Doodles are super cute but how can you pick the right one for you? Temperament matters, which is the calmest doodle? 

A doodle is a mix between a poodle and another dog breed. Which equals a doodle, or a poo, not the stinky kind. 😀

Some of these poodle mixes are noticeably calmer than others. We will take a look at those temperament differences in this article. 

How many different types of doodles are there? 

Since poodles are mixed with a second dog breed the possibilities are endless. How do you choose your forever doodle? We have to look at the best temperament fit for you and your family. We will look at half of this doodle combination first, the poodle. 🐩 Then we will break down each of the more popular breeds that get mixed with the poodle to create the doodle.

Why was this doodle dog created in the first place? 

Back in the 1990s dog breeders wanted to create a service dog that was hypoallergenic. These breeders started by combining Labradors and Golden Retrievers who were highly intelligent and trainable, with Poodles. Considering that doodles were created first as a service dog they had to have a decent amount of energy to do their jobs. They were originally pretty energetic. 🔋

When the popularity of doodles exploded breeders started combining poodles with other breeds attempting to create cute hypoallergenic dogs of ALL kinds. 

There are many different types of doodles that have become popular. Many of these different breeds have standard, medium, or mini size versions. This article will only focus on the most popular standard sized doodles. Large breed dogs have had a previous history of being calmer, once they have outgrown their puppy stages, resulting in a more low-key doodle. 

We will start by taking a look at the data in the form of a table. Poodles being half of the doodle equation are listed at the top. Then each standard sized popular doodle-mix is listed after that. The calmness scale on the chart is numbered from 1 being the lowest energy to 5 being the highest.

Poodle (Standard)

• Breed grouping – Non-Sporting Group

Poodles can come in any size from standard to tiny. 🐩 But whether they are big or little they have big energy levels. These dogs are very active and require daily activity. Standard poodles were originally bred as water retrievers and have been used for years by humans in all kinds of sport. In France, 🇫🇷 they were used as hunting dogs and excelled in water retrieval. Due to their hunting history they have a high impulse to retrieve. 

Since Poodles have a high energy level they need daily activity. Poodles are extremely intelligent and very easy to train. They can be used in agility, obedience or tracking. You could use any of these activities to keep your Poodle entertained and out of trouble. Swimming and water retrieval or just a brisk walk around the neighborhood would probably work too. 👍

• Height: Over 15 Inches
• Weight: 40 – 50 Females, 60 – 70 Males (Pounds)
• Life Expectancy: 10 – 18 Years
• Country of Origin: France 🇫🇷
• Calmness Scale Rating: 5

Golden Retriever (Goldendoodle)

Breed grouping – Sporting group

Golden Retrievers are highly active dogs and require daily activity. Golden Retrievers, commonly called “goldies” are often used for working dogs such as therapy or search and rescue. 🐕‍🦺 If their high energy is not focused then they can start to show undesirable behavior. Goldies can get involved in many activities with their owners to use up their energy, such as agility or obedience for daily exercise. 

Golden Retrievers need to have good early socialization and puppy training classes to make sure that they become a non-destructive adult goldie with good habits. Obedience training conducted with their owner can strengthen the bond with this already loyal and loving dog. 

• Height: 21 – 24 Inches
• Weight: 55 – 65 Females, 65 – 75 Males (Pounds)
• Life Expectancy: 10 – 12 Years
• Country of Origin: Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
• Calmness Scale Rating: 4.5

Labrador Retriever (Labradoodle)

• Breed grouping – Sporting group

There is a reason the Labrador Retriever is the most popular dog in the United States. 🇺🇲 They are devoted and intelligent. They are commonly used in many different working dog capacities. They were originally bred as a working dog and need the strength and stamina to do their job correctly. 🦮 Labrador Retrievers are also a highly energetic breed. If these very energetic dogs are not exercised daily they can develop destructive behaviors such as chewing or barking. They can be very hyperactive between the ages of 0-3 years. But they do tend to calm down a bit after they turn 3. 🤞

Labs need early socialization between the ages of 7 weeks up to the age of 4 months old. It is also very important for them to be enrolled early in puppy classes. But the good news is that they are super smart and excel in obedience training. If you need some ideas to get out all of that Lab energy, they excel at agility, obedience and dock diving or tracking. They are enthusiastic learners and love to be involved in anything that their humans are doing. 

