males. As with most designer breeds, sizes and weights can vary greatly.
The Bordoodle personality
With two mid-energy parent breeds that are full of personality, you can be sure the Bordoodle is going to be a massive bag of fun.
The Bordoodle is very intelligent, although fantastic when it comes to training, is not so great if you don’t have the time to keep this breed occupied. If your Bordoodle finds themselves regularly bored you will be inviting some destructive behaviors into your home. Chewing, digging and, incessant barking are all signs that your Bordoodle is bored out of its brain and needs some fun.
The Border Collie Poodle mix is also incredibly loving and loyal. So if you are deciding on a family pet, this could be the dog for you.
However, due to the high intelligence, they will be inheriting from both the Border Collie and the Poodle, your Bordoodle will be a little more susceptible to anxiety. They don’t respond well to fear-based training and can get lonely if left alone for long periods. This breed wants to be a part of your family, not just sitting on the sidelines.
How to care for you Bordoodle
The Bordoodle has some specific care requirements. Some of these needs vary depending on what breed they pull most of their physical traits from. This is especially true when it comes down to the care of their coat. Good grooming, high-quality nutrition, and effective training techniques are all important in having a happy pet and a happy owner.
It might seem like your Border Collie Poodle mix is very high maintenance. In reality, with a few simple tweaks to your dog’s care routine, this dog isn’t very fussy.
Feeding your Bordoodle
Your Bordoodles diet can be made up of wet food, dry kibble, or a combination of the two. It’s a good idea to purchase food that is specifically formulated for medium energy breeds, but as long as your dog meets their calorie needs and you have decent quality food, your Bordoodle will thrive.
On average a Bordoodle will need around 2 and a half cups of dried kibble a day. The amount of food your dog will need is influenced by things like exercise, health issues and even what sized poodle was used during breeding. The smaller your dog is the less food, likely, they will need.
Keeping an eye on your dogs’ food intake is super important when it comes to the Bordoodle. They can be a pretty greedy breed and it is very easy for them to gain too much weight. Excessive weight gain in the Border Collie Poodle can exacerbate weight-related health issues.
Exercising your Bordoodle
The Bordoodle is a medium energy breed. This means they need regular walks and exercise activities every single day. Two hours a day will generally be enough and you can break these up into smaller bursts of exercise over the day.
Thanks to the Bordoodles intelligence, you may find that walks or runs don’t seem to be enough to tucker your dog out. Border Collie Poodles are a breed that needs more than just exercise. They need plenty of mental stimulation as well. Puzzle games are a perfect answer to this, keeping them occupied as they try to get tasty treats out of their toys. They are also fantastic for when you need to leave your dog on its own, keeping them occupied and anxiety-free while you are away.
Grooming your Bordoodle
The Bordoodle can have a real range of grooming requirements and you really won’t know what they are until you know what type of Bordoodle you are getting.
If your Bordoodle takes after their Border Collie parent you will have a double-coat to contend with. Double coats are medium shedding during the majority of the year but a double-coated breed experiences seasonal shedding. During seasonal shedding, your pup will shed its coat once during the spring, and again during the autumn. This is all to prepare their coats for the coming season. These shedding seasons, also known as blowouts, can be hard to keep up with if you don’t brush your dog more frequently. Think tumbleweed balls of hair floating across your kitchen floor and you’ve got a good idea of what we mean.
So you can go from only have to brush their coat once a week to suddenly brushing them one or two times a day during these seasons. You might feel tempted to shave them during this time but try to resist that urge. Shaving a double coat can negatively affect their coats’ natural growing rhythm and you may find their fur doesn’t grow back quite like it was.
Now, if your Bordoodle takes after the Poodle parent your dog won’t have a double coat. However, they will have a dense, curly coat that will need regular brushing to remain free of knots and mats. You will also need to have their fur regularly clipped by a professional. Due to their tight curls, you may see less visible shedding. However, this is down to the shedding hair getting caught in their curls. Not the Poodle shedding any less.
