Aussiedoodles: Not From Australia

3 Common Aussiedoodle Behaviour Problems (And How To Fix Them)

Remember: Aussiedoodles combine two intensely intelligent working breeds. Understanding their need for structured mental work and physical activity helps you channel their drive productively, not fight against it.

Where Do Aussiedoodles Come From?

The Aussiedoodle was created in the 1990s-2000s, attempting to combine Australian Shepherd working drive and trainability with Poodle intelligence and theoretically low-shedding coat.

Most Aussiedoodle breeding uses Miniature or Toy Poodles crossed with Mini Australian Shepherds (or occasionally Standard Aussies with Standard Poodles), creating a size range from 5-35kg with zero predictability.

F1 (first generation) crosses are most common, meaning massive variation in temperament, coat, and size within single litters. No breed standard exists, and virtually no health testing is performed.

What were they bred to do?

Aussiedoodles have no working purpose—they were created purely for the pet market. Understanding their parent breeds explains their intensity:

Australian Shepherds were bred for intense, close-contact herding of stubborn cattle in challenging ranch conditions. They're hyper-aware of their environment, noticing every detail that might indicate a problem with livestock. They're naturally suspicious of strangers and require constant mental stimulation.

Poodles were originally water retrievers requiring high intelligence and handler focus. They're similarly sensitive and prone to anxiety, particularly noise phobias.

Crossing these breeds creates dogs with potentially extreme working drive without appropriate outlets—these are working breeds without work, which can lead to severe behavioural problems in pet homes. The intelligence and trainability that's marketed as benefits become challenges when dogs are smarter and more driven than their owners can handle.

Key breeding traits:

Aussiedoodles require extremely high energy output—2-3+ hours daily of structured exercise and mental work. They show intense herding drive (stalking, nipping, reactivity to movement) and potential for neurotic behaviours when under-stimulated (spinning, tail chasing, obsessive ball fetching, barrier frustration).

Australian Shepherd aloofness and wariness with strangers combined with Poodle sensitivity creates potentially reactive dogs requiring extensive socialisation. These dogs need structured jobs daily or they create their own—usually destructive, neurotic behaviours.

Why Do Aussiedoodles Have These Behaviour Problems?

Your Aussiedoodle isn't misbehaving—they're a working breed without work. They were marketed to active families wanting "smart, trainable, medium-energy" dogs good with kids. This is a fundamental mismatch for most families.

Well-placed Aussiedoodles with handlers doing agility, herding, trick training, or other intensive work can thrive. These represent a tiny minority. The vast majority are pets whose needs cannot be met in typical family contexts, creating dogs who are constantly stressed and displaying problem behaviours.

Problem 1: Herding Behaviours & Nipping Children/Pets

What's happening: Your Aussiedoodle stalks children or pets (intense staring, crouching, following), nips at heels, ankles, or hands when people run or move quickly, and shows obsessive focus on moving targets. This intensifies during play or excitement.

Why it happens: Australian Shepherds were bred for intense, close-contact herding requiring nipping at heels to move stubborn cattle—this is deeply genetic and emerges in crosses even in pet contexts.

Herding behaviours include stalking (intense staring, crouching, following) and nipping at moving targets. This is not aggression—it's working behaviour. The dog is trying to "move" the target back into the "flock." Running children trigger this instinct powerfully.

The fix: The best way to manage this is through a combination of environmental management, extensive recall training, and working redirection. If your Aussiedoodle exhibits this behaviour, you must accept that you will likely never remove it and you just need to manage the situation.

Make sure that small children don't trigger your dog. If this means your dog cannot be around children when they're running around, this is your solution. Use a long line to practice extensive recall training. Over time, consider leaving a short line on them at all times to give you more control of the environment.

For nipping, use immediate consequence: nip = person or pet leaves instantly (social isolation). Calm behavior = continued access. Teach that herding makes good things disappear.

In some cases, you can train your Aussie an "observe" command where you give them a job to watch and sit next to you. This is not possible in all dogs and requires natural ability in the owner.

Struggling with herding behaviors? This genetic trait requires management, not elimination. Join our free Skool community for recall training protocols and environmental management strategies specifically for herding breeds.

Problem 2: Extreme Reactivity & Barrier Frustration

What's happening: Your Aussiedoodle lunges, barks frantically at windows, fences, or doors when they see triggers (people, dogs, cars). They run along fences, jump at windows, and become increasingly frantic. The behavior escalates over time.