• Height: 21 – 24 Inches
• Weight: 55 – 70 Females, 65 – 80 Males (Pounds)
• Life Expectancy: 11 – 13 Years
• Country of Origin: Canada 🇨🇦
• Calmness Scale Rating: 4.5

Australian Shepard (Aussiedoodle)

• Breed grouping – Herding group

The next doodle that we are going to look at is my personal favorite. Although slightly smaller than the last two doodles, the Australian Shepard was also originally bred as a working dog. They are a high-energy, athletic dog who is highly intelligent. When you combine the Poodle and the Australian Shepard you end up with an Aussiedoodle or an Aussiepoo commonly called the “Einstein doodle” due to the intellect of both parents. These  puppy smarts can be a blessing and curse. Australian Shepherds need to be given a job to keep them entertained and their energy used. 

Australian Shepherds can excel in obedience, herding agility and dock diving. I personally work with mine doing tracking with Search and Rescue. Australian Shepherds bond closely with their owners and are very loyal but they can become territorial or protective. They are easy to train. Unfortunately, many Australian Shepherd owners don’t capitalize on their dog’s intelligence and train them appropriately. Many high energy Australian Shepherds end up in rescues for  becoming destructive due to their owners not channeling their high energy productively. 

(Aussiedoodles are amazing dogs and I love my assuiedoodle more than anything, 🥰 but owning any dog is a big responsibility and you have to have a plan for energy output. Without the proper exercise you end up with an unhappy doodle and an unhappy doodle owner.)

• Height: 18 – 24 Inches
• Weight: 40 – 55 Females, 50 – 65 Males (Pounds)
• Life Expectancy: 12 – 15 Years
• Country of Origin:  Spain 🇪🇸
• Calmness Scale Rating: 5

Bernese Mt Dog (Bernedoodle)

• Breed grouping  – Working  group

Bernese Mt Dogs are sweet and affectionate and require a bit less activity than some of the other breeds on our list. They need about 30 mins of moderate exercise per day for energy output. Bernese Mt Dogs are very loyal and tend to attach to one human and they love to make their owners happy. They are usually easy to train and they don’t respond well to negative corrections or training methods. 

Along with being super sweet and easy to train they have a medium to long coat that is silky and thick. This tricolored thick coat makes them excellent for cold weather environments. So when it’s cold you could cuddle up to this affectionate ball of fur to stay warm. ☺️

• Height: 23 – 27 Inches
• Weight: 70 – 95 Females, 80 – 115 Males (Pounds)
• Life Expectancy: 7 – 10 Years
• Country of Origin: Switzerland 🇨🇭
• Calmness Scale Rating: 3.5

Old English Sheep Dog (Sheepadoodle)

• Breed grouping  – Herding  group

Old English Sheep Dogs are another dog on our list that is well known for its distinctive shaggy coat. OES dogs have a double coat that covers a strong compact frame. They were originally bred and used for herding and protecting flocks of sheep. 🐏 They are great watch dogs with a loud warning bark. 

However, with that loud bark they also have mellow personalities and are very intelligent. They are also kind, very watchful and are tender natured with children. OES dogs make great playmates for children with an added element of watchfulness and protection. 

Due to the OES dog’s background in herding they are still a working dog and they do require moderate to high amounts of exercise to remain happy and content. They can also sometimes be challenging to train due to getting bored with training methods. Owners would have to be creative and come up with new fun ideas for them.

• Height: 21 and up Inches
• Weight: 60 – 100 Females, 60 – 100 Males (Pounds)
• Life Expectancy: 10 – 12 Years
• Country of Origin: England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
• Calmness Scale Rating: 3.5

Great Dane (Great Danoodles) 

• Breed grouping  – Working  group

Great Danes are the tallest dog on our list today. They can tower over other dogs and can stand as tall as a human when they are on their hind legs. Owning and training a Great Dane is a responsibility not to be taken lightly. Having a hyper out of control Chihuahua is one thing but a hyper out of control Great Dane, even a mix can be hard to control. Early obedience training is a requirement, along with puppy socialization. The good news is that even being as big as they are, they are easy to train and love to please their owners. 

Great Danes need to be exercised every day. Owners must keep in mind the Great Danes age, when under 2 years their joints can be damaged with too much exercise. 

