Cheerful, clever, affectionate and adaptable. From United States (Irish Setter x Poodle).
Designer Crossmedium breedUnited States (Irish Setter x Poodle)Standards checked
Standards checked: this profile's facts are checked against the breed standards of the AKC, The Kennel Club and the FCI, as described on our methodology page.
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Photos show different individual dogs from licensed libraries, not one dog growing up. Stage labels are approximate, the way a careful editor would judge them.
The Irish Doodle crosses the Irish Setter with the Poodle, aiming for a family dog with the best of both. There is no standard and no guarantee with a cross, which is exactly why the breeder's health testing and honesty matter more here than anywhere.
The Irish Doodle belongs to the designer dog era: the Irish Setter was crossed with the Poodle in the United States to combine traits of both in one family dog. It is described as cheerful, clever, affectionate and adaptable. There is no fixed standard and no major registry recognition, so the parents are the record that matters. A typical life runs 12 to 15 years.
Cheerful, clever, affectionate and adaptable is the record's Irish Doodle: a cross aiming to combine the Irish Setter's joyful, flamboyant heart with the Poodle's brains in a lighter shedding, red coated package. There is no standard and no guarantee with a cross, as the overview says plainly, so individuals vary, but the centre of this one is an exuberant, people devoted dog with a gundog's love of country and company. Puppies are red whirlwinds in teddy bear coats; adults settle, eventually and somewhat, into funny, devoted companions with a puppyish streak inherited from the Setter side that survives for years.
Energy (4/5)
Trainability (4/5)
Grooming needs (5/5)
Shedding (1/5)
Barking (3/5)
Good with children: Good with children
With other dogs: Good with dogs
With strangers: Friendly with strangers
Apartment life: With enough exercise
Coat: Wavy to curly and usually low shedding, with the Irish Setter parent sometimes adding a silky, feathered quality and a rich red tone to the Poodle curl. The coat mats without brushing several times a week and most owners keep it clipped.
Colors: The standard accepts a range of colors and patterns, and individual markings vary a lot.
Measure meals rather than free feeding; this breed does best on a routine of consistent meals, training in short sessions and daily exercise matched to its type. Brush several times a week right down to the skin and clip every six to eight weeks, or this coat mats fast. Coat care depends on which parent the coat takes after; most of these coats mat quickly and need brushing several times a week plus regular clipping.
Forty five to ninety minutes a day of active, joyful exercise: brisk walks, free running, swimming, retrieving and training games. The Irish Setter parent contributes a ranging gundog's engine and the Poodle a water dog's athleticism, so this cross needs more than a stroll: it needs country, games and brain work. Puppies build up gradually with protected joints. The Setter side matures slowly, so expect an exuberant young dog well into the second year. A Irish Doodle whose programme is paid is the cheerful, affectionate companion the cross promises; one short changed is a red whirlwind with a grooming problem, redecorating between grooms.
Brush several times a week right down to the skin and clip every six to eight weeks, or this coat mats fast, exactly as the care guidance warns. The wavy to curly coat combines Poodle growth with Setter silk, and tangles in the feathering zones, chest, legs, ears and tail, without comb through discipline. Professional grooms are the norm at this size, so budget for them. Start table manners in puppyhood; a sixty pound dog that cooperates on the table is made, not born. Add ear checks after swimming, because both parents are water loving breeds with covered ear canals, plus nail trims and tooth brushing.
Irish Doodles are bright, eager pupils from two highly trainable breeds, and reward based training in varied sessions produces excellent results. The priorities are recall, built in stages against the Setter nose; lead manners before the size arrives; a settle; polite greetings without the bounce; and comfort with the grooming table, which is a lifetime appointment. Socialise widely so the friendliness matures with manners. The Setter side matures slowly, so expect teenage regression and answer it with patience. Many Irish Doodles excel at agility, gundog style games and trick training, and the trained dog is the cross at its charming best.
