Which Doodle Makes the Best Family Dog? Let’s Compare (With Data)

If you’re wondering which Doodle makes the best family dog, then this article is just for you! We’ll cover all the essentials for determining the best family dog: affection with family, kid-friendliness, friendliness toward other dogs and cats, hypoallergenic levels, trainability, sensitivity level, energy level, and playfulness.

Best Family Dog for Affection

Survey participants evaluated their Doodle’s Affection with Family from Poor to Excellent. Poor being the least affectionate and Excellent being the most affectionate. 

Our survey participants evaluated Bernedoodles to be the most affectionate. Not far behind are Goldendoodles with mostly Excellent results.

Participants mostly reported Aussiedoodles as Excellent. However, they also received some Fair and Poor evaluations, so they may not be the best choice for people who want ultimate affection from their pup.

Best Family Dog for Kids

Kid-friendliness shows you how gentle a Doodle is with children, but also how much they can handle the common things all kids do. For example, children running around, screaming, hugging, and petting. This is especially important if you have small children who might not yet understand how to behave with a dog.

Survey participants evaluated their Doodle’s Kid-Friendliness from Poor to Excellent, where Poor represents least kid-friendly and Excellent represents the most kid-friendly.

All Doodles evaluated to be excellent with kids. The kid-friendliest are shown to be Goldendoodles and Bernedoodles. Likewise, Aussiedoodles and Labradoodles were reported Excellent by most survey participants. However, Aussiedoodles, once again, received the most Fair evaluations out of all. This might indicate that Aussiedoodles are not the best suited for families with young children.

Friendliness Toward Dogs

The friendliest with other dogs were reported to be Bernedoodles. Aussiedoodles received mostly Excellent evaluations, though in contrast, some owners also reported them to be not as friendly toward other dogs. Likewise with Labradoodles.

Friendliness Toward Cats

We’ve got some colorful results here! If you’re already a cat owner and would like to add a Doodle to your family, this one’s for you!

Participants reported Bernedoodles mostly above Satisfactory, with just a very small amount of people reporting them to be not as friendly with cats. If you’re looking for the best family dog for a household with a cat, a Bernedoodle might be the best choice.

Goldendoodles are a hit or miss here – either they’re great with cats, or not at all.

But Aussiedoodles and Labradoodles were mostly voted Fair or Satisfactory, making them the least suitable in households that already have cats.

The colorful results here directly relate to a Doodle’s prey drive. This is a dog’s innate desire to chase or hunt smaller animals. However, early socialization might do the trick here to curb that prey drive and create harmony between the dog and cat.

Best Family Dog for Allergies

The Hypoallergenic Level chart shows us how allergy-friendly our Doodle owners evaluated their dogs. Survey participants evaluated their Doodle’s Hypoallergenic Level from Poor (triggers allergies) to Excellent (doesn’t trigger allergies).

The main allergy trigger is usually dog dander. The more a dog sheds, the more dander usually floats around and triggers allergic reactions. Generally, Doodles are less or even non-shedding. Thus, they’re the best family dogs for people suffering from allergies. 

From this chart we can see that all Doodles were evaluated mostly Excellent or Very Good, in regard to their Hypoallergenic Levels. Gotta thank those Poodle genes! However, Labradoodles did receive the most evaluations for Fair and Poor out of all the Doodles.

Sensitivity Level

Sensitivity Level describes how much a Doodle can handle a noisy household with lots of action going on. If you’re in search of the best family dog who can handle a chaotic household, this is something to have a closer look at. This area is especially important if your family has kids.

Bernedoodles received the largest amount of Excellent results, whereas Labradoodles and Aussiedoodles both got quite a lot of Poor, Fair, and Satisfactory evaluations. These Doodles would probably do better in a less noisy household. 

Trainability

Our survey participants evaluated their Doodle’s Trainability from Poor to Excellent. Most people reported all Doodles Excellent or Very Good. Thanks to the Poodle parents, Doodles have inherited very high intelligence levels, which makes training them a breeze.

Energy Level

Survey participants evaluated their Doodle’s Energy Level from Poor (low energy) to Excellent (high energy). 

From this chart we can see that Aussiedoodles were reported to have the highest energy levels, followed closely by Goldendoodles. Meanwhile, Bernedoodles were reported to be the least energetic of them all. 

If you’re looking for an active companion for your daily jog, an Aussiedoodle or a Goldendoodle would be a great choice. If you prefer a dog with lower energy levels, a Bernedoodle will probably be the best family dog for you.

Playfulness

Last but not least, let’s look at the playfulness of each Doodle. Survey participants evaluated their Doodle’s Playfulness from Poor (not playful at all) to Excellent (very playful). 

All Doodles were overwhelmingly reported Excellent in regard to how playful they are. So be prepare yourself for lots of fun and playtime with all of them!

Attributions:
Image by Shelby L. Bell, licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Image by William Warby, used under CC BY 2.0 / Enhanced from Original