These gentle giants come in many colors and they are highly sociable and friendly when meeting strangers and other dogs. But when they are at home they are alert guardians of their home and they are patient and gentle with kids. You wouldn’t have any issues with burglars 🥷with one of these giant breeds protecting your home. 

• Height: 28 – 32 Inches
• Weight: 60 – 100 Females, 60 – 100 Males (Pounds)
• Life Expectancy: 7 – 10 Years
• Country of Origin: Germany 🇩🇪
• Calmness Scale Rating: 4

Saint Bernard (Saint Berdoodle)

• Breed grouping  – Working  group

Made famous by the movie “Beethoven” the St Bernard is another very large dog breed option. They are another of the gentle giants who are known to be gentle with kids and being tolerant and patient. St Bernards are also very watchful and fairly easy to train. They are devoted to their owners and love to spend time with them. They can also do well as therapy dogs or just a great companion.

St Bernards need about 30 minutes of moderate exercise per day to stay mentally and physically happy. Early puppy socialization and training are a great idea due to their size that they will grow to. 

• Height: 26 – 30 Inches
• Weight: 120 – 140 Females, 140 – 180 Males (Pounds)
• Life Expectancy: 8 – 10 Years
• Country of Origin: Switzerland 🇨🇭
• Calmness Scale Rating: 3

Newfoundland (NewfiePoo)

• Breed grouping  – Working  group

Newfoundlands are another very large dog on our breed list. They are sweet tempered and trusting. They are also patient and watchful and can make a great companion for children. 🧒 They do need contact daily with their families and they have a very soft temperament. 

Newfoundlands are easy to train but they do not perform with negative correction or training methods. They need gentle training and positive guidance. As with the other giant breeds on our list early socialization is key and puppy training is a must. These dogs could very quickly outweigh and over power their owners. They need to learn rules and good habits before they get too big. Newfoundlands are highly intelligent and they learn fast.

• Height: 26-28 Inches
• Weight: 100-120 Females, 130-150 Males (Pounds)
• Life Expectancy:  9-10 Years
• Country of Origin: Canada 🇨🇦
• Calmness Scale Rating: 3

Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier (Whoodles)

• Breed grouping  – Terrier  group

Do you like the color of wheat? The Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier could be a good fit for you. They come in varying shades of wheat coat colors that are low shedding! Mixing one of these and a poodle really may result in less dog hair and dander. 👍 They are originally from Ireland and they are the smallest dogs on our list today. They really could go on the standard breed article or the smaller breed article.

The Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers are smart and extroverted. They make friends well and they are usually very happy pups. They bond very strongly to their owners and are highly devoted. 

This dog is medium to high energy and that energy does NOT taper off after puppyhood. They have energy and it needs to be channeled into something positive. Early socialization and puppy training are a must with this one. They also have a high prey drive and love to chase things, that is what terriers were bred for. 🐇

Terrier breeds are notorious for being a little stubborn and wanting to do things their own way. So training can be a bit tricky. They need consistency and firmness but not too firm. Needless to say, it could be a challenge and require more from an owner. 

• Height: 17-19 Inches
• Weight:  30-35 Females, 35-40 Males (Pounds)
• Life Expectancy: 12-14 Years
• Country of Origin: Ireland 🇮🇪
• Calmness Scale Rating: 3.5

Great Pyrenees (Pyre-doodles)

• Breed grouping  – Working  group

The last breed on our list is another one of our gentle giants. As with the other very large breeds they are very sweet and mellow and can be very calm. Great Pyrenees were originally bred as guardians of sheep so they are highly aware of their surroundings and are great guard dogs. 

Great Pyrenees have very thick white coats that can be a variation of white mixed with tan, gray or reddish. 

These gentle giants do not require a large amount of exercise, 30 mins per day would probably be fine for them. 

Great Pyrenees can be very independent and slow to respond to training. They can be trained, it might just take a bit longer and require a bit more patience from the owner. 

• Height: 25-32 Inches
• Weight:  85 and up Females, 100 and up Males (Pounds)
• Life Expectancy: 10-12 Years
• Country of Origin: France 🇫🇷
• Calmness Scale Rating: 3

I hope this article gave you more insight into the breed characteristics that doodles may have. Each dog is different and dog temperament is usually a combination of both genetics[1] and training. If you would like any more information about doodles feel free to look around.