The Australian Mountain Doodle

The Australian Mountain Doodle – Your Comprehensive Guide to This Incredible Breed

The Australian Mountain Doodle

Are you interested in buying or learning more about an Australian Mountain Doodle?  Well you’ve come to the right place.  We’re going to step through all of the considerations to make before buying an Australian Mountain Doodle.  We’ll cover the breed’s background, temperament, nutrition, exercise, potential health issues, age expectancy, intelligence and more.  

Before jumping in, I want to introduce you to our beautiful boy, Cooper!  He’s a 2 year old Australian Mountain Doodle who’s brought nothing but love, laughs, and joy to our lives.  He was the runt of the litter who turned out to be a pretty big boy!  We were expecting 35-40 lbs, but he’s now at 50 to 55 lbs.  Regardless, he’s still a big, sweet baby.

We brought Cooper into our home when he was 8 weeks old.  Check out how tiny he is below!  After 2 months, his growth really took off and by 10-12 months, he was fully grown to where he is today.  We got him during Covid, so he’s a little behind on socialization, but we’re working on it by bringing him to local dog parks and breweries to get him used to other people and animals.  So far so good as we continue to train and socialize him.  Progress updates to come!

Australian Mountain Doodle Breed

The Australian Mountain Doodle, as the name suggests, is a mixed breed of dog.  They consist of a Bernese Mountain Dog, an Australian Shephard and a Poodle.  There are a number of methods for combining these breeds together.  In the case of Cooper, his mom is a purebred Standard Poodle while his dad is an Australian Mountain Dog (Bernese Mountain Dog and Australian Shepherd).  

Other popular ways of producing this breed of dog is to mix an Aussie Doodle (Australian Shepherd and Poodle) with a Bernedoodle (Bernese Mountain Dog and Poodle).  Sometimes this breed is known as a double doodle.  

Some of the advantages of this breed of dog is that it’s usually hypoallergenic, low to no shedding, and great temperament.

Appearance of the Australian Mountain Doodle

Color

Australian Mountain Doodles can have markings reminiscent of the Bernese Mountain Dog with the classic brown, black and white tri-color.  Although some of these dogs can also come bi-colored or even single colored.  Note that these color variations may extend to your dogs mouth, paw pads and even their nails.  

Cooper was largely black and white with some brown as a puppy, but that brown has faded to white and the black has faded to a dark gray.  So be aware that whatever colors your puppy has may change as he/she gets older.  

Coat

Similar to the change in colors, the Australian Mountain Doodle’s coat can change in other ways as it gets older.  What starts out as a straight haired, “puppy fur” coat, turns into a more wavy coat.  That said, the coat is still very soft without much, if any, coarseness.  

One of the biggest advantages to the Australian Berenedoodle’s coat is that it has little to no shedding.  So you’ll save time not having to dust/mop up fur from your dog every day.  That said, you’ll want to brush your dog regularly at least two to three times per week.  This will help keep knots out and prevent him from getting too shaggy.  Of course, you’ll also want to regularly bath and trim your dog, or bring him to a groomer to ensure your dog’s coat is maintained. One thing to note with a doodle coat is that before any bathing you should brush the dog out as trying to comb through afterwards will be a tough task with the dense coats these breeds have.

Size

The size of this breed can vary pretty widely depending on the parents involved in the breeding process.  Mini vs. Standard is determined by weight, but really, in either case, the Australian Mountain Doodle is a medium to large dog.  Minis are 30 to 40+ lbs and stand 19-22 inches while the standard size can be 50 to 60+ lbs and stand 23 to 25+ inches.  

Cooper is filling in nicely and definitely is in the standard size range.  He’s 55lbs and stands at 23 inches.

Temperament of the Australian Mountain Doodle

The Australian Mountain Doodle breed has a wonderful temperament.  While the breeding and the way the dog is raised can impact the temperament, this breed is generally very even keeled.  This should come as no surprise since the breeds that make up an Australian Mountain Doodle traditionally have great temperaments.  Spending time with your dog and training it will only add to these good temperament dogs.  

Because of their temperament, they make excellent family dogs as they’re smart, loyal, affectionate and playful.  They’re very easy going and intelligent, so much so that they can be trained to become service dogs, if desired.

In Cooper’s case, he’s extremely warm, loving and especially playful!  He’s very gentle and plays really well with the kids and will cuddle up randomly during the day.  He was a bit skittish of other people and animals as he’s more submissive than dominant.  However, he’s starting to warm up to them more quickly now as we continue to socialize him.  

Australian Mountain Doodle Training

Speaking of training, the Australian Mountain Doodle is a very smart breed and easy to train.  They respond well to positive reinforcement as they’re eager to please their owner.  By using treats, petting and words of affection, you’ll have your dog trained in no time.  Just remember to be patient with them as each pup will progress at their own pace.  One thing to note is that as these are very intelligent dogs, they need mental stimulation just as much as exercise.  They can get easily bored and as such training is a great way to stimulate their minds.  We also do food puzzles and toy dispensers for Cooper to keep his mind occupied especially when he’s left alone to help distract from any destructive behaviors. 

