Aussiedoodle Puppies: Adopt or Buy in Australia?

What exactly is an Aussiedoodle?

An Aussiedoodle is a cross between an Australian Shepherd and a Poodle. The Poodle comes in three sizes, so ask which was used: a Standard Poodle gives a different dog from a Miniature or a Toy. It is not a breed in the formal sense. Dogs Australia publishes a breed standard for each purebred breed it recognises, and the Aussiedoodle is not on that list. For a buyer that means:

• No standard to measure a puppy against. Adult size, coat and temperament depend on the parents, and can vary within one litter.
• No breed club. Nobody sets minimum health checks for Aussiedoodle litters or publishes a reference price, the way purebred clubs do.
• No Dogs Australia pedigree. Member breeders' codes forbid crossbreeding without prior approval; that has its own section below.

Despite the name, the Australian Shepherd is not an Australian breed: the Dogs Australia standard gives its country of development as the United States of America. Ads may also use labels such as “F1” or “F1b”. These are breeder shorthand that no registry checks, so treat them as a description from the seller rather than a promise about coat or shedding.

Should you adopt or buy an Aussiedoodle?

Adopt if you can be flexible about age. With an adult Aussiedoodle or Australian Shepherd cross from a rescue, you pay the rescue's published fee and can see its size, coat and, above all, its energy before you commit. That matters for this cross, because a dog with a herding parent can be far busier than a family expects. Buy if you need a young puppy and are ready to do the checking that the lack of a breed standard and a breed club leaves to you.

If what you really want is a dog of predictable size, coat and health screening, look at the parent breeds, which have breed standards and Dogs Australia registered breeders. Our Australian Shepherd and Poodle adopt-or-buy guides cover each side, and oodle breeds compared sets the Aussiedoodle beside the other Poodle crosses.

Why is there no Dogs Australia registered Aussiedoodle breeder?

Because the codes Dogs Australia members follow forbid crossbreeding unless their state body approves it in advance. The Dogs NSW Code of Ethics (clause 17) says a member shall not knowingly permit a purebred dog to be mated to a dog of a different breed or a cross-bred dog unless the mating is for the health, welfare or development of a breed and the Board has approved it in advance; it adds that the prohibition does not apply to guide and working dogs. Dogs Victoria's code (20.1.15) says dogs “are not permitted to be mated to a dog or bitch of a different breed, to a cross bred dog or bitch”. The national Dogs Australia Code of Practice (clause 16) says a member shall not permit its purebred dogs to be mated to a dog of a different breed or a cross bred dog “without the prior approval of the member’s Member Body”.

So the Australian Shepherd and Poodle breeders who belong to a state canine body are bound by those rules, and Aussiedoodle litters are generally bred outside that system. Some belong to other registries, which Dogs Australia says are not affiliated with it and cannot issue its certified pedigrees. That does not make every Aussiedoodle breeder a poor one. It means the checks a breed club would push for are now yours to make.

How big does an Aussiedoodle get, and what is it like?

Somewhere between its parents, so start by asking which parents. This is what the official sources say about height at the shoulder:

From the Dogs Australia Australian Shepherd and Poodle (Standard) standards and the Dogs Victoria Poodle profile (Poodle heights), read 11 November 2026.

Put a herding dog with the stamina to work all day together with a very active Poodle, and plan for a dog that needs daily exercise and something to think about: training, games and a job. The coat can be curly, wavy or closer to the Australian Shepherd's, so grooming varies from dog to dog. Our Sydney guides cover the detail: Aussiedoodle grooming and coat care, Aussiedoodle health issues and adopting an Aussiedoodle in Sydney.

Are Aussiedoodles hypoallergenic or non-shedding?

No dog is hypoallergenic. The Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) says: “All dog breeds cause allergies, although some do not shed as much dander, and therefore less allergen is spread.” It also says the main source of dog allergen is saliva.

The parents sit at different ends on coat. The Australian Shepherd standard describes a coat of medium length with an undercoat; the Poodle standard describes a dense, curly coat. A puppy can take after either. Treat a “guaranteed hypoallergenic” or “non-shedding” promise as advertising. If anyone at home has asthma or a dog allergy, see a doctor before you choose a dog, spend long, repeated visits with the actual dog, and read our guides to hypoallergenic dogs in Australia and dogs that don't shed.

Which health checks should an Aussiedoodle breeder show you?

Results for both parents, from each parent breed's own list.

Sources: Australian Shepherd Club of Victoria and the Dogs Victoria Standard and Miniature Poodle profiles, read 11 November 2026. A buying checklist, not veterinary advice.

MDR1: a result your vet will want

MDR1 is a gene mutation that can make some common medicines dangerous for a dog. Washington State University's veterinary laboratory says the mutation has been found in Australian Shepherds and in a variety of mixed-breed dogs, and that the only way to know if an individual dog has it is to test. The Australian Shepherd Club of Victoria says affected dogs should be given alternative drugs. Ask for the parents' MDR1 results, or test your dog, and give the result to your vet before any treatment.

