Looking for a super soft hybrid that has two low shedding hypoallergenic parent breeds? The bolondoodle may be hard to find, but totally worth it. This hybrid combination of a Poodle and a Bolognese is a special doodle in a tiny package. 🎁

The bolondoodle is one of the more rare doodle hybrids. They are very friendly and can make an excellent companion. The bolondoodle is extremely loyal and would be excellent for an owner in an apartment or condo. 🌆 They get along well with children and other family pets and are devoted to their owner. This rare bolondoodle would make a great calm companion for retirees or seniors. 🧓 The bolondoodle is also very vigilant and has great watchdog traits to warn of approaching visitors. This is a special doodle in a small package that may also provide relief to allergy sufferers. 

The Bolognese originates from Italy 🇮🇹 all the way back to the 12th century. The Bolognese was a favorite dog breed of nobility during the Renaissance. 👑 Over time the Bolognese breed lost its popularity and almost went extinct. However a few fans of the breed including a man named Gian Franco helped revive the breed. 

Let’s take a quick look at the other half of the bolondoodle hybrid.

The Poodle is called Pudel in Germany 🇩🇪 and Caniche in France 🇫🇷 . Both of these names are a nod to the Poodles original breeding use as a water retriever. The German Pudel name translates to puddle or splashing water. The French Caniche name translates to duck dog. 🦆

The Standard Poodles were originally bred as hunters of wildfowl to retrieve the game out of the water. The Miniature Poodle was also bred in France as a talented circus performer 🎪 . These Miniature Poodles were trained to walk tightropes and even perform card tricks and skits. 

Both the Bolognese and the Poodle have long histories of companionship and low shedding. 

Sizing it all up

The bolondoodle is a fairly small doodle. 🔍 The parent breed Bolognese is usually around 12 inches tall and weighs less than 20 pounds. The Bolondoodle will be about the same size. This doodle is very small and a little fragile. This doodle is not to be rough housed with by humans or bigger dogs. 👍

Color Coding, Fur Real

The bolondoodle can have one of the softest coats of the doodles. When you combine the coat of the Bolognese with the Poodle the coat can be curly or wavy with a very soft texture. Both the Bolognese and the Poodle are known to be low shedding and are usually referred to as hypoallergenic. When these two dogs are combined into a hybrid they can be a great doodle choice for people suffering from allergies. 🤧

Since neither of these parent breeds really shed both breed types can have an issue with matting. The bolondoodle will need to be brushed regularly. 

Some owners chose to leave the coat longer which will require brushing daily, if the coat is left shorter, about 1 inch then they can be brushed about every other day. Usually these dogs are kept in an unshaped or untrimmed hair style with trimming around the eyes. 👀

Bolondoodles will need a bath 🛁 about once per month and a hair timing about every 4 to 6 weeks. Owners can either find a groomer or learn the grooming skills and do it themselves. Doodle ears also need to be checked for debris and cleaned to prevent ear infections. 👂

The Bolognese parent breed comes in 1 color, white. The Poodle parent comes in many solid colors and also multicolored. The Borondoodle could be any combination of these colors. 

 The AKC states that “there is no such thing as a completely hypoallergenic dog”. Unfortunately people with dog allergies are usually allergic to the dog dander 🦠, not the dog’s fur. Granted the dog fur can be a carrier for the dog dander it is not the cause of the allergen. The old school of thought was that less dog hair = less allergen. So breeders would attempt to have as many Poodle genes in a dog breed to lessen dog hair shed. Unfortunately, this does not change the level of dander. Please be cautious regarding the labels of “hypoallergenic” if you have dog allergies. If you would like more info on this please read 22 Hypoallergenic Doodles. ◀️

Working it out

The bolondoodle is a relatively relaxed doodle who isn’t very high energy. They can be very calm and not very energetic. They are great for apartment and condo life and they do well as city 🏙️  dwellers as long as moderate exercise is still provided. To make sure that the bolondoodle gets their exercise, indoor games work great. They enjoy hide and seek and chasing a ball 🎾 or learning a new trick. You can also take them outside and work with them on more advanced events such as agility or obedience. 

⚠️ One word of warning, it is not recommended to have your doodle participate in highly strenuous activities prior to the age of 10 months due to underdeveloped joints and bones. ⚠️

Come, Sit, Stay

The bolondoodle is a highly intelligent doodle that is pretty easy to train. The parent breed the Bolognese is thought to be the smartest of the Bichon-type breeds, that combined with the extreme intelligence of the Poodle and you end up with one smart doodle. 

The bolondoodle is a very smart dog and can get bored easily. If the bolondoodle gets bored they can become a bit destructive. 😬  They also do not enjoy being left alone. This breed may do better with an owner who works from home and doesn’t have a regular job that pulls them away for 8 hours at a time. 🏠

As with all dogs the bolondoodle will need early socialization and puppy classes to learn good habits early. 

Quality of Life

The bolondoodle is a fairly healthy doodle. Doodles can be susceptible to the same medical issues that their parent breeds are prone to. Some of these medical issues 🩺 can be luxating patellas and eye issues to name a few. There are also a few tests 🧪 that the National Breed Club recommends that they be tested for including patella evaluation, CERF and Caer eye exam. 

So now you want a Bolondoodle….

If you are thinking about getting a bolondoodle you must make sure that you are in love with any combination of traits that a doodle surprise could offer. 🎁 Your doodle may look exactly like a Bolognese but act exactly like a Poodle. Would you be ok with that? What about the other way around? If you can love 💗 ALL of the traits of both parent breeds then DO IT! Doodles are the best! 

I would check at Poodle rescues and also at Bolognese specific rescues, they may have a mixed breed/hybrid there as well. Also check regular rescues. Just realize that if you want to rescue you may have to wait to find your dog or travel to pick it up. But there are great benefits to rescuing instead of buying. 👍👏

If you decide to buy a puppy please do your research on the breeder and don’t be afraid to ask the right questions. And good luck to you! I hope you find your forever puppy! 🥰