Why it happens: Australian Shepherds are naturally suspicious of strangers and new stimuli, and some can become very territorial. Barrier frustration (fence, window, door) amplifies this: they can see triggers but can't access them, creating intense frustration manifesting as frantic barking, lunging, and fence running. This escalates over time.

Poodle sensitivity adds another layer—they're alert dogs who notice everything, and this awareness combined with Australian Shepherd wariness creates highly reactive dogs.

The fix: Practice walk progressions starting in your home. If your dog starts to become reactive, simply put them on a short line and use your calm freeze and structured walking (figure-8) practice.

If your dog cannot calm down, simply remove them from the situation on a short line. Practice small incremental progressions, ideally with dogs that you know. Never use treats, rewards, or affection to calm your dog down—you're just providing the exact wrong message.

Manage threshold: work at distances where they can notice triggers without reacting (might be 20m+ initially), gradually decreasing distance over weeks as they build positive associations. Never allow them to "greet" while lunging or barking.

Finding reactivity overwhelming? Barrier frustration and reactivity require systematic desensitisation. Our Skool community has threshold management protocols and you can get support during weekly Q&As.

Problem 3: Anxiety

What's happening: Your Aussiedoodle shows signs of generalised anxiety: pacing, panting, inability to settle, noise phobias, fear of new situations, or separation distress. They may develop obsessive behaviors like spinning or tail chasing.

Why it happens: Australian Shepherds are bred to be hyper-aware of their environment (noticing every detail that might indicate a problem with livestock) and can be naturally anxious and sensitive. Poodles are similarly sensitive and prone to anxiety, particularly noise phobias.

When you combine these traits, you get dogs who notice everything, worry about everything, and struggle to relax. Under-stimulation makes this worse—anxious energy with no outlet creates neurotic behaviours.

The fix: Help them manage this early on. If you're now in the position that you have a problem, you will need to work hard to reverse this, and in many cases you may not be able to.

It's important to mention that many owners choose to medicate their dogs. At The Toe Beans Co we have no opinion on this and cannot provide advice. However, if you do not also complete behavioural change, you will not see progression. Or worse, you will own a dog with no personality.

Never comfort anxious behavior (you're rewarding anxiety)—instead, be completely neutral and calm, modelling safety. Desensitise departure cues: pick up keys without leaving 10+ times daily, put shoes on and take off, grab purse and set down—make cues meaningless.

Provide structured mental work daily: puzzle feeders, scent work, trick training—tire the brain, not just the body. A mentally exhausted Aussiedoodle is a calmer Aussiedoodle.

Struggling with anxiety? Managing anxious, high-drive breeds requires structured protocols. Join our Skool community for desensitisation techniques and mental enrichment ideas.

Is an Aussiedoodle Right for a New Owner?

An Aussiedoodle might be perfect for you if you're looking for:

An exceptionally intelligent training partner - These dogs excel at complex training and love learning new skills.

An active lifestyle companion - If you run, hike, or do outdoor activities daily, they're brilliant partners.

A dog sports enthusiast - They thrive in agility, herding trials, trick training, and competitive obedience.

A highly trainable, focused dog - When given appropriate outlets, their intelligence and drive are incredible assets.

If you can commit to 2-3+ hours daily of structured physical and mental exercise, provide dog sports or intensive training activities, manage herding instincts around children and pets, work extensively on socialisation to prevent reactivity, accept that this is a working breed requiring work (not a moderate-energy family pet), and have experience with high-drive, intelligent breeds, an Aussiedoodle can be an outstanding companion.

However, if you're looking for a moderate-energy family pet, this is not the right breed for you.

Get the Full Support System for Your Aussiedoodle

This guide gives you real solutions you can start using today. But raising a well-behaved Aussiedoodle is an ongoing journey, not a one-time fix.

That's why we created our free Skool community—to give you continuous support every step of the way.

Inside the community, you'll get:

• Weekly live Q&A sessions where you can ask about YOUR specific Aussiedoodle and get personalised advice from experienced trainers
• Full breed-specific courses covering everything from managing herding drive to channeling working energy productively
• A supportive community of other Aussiedoodle owners who understand living with an intense, intelligent working breed
• Video demonstrations of mental enrichment activities and structured training exercises
• Troubleshooting help when things don't go to plan (because they won't always!)
• Updated resources as we add new courses and training blueprints

Best part? It's completely free. No subscription. No catch. Just dog owners helping dog owners.

Join The Toe Beans Co community today and get the ongoing support you need to build the best relationship with your Aussiedoodle.