UTAH
Teddy Bear Doodles
Sheepadoodle Appearance
Sheepadoodles come in a variety of colors, shapes, sizes and that famous teddy bear coat. While each Sheepadoodle is individual, they do generally stay within a set standard. The guide below will highlight some of the differences that make each Sheepadoodle unique as well as some of their similarities. This list will help give you an idea of what you can expect your Sheepadoodle to look like, and maybe even help you identify this increasingly popular hybrid the next time you see one out in public.
Coat Types
As a hybrid, Sheepadoodles can vary in size, color and coat type. Our teddy bear puppies are very unique in the variety they have to offer. They can come in a few different coat textures. Genetically, these coat textures are defined by the CU Locus.
There are three different genotypes that define coat texture:
Cu Locus: This is the genetic component that impacts hair curl, this gene produces keratin that provides a major structural component of the hair.
CuC Locus: This variant prevents keratin in the hair from binding together, altering the hair structure and pattern. This causes the hair to appear curly over the entire coat.
Combining into pairs each dog will inherit one of the following: CuC/CuC, CuC/Cu, or Cu/Cu.
CuC/CuC
Carrying two copies of the CuC gene will result in a dog with a curly coat, most poodles have this gene composition. A dog with this combination of genes will pass CuC to 100% of their offspring.
CuC/Cu
This combination of genotypes has one copy of the CuC (curly hair gene) as well as one copy of Cu (straight hair gene). This results in a coat that is wavy or curly. 50% of this dog’s offspring will inherit the CuC Locus, and 50% will inherit the Cu Locus.
Cu/Cu
Carrying two copies of the Cu genotype results in a straight coated dog. Dogs who carry two copies of this gene will pass this gene to 100% of their offspring.
There are three different combinations of coat furnishing genes:
Furnishings (F) are the dominant genes that allow longer hair to grow on the eyebrows, and mustache area of a Sheepadoodle’s face.
Improper Coat (IC) is the opposite of facial furnishings, improper coat is characterized by short hair on muzzle and eyebrow areas.
These can be combined to get F/F, F/IC, and IC/IC.
F/F This is the combination most poodles have. A dog with two copies of the furnishing (F) gene will pass this gene to 100% of their offspring.
F/IC This combination holds one copy of the furnishing gene (F), and one copy of the improper coat gene (IC). Because F is the dominant gene, a Sheepadoodle only needs one copy of this gene to exhibit physical furnishings on the face.
IC/IC This is a dog who carries two copies of the improper coat gene (IC) resulting in short hair along the muzzle and eyebrows. This dog will pass the improper coat gene to 100% of their offspring.
Colors
Sheepadoodles most commonly come in grey/white and black/white combinations. Colors that are less commonly seen in our puppies include merle patterning, and puppies with tan points along the legs and face.
Some puppies are affected by the “fade” gene. There is no test for this gene but many Poodles do carry it. Puppies may or may not inherit this gene. Puppies affected by this gene are typically born a rich dark color and fade into a lighter version of this color as they reach maturity.
Size Variance
Sheepadoodles are a hybrid of the two parent breeds, the Old English Sheepdog and the Poodle. The Poodle comes in 3 varieties: Standard Poodle, Miniature Poodle, and Toy Poodle. Each varying in size. For this reason we are able to bring precious teddy bear sized Sheepadoodles into the world!
Our Sheepadoodles come in three sizes:
Miniature (20-25 lbs)
Medium (35-45 lbs)
Standard (50-65 lbs)
Overall Appearance
At the end of the day each of our Teddy Bear Doodles are unique and special in their own way. As much as we appreciate the cute and cuddly coats and beautiful array of colors. Nothing is more important to us than the health of our dogs. Each of our dogs have the necessary genetic screening and OFA testing completed prior to breeding. Our highest priority is to be the very best kennel in America. Producing Sheepadoodles of top quality so they can live a long and healthy life by the side of their new forever family.