Cooper has learned a bunch of commands, many of which he’ll now do without treats.  They include:

  • Sit
  • Lay Down
  • Shake
  • “Pretty” (standing on hind legs)
  • Spin
  • Speak
  • Whisper (my favorite)

And most importantly, Australian Mountain Doodles are relatively easy to potty train due to their intelligence.  In additional to training, we’ve got a guide covering everything you need to know about bringing a new puppy home for the first time.

Nutritional Guidelines for the Australian Mountain Doodles

Like most dogs, you’ll want to feed your Australian Mountain Doodle age-appropriate dry food that he or she will eat when hungry.  Typically, two meals per day (morning and night)  is adequate for an adult dog.  Wet food can be given to your dog, especially as a puppy.  But you should limit wet food once your pup is fully grown as it can lead to digestive issues if given too much. Doodles tend to have more sensitive stomachs than other breeds and it may take some trial and error to find a food that suits your dog and their specific needs.  Cooper went through a few different types of foods before we realized he seems to have a slight allergy to poultry (which I know is common in Doodle breeds).  

Treats can and should be given for training and rewarding good behavior.  But they cannot be the sole source of your dog’s food intake.

And of course, there’s the temptation to give your dog human food.  Always, always ALWAYS, verify that whatever human food you want to give your dog is SAFE for your dog to eat.  Not all food that humans enjoy can be enjoyed safely by dogs.  Chocolate, for example, is one of those foods.

Exercising your Australian Mountain Doodle

Australian Mountain Doodles require a moderate amount of exercise.  Activities for 20-30 minutes per day are recommended. Going for walks or letting them run around in the backyard are some ideas to help them get that exercise time in.

Playing games with your dog like fetch and tug of war are also good ways to get their energy out on a daily basis.  Of course, each dog has its own need and personality, so tailor exercise accordingly.  

One thing we love to do with Cooper is letting him run around in the snow.  He absolutely LOVES the snow so it’s a riot and a joy to watch him run around and play in it.

Potential Health Issues/Life Expectancy

Let’s start off with good news.  Crossbreed dogs are generally more healthy than purebred dogs.  Further, the Australian Mountain Doodle has a life expectancy of 12 to 16 years so you have a lot of time to look forward to with your pup.  

On the other hand, there are still some areas of concern to look out for.  We’ll examine the health issues with the parents of this breed:

Poodles (source https://poodleclubofamerica.org/)

Addison’s Disease

  • Atrial Septal Defects in Standard Poodles
  • Bloat
  • Chronic Active Hepatitis
  • Cushings Disease
  • Epilepsy
  • Hip Dysplasia
  • Hypothyroidism
  • Legg-Calve-Perthes
  • Neonatal Encephalopathy (NEwS)
  • Patellar Luxation
  • Progressive Retinal Atrophy
  • Optic Nerve Hypoplasia
  • Sebaceous Adenitis
  • Von Willebrand’s Disease

Bernese Mountain Dogs (source https://www.bmdca.org/)

  • Allergies
  • Autoimmune Disease
  • Bloat
  • Cancer
  • Cataracts
  • Degenerative Myelopathy (DM)
  • Elbow Dysplasia (ED)
  • Entropion and Ectropion
  • Hip Dysplasia (HD)
  • Hypothyroidism
  • Osteochondritis Dissecans (OCD)
  • Panosteitis (Pano)
  • Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA)
  • Sub-aortic Stenosis (SAS)
  • Von Willebrand’s Disease (vWD)

Australian Shepherd (source: https://www.ashgi.org/)

  • Multi-Drug Resistance 1 (MDR1)
  • Autoimmune Diseases
  • Dental Faults
  • Allergies
  • Hip Dysplasia
  • Behavioral Issues
  • Female Reproductive Issues
  • Disqualifying colors

The common thread across all of these breeds is Hip Dysplasia.  Other issues to watch out for include Bloat, Autoimmune Issues, optical issues and Von Willebrand’s Disease

Price

The Doodle has become a very popular dog in recent years, mostly because of their good temperament, the fact that they’re hypoallergenic, and let’s face it, they’re adorable.  As such, they’ve become highly sought after and are essentially designer dogs.  Therefore, they come with a rather steep price tag ranging anywhere from $2,000 to $5,000+.  Prices vary widely by regions and breeders.  Do your research on your breeder and ensure that they offer a health guarantee for your puppy before purchasing.

Recommendation

Having first hand experience with the Australian Mountain Doodle breed, I can’t recommend them enough.  They have outstanding temperament, are beautiful, sweet, loyal dogs.  Because of their intelligence, they’re easy to train.  Further, they’re excellent with children and other animals, making them a highly desirable family dog and companion.

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