The Irish Doodle suits active families with space for a large, joyful dog and a groomer on speed dial. Cheerful, clever and affectionate, good with children, good with other dogs and friendly with visitors, the cross is socially easy; the demands are exercise, slow maturation and the serious grooming programme. Flats rate as workable in the record only with the full programme genuinely delivered. Alone time needs training, because both parents bond hard. Expect a red, funny, shaggy shadow that joins everything at gundog enthusiasm. Choosing the breeder and the parent dogs matters more than the cross name, exactly as the overview advises.
About $35 per month for a typical 55 lb adult eating roughly 3.3 cups a day of a standard quality food ($1.60 per lb). Full breakdown in our food expense calculator.
Plan 45 to 90 minutes a day of walks, play and training. Under exercised dogs of most breeds invent their own projects, and they rarely pick good ones.
Typical US range $34 to $61 per month for accident and illness cover. Estimate only, based on market ranges for this breed's risk profile; see the insurance estimator and the insurance guide.
On the monthly figures above, a typical adult year runs to about $422 for food and $408 to $732 for insurance, before routine vet care, grooming and gear. Year one costs more: vaccinations, spay or neuter surgery, a crate, bedding and training all land at once.
How weight typically builds with age for a medium breed, and when full size arrives.
| Stage | Age | Typical weight |
|---|---|---|
| Puppy | 8 weeks | about 6 to 10 lb |
| Puppy | 4 months | about 13 to 22 lb |
| Young | 6 months | about 21 to 36 lb |
| Young | 9 months | about 30 to 52 lb |
| Adult | 12 months | about 35 to 62 lb |
| Adult | 18 months | about 40 to 70 lb |
| Adult | Full grown | 40 to 70 lb (standard range) |
| Senior | From about 8 years | Healthy weight stays in the adult range; watch for slow gain or loss |
Growth pattern follows the size class growth curves published by the Waltham Petcare Science Institute, applied to the adult weight range in the breed standard. Individual puppies vary; steady growth matters more than hitting any single number, and your vet's growth checks come first.
Puppies need socialisation, grooming habituation from the first weeks, protected joints while a large frame grows and early alone time practice. Adolescents are big, joyful and slow to mature, and sport plus structure carries the household through a long teenage phase. Adults enjoy a long, cheerful prime: keep the coat worked through, weight lean and training refreshed. Twelve to fifteen years puts senior status around ten: twice yearly checks with hip and eye awareness, joint friendly exercise and practical clips for comfort. Old Irish Doodles stay affectionate, funny and family centred to the end.
A cross can inherit health conditions from either parent breed, so the right question is what both parents were tested for: hips, eyes and the DNA panels of both breeds as a minimum. A crossbreeder who cannot show certificates is one to walk away from.
This is a designer cross, not a kennel club breed, so there is no official standard. Figures follow the parent breeds and reputable breeder consensus. Health notes summarize the conditions breed clubs and veterinary bodies most often flag for this breed. They are general information for choosing and caring, not a diagnosis or a substitute for your vet.
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A typical lifespan is 12 to 15 years. Weight control, dental care and screening for the breed's known conditions give a dog the best chance of reaching the top of that range.
Food for a typical adult runs about $35 a month at a standard quality tier, and accident and illness insurance usually falls between $34 and $61 a month in the US. Try the full cost calculator for a complete year one and yearly picture.
Good with children. As with every breed, supervise dogs and children together and teach children to respect the dog's space.
Plan on 45 to 90 minutes a day, split between walks, play and training games. Puppies and seniors need gentler, shorter sessions.
Forty to seventy pounds on this page, a true medium to large dog, set by the Poodle parent's size and the individual puppy. Crosses vary, and exact promises should be treated with suspicion.
Usually lightly, thanks to the Poodle, but the Setter side means lightly is not never. The real cost is grooming: brushing to the skin several times a week and clips every six to eight weeks for life.
Yes, for active families: cheerful, clever and affectionate, good with children and other dogs. They need serious exercise and owners who enjoy a joyful, occasionally chaotic young dog.
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