There is strong reason to believe that the bordoodle is the smartest of all of the doodles! 🎓  The Bordoodle is a hybrid combination of a Poodle and Border Collie, both of which are the top 2 most intelligent dog breeds in the world. These doodles are known as borderdoodle, border collie poodle or the bordoodle. 

The bordoodle is special in other ways than just smarts, they are loyal, tender hearted and an amazing companion. They are affectionate and people oriented and get along well with other family pets. The bordoodle has superior athleticism and is being used as one of the newest highly talented service dogs. 🐕‍🦺 The bordoodle is also very watchful and will warn of any strangers approaching your home. 

The bordoodle is a relatively newer designer breed and breeders have been pushing hard to have this hybrid recognized by the American Kennel Club in the near future.  👏

⚠️ One small warning regarding smaller children, the bordoodle comes from lineage of the best herding breed in the world. A bordoodle may want to try and herd children or small animals due to their herding instincts. They may need extra training to be taught that this herding of the family members behavior is not acceptable. ⚠️

Initially bred in the highlands of Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿  and Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿  the Border Collie was a combination of the Romans and Vikings chosen herding dogs. This combination of the best herding dog of the Romans and the best herding dog of the Vikings created the most impressive herding dog the world has ever known. The Border Collie is a highly intelligent medium sized workaholic with endless energy to herd 🐄. If you have ever seen a Border Collie in action working a herd you know how impressive they are with their stealthy crouching and explosive speed and cornering abilities. This highly talented breed was entered into the American Kennel Club in 1995. 🤠

Sizing it all up

The bordoodle is a medium to large sized hybrid that weights between 30 to 60 pounds and is 12 to 24 inches tall. 

There are some breeders who are attempting to make a miniature version of the bordoodle by breeding the Miniature Poodle instead of the Standard Poodle. 🐩

Color Coding, Fur Real

The bordoodle coat is usually soft and shaggy and relatively low shedding. The coat can be either curly or straight or a combination of the two, kind of wavy. 

The bordoodle coat will need to be brushed daily or every other day to avoid matting. They will also require a bath 🛁 about once per month and they will need a trimming about every 4 to 6 weeks. You can either find a groomer or you can learn the doodle grooming skills and do it yourself. 

Bordoodles come in a variety of colors to include white, gray, black and brown or a combination of those colors. They will usually have floppy ears and brown or hazel eye coloring. 👀

Let’s quickly go over the “hypoallergenic” topic. The AKC asserts 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

Bordoodle usually require a moderate amount of exercise. They will need between 30 to 60 minutes of exercise per day to stay healthy. 🏃 Making sure that your doodle burns off excess energy will prevent the majority of any behavioral issue due to boredom. 

Bordoodles enjoy any active outdoor or indoor activity, they are very versatile and can be taught to do just about anything that the owner is interested in. They excel at canine sports and various human activities such as swimming 🏊 and hiking. They are perfect for active outdoorsy owners. 

⚠️ 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 bordoodle may be the easiest dog to train, period! Both of their parents are the top 2 smartest dog breeds. This combination creates a highly intelligent and highly trainable doodle. 

The bordoodle is intuitive and level headed and can be taught to do just about anything! They excel as service dogs 🐕‍🦺 such as Mobility Assistance, PTSD, Medical Alert of any type for both children and adults. They can also excel at agility sports and obedience. Once they master the basics you can easily and quickly move on to more advanced tricks. 

One caveat, in regards to bordoodle owners, to train this breed to a high level at any activity will take an energy 🔋 and time commitment on the owners part. 

Also one potential issue that the bordoodle can have is separation anxiety. They will need to be trained and worked with to be left alone and not become destructive. 😇

Quality of Life

The bordoodle is a relatively healthy doodle. 😀 They live between 12 to 15 years. Like most mixed breeds they are healthier than either of their parent pure breeds. However, they can still be susceptible to the same medical issues 🩺 that their parent breeds are. These include hip dysplasia, epilepsy and retinal atrophy to name a few. These medical issues seem to be more apparent in the smaller bred version of the bordoodle. 

So now you want a Bordoodle….

If you are thinking about getting a bordoodle 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 Border Collie 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 Border Collie 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! 🥰