Merle: ask about both parents

Blue merle and red merle are standard Australian Shepherd colours. The risk comes from breeding two merles together, which can produce a “double merle” puppy. In a peer-reviewed study of 153 merle dogs tested with a hearing test (Strain and colleagues, 2009), 2.7% of single merles were deaf in one ear and 0.9% in both, compared with 10% and 15% of double merles. Ask the colour of both parents. If both carry merle, ask how the breeder ruled out a double merle, and have your vet check the puppy's hearing.

Is a cross healthier?

Not reliably. No study has looked at Aussiedoodles. A 2024 Royal Veterinary College owner survey covering 9,402 UK dogs up to five years old compared three popular Poodle crosses (Cavapoo, Cockapoo and Labradoodle) with their purebred parent breeds and found no difference in the odds of common owner-reported disorders in 86.6% of comparisons; the crosses had higher odds in 7.0% and lower odds in 6.4%. The authors say the results should be extrapolated to other crosses only with caution. The health of the two parents is what you can actually check.

What does an Aussiedoodle cost?

We cannot give you a breeder price we can stand behind. For purebred breeds we read the prices that Dogs Australia member breeders publish on their own websites and report what we find. That method has nothing to measure for an Aussiedoodle, because member breeders' codes forbid crossbreeding without prior approval, and there is no breed club guide either. Any figure on a listing site is one seller's asking price, not a benchmark, and a high price does not buy health testing. Ask what the price includes.

What we can show you is what rescues publish:

Reference only, not a quote. These are the fees each rescue published on the date shown; fees change, so check with the rescue. RSPCA ACT sets which band each dog falls in, and says every animal it adopts out is desexed and microchipped (where appropriate); ask any rescue what its fee includes.

The purchase price is the smaller number over a dog's life. Food, insurance, vet care, training and clipping add up, so run it through the dog cost calculator and read our guide to cheaper vet care before you commit.

What do Aussiedoodles in rescue look like?

Whatever is listed on the day, so check the live pages, which change daily. A rescue may use several names (Aussiedoodle, Australian Shepherd x Poodle, Australian Shepherd cross, Poodle cross), so search more than one. If the Aussie side is what draws you, check the Australian Shepherd listings too: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide.

An adopted adult answers the questions a puppy cannot: its coat has grown in, its size is settled, and you can see how much exercise it really needs and how it behaves with people, children and other dogs. What you usually will not get is its parents' health or MDR1 results, so book a baseline vet check in the first weeks and ask your vet about an MDR1 test. Our city guides cover adopting an Aussiedoodle in each city: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide. Adopting a dog in Australia walks through the process.

How do Aussiedoodle scams work, and how do you check a seller?

Scamwatch says scammers set up fake websites, social media profiles and marketplace listings for popular breeds and pets that do not exist, and that if a pet is very cheap, it is likely a scam. It advises viewing the pet in person or on a video call. A Dogs Victoria fact sheet says scam ads often feature breeds and mixes in high demand, and warns that ads may display microchip, source or membership numbers lifted from legitimate breeders. Aussiedoodle versions of the claims to test:

• “Guaranteed non-shedding” or “hypoallergenic”. ASCIA says all dog breeds cause allergies, and an Australian Shepherd parent can pass on a coat with an undercoat.
• “Calm” or “low energy” promises. Both parent standards describe active, intelligent dogs. Nobody can promise a puppy's energy level.
• Health talk without paperwork. Ask for both parents' certificates from the table above, with names that match the litter.
• Photos of someone else's litter. A reverse image search and a search of the ad's exact wording can find the same material elsewhere.

Because an Aussiedoodle does not come with a Dogs Australia pedigree, the check that matters most is the one every breeder must pass: the state number. That is a breeder identification number in NSW, a Pet Exchange Register source number in Victoria, a supply number in Queensland or a DACO breeder number in South Australia. Look it up on the official register yourself and confirm it matches the seller and the microchip. Our puppies for sale guide sets out every state's scheme and what to do if you have already paid.

Is an Aussiedoodle the right dog for you?

Be honest about three things before you apply anywhere: time every day for exercise and training, a home where a clever, possibly herding-minded dog will not be bored, and a grooming budget that depends on which coat it gets. If long days alone are the norm, a calmer breed or an older rescue dog with a known energy level is the kinder choice. Not sure the cross fits? Try the what dog breed is right for me quiz, the dog exercise calculator and the adoption readiness check.

Weighing other crosses too? Other adopt-or-buy guides cover the Bordoodle, Bernedoodle, Groodle and Labradoodle.

Find an Aussiedoodle near you

Each page shows Aussiedoodles listed right now by rescues in that city, and each listing links to the rescue where you apply directly.

• Aussiedoodles for adoption in Sydney
• Aussiedoodles for adoption in Melbourne
• Aussiedoodles for adoption in Brisbane
• Aussiedoodles for adoption in Perth
• Aussiedoodles for adoption in Adelaide