Shedding tools and brushes are great for grooming this breed. It can also save you money if you can brush them more often at home. This is because you can avoid having to book them into the groomers every week.
You can also bathe your Bordoodle with a shampoo formulated for dogs but we recommend you don’t wash them any more often than once a month. Overbathing your pooch can strip away a lot of the natural protective oils on the skin and fur. This can result in some pretty nasty and sore skin conditions leaving your dog very unhappy.
Bordoodle health issues
Luckily with most designer dog breeds, breed associated health risks tend to be diluted. Especially if the genetic pool of your dog is varied and inbreeding has been kept to a minimum, but it’s always a good idea to be aware of any health issues your dog may be at risk for. The quicker health problems are treated, the better chance your dog has of continuing with good health.
Any reputable breeder will also have health tested your puppy’s parents so they will be well fit to let you know what health issues you may need to keep an eye out for.
Some health issues your Bordoodle may experience are, but are not limited to:
. Collie Eye Anomaly – a congenital, inherited, bilateral eye disease which can cause blindness
. Hip and Elbow Dysplasia – Developmental disorders that cause abnormal wearing of the bones
. Addison’s Disease – a disease affecting the adrenal glands
. Bloat – a condition that affect the stomach and intestines, it can be fatal
A Bordoodles life expectancy tends to fall somewhere in-between its parent breeds. Keeping an eye out for any genetic health issues and regular vet visits can see your Border Collie Poodle mix live anywhere from 12 to 15 years.
How to train your Bordoodle
Training your Bordoodle can be a fun experience for you both. It can also help your dog bond with you. Thanks to the intelligence of both the Border Collie and the Poodle you can expect your Border Collie Poodle mix to be intelligent as well.
They will pick up tricks fast and be eager to show off what they have learned. The Bordoodle can be a very greedy breed and although this can be difficult when it comes to feeding time, especially trying to avoid conditions like bloat, when it comes to training this works a treat. As long as you have some tasty morsels tucked away in your pocket this dog will do almost anything to get some.
As with most dog breeds, it’s important to start basic training with a Bordoodle when they are very young. Puppy training classes are also an excellent place to start. Not only giving you a solid training foundation but providing some early puppy socialization, which is very important in lessening your chances of your dog becoming human or dog reactive.
Are Bordoodles a good family pet?
Bordoodles are a fantastic family pet. They love to be loved and just want to be part of the family. They are incredibly loyal and, more often than not, will be great at letting you know when someone is outside the home. That said they may not be the best choice for a watchdog. They may be loud but they are swiftly won over by kind words, pets, and treats.
Bordoodles can also be great with children and pets especially when they have been raised alongside them. However, especially in the early days, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on any interactions between this breed and children. The Border Collie is a herding breed and notorious for nipping and herding small children. So until you have taught your dog what you expect of their behavior when they are around small children, they must be supervised.
How much do Bordoodles cost?
Thanks to the popularity of Poodle crossbreeds you will find the Bordoodle comes in at a higher price than many of the other Border Collie mixed breeds. Finding a reputable breeder is important and they can charge anywhere from $900-$3500 per puppy.
You can find Border Collie Poodles in pounds and breed-specific rescues. So searching those first will save you a few dollars and give you all the good feels for saving a beautiful dog from a life in the pound.
Many Bordoodles are surrendered because their owners didn’t anticipate their demand for attention and exercise. So you have to make sure this is the breed for you before you even look for a puppy as cutting down on the number of surrendered dogs is incredibly important right now.
Conclusion
When it comes to designer dogs you can never go wrong with a Border Collie mix. The Bordoodle is a fantastic choice, especially with how family-friendly they can be. Their activity needs can make a great companion for anyone who spends a lot of time outdoors.
Their shaggy, teddy bear-type appearance is endearing to almost everyone and their loyalty is incomparable to many